September Equinox — The Point of Balance
By Davina Mackail
Equinoxes have been celebrated for millennia. The September 22nd equinox, marking the beginning of Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and Spring in the Southern, is a powerful pivot in our annual calendar bringing a point of balance between the changing of the seasons. The Sun shines directly on the equator bringing corresponding amounts of day and night throughout the world. The word “equinox” means equal night in Latin. A perfect marriage between the masculine and feminine energies. The being and the doing. In the North a time to honour the receding sunlight and a moving inward to welcome the impending darkness and vice versa in the South where the spring energies invite us to expand and move outwards. Our ancestors honoured these transition points as times of metamorphosis and preparation for what’s to come.
In Greek mythology, the Autumn Equinox (northern hemisphere) marks the start of Persephone’s six-month sojourn in the underworld with her husband, Hades. Her mother Demeter, Goddess of Agriculture and Fertility mourned the loss of her daughter by making the Earth infertile during Autumn and Winter. This descent into the shadows is a vital part of our growth and just as the sun rises once more in Springtime so we too rise from the winter darkness with renewed awareness and wisdom.
Ancient monuments were built to track the sun’s progress across the sky. At Machu Picchu in Peru, the Intihuatana stone is an exact indicator of the two equinoxes. The word Intihuatana, means “tying the sun”. Usually, the stone casts a shadow, but at exactly noon on the date of the spring or fall equinox, the Sun’s shadow vanishes, marking the precise moment of the equinoxes. In Mexico, the Mayans built the Chichen Itza pyramid. On the equinoxes, a snake made of light slithers down the pyramid’s steps.
Egypt’s pyramids, England’s Stonehenge and many other ancient sites exhibit their own versions of these phenomena as our Ancestors celebrated Cosmic time.
The Equinoxes are powerful liminal spaces traditionally considered times of transition, contemplation, gratitude, and fresh starts.
In the Northern hemisphere, this energetic pause celebrates the summer sun for its gifts of abundant harvest before we welcome in the growing darkness — the new cycle of contraction and inward reflection. In the night sky, we can observe, Fomahaut — the Autumn Star –making its way across the heavens each night.
It is an in-between month; we can bask in Indian summer days whilst also experiencing the damp and chill of misty, foggy mornings.
In Chinese medicine, September is said to be governed by the Earth element. Eating more earthy foods such as barley stews and roasted root vegetables helps our bodies adjust to the changing temperatures and prevents us from succumbing to the flu viruses many of us tend to experience during these seasonal shift periods. The ley lines of the Earth come into harmonic resonance at the equinox, allowing us to soak up the healing benefits of Mother Earth with greater ease. Spend time outside barefoot, absorbing that power to sustain you through the colder months to come.
On the inner level, pause and reflect on the harvests you are reaping as a result of the seeds you planted a year ago and consider those you would like to plant for the coming year.
Make space for reflection — what no longer serves you as you move forward? To release with grace, fully honour the experience, learning’s, challenges and blessings of what has transpired in this last cycle. During this pause, we have the opportunity to resolve the illusion of duality. To recognise that balance is going back and forward at the same time — we create the future through honouring the past, all in this one moment of now.
Astrologically equinoxes correspond to the beginning of Aries (March) and Libra (September) season. The Zodiac signs representing the Self and the Other. Both are Cardinal signs that mark the beginning of seasons and the start of a new cycle of growth. These liminal spaces allow us to face our shadow selves with compassion and awareness.
They are an invitation to reflect upon imbalances in our personal lives and our relationships with other people.
The veil is thin, and we get to see the unconscious dynamics at play allowing us to seek a new harmony.
As we slip into Libra season notice your thoughts.
Has Virgo completed its purge? Can you think more cleanly? Is what you are allowing into your field gaining in frequency and harmonic resonance? Or are you still indulging in daily Netflix and MSM binges? Do any last toxins or toxic programs require further releasing?
Libra calls us to be aware of where we are in Ayni, sacred reciprocity, –giving and receiving remembering that nothing goes one way.
A dreamy, Neptune ruled full moon in Pisces arrives just before the equinox on September 20th. Known to early Native American tribes as the Full Corn Moon or Harvest Moon, it looks enormous, hanging low in the sky when it rises. Pisces is a water sign governing our dreams and mystical natures. Watch for a tendency to become overly fanciful at this time as to what is actually possible for you to achieve. Yet we need to also honour our inner knowing — we are being taught to successfully surf the waves of life in perfect harmony.
Globally our faith and trust have experienced a shattering.
We’re still reeling. Not fully landed — how do we re-build that within ourselves, our families, our communities? With the full Moon in Pisces, we find the answers within. Only from the inside can we reinvent the outside. This is a deeply internal time where you will want to retreat into your inner cave. There’s a lot of unanswered questions. Feel into solutions. Pisces enjoys sweetness, kindness and compassion — gift yourself these.
Re-member the magic, miracles and mystery that we are always steeped in. We are part of something so much greater than our small selves. These cosmic threshold points are perfect times to re-connect to that bigger mystery.
With Mars very active during this equinox the desire for retreating won’t last long as he brings motivation, courage and power that requires action in the world. Remember, you carry the creative power so, gift yourself permission to create a life that feels beautiful and worthwhile, regardless of what your current circumstances may look like.
With many planets retrograde and Mercury joining them on the 25th, miscommunication is ripe. Double-check everything. Trust your intuition. Wait. Pause. Think. You have time. Take space until at least Oct 19th when Mercury goes direct once more.
Equinoxes teach us that light and dark are equally important for our growth. Facing a challenging time or dark night of the Soul doesn’t mean we are misaligned with our path. The opposite is often true that we are actually experiencing an evolutionary growth spurt. Right now, the entire planet is experiencing this.
We are in the time of the great shift. The darkness that has long been hidden is emerging and impossible to ignore. The Equinox encourages us to understand that facing our personal and collective shadow is part of that greater evolutionary journey of awakening consciousness. The cosmic energies of this moment support our search for balance and inner alignment during these uncertain and volatile times and remind us that light will always find a way.
For bi-monthly moon reports and updates on my adventures in Peru join me on Instagram @davinamackail