Autumn Equinox

The equinox marks the moment when day is equal to night. The word coming from the Latin for “equal night”. The Autumn Equinox is also the moment the Sun enters Libra the sign of the scales. It’s a time to strive for balance. Six months into the astrological calendar, we now shift from the light half of the year into the dark.

As a kid, summer was always my favorite season and I used to dread the end of it. Even after graduating college I remember some of my older friends welcoming me to what they called “endless summer”. Without school to worry about we now had all the time in the world to attend music festivals and hang out at the beach. Plus we lived in Southern California where it really is endless summer! But, eventually I began to miss the seasons, and as I get older I find myself feeling exhausted by the end of Summer. We cannot have the high energy of Summer all the time or we’d feel wired and burned out. We need the rest of Winter to recharge, reflect, and renew.

This holiday, known as Mabon, is sometimes called the Witch’s Thanksgiving. It’s the beginning of Fall, the harvest season, and a time to give thanks for the bounty of Summer. To celebrate all that we’ve accomplished and the abundance all around. 

It’s also a time of shedding, just as the trees let go of their leaves, we too let go of what we no longer need as we prepare for Winter. With the Moon waning as well, this year bring us Sun and Moon are in their third quarter phase together. You may feel and extra urge to break limiting patterns, and release what doesn’t serve your highest good.

I spent the day cleaning up the house, walking in nature, and making a little kitchen magic by baking this crisp with the pears from our tree. (My roommates dug in before I managed to snap a pic!) The weather in the Northwest has certainly shifted, and I for one am excited to cozy up and slow down for a bit.