Autumnal Equinox Ceremony

Build an Autumnal Altar based on balance and harves

Autumnal Equinox, a day of perfect balance between day and night, and the traditional season of Harvest, is a wonderful time to begin to “harvest” the wisdom of your year. This is a simple ceremony to help you connect to your wisdom and prepare yourself for the contemplation of the Fall and Winter ahead.

Intention: 

Our intention will be to harvest the wisdom of the year to date, and to cultivate balance within us so we can enter the winter season radiating calm and introspection.

Gather:

• 3-5 items that are emblematic of your year: concert tickets, plane tickets, souvenirs, letters/email, photos, keepsakes. If you do not have the physical items, simply write down 3-5 events that stand out in your mind.

• A candle

• A cup of tea

• Journal and pen

• Harvest box (to hold your items, if you like)

Prepare:

Find a quiet space where you can spread out, reflect and write without being disturbed. Play some calming, contemplative music or music that reminds you of the year (you can try my Ceremony playlist if you like). Light a candle, pour some tea, and have your journal nearby. If it is in your practice, create an altar that represents balance and has emblems from the year. Take a few deep breaths to ground yourself. Thank yourself for creating the time to reflect on the year and celebrate Equinox.

Ceremony Steps:

1. Take each item you have gathered from the year and jot down a few sentences about what it brings up in you. Prompts to consider:

   • How do I feel about this event or item?

   • Is there anything else to feel about this event now that I have some distance? Anything I missed, or suppressed?

2. Now that you have jogged your memory of the year, answer a few questions:

   • What is the wisest decision you made this year so far?

   • What is the biggest risk you took?

   • What was the biggest surprise?

3. As we enter fall and then move into winter, we are invited to be more quiet, reflective, and introspective. Write down 3 things that you want to work on or contemplate during winter this year. You could answer:

   • Did anything happen that still needs to be forgiven?

   • Any challenge you still want to face?

   • Anything you need to LET GO?

   • Any seeds you still want to plant for this year?

4. Blow out the candle and close your ceremony. Feel the balance within yourself and know that you can access this balance whenever you need it.

I hope this moment of reflection allows you to gain perspective on the year and create some insight about how the rest of the year will go. We are often encouraged to wait until New Year to gather our lessons, but by then it is too late to change anything!

I’d love to know if you try this ceremony and what magic it creates for you! Please reach out to share!