Wisdom of the Autumn Equinox

Changing Season

The Equinoxes mark the time of balance between light and dark, where the day and night are equal everywhere on the planet. In the Northern Hemisphere, as we pass through the Autumn Equinox, we shift into the colder and darker half of the year.

The changing season, from Summer to Autumn, has been building for the last few weeks and any walk out on the land during this time has undoubtedly brought the scent of berries ripening in the trees, amongst the first fallen yellowing leaves on the ground.

Many people consider this time of year to be the most beautiful; with the soft light of the morning and evening sun sending a russet glow over a land, mirroring the beauty witnessed on the trees as their leaves change to warm golden hues.

While the days largely remain warm, the temperature has dropped with the occasional biting chill in the air.

As the nights draw in increasingly cold and dark, our thoughts turn towards preparing for the winter. Many of us start to dig out our jumpers and winter coats and light fires as our bodies start to feel the cold.  

Harvest

The Autumn Equinox is the final harvest festival and, after the gatherings to celebrate the produce from the fields, food is brought indoors to be stored for winter.

September is traditionally a busy time of making jams and preserves to enable the summer abundance of food to last a while longer.

As we head into October, the tempo slows down and we start the dive into the energies of winter, that of facing our soul and all that stirs there.

Cycles

The Autumn Equinox brings the active phase of the year, born at the Spring Equinox, to a close. Whereas the warmer months are the time of doing, the winter months are the time of introspection, processing and planning.

Following a path which is aligned with the energies of our more-than-human world, the first part of winter invites us to go deep into our psyche to process our inner world. This is what we are heading into now.

New Moon in Libra

The new moon at the Autumn Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere is in the astrological sign of Libra, which always feels aligned, with its energy of balance mirroring the balance of light and dark on the Earth.

Libra is an air sign depicted by the scales of justice and the image of the setting sun. This is the energy of the mind, the intellect and ideas. Also strongly connected with the achievement of beauty; within yourself, your home and in those around you.

Libra will help us to understand what we are harvesting personally at this time of year and what hasn’t worked. The energy enables us to view ourselves and our lives more dispassionately to understand the broader themes.

We have just left Virgo, with its emphasis on organising and clearing. Libra invites us to celebrate the raw beauty that is revealed when we clear away what is no longer needed. It loves simplicity and hates clutter, both in the physical and of the mind.

As we head into the next new moon in the sign of Scorpio, the leaves will be fully dropping from the trees and we will mirror this in our lives of letting go all that we don’t need, what doesn’t serve us and what hasn’t worked.

The new moon in Libra helps us to organise what has worked and what hasn’t; what we need to begin to let go of. It works with the themes of justice and balance to enable us to see more clearly what changes we may need to make.

Libra is logical and fair and rules the Elvish folk in the upperworld. It’s a magical time when the light of the upperworld shines on the middleworld. It’s at this time when we can feel and work with the energy of the Elves.

The healing power of the Elves is about seeing the light in the dark places and cleaning away the grime which we are so often attached to.

Deep Reflection

As we pass through the Autumn Equinox, the land beautifully illustrates the wisdom of this time of year, which has such deep relevance for us – that of going with the flow and letting go, surrender and acceptance.

There is a season for everything – an “in” and an “out” breath. We are all growing and, like plants, we have cycles.

So while its vital to speak out, create and give our all to what we care most about, if we keep running, we collapse of exhaustion. If we keep saying the same things, we stop listening.

But, if we pause and give ourselves permission to feel what is really going on in the deep places of our psyche, if we choose to surrender and accept what we cannot change, we grow.

We find new solutions and creative ways to express our souls. We form new connections and begin to heal the past.

Autumn offers this time of deep reflection – to harvest all that could be learned and processed from the year, to let go of all that has run its course.

Letting go can be hard but its unhealthy to hold on to clutter. Emotional and mental clutter impacts our relationships, our creativity, our appreciation of awe, our capacity to love and be open to possibility and difference.

In a world full of information coming at us from every angle, near constantly, filling up our minds.. in a world full of stuff and people trying to sell us more stuff.. the gentle letting go that the land shows us each Autumn is good medicine for the soul.

Closing of the Year

The new moon at the Autumn Equinox is a powerful one. In many ways it draws the year to a close and represents the beginning of the end, the final breath, the final celebration of all that has passed. It’s the time of evaluation and giving thanks.

I see an image of an elder sitting up in their death bed, gathering their family around them and speaking their wisdom one last time, bringing their affairs in order, to enable them to walk into the light in peace.

Working with the energy this month

The energy this month is around themes of letting go, surrender, unattachment and acceptance.

What has and what hasn’t worked in your life this year? Think back to February and March and evaluate what seeds you were creating at that time, however consciously.

Have these seeds born fruit and have you achieved your aims this year? If not, why not? What has stood in your way? What haven’t you attended to? What areas would you do well to look at within yourself?

As we begin the descent into winter, we strip away the layers of what we don’t need, coming inevitably to the core of our souls, the core of our wounds, our triggers, our attachments and what we do that doesn’t serve us or others.

This is the month when we peel back the layers to see who we really are. The energy of Libra enables us to have the courage to have a proper look.

At this time of balance, the energy favours clear communication skills and working with the intellectual skills of Libra with the emphasis on fairness and justice, it’s a good time to bring your affairs in order when it comes to relationships.

Speak truths that may need to be spoken and bring to a close any contracts or assignments that need completing.

Above all, enjoy the last of the warmth and the beauty of the natural world this month as the trees all start to put on the most beautiful show of the year. Very fitting for Libra, with its love of beauty.

Be aware of the Elves nearby and the Godly energy of the upperworld. You may find some creative inspiration. 

Love Samara