The Autumn Equinox falls on September 23 this year and heralds the start of Fall, my favorite season. In pagan and wiccan circles, this day is also called Mabon - a name that comes from a Welsh God but probably wasn’t used until modern times. To our ancestors, the Autumn Equinox marked the second harvest, which made clear how well your crops had really done and how healthy your animals really were. Whereas at Lughnasadh in August you could still be hopeful about what the harvest could bring, at the Autumn Equinox you’d have a pretty good idea of what happened and what didn’t, and what your winter situation really looked like.

As we pass through this equinox, we enter the last part of the annual cycle according to the ancient Celts, with a new year beginning at Samhain on November 1. It’s a really beautiful time to carve out some space to sit with yourself and your thoughts, ideas, hopes and dreams.

In this blog post, I share with you my personal thoughts on which themes to work with at this time. You will also find Autumn Equinox journal prompts and a Mabon tarot spread. I will show you how to put all these things together in a way that supports you right now, into an Autumn Equinox ritual.

Like all significant points on the wheel of the year, the Autumn Equinox is a liminal space - a space in between one thing and another. The summer is gone, but the Fall hasn’t quite started yet. We’re in the space between seasons, ready for a new energy. 

Sometimes we can feel this really personally, like we ourselves are in-between too. No longer part of the past but somehow not yet arrived in the future. If you’re feeling the in-between energy deeply right now, it's a good idea to slow down, even pause, and add a touch of ritual to your everyday life. This will help you stay present with what's happening for you, and move through the current energies and into your next chapter. 

What even IS ritual?

Ritual is simply a more intentional way of doing something. It can be something you repeat and always do the same way, or it can be something you repeat at the same time each year. It’s a way of bringing meaning to actions that could be mundane - like cooking - and it’s a way to make what you’re doing magical by infusing it with intention.

For example, I like to bake a Polish apple or plum cake at this time of year. The flavors of either apples or plums and cinnamon means Fall to me, and it also connects me with my Polish heritage. When I was growing up, my Mom made cake every weekend, and the apple and plum ones were big hits. She still makes these when we go visit!

When I bake my cake, I’m intentional about it. Obviously there are times in the kitchen when I need to be quick and efficient. My Polish cakes are not that time. I like to put on some Polish music that I like and take my time. I use it as an opportunity to feel grateful for where i come from, and to connect with past versions of myself.

To be clear, I don’t actually do anything other than bake the cake. I don’t light a candle or pull cards or anything like that. But it’s a ritual because I do it with intention, at the same time of the year, with the same recipe, with meaning attached to it.

That said, my rituals usually don’t include baking, but do include candles, tarot, journalling, sometimes meditation. If appropriate I may burn what I wrote down, just to symbolically release it. I may also eat or drink something that’s meaningful in some way. If my ritual was meant to re-connect me with my roots, I might eat a slice of the Polish cake I baked in the previous example 😉

How to design your own Autumn Equinox ritual 

Your Autumn Equinox ritual has to be exactly what you need right now. Which is why I suggest that you design it yourself. Don't worry, this isn't as daunting as it sounds. All it means is that you will choose the activities that feel like they're a good fit. 

To get started, read through the rest of this blog post and consider the themes and journal prompts. Which ones feel like they apply to you? Those are the ones you'll work with during your ritual.

Think about what this time of year means to you personally. Maybe you have some birthdays, anniversaries or other celebrations coming up. Or maybe Fall always puts you in a particular kind of mood. Always remember that you can make your ritual about anything that matters to you right now, or anything that feels like it fits. There is no right or wrong here.

When you're ready, carve out some dedicated space in your calendar. It doesn’t have to be on the day of the Autumn Equinox, anywhere around there is fine. Half an hour is probably sufficient, though that depends on what you’re doing exactly.

Also note that you don't have to do just ONE ritual! You can do several! Yay! 🙂

How to actually DO your Autumn Equinox ritual 

Light a candle to open space and signify that you’re doing something special and intentional.

Do whichever activities/prompts you chose.

Maybe pull some oracle/tarot cards around anything that came up - I share a Mabon tarot card spread further on in this blog post. 

Blow out the candle (safely) when you're done. 

Do another ritual or activity if you like.

Remember: what matters about your ritual is the INTENTION behind what you're doing. If you intend to simply reconnect with yourself, that's what your ritual activities should be geared towards. If you want to tune into balance or one of the other themes below, adjust accordingly. If your intention is to connect with the land, do your ritual outdoors. If you desire to connect with your heritage, bake something from your culture. Start with intention, always.

Here are some themes that I feel are important at this time of year. Play with one or more of these, or choose one of your own.

Take stock of where things are, and be honest with yourself.

Translated to the modern world, the energy of the Autumn Equinox is to be honest with yourself about how things are going for you. No more hiding your head in the sand. No more faking it till you make it - at least not towards yourself. This is a time to check in and take stock, see what you have and what’s missing, and even decide on how you’ll move forward based on what you observe about your current situation.

I know that it’s not always easy to be honest with yourself… I feel this too. Sometimes you don’t want to admit that what you’re doing isn’t working, sometimes it’s too confronting to notice where procrastination or resistance have crept in, and sometimes you don’t let yourself see how well you’re actually doing, simply because we’re not taught to see successes, only things we can fix or improve.

The Autumn Equinox gives us an opportunity to pause and let ourselves really see what's there. Only then can we have the information we need to make informed decisions about next steps. 

Remember that being honest isn't about judgement or being hard on yourself! If you have a tendency to speak harshly to yourself, make sure you bring self-compassion into this process with you!

Notice what's out of balance

At Mabon, day and night are of equal lengths, in perfect balance. This is why the theme of balance is often discussed at this time. Not to mention that this is the start of Libra season - in astrology, Libra is all about balance - so no wonder balance is on our minds at this time of year!

I find that a good place to start with exploring balance in your life is to ask yourself where things feel OUT of balance. Is there anywhere you feel you're spending too much time or energy? Not enough? Anything in your life that feels like it needs more attention? Addressing whatever your answers to this are will add more of a balanced energy to your life.

Another way of approaching balance is to look at yourself: what keeps YOU balanced and strong, rooted in yourself? What do you need to do regularly to feel at your best?

Go within and connect with intuition

Or at least START going within - remember that there’s no rush and no finish line. The Autumn Equinox begins a new season of shorter and darker days, and we naturally want to cozy up in the front of the fire with a book and a mug of hot cocoa (or a glass of wine if you’re like me and don’t drink cocoa).

It’s the perfect time to take the cozy season one step further and go even deeper, into your inner world.

If you’ve been meaning to start a meditation practice, this would be a good time to do so.

Maybe you need to re-commit to your intuition, to your soul path, to your spiritual practice after the chaos of summertime fun. Do this now, get clear on what would help you. A course? Morning journalling? Something else?

Don't forget your physical space, your home

Going within isn’t just about your intuition, it’s also about your home. In the olden days, people would spend time getting their homes ready for winter. We probably don’t need to do as much of that anymore (although my home is heated with oil, so I should probably check that we have plenty!).

If there are no winter-prep tasks that would be good to tend to at this time, use the energy to make your space cozier, more of a sanctuary from the cold outside. This may be as simple as making the blankets more accessible, or putting out more candles so that evenings feel more magical.

You could also use the current energy to help you declutter a space that feels cluttered. I recently came across a really nice ritual idea where you pick a room or space in your home to work with, light a candle, set an intention for how you’d like the space or room to feel, and get to work getting rid of what no longer belongs there and organizing what’s left. Ritual doesn’t always have to be about your inner world!

Autumn Equinox journal prompts

Journalling is one of my favorite ways to mark specific times of the year, and it’s one of the main components of my rituals.

Here are some journal prompts you can use around Mabon (they're all included in the FREE celebration guide above):

• Do you feel like you're in the in-between space? If so, what would you say you're leaving behind? And what are you moving towards?
• What's important to you at this time of year? What matters?
• What would you like to do more of in this season? Less of?
• What do you feel you need most right now? What is your soul craving? Close your eyes and see what answers bubble up to the surface.
• When you consider the path towards your goals or dreams, where are you currently? What's going well? Not so well? What do you think you need to move forward?
• What do you need to be really honest with yourself about? Is something not working? Has something manifested and you didn't even notice how well you're doing?
• Is there anywhere you feel you're spending too much time or energy? Not enough? Anything in your life that feels like it needs more attention?
• What will keep YOU balanced and grounded this season? What do you need to make sure you make space for in your life?
• What's your relationship with your intuition like right now? Is there anything you'd like to do to make it stronger?
• If your intuition was steering you in exactly the right direction, where would it be steering you?
• What do you intuitively know you need to focus on, address or follow next?

Mabon tarot spread

Here is an example tarot spread you can use at this magical time. Note that this is just a suggestion, feel free to change the questions so that they suit you and your current situation.

1. What energy am I standing in right now?
2. What do I need more of in the coming weeks?
3. What do I need to leave behind?
4. What aspect of my life is in need of balancing?
5. What message does my intuition have for me right now?
6. What is my best next step or focus?

I hope you enjoyed these ideas for crafting your own Autumn Equinox ritual.

Do share your own thoughts and ideas about this season in the comments below.

Happy Mabon to you!

Love,