Autumn Equinox: Gathering, Storing, Preparing

For thousands of years, the Autumn Equinox was more than a date on the calendar — it was a clear celestial signal. Equal day and night told our ancestors that it was time to gather what had ripened, store what would sustain, and prepare for the darker season ahead. Fields of grain, baskets of apples, clusters of grapes — all brought in before frost, all held as promise through the winter months.

Today, most of us are no longer harvesting fields or filling cellars. Yet the rhythm remains alive in us. The Equinox can remind us to gather, store, and prepare in subtler, more personal ways.

We might gather our experiences from summer, store the brightness of long days and the insights discovered along the way, and use this transitional season to prepare for more inward times with new perspectives and a deeper sense of inner knowing.

A Simple Ritual for the Equinox

Time: 20–30 minutes

1. Gather

      • Light a candle.
      • Write down three memories or feelings from summer that you wish to carry with you.
      • Fold and place them in a jar, bowl, or small box — your “storehouse.”

 

2. Store

      • Choose one simple object that represents warmth and connection (a stone, a dried flower, a photograph).
      • Place it near the candle as a symbol of what you’re keeping close.

 

3. Prepare

      • Take a moment to reflect on your personal feelings around autumn.
      • Ask yourself: What does this season mean to me? How do I wish to harness autumn’s unique energy in my own life?
      • Write down one intention for the inward months ahead, inspired by your reflections.
      • Keep this note somewhere you’ll return to often (a journal, altar, or bedside).

 

4. Close

      • Extinguish the candle gently.
      • Sit for a moment in the quiet, honoring the balance of light and dark.

Why it Matters Today

Just as our ancestors needed the Equinox to guide their survival, we can use this moment as guidance for our inner lives.

By gathering what nourished us, storing the warmth, and preparing with reflection and intention, we align ourselves with the same wisdom of balance that has always been here.