The autumnal equinox is the first day of fall. It is celebrated by many different cultures and plays a significant role in some beliefs like Wicca. For most people, fall is a time that ushers in harvests, preserving food for the upcoming months, enjoyment of the colors of the changing leaves and beginning to prepare oneself both physically and psychologically for the upcoming colder months. For Keats, the famous poet, fall was the “season of mists and mellow fruitfulness”. A beautiful season, fall is filled with color, crisp days and provides an excuse to indulge in great foods. And it all begins with the first day of fall.This is the day when both the daytime and nighttime are of the same length, which has been long interpreted to mean that the world is in balance. Once the autumnal equinox passes, the nights begin to get longer and the temperatures will start to fall.This is also about balance and as such, fall is considered the season of balance, a time during which you can restore balance to your own life.Many people like to welcome in fall by remaining awake all night, to honor the equal length of day and night. This is a season when the buzzing activity of summer dies down and the excitement of life outdoors begins to relax into the more evenly paced, more predictable rhythm of fall. Think about the ways you have neglected your inner growth and how this might be remedied.
In Japan, it is traditional to visit the graves of ancestors around the time of the autumn equinox. This is a thoughtful tradition to build on for your own life, as a way of reconnecting with the past of your family and to remind yourself of your valuable place in the family tree.