Autumn is fast approaching and in just a few days we will reach the Equinox, on September 23rd. The sun rises and sets at the midpoint between it’s most northern and southern positions and day and night are of equal length. The astrology of the Autumn Equinox is based on the Sun’s ingress into Libra. The 7th sign of the zodiac is the fulcrum of the annual cycle. Starting from the sun’s move into Aries at Spring Equinox, the first six signs describe the individual journey of learning about the self. This is complete with the refinement of Virgo, experienced in last week’s new moon. So now we move beyond the individual; Libra is the first sign to begin to form relationships with external energies, with other people, and with the world around us.
Moving into equilibrium
Libra brings an energy of balance that can demand constant movement. This is often a season of turbulent weather – we have strong winds and strange rain showers today here in London. It takes work to bring ourselves and the world around us into balance. The peace and harmony we associate with Libra, for example, are not static states but ideals, which shift and change as we grow. The world around us shifts and changes and we must grow with it. This is a proactive sign, a sign of activism and social justice. Libra reminds us that the personal is political, calling us to make our choices with integrity and with an awareness of divine order and collective energies.
Goddesses of Justice
Libra energy is linked to ancient goddesses of justice like the Egyptian Maat. She is the spirit of natural order, She who weighs the heart after death. We can see the heart as the symbol of morality and right action, connecting Maat with the Libran symbolism of love and relationships. In Greek mythology, Themis was the powerful goddess of justice. She birthed the Horae, the daughters of seasonal time, and also the Moirae, the three sisters of Fate. In ancient times, justice was the province of the Great Mother in her avenging or mediating aspect. Goddesses like Inanna and Ishtar were associated with divine order.
Shadow and Light
As the shadows lengthen and we move fully into the dark half of the year here in the northern hemisphere, we are reminded to take our spiritual practice inwards. We might be working with the shadow self, taking ownership of projections. Perhaps we acknowledge the parts of ourselves that we’ve hidden or denied. We work to balance the inner world with the outer world, to reconcile opposites and dualities. The seen and unseen, the known and unknown, the active and the receptive.
Astrology and Magic for Autumn Equinox
Spend time in liminal spaces and times. For example, sitting outside at twilight, spending time on the beach, sitting in the doorway of your home. These times and places bring us into the paradoxes which so often define but can also confuse us. We are always in a liminal state of some kind and this gateway to the dark half of the year is powerful.
Meditate or journal on your relationships. We all have relationships, whether they are with other people, the spirits and beings around us, or simply our inner self. Consider what they mean to you, what you bring to them, and what you receive in return. And whether that reciprocity is in balance or not.
Pay attention to light and dark. Watching the sunrise or sunset is a brilliant way to tune in to the cycles of change in nature and within us. The shadows are longer and the evenings might be darker. Spending time outside in darkness is also a powerful practice. Check in with your feelings – does natural darkness bring a feeling of fear or comfort? what draws you to the light or to the dark?
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