“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald

On Wednesday, September 23^rd the Northern Hemisphere will celebrate the autumnal equinox.

Historically the fall equinox has been celebrated since the time of the Egyptians, who built the great Sphinx to point towards the sun on this day.

It is a time of the year to honor the harvest that we are reaping and those gifts that we have received over the past year.

The word equinox literally means equal—during both the spring and autumn equinoxes there are equal amounts of day and night.

It is during this time that we are all asked to evaluate the balance in our lives before the shrinking daylight throws us into darkness during the coming months.

The autumnal equinox marks the end of summer—and with it carefree, long days.

It is a time of honesty and commitment, both to ourselves and to the lives that we want to lead.

Traditionally it is a time when we come together with those who we love and celebrate over feasts and the friendships that we have forged.

During this time we are also asked to ponder the balance of our own inner light and darkness.

Inside each of us exists two sides—often we attempt to bury our darkness while believing it is only our light that is worthy of love.

Yet our darkness is there to teach us about what is most important—and it is through achieving a balance of the two that we are able to welcome life into our hearts without fear of the outcome.

While many of us have moved away from celebrating this time as our ancestors did—it is an important part of looking at the bounty that we have in our lives and also what is still lacking.

There is something supremely special about this time of year and with it the longer nights and cooler temperature.

We begin to spend more time at home, by ourselves—our thoughts and the feelings lingering in our hearts since the spring equinox.

This time of year isn’t only for celebrating the harvest but for also taking inventory of our own lives and evaluating how balanced we are.

Balance refers to how much time we spend doing things that we want versus how much we do for others.

It is also asking us to balance our needs with our wants and our fears with our desires.

During this time of equal parts of sun and moon, we are being asked to find that inner balance within ourselves.

This means that we are being supported in discovering where the scales may be tilted more in one specific direction—and we will also be shown the truth about specific areas that need our attention the most.

At the spring equinox we were asked to plant seeds, both literally and figuratively, for what we want to reap in the autumn.

Now, is the time to contemplate and see if we have tended those seeds as we should have done.

Are we able to reap what we have sown with bounty and fruitfulness?

Or have we neglected those seeds and are we now looking at how we can make amends?

Although it can be disappointing if we realize the latter is true, equinox makes it easy for us to once again plant the seeds of desire so that they may flourish in the coming months.

Because the equinox isn’t just about balance, but about the endings that have to occur so that we can have new beginnings.

This is actually a wonderful time to start something new, whether it’s a job, educational pursuit, creative endeavor, project or even a relationship.

During the coming months we will have long nights and quiet moments with which to nurture these new beginnings so that, come spring, they can bloom radiantly.

While many often see spring as a time of new beginnings, there is something even more special about starting something new in the fall.

It is during this season and the coming winter that we have more time to concentrate and give our hearts to whatever we want to see grow and strengthen over the coming months.

Sometimes there is beauty in new beginnings that start quietly under the darkness of colder months.

So while we are all searching for that balance in our own lives, know that it is never too late to plant new seeds.

Because life is a circle, and nothing can truly grow unless it first dies.

This doesn’t mean complete and utter endings, but embracing the evolution of change within ourselves, our hearts and our lives.

It’s letting go of our old ways of thinking or living. It’s reassessing the way in which we look at life, so that we can feel free to take on new approaches and forms that would better serve our highest self and the life that we want.

Nothing stays the same forever—what comes next is often times better than we can even imagine.

Because if we let it, life can truly begin all over again in the fall.

references: 

Belsebuub

Ireland’s Druidschool 

School of the Seasons

Relepahnt read:

Your Darkness is Beautiful: Autumn Equinox & the Harvest Moon.

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Author: Kate Rose

Editor: Ashleigh Hitchcock

Photo: flickr/Jack Versloot, flickr/José Manuel Ríos Valiente

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Bonus: