The autumn equinox has a very special spiritual meaning, it is the moment when Mother Nature marks the closing of a cycle and the opening towards a new intention. It is the time of year when light and darkness reach balance, and then sink into the natural shadows that begin to dominate the light; The day becomes less and less long and the nights become longer due to the position of the Earth with respect to the Sun. These seasonal changes are key points in the cycle of nature, but they also bring with them a deeper message for humanity, just as ancient cultures have seen it.
A much deeper meaning
The word “equinox” comes from the Latin “aequinoctium” which means “equal night”, implying that it is the moment when night and day have the same duration. This is why the spiritual meaning of the equinox is the appreciation of balance, it is the time when we honor the interaction of light and darkness. One cannot exist without the other and therefore darkness is not always a negative aspect, it is just the absence of light and an invitation to look inward.
When we consciously link our minds to the cycles of nature we begin to deepen our understanding of our own cycles. Spiritually, autumn represents the harvest time, not only of our plants, but even of our own growth, it is the ideal time to recognize our evolution.
Traditional peoples recognized earth-based wisdom and understood that the four focal points of the year: the winter solstice, the spring equinox, the summer solstice and the autumn equinox, are stages of an inner spiritual journey, a spiritual cycle that each person carries out within themselves. Our lives go through cycles of growth, harvest, death and rebirth.
Reconnect with our spiritual cycle
With so much distraction present in our lives, nowadays it is very difficult to pay attention to what is really important. Turning to reveal oneself is a praxis that we are not taught as part of modern societies, which is why the solstices and equinoxes go unnoticed without much importance.
However, even with the dizzying changes of modern life, the equinox opens a space for reflection. You can honor everything you have in your life and shift your consciousness from lack to prosperity and gratitude through a small ritual or ceremony, such as lighting a candle or giving thanks for what we have and are. By representing the spiritual with a physical ritual we can recognize and specify our spiritual process, which is as much a part of our reality as the material.
Fall is the time of year where we prepare internally by making space for what is to come in the coming year, this is when we create space for our visions to grow allowing empty space and silence to take over within us.
When clearing our land in autumn, we enter torpor allowing for the rest that will later come with the cold and darkness of winter. We enter a period of hibernation and become creative by staying silent and listening to what is trying to emerge from within us.
Being aware of the spiritual meaning of the equinox will help us keep our minds calm, reflect on what happened during the planting of projects throughout the year and finally rest during the winter to prepare for a new cycle.