Autumn Equinox
The equinoxes and solstices are referred to as Lesser or Minor Sabbats in many modern Wicca traditions. The Greater
Sabbats, Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane, and Lughnassa, are celebrated on fixed dates and are intimately tied to the agricultural
cycle, while the dates of the Lesser Sabbats are moveable because they are linked more closely with celestial events. Since
the summer solstice, when the sun was at the height of its power, the sun has been slowly waning and the days growing
shorter. By the Autumn Equinox, which occurs around September 22, the light of the sun has decreased to the point of balance
between night and day. This theme of balance is strengthened by the transit of the sun into the sign of Libra, the celestial
scales whose energy encourages partnership, harmony and equality. The nature of the solar event is reflected in the energy
of the observances that take place.
In Ancient Greece, the grape harvest was brought in in late September or early October and festivals and celebrations were held to honor Dionysus, the god of vegetation, the vine, and resurrection who taught mortals how to cultivate grapevines and create wine from the fruit. The festivals of Dionysus, and later the Roman Bacchus, were licentious, intoxicating events featuring ritual, ecstatic dance, ritual theater and sexual abandon. All wine and fruit juices play a prominent role in Dionysian celebrations, but red wine is symbolic of the blood of the god being let when his vines are harvested and can be offered back to the earth as a ritual libation.
In more northern latitudes, gourds, squashes, apples, wheat and roots (both herb roots and root vegetables) are ready for
harvest and those plants that will remain in the garden for the next few weeks must be guarded against early frost. Modern
Asatru celebrates Winter Nights or Haustblot, meaning “Autumn Sacrifice” in early October to honor Frey and Freya, Lord and
Lady of the Earth. The vines of Dionysus are echoed in the Celtic tree months of Muin (vine) and Gort (ivy) which fall
around the festival of Mabon. In Welsh myths, Mabon was the son of Modron, the Great Mother who was kidnapped when he was
only three days old. A god of light, he was imprisoned in the Otherworld and the world was left without light. While he is
lost, his mother, who personifies the earth, grieves and the soil lays barren as she neglects her duties of fertility.
Mabon is rescued by Culhwch and his band of adventurers and returned to his mother at the winter solstice when she turns
her attention back to the fertility of the earth.
These themes of turning inward, introspection, loss and repose are evident in the sky as the sun retreats further from
us. After this point of balance, the days will grow shorter still and the darkness of winter will set in as the sun appears
to move from the northern hemisphere to the southern.1 Shadows and cold bring us inside, next to the fire to be
with family and friends and the energy shifts from reaping to resting. The autumn equinox welcomes in the Resting Tide, when
the physical labor of spring and summer are rewarded with the fruits of the second harvest. The work, both material and
magical, that was begun six months ago at the spring equinox is now coming to fruition, it is time to take pride in
accomplishments, celebrate abundance and acknowledge those who have aided in our success. This Sabbat is very much a pagan
Thanksgiving; community, family, counting blessings and ‘giving back’ to feed the cycle are prominent themes during this
season.
When the feasting is done, it is time to look forward and prepare for the cold, dark days ahead because though the sun is reborn at the winter solstice which comes in only 12 weeks, he will not return to full strength until the spring equinox in March. To people not so long ago, these six months of barren, cold, darkness could be fatal. We are a bit removed from this life and death dependency in modern times, but for those who still (or are returning to) sustainable gardening, it is time to put up vegetables, begin canning and freezing and to sow a crop of winter wheat or prepare the gardens for winter.
Magically, it is a good time to enact rituals for protection and security during the coming months and assess the
lessons and success or failures of your workings over the previous six months. As they saying goes, ‘in silence is
the seed of wisdom gained’ flow with the tide of the season and slow down, spend time in contemplative meditation.
Walk the labyrinth to lull the body into trance and to physically represent the spiral inward. Acknowledge the willing
sacrifices of the God and Goddess at this time of year, salute the waning power of the sun and honor ancestors who have
passed into the afterlife. Feel their closeness and remain quiet to hear any lessons they send to you. Along with a sense
of balance, Libra brings with it the energy of air, the element it rules and air awakens the inner need to learn and apply
the skills of the mind. The fall feels like a time to return to school or at the very least begin study. Work with this
feeling and begin a course of study to better yourself, magically or otherwise.
Use the dark time ahead as Nature does, to recuperate and rejuvenate mind, body and spirit and to prepare for the spiral outward that will begin at the spring equinox.
Farewell O Sun, ever returning light
Yield ye now to powers of night
Nature stills in a state of rest
Descend to search the inner quest
Continue to Autumn Equinox :: Correspondences
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