Celebrating The Autumn Equinox

Celebrate the Autumn Equinox to embrace seasonal living.

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Autumn is a beautiful time of year. I know it is a very popular season! The Autumn Equinox ushers in the season of Autumn. Let’s get into celebrating this event.

About The Autumn Equinox

The Autumn Equinox occurs the day that the Sun moves into Aries (Southern Hemisphere) or Libra (Northern Hemisphere).

Due to the Earth’s orbit around the Sun, at the time of the Equinox, the Sun appears directly above the equator. The Sun rises precisely to the east and sets due west.

Day and night are near equal in length.

The Autumn Equinox is a time symbolic of balance. This is our time to start slowing down just like nature does as Autumn commences.

Autumn Equinox Dates 2026

While half the world will experience the Spring Equinox, the other half of Earth will experience the Autumn Equinox.

Autumn Equinox celebrations are held on the days surrounding the below dates.

See the dates below for when the Autumn Equinox occurs in your part of the world.

• Southern Hemisphere:

The Autumn Equinox is ushered at the start of Aries Season. This is where the Sun moves from Pisces into Aries marking the start of a new astrological year.

This year, the Southern Hemisphere Autumn Equinox date is: 21 March 2026

• Northern Hemisphere:

In the North, The Autumn Equinox is ushered in at the start of Libra Season. This is when the Sun moves from Virgo to Libra, marking the half-way point of the astrological year.

This year, the Northern Hemisphere Autumn Equinox date is: 22 September 2026

History of the Autumn Equinox

Ancient civilizations would track the seasons using the Sun's position.

Historically, the Autumn Equinox would be the time to reap the harvest, celebrate the abundance, and prepare for the winter months ahead.

A Time for Balance

A key part of seasonal living is observing what is happening in nature, particularly with light and dark cycles.

Depending on the latitude of where you live, we will experience roughly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. With light and dark in balance, we are called to find balance within ourself and our external world.

The Autumn Equinox shows us we are entering the season of reflection. It is a time to let go, just like the trees begin let go of their leaves.

Throughout Autumn, some trees begin to let go of their leaves to preserve and store energy from the Sun.

Light and dark are in balance.

Spiritual Significance

The Autumn Equinox is an opportunity to connect to nature. We are entering Autumn, which is the season of reset.

The equinox is a time for reflection; life is cyclical, and the equinox is a reminder of this truth. Daylight starts to wane, and the temperature cools.

At the Autumn equinox, we prepare for cozier days than lively Summer where we had longer hours of light.

Goals for when you celebrate Autumn Equinox: Deepen your connection with yourself and spirit.

Honour and live in harmony with the new season emerging.

Start to soften your energy expression. Begin to turn inwards.

Ways to Celebrate

I have children so I love to make seasonal traditions as a family. It’s wonderful to engage kids in the cycles of nature.

Here are ways to celebrate on the days surrounding the Autumn Equinox date.

1. Baking Bread

Harvested grain is historically associated with Autumn. Bake a crusty loaf of bread to celebrate the Autumn Equinox. The smell of fresh bread wafting through the house is delightful.

Then once it is ready, load up on butter and honey and eat while warm. Yum!

I highly recommend this Danish Whisk for baking bread, it makes mixing flour and water so much easier than a wooden spoon. I was gifted one and it’s such a gamechanger for mixing gluggy flour and water. I task my daughter with this part and she loves using it.

Fresh bread, a simple Autumn Equinox celebration!

2. Brew Apple Cider

I’m talking about making a non-alcoholic version of apple cider. Although I’m pretty sure apple cider is usually non-alcoholic in North America.

Here in Australia apple cider is more common as a fizzy alcoholic beverage. When I lived in Canada I remember being at a family festival and thought how wild it is they were serving apple cider! But turns out it was a delicious warm beverage.

Apples are very symbolic of Autumn. So get some brewing in the slow cooker and add in a dash of cinnamon and oranges. Another delicious smell to waft through your home! Any it gives the cosiest scent to suit the cooler mornings beginning.

2. Harvest

Autumn is a time for the final harvest in parts of the world where winter is so cold very little grows. It’s more moderate where I live, but there are still some vegetables that I won’t sow in Autumn. It’s time to take the final harvest for these vegetables.

Enjoy a wonderful meal with your final harvest. Perhaps also you might like to pickle or store your haul!

3. Abundance

One of the key themes for Autumn is abundance. We can feel an immense gratitude as we reflect on the energetic season of Summer. Then we have the Autumn Equinox and we start to slow down, just as nature does. Rather than clinging to high energy, we focus on abundance.

I think of sitting on a porch, breathing a sigh and having that great feeling of satisfaction after a busy day. That’s what it feels like once Summer is done and Autumn begins. Slow down, but with a full heart.

Enjoy a picnic in nature surrounded by Autumn symbols!

4. Eat Seasonally

While I encourage eating local and in season year-round, a conscious change of your food from Summer produce to Autumn harvest embraces the cyclical change.

As covered above, apples and bread are very symbolic of Autumn throughout history.

In your part of the world, pay attention to what is in season. If bananas are no longer grown in the region that you live in, it’s time to stop eating them. You are sending the wrong signal to your body by not eating food grown in the season you are in.

To trust that you are eating seasonally, is to eat what is grown locally. Wander your local Farmers Market to discover what is in season where you live. Imported fruit or vegetables tells you that the light and temperature in your current climate is not supportive of growing that fruit and therefore, it’s not the season to eat it.

Other common foods you will see associated with celebrating the Autumn Equinox include:

• Apples

• Pumpkin

• Cranberries

• Grains

• Carrot

• Chickpeas

• Rocket

5. Fire

Fire has long been a way to celebrate the changing of the seasons.

The exciting news of Autumn beginning is that fire is also used to keep you warm!

I do not use overhead lights after sunset in my home. We had guests over at the end of last year for dinner, and they turned them on and I almost hissed it was so startling. We use only lamps or candles after sunset.

To connect with the element fire in your home, use only candles at night time. I love these beeswax candles. Candlelight after sunset is a nice way to romanticise the season!

Try a candle only evening after sunset on the Autumn Equinox.

6. Collect Autumn Items

Collecting Autumn items is a great way to celebrate if you have young children. Leaves, branches and the like all make great nature craft!

Observe the change of seasons in nature.

7. Watch the Sunrise

While I encourage you to do this on any day, especially make to the time to watch the sunrise on the Autumn Equinox. Get family members outside to watch it with you!

My daughter is old enough now to get excited for celebrating and we will be on our balcony for sunrise then down in our garden shortly after.

Autumn Associations

Women’s Cycle

As women, our bodies are cyclical and operate in seasons.

The Luteal Phase of your menstrual cycle (if you are pre-menopause or pre-wise Woman era) is associated with the season Autumn. It’s the time of your cycle where (ideally) you start to turn inward and absorb less of the external world.

Moon Phase

The moon has 8 phases. Do you know your lunar phase at birth?

The lunar phase associated with the season Autumn is the Waning Moon.

Zodiac Signs

The zodiac signs associated with the Autumn Equinox are Aries for those like me in Australia and Libra for the Northern Hemisphere countries.

Interestingly, these two signs operate on the “Me” vs “We” axis. Aries is a fire sign and fire is symbolic of Autumn Equinox. Yet Libra is the sign of balance and harmony, very much major themes of the Autumn Equinox.

In Closing

Wishing you a charming Autumn Equinox!

Just remember, you can celebrate the Autumn Equinox in the days following the exact moment. And also on the eve of the date.

In seasonal living style, you can use the date of the Autumn Equinox to slowly merge into Autumn living for the following months. I’ll do a separate post on that. Sign-up for my emails below to stay in the loop. You can receive a free New Moon guide here when signing up.

Let me know in the comments if you do anything to celebrate.

Until next time!

Rachael x

Hello, I’m Rachael.

I’ve created Luna Mystery School to share seasonal living with the Moon and Sun.

Learn more about me and LMS.