The Autumn Equinox: A Time for Action

Michael Furie

As the heat of summer begins to break and the first leaves turn from green to brown and fall from the trees, there is a subtle feeling that permeates the air—that shift into a different phase and a deeper focus. With the earth positioned at equinox, so that the sunlight is most directly overhead at the equator, we are once again at a time of balance. The hours of the day and night are almost equal on this day and we experience the liminal (threshold) time between the season of growth and the season of repose. This critical point is actually a period of immense potential that I feel should not be overlooked. The agricultural cycle is a most profound example (and can indeed be a template) for the prevailing energies astir in the world, and at this time of the year, we reach the point of harvest. Throughout the growth phase of the year, everything is (hopefully) increasing in strength and abundance, but the value of such treasure is limited at best if it is left to decay. That is why the autumn equinox is so crucial; it is the time to act, the moment when we claim the rewards of all the work conducted and achievements gained during the spring and summer seasons. Far from personal conjecture, the importance of this day has been expressed in both ancient and modern tales and religious texts. With the following few examples, we can only begin to comprehend the true (and often undervalued) power of the autumnal equinox, but they serve as wonderful starting places and important reminders of the inherent quality of this day.

Aspects of the Goddess

Though most easily labeled the “Witches’ Thanksgiving” (and this moniker is certainly accurate) and left without much further explanation, this holiday holds an integral quality all its own. In the “Aspects of the Goddess” as presented in the book, The Witches’ Bible by Janet and Stewart Farrar, the time of the autumnal equinox is seen as the station of repose; wherein the goddess presides over the time of rest and withdrawing of growth before the eventual station of death at Samhain. The Farrars drew upon the earlier works of Doreen Valiente and Robert Graves in presenting this framework of the Goddess’s relationship to the year. They maintain that unlike the God who is viewed to actually experience the effects of the seasonal tides and shifts, she (the Goddess) presides over these shifts and remains eternal in her nature. The goddess creates the conditions of change and opportunity and these are reflected in the natural world. It is at key points like this equinox when these fundamental shifts are the most profound and we can take advantage of these thresholds and channel their energy into new avenues. While this approach focuses upon a singular goddess as the changer of seasons, another familiar mythos takes a different view.

Demeter and Persephone

In the most general sense, the Greek myth of how Persephone became Queen of the Underworld is a tale of seasonal significance. In older versions, she is already the goddess of the Underworld or becomes so of her own free will, but in the most widely told versions, such as in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, she is taken there by Hades to become his bride. The daughter of Demeter (goddess of harvest, fertility, and agriculture), Persephone was the maiden goddess of spring. Hades, the god of the Underworld, fell instantly in love with her. Versions vary, but it is said that Persephone was lured away from her companions, a group of nymphs, by the powerful scent of a narcissus flower. She desired to give the flower to her mother and so plucked it out of the ground. This action sprang a trap concocted by Hades in which the earth opened and Persephone fell into his realm.

Demeter, panic stricken, searched for her daughter the world over (thus neglecting her duties in nature) to no avail until she came upon Hecate (goddess of witchcraft). Hecate advised her to inquire to Helios, the all-seeing sun god as to what happened to her daughter. Demeter did so and Helios told her what happened to Persephone. Demeter insisted upon the rescue of her daughter, and though Persephone was able to return to her mother and the upperworld, she was forever bound to Hades and the Underworld, for she had eaten a scant amount of pomegranate seeds while there, and to partake of any food or drink while in that realm was to leave one unable to return. A compromise was reached wherein Persephone was able to spend half the year with her mother and had to spend half the year with Hades as his wife and queen of the Underworld realm. When she was in this world, her mother was joyous and so the earth became fruitful and the seasons of plenty were underway. When Persephone returned to the Underworld, her mother was filled with upset and so allowed nature to wilt and decay, thus the earth was split into a period of growth and one of repose. The times of transition were the equinoxes, therefore the autumnal equinox can mark Persephone’s yearly descent back into the Underworld. Her journey creates an incredibly profound shift in the natural world. Though this is probably one of the most dramatic representations of the seasonal shifts, the themes of descent and divine grief or panic as catalysts for change are more widespread than this single example.

Descent of the Goddess

In one of the foundational texts of modern witchcraft presented by Gerald Gardner (and published in such works as Eight Sabbats for Witches by Janet and Stewart Farrar), the “Legend of the Descent of the Goddess,” we are shown the goddess journeying into the Underworld to solve the mystery of death: why every created thing that she adored withered and died. As she traveled through the realm, the goddess was met by guardians of the portals who challenged her to strip free the garments and jewels of her station, and she was bound, “as are all who enter the Realms of Death, the Mighty One.” When she finally met Death, he fell in love with her, but she loved him not. She asked why he caused all that lived to fade and die and he responded that the true cause was age and fate to which he was helpless; that his role is to offer rest and peace and also strength to return. He begged her to remain forever with him but she loved him not. Disappointed, he decided to give her the scourge of the realm, but he loved her too much to inflict pain or harm, so he only lightly scourged her and his gentleness kindled love within her heart. Joyfully, he then “taught her all the Mysteries and they loved and were one and he taught her all the magics.” The teaching is that there are three great events in life: love, death, and resurrection in a new body, and that these are all controlled by magic. To be reborn, one must die, to die one must be born, and to be born there must be love.

Some have posited that this tale can be used to illustrate the unification of the anima (feminine) and animus (masculine) halves of ourselves and the resulting power this unification can bring forth. Some have suggested that this legend is in some ways related to the tales of Persephone and Hades (and also to tales of Inanna’s and Ishtar’s descents into the Underworld). We can also see an underlying theme of balance and how the light half and the dark half are intertwined and meet at critical points in time. Since the equinoxes are the only two moments of balance in the year, it becomes clear that these times can be seen as culminations of the power that came before and will soon be exchanged for a new paradigm. It is crucial to act before the moment passes or the energy will be lost; if we neglect to harvest, we will lose the fruit to age and fate (to which even death is helpless) and therefore fail to partake of the potential abundance.

Mabon ap Modron

Finally, in the Welsh tale of Mabon, we see the power of light needing to be nurtured and released from confinement. The word “Mabon” has, in modern times, come to be a name often used for the autumn equinox Sabbat. Though the association may be new, the tale of Mabon ap Modron (son of mother) is rather ancient and found in the Mabinogion. In the tale of Culhwch ac Olwen, we see that in order for Culhwch to be granted the hand of Olwen, her father demanded that he complete several impossible tasks. One of the tasks Culhwch must complete is to “enlist the houndsmanship of Mabon, son of Modron, who was abducted from his mother when he was three days old.” Cuhlwch sets about his task and in the process questions the Ousel of Kilgrwri, an ancient bird. He asks, “Do you know anything of Mabon, son of Modron, who when three nights old was taken from between his mother and the wall?” The ousel had not heard anything but sent him to an even older creature for possible assistance. He went from creature to creature in turn: the Stag of Rhendevre, the Owl of Cwn Cawlwyd, the Eagle of Gwernabwy, and finally the Salmon of Llyn Llyw. With the salmon (the oldest creature and symbol of wisdom), Culhwch found success. The salmon told him that Mabon was imprisoned in Gloucester. A battle ensued in which Mabon was at last set free.

Mabon is seen as a god of youth and light, and his being taken from his mother could be viewed as light being pulled away from the world, held in repose, and then eventually returned in a revitalized form. If this is so, linking Mabon the deity with the autumn holiday follows a similar pattern as Persephone’s return to the Underworld also occurring at this time. Both will later reemerge bringing the light and time of growth back to the world. This period of abundance grows steadily stronger until it is once again time to claim the rewards at this time of equinox, just before they are gone.

When the harvest is upon us, however we may choose to relate to it, the time for action has arrived. After the long journey through the cold of winter, the emergence of activity with the onset of spring, and the full force of nature’s energy unleashed during summer, we reach the pinnacle. Though the peak of solar power has come and gone at the summer solstice, the fullness of growth has continued on and reached its zenith at the equinox. This same energy can be applied to our everyday lives. We can claim the power present at this time to reap the rewards of all our hard work throughout the year by using all forms of prosperity magic and also by taking the opportunity to empower ourselves now so that we may continue to thrive.

As the season of autumn unfolds, the hours of daylight begin to wane much more noticeably and the weather starts to cool; the energy shifts to the element of water and the likelihood of rain increases. Moving deeper into the season, we find that the atmosphere becomes ideally attuned to both introspection and divination, both of which are aided by a strong reserve of personal power. This being so, it is all the more important to gather our strength while we can so that we may enter boldly into the next phase of the year. We, much like the divinities discussed, must maintain our inner light so that we may survive through the dark time and emerge renewed, empowered, and ready to share our gifts with the world.

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