The Autumn Equinox is here soon! At this time in the Wheel of the Year, the sun passes over the Earth’s equator going from North to South. There are two equinoxes each year, the Vernal Equinox in the spring and the Autumnal Equinox in the fall.
The Autumnal Equinox is also known as the Fall Equinox, the Northern Equinox, the First Point of Aries (Southern Hemisphere) and the First Point of Libra (Northern Hemisphere).
Traditionally, the Autumnal Equinox marks the beginning of the fall season and many cultures have harvest festivals to celebrate this time. To the ancient Pagans, the Autumnal Equinox represented the height of the harvest season which began with Lughnassadh and ended with Samhain. The Autumnal Equinox is sometimes referred to as “Pagan Thanksgiving” and our ancestors gathered together and had huge celebrations to thank the Gods for their harvests and bounties as they gathered all of their food harvests and started putting them away for winter stores. It was generally the last chance to have celebrations outdoors in nature before the cold of winter arrived.
Autumn Equinox feasts were usually made up of seasonal fruits and vegetables and fresh baked bread that was shared with friends, family and the less fortunate. It generally included a bonfire and the purpose was one of gratitude and the sharing of blessings. The Gods & Goddesses that they celebrated at this time were the Gods of the Harvest, for without the blessings of the Gods, they would not have been able to feed their families.
It’s hard to imagine a time when people celebrated the cycles of the Earth and the blessings of the Gods, living in the fast paced, convenience driven world in which we live now but it is an important time energetically in which to ground yourself and reconnect with the energy of the Earth. Since the fall equinox steadies night and day and heralds the arrival of Libra, the keeper of the scales, this should serve as a time of balance and reflection. Masculine and feminine, dark and light, past and future all find their home here, it is a time of true balance. We are not to hide but to seek, allowing the dark parts of our own psyche to be illuminated. A time to reflect on where we have been and in doing so gain the ability to cast our path forward.
If you want to celebrate the Fall Equinox there are several traditional celebrations that have been simplified by today’s Pagans to fit into their modern lifestyles. Many people still have bonfires if they are in a rural area but for those of us that are city dwellers, we have to make due with the smaller versions of these. BBQs in the backyard with a firepit burning is great way to compromise. Teach your children the value of gratitude to the Earth and all of the wonderful positive energies that this can bring you. I’m not a religious person, I do not worship any Gods of any kind, however I do understand that the Earth and the Moon and the Sun are all part of something incredibly vast and much more complicated than our minds can comprehend. The Universe is a complex and infinite source of energy that is all connected and we are only a very small part of that. These energies can be used to create realities far beyond the mundane that most humans can understand. Once you figure out how to manipulate these energies then you can accomplish things that you never thought possible. Our ancestors understood that there were forces at work and they also knew that if they could somehow manage to get these forces to work in their favor then they could benefit greatly in their lives. They thought that Gods controlled these forces and if they could appease these Gods then they would bless them with their favor. It’s really not too far fetched to understand the reasoning behind these beliefs as they didn’t have the scientific knowledge and understanding of such things as physics and universal energy that we have now. Even today the belief that if you serve a God then you will in turn get blessings is still very much alive and well, it’s just different gods now.
No matter what God you believe in, you are still a part of the Earth and her cycles and therefore you should appreciate the dynamics of the Equinox and all of the spiritual benefits that it brings with it. Go outside and light a fire in your firepit, throw some steaks on the grill and celebrate the Earth. Take off your shoes and walk in the grass, plant some flowers, leave some food for the birds (and maybe some milk for the fairies, like we do!) Get back in touch with nature. Find your balance. All of these things will make your life healthier and happier. Happy Autumn Equinox!
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