THE ZODIAC GUIDE TO
Autumn Equinox Rituals
As we honor the equinox, summer yields to autumn, and yang energy yields to yin. Embrace this time of spiritual awakening, where transformation unlocks deeper connection to ourselves and those around us.
Autumn Equinox: The Spiritual Meaning
As the sun passes directly over the equator on September 22, the equinox will mark the first day of fall in the Northern Hemisphere. This celestial event signifies a moment of equal day and night, as light and dark reach perfect balance.
Over the month of September, we prepared for a moment of equilibrium—steadily slowing our pace to align with nature and her rhythms, reflecting on our last season and dreaming about the next. Now, on the threshold of this sacred portal, we’re invited into the autumnal equinox’s spiritual meaning: To bring balance. As nature shifts toward longer nights, we lean into our inner yin—paying extra attention to our rhythms of rest, nourishment, and introspection.
Mark your calendar! This year, the equinox will occur around 11:20am PT / 2:19pm ET on Monday, September 22 (aligning with the sun’s shift into libra). From a Sunday evening gathering to an outdoor walk during the equinox, there are infinite ways to celebrate the shift into autumn. Keep reading to find the best way to honor the autumn equinox according to your zodiac sign.
Fiery Aries
MARCH 21 — APRIL 19
Play may come naturally, but what about pause? Could the Equinox-Libra season collaboration be calling you to slow down and reconnect with yourself? Where do you need more harmony?
Aries Autumn Equinox Ritual:
Light a candle and set a clear intention for the season ahead. Step into your bold dreams, but challenge yourself to reflect first—leaning into this sacred season of yin by balancing outward adventure with the journey inward
Grounded Taurus
APRIL 20 — MAY 20
It’s natural to hold tight to what we know, but where does it make sense to let go? What can you release with gratitude and trust that abundance awaits? Sink into a new season knowing there is stability and support for you.
Taurus Autumn Equinox Ritual:
An autumnal dinner party is just what the doctor ordered. Nothing captures aesthetics, grounds your spirit, and engages the senses like seasonal treats shared around a table with your community. Add a go-around-the-table gratitude practice to acknowledge the abundance this season has held and stay present.
Playful Gemini
MAY 21 — JUNE 20
Libra season amplifies your creative side! As nature shifts to yin, it’s the perfect moment to reenergize artful practices that bring lightness and joy. Where can you bring your day-to-day tasks into balance with playful expressions that nourish your inner child?
Gemini Autumn Equinox Ritual:
Entice your curiosity and deepen your connections with a journal exchange ritual. Write one gratitude entry and one release entry to mirror the metaphor of the autumnal equinox. Then, pair up and share with a friend—celebrating in each other’s abundance and supporting the other’s letting go.
Nurturing Cancer
JUNE 21 — JULY 22
Emotionally-intelligent, empathetic, and sensitive, you are no stranger to yin. While introspection and reflection may come naturally, where can you find greater harmony between caretaking and self-care?
Cancer Autumn Equinox Ritual:
Set aside time with your favorite morning cuppa (chai, coffee, matcha, etc.) and journal 3 ways you’d like to nurture yourself in the season ahead. Now, put one into action! Whatever it is—take a few minutes during the equinox to start strong with this season’s intention.
Confident Leo
JULY 23 — AUGUST 22
You thrive in joy and celebration. Step into this season with your usual confidence, leading with heart and connecting in community.
Leo Autumn Equinox Ritual:
Honor your element with a (safe!) fire ritual. Write down what you’re ready to release in autumn and burn it in a small candle flame or have a beach or backyard bonfire for the occasion.
Practical Virgo
AUGUST 23 — SEPTEMBER 22
Your sense of self-reflection, improvement, and structure are natural extensions of the equinox’s themes of transition and transformation. How can you lean in with your nondominant side to bring balance to your habits and rituals? Where can you offer yourself flexibility and self-compassion?
Virgo Autumn Equinox Ritual:
Movement routines that are grounded in structure but emphasize fluidity bring harmony. Flow through your favorite asana, but practice mindfulness wherever self-critique feels like your default, allowing yourself time to pause, quieting your natural tendencies toward practicality and organization.
Balanced Libra
SEPTEMBER 23 — OCTOBER 22
This is your season! With the equinox and the sun calling for balance and harmony, you’re in your element. This sacred portal offers an opportunity of realignment for yourself and your relationships. Step into harmony.
Libra Autumn Equinox Ritual:
Recalibrate with a relationship-focused ritual like partner yoga. Exploring simple poses in pairs creates a core memory, deepens connection, and embodies harmony, connection, and symmetry.
Passionate Scorpio
OCTOBER 23 — NOVEMBER 21
Intuitive and magnetic, nature’s shift toward yin is a comfort to your introspective-self. This equinox, reflect on what is ready to be transformed? Lean into self-exploration, and see what truths you find hidden.
Scorpio Autumn Equinox Ritual:
Set intentions with a journaling practice or tarot pull, searching for what the equinox is asking you to embrace. Scorpio season is around the corner, so use this portal to meditate on what transformation may await.
Optimistic Sagittarius
NOVEMBER 22 — DECEMBER 21
This portal is a powerful time to channel your optimism for the season ahead, and Libra energizes your love for community and connection. Embrace newness with a heart for exploration.
Sagittarius Autumn Equinox Ritual:
You can reflect inward while experiencing the outdoors. Take an adventure (think: hike, road trip, or even just a meal outside) to connect with nature—an essential reminder that freedom and expansion lives in seasons of yin too.
Ambitious Capricorn
DECEMBER 22 — JANUARY 19
The equinox and Libra insist on balance and harmony, especially in the presence of structure. Where can you soften, flex, and stretch your routine? Where might you be able to emphasize beauty over practicality?
Capricorn Autumn Equinox Ritual:
Journal long-term goals to speak to your ambitious and disciplined nature. Now, try going abstract—dream big, think outside the box, and throw practicality out the window. Add one more goal to the list that leans Libra, bringing balance and harmony to your goals as a whole person.
Creative Aquarius
JANUARY 20 — FEBRUARY 18
The equinox invites balance between freedom and grounding, a reminder that exploration doesn’t always mean disconnection.
Aquarius Autumn Equinox Ritual:
Harness your free-spirit for this time of transition with community visioning. Gather your group and invite everyone to share their hopes and dreams for the new season, leaning into Libra's call for connection.
Dreamy Pisces
FEBRUARY 19 — MARCH 20
Autumn equinox’s portal highlights what practices, relationships, and energies need release or renewal. Swim deep, letting your imagination run wild as you explore all this new season has to offer.
Pisces Autumn Equinox Ritual:
Dive into your dream world. Whether by meditation or reflection or visualization, this ritual is your chance to romanticize the season ahead, reconnect with your inner self, and sense what energy is rising to meet you.
An Autumn Equinox Blessing
During this energetic gateway, we practice rituals to align with nature's rhythms and to access deeper transformation and realignment. These autumn equinox blessings mirror Mother Nature's invitation to us, calling in balance, gratitude, abundance, and release. Choose a mantra below or invoke your own to incorporate into your equinox ritual—it could be an affirmation or an intention: