There are just two days out of the year when the sun spends the same amount of time in the sky as it does below ground: the autumn equinox and the spring equinox. This year, the autumn equinox — marking the start of shorter days ahead — falls on September 23, 2023. DailyOM spoke with experts about this annual event to shed light (pun intended) on its historical, spiritual, and astrological significance.
Autumn means more than just cooler weather, cozy sweaters, and flavorful pumpkin spice lattes. It also marks the end of summer and the changing of seasons — or, as astrologers and spiritualists like to call it, the autumn (or fall) equinox.
The fall and spring equinoxes are biannual moments when the sun spends the same amount of time in the sky as it does below ground. In fact, this phenomenon is found in the name “equinox,” says Ilona Pamplona, an astrologer based in Loxahatchee, Florida. The word is “derived from the Latin word equi, meaning equal, and nox, meaning night.”
Autumn equinox is our first initiation into colder weather in the zodiac calendar, marking the start of the shorter days and longer nights ahead. Because of this, it’s also seen as a turning point for personal reflection, as the cooler, longer nights provide more time for self-reflection.
What Does the Fall Equinox Represent?
History
While each culture has its own interpretation of the fall equinox, they all include an appreciation of the Earth’s harvest and preparation for winter.
For example, Native American tribes celebrated the fall equinox with festivals to honor the Earth’s crops for winter. The ancient Greeks, meanwhile, associated the bittersweetness of summer’s end and winter’s approach with Persephone’s myth, says Julia Mihas, a San Francisco–based astrologer.
According to legend, each year at the fall equinox, Persephone descends to the Underworld to reunite with her husband, Hades — leaving her mother, Demeter, goddess of agriculture, filled with grief. At the end of Persephone’s six-month visit, she returns to the Earth, which, thanks to Demeter’s joy, reinvigorates the Earth’s landscape.
The fall equinox is generally recognized as a potent time to practice magic. “These were cosmically significant days to practice ritual magic, herbalism, and other spiritual ceremonies.”
“In Christian traditions, particularly in Europe, Michaelmas is celebrated around the fall equinox,” Pamplona tells DailyOM. “This festival is dedicated to Saint Michael, the Archangel, and historically was associated with the beginning of the harvest season.”
In China (and some other Asian countries, such as Vietnam and Thailand), the Mid-Autumn Festival is held on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month and honors the moon and the harvest. (This year the Mid-Autumn Festival is September 29, the date of the full harvest moon, the nearest full moon to the autumnal equinox.) In Judaism, the fall harvest is celebrated during the weeklong holiday of Sukkot.
Spirituality
On a spiritual front, the fall equinox is generally recognized as a potent time to practice magic. “These were cosmically significant days to practice ritual magic, herbalism, and other spiritual ceremonies,” Mihas explains.
For example, harvest festivals and Wiccan traditions are commonly practiced during Mabon, a Celtic pagan holiday celebrated on the day of the fall equinox.
Astrology
Every equinox or solstice represents the sun’s movement into one of the cardinal zodiac signs: Libra, Capricorn, Aries, and Cancer. And naturally, each seasonal change reflects the nature of the sign that represents it.
For example, the fall equinox marks the sun’s movement into Libra, a sign focused on beauty, partnership, and balance. This is much different from the Aries-charged spring equinox, Pamplona explains.
“While spring is often viewed as the time of new starts in the natural or physical world, the fall equinox and Libra season mark a fresh start in the personal world, especially in terms of relationships, self-worth, and personal balance,” she says.
Libra’s ruling planet, Venus — the planet of love, aesthetics, and values — also plays a special role during the fall equinox. On a macro level, Venus’s influence calls our attention to anything involving art, style, or social connections. It’s no wonder why Fashion Weeks around the globe crop up during Libra season. And National Singles Day falls on the fall equinox this year, reminding us of our personal worth when we’re not part of a couple.
But on a more micro level, Venus’s whereabouts in the sky during the fall equinox shift can help us make predictions about how the season will transpire. According to Pamplona, this year Venus is making a supporting connection (called a “trine”) with healing asteroid Chiron — which helps us to address any lingering self-worth wounds of the past.
“The Venus/Chiron trine magnifies the importance of balancing personal needs and desires (Aries) with the need to be seen, recognized, and loved in relationships (Leo),” she says. “There’s an energy of boldly facing and healing past wounds related to self-identity and relationships, while also celebrating our growth, strengths, and the beauty that arises from our vulnerabilities.”
Plus, now that both Venus retrograde and Mercury retrograde have passed (since September 4 and September 15, respectively) — likely leaving your wallet and relationships in a bit of a mess — it’s the perfect time to utilize the fall equinox’s balanced energy to get back on track.
Interested in learning more? Check out Be Free From Unhealthy Relationships
4 Rituals to Celebrate the Fall Equinox
Every year, we are given four seasons, which means four chances to utilize a new season’s energy. The fall equinox marks the halfway point in the zodiac cycle that started with the spring equinox in March, making it ideal for a personal check-in. Are you on the right track? What needs some TLC in order for you to feel balanced?
Here are a few ways to reflect and recalibrate during the fall equinox, according to the experts.
1. Burn Candles to Bring in the Light
Because the sun represents our vitality and life force, the darker days ahead tend to have a draining effect on us. Mihas suggests burning candles as a way to honor the light we do have and to magnetize it as best we can: “Burn yellow candles and light fires at sunset to welcome more solar energy as the days become darker.”
2. Write a Gratitude Letter to Give Thanks for Your Life
Much of the fall equinox is about giving thanks for the bountiful autumnal harvest in our lives — both literally and figuratively. Writing gratitude letters is a perfect way to honor the people we have in our lives and the lessons they’ve helped us learn, Pamplona says.
Here is an exercise she recommends:
- Make a list of the top three lessons you are grateful to have learned this year.
- Identify one key person per lesson who was instrumental in your learning process (whether they were the catalyst or the supporter).
- Write a letter to each of those individuals, thanking them for their role in your growth this year.
- Deliver the letters to the individuals. If you prefer not to share your letters, you can place them in a special spot on the day of the equinox or burn them to release their energy into the Universe.
3. Journal to Center Yourself
The fall equinox marks the halfway point in the zodiacal cycle. Because of this, it’s a great time to look inward, recalibrate, and recharge before finishing out the rest of the zodiac year.
“I recommend spending time reflecting on the first half of this astrological year (March 20, 2023, the spring equinox and start of Aries season),” says Pamplona, and journaling is a great way to do just that.
She provides a few journal prompt questions to help you get started:
- Where in my life do I need to more clearly assert my needs?
- In what ways have I become better at compromising?
- In what areas of my life should I compromise more? Less?
- How can I find a better balance between my needs and the needs of others?
- When was the last time I stepped out of my comfort zone in a relationship, and what did I learn from it?
4. Pick Flowers to Call in More Beauty
This ritual is so easy, you can even do it with the whole family. Mihas suggests capturing the essence of Venus-ruled Libra season by surrounding yourself with the magic and wonder of herbs and flowers. Doing so gets you in the mindset to bring more beauty, love, and partnership into your life. “This is a good time to pick or consume Venusian herbs in a tea like rose, hibiscus, and passionflower,” she says.
If you’re in a more urban setting, Mihas advises taking a walk through your favorite park or stopping by your local flower shop for some Venus-esque flowers, like roses, for the house.
