Autumnal Equinox 2022

With so much going on in the world since the early days of 2020, couldn’t we all use a break? I think there is likely a resounding YES reverberating around the world in response to this question…but things aren’t likely to change anytime soon, and in fact, there are reports that in the next few days, there’s a possibility that things may be about to get worse…there are rumours floating around that “something big” is about to happen before the end of September…

So with that in mind…how should we celebrate and acknowledge this year’s Autumnal Equinox?

Well, let’s start with lighting a candle - after all, this is the time of the year, in the Northern Hemisphere, where the days are noticeably shorter, and will continue to get shorter leading up to the Winter Solstice on December 21. So light a candle and bring light into your home…candles provide not only light but an ambience that brings comfort to many of us…this is likely due to our long connections to the past, our ancestors who lived before the electric light. So dwell for a few moments in this light and these memories…and this brings us to the next practice for this equinox…

Gratitude!!! As you sit in the candle light, and hold thoughts of ancestors who lived long ago, it’s a good time to practice gratitude…gratitude to them for going before, for creating the tools and inventions that have made your life easier, gratitude for their sacrifices, gratitude for their stamina and determination to go forward despite hardships…And moving forward into our own time, take time in your candle lit room to practice gratitude for your own place in this time - practice gratitude for the farmers who are working hard and harvesting the fall abundance that will help to feed you through the winter months, practice gratitude for the warmth in your home as the winter chill begins to permeate everything, practice gratitude for all that you have.

Some like to hold ceremonies for the Fall Equinox…As the Autumnal Equinox also brings in the season of Libra, and Libra represents balance, now is also the time to bring about balance in our own ceremonies.

A balanced ceremony is recommended at this time…rather than concentrating on what you can bring into your life, or what you can release from your life…now is the time to do both. If you decide to conduct a manifestation ceremony on the eve of the Equinox, select one item to release, and one to manifest.

You’ll need 2 candles (plus your altar candle), you’ll need a bowl of water and a fire proof container (this could be your cauldron or an aluminium pie tin), you’ll need a place in a garden or park where you can bury something, and you’ll need access to the outdoors to release your ceremony, you’ll need two pieces of paper, you’ll need a pen (or coloured pens or markers if you so choose), you’ll need a firm intention to both manifest and release.

Begin by opening your circle in your own way. You can call in the 4 directions, you may call in your ancestors or angels and guides. Light your altar candle and ground and centre yourself.

Light two candles - the colours of the candles should represent what you’re manifesting - if love is what you’d like to manifest, red or pink are good choices, if it’s financial abundance, green is great, yellow represents happiness, white is pure and / or neutral, if you want to remove an energy, black or brown are good choices.

Now, with firm intention, write that which you want to release onto one piece of paper - be very intentional and specific. On the second piece of paper, write that which you would like to manifest. Again, be really truly intentional and visualize what you want to create…this can involve pictures, coloured markers, stickers, glitter, whatever, just be specific.

When you are ready, take the piece of paper upon which you’ve written your release intentions…using the appropriate coloured candle, light the release paper…hold it over the bowl of water for as long as possible without burning yourself (I sometimes use a set of tongs). Allow the ashes to fall into the bowl of water and when you’re finished, ensure all of the pieces of burned paper, ash etc. are in the bowl.

Then take your manifest piece of paper, hold it in the appropriate coloured candle and light it on fire - as you do so, remember to visualize and truly concentrate on what you’re creating. Allow the paper to burn down to ashes - place the burning paper/ashes into/onto the fireproof container.

Once all has burned, invite your Ancestors/Spirit Guides etc. to follow you outside - carry both your bowl of water/ashes and your fireproof container with ashes outside. (You may want to lightly cover your ashes so they don’t blow away prematurely). Once again, and with intention, dig a small hole in the ground, and when you’re ready, release the water, ashes and that which you want to release, into the small hole…cover with dirt and turn your back on the area. With intention, uncover your manifestation ashes, hold your vision in your mind, and when you feel a small gust of wind or a light breeze, throw the ashes up into the air to be carried off to the universe.

Go back into your home and sit in front of your altar. Extinguish your release candle…later dispose of the remainder of this candle outside of your home. Allow your manifestation candle to burn down as you continue to meditate on that which you want to create.

When you’re finished, close your circle in your usual manner, remembering to practice gratitude.

As I said at the start of this post, there are many changes coming this winter, changes that may have consequences of global proportions. So let’s close this post with a visualization …

Many of us believe that there are multiple realities - that we live in a multiverse. So rather than continuing to dwell upon the negatives of this reality, rather than continuing to talk about what we dislike ad nauseum, let’s visualize leaving those who’ve created this mess in their own wasteland, and let’s visualize a new reality, one of equality, one where people are respected for their own merits and not based on the size of their bank accounts, Let’s visualize the world we want, and let’s stop dwelling in the negativity of a reality created by the 1% for their benefit.

As mentioned above, a practice of gratitude for our ancestors and what they endured can go a long way, but a practice of seeing the negative 1% in a different reality, altogether different from what we the 99% want to create and live in can also be an effective tool in our arsenal.

In love and light