The Autumnal Equinox: A Season of Harvest, Release + Coming Home to Yourself

If you've been feeling like you need to slow down, take a breath, + come back to yourself, the autumnal equinox might be exactly the energy you need.

Autumn is an invitation to gather, appreciate, release, + turn inward. The equinox is especially beautiful because it gives us this literal symbolism of balance: light + dark, action + rest, outward growth + inward reflection.

You don't need to be deeply spiritual to work with seasonal energy. You don't need an elaborate altar, a house full of crystals, or three hours of uninterrupted meditation. Connecting with a season can be as simple as noticing what's changing around you + allowing that change to remind you to check in with what's changing within you.

When Is the Autumnal Equinox?

In 2026, the autumnal equinox occurs on Tuesday, September 22 at 8:05 PM est in the US. Astronomically, this is the exact moment when the center of the Sun crosses the plane of Earth's equator as the Sun appears to move southward across the celestial sphere.

This is the point in the year when daylight + darkness are approaching balance, although most locations don't experience exactly 12 hours of each because of the way sunrise + sunset are measured.

After the equinox, the Northern Hemisphere continues moving toward shorter days + longer nights as we make our way toward the winter solstice.

Nature is literally showing us that the season of outward expansion is changing.

It's time to gather what we've grown!!!!

The Attributes of Autumn

Think about what happens in nature during fall: leaves change color (if you’re lucky!), fruit ripens, crops are harvested, animals begin preparing for colder months, days become shorter, light changes, the temperature begins to shift + everything starts moving from expansion toward conservation.

Spiritually, this makes autumn a season for harvest, gratitude, grounding, release, reflection, balance, + turning inward.

+ when I say "harvest," I don't just mean the literal food growing outside your window (my sage will be useful alllll season long. THANKS FLORIDA WEATHER!

I mean the things you've been growing in your own life.

Maybe you started a business or you healed something or you became a mother or you finally left something that wasn't working.

Maybe you learned how to set a boundary or you made a new friendship or you simply survived a really difficult season + came out the other side knowing yourself a little better.

Those things count, too. THAT IS HARVEST.

Autumn asks us to stop long enough to notice them.

What You Might Feel During This Season

Seasonal energy isn't a scientific force that dictates how you're supposed to feel, so please don't read this as a checklist of things you should experience.

BUT as nature shifts toward more darkness + inwardness, you may find yourself craving some of the same things.

More quiet, home, cozy routines (ahem raccooning), meaningful conversations, reflection, + LESS rushing around.

You may also notice yourself becoming more aware of what feels draining, excessive, or no longer aligned.

Summer energy can be very outward. We're doing, going, socializing, creating, exploring, saying yes.

Autumn has us ask:

Do I actually WANT to keep doing all of this?

+ sometimes the answer is HELL YES.

Sometimes the answer is FUCK NO.

Both are useful information.

This is also why I love the equinox as a checkpoint. You don't have to wait until January 1st to take stock of your life.

How to Best Harness Autumn Energy

The biggest mistake we can make with seasonal spirituality is turning every energetic shift into another thing we have to DO.

The season is not asking you to add14 new rituals to your morning routine.

It's asking you to notice.

Notice what grew, what you're grateful for, what feels heavy, what you're ready to release, where you're craving more simplicity, + where your energy wants to go as the year begins winding down.

If you want to work with autumn intentionally, think less about calling something new toward you + more about tending what already exists.

This is harvest energy! You planted things earlier in the year + now you get to see what actually grew.

The Spiritual Lessons of Autumn

Growth doesn't happen in a straight line.

Nature doesn't bloom forever.

There are seasons for growth, seasons for harvest, seasons for shedding, + seasons for rest. You are allowed to have those seasons, too.

Gratitude is a form of noticing.

The harvest isn't only about getting more, it's about recognizing what you already have.

Release creates room.

Trees don't hold onto their leaves because they're afraid of what might happen without them. They let go because the next season requires it.

Obviously, we're humans with significantly more complicated nervous systems than trees, so please don't take that metaphor too literally lol

Rest is part of the cycle.

The natural world isn't productive every second of the year + neither are you.

Rest is what makes the next season of growth possible.

Balance doesn't mean everything is equal.

The equinox gives us this image of light + darkness existing together.

Spiritually, I think that's a helpful reminder that you can be grateful + grieving, excited + tired, growing + resting, etc.

You don't have to force yourself into one emotional state to be "aligned."

Crystals for the Autumnal Equinox

You absolutely do not need crystals to celebrate the equinox, but if crystals are part of your spiritual practice, there are a few that beautifully mirror the themes of this season.

Smoky Quartz | Grounding + Release

Smoky Quartz feels like THE autumn crystal to me.

Its earthy, smoky energy pairs beautifully with the transition toward darker days + more inward reflection.

Work with Smoky Quartz when you're thinking about what you're ready to release, simplify, or stop carrying.

Ask yourself:

What am I ready to release so I can move into this next season lighter?

Citrine | Harvest + Abundance

Citrine is perfect for the harvest aspect of autumn.

But instead of only using it as a "manifest more money" crystal, I love using it as a reminder to recognize the abundance that's already here.

What came to fruition this year?

What are you proud of?

What did you receive that you once hoped for?

Ask yourself:

What abundance already exists in my life that I haven't stopped to appreciate?

Carnelian | Creativity + Embodied Action

Carnelian carries that warm, fiery feeling of the last glow of summer. It’s one of my FAVORITE crystals.

It's beautiful for maintaining your creative spark while the outer world begins to slow down.

Autumn doesn't mean you stop creating. It can simply mean you become more intentional about what is actually worth your energy.

Ask yourself:

What do I still want to create, experience, or bring to life?

An Autumnal Equinox Diffuser Blend

For the equinox, I wanted a blend that smelled like golden light, woods, warmth, + coming home rather than simply smelling like a pumpkin candle.

Harvest + Home

3 drops Orange - brightness + joy
2 drops Northern Lights Black Spruce - connects us back to nature + to the slower rhythm we're entering.
1 drop Cinnamon Bark - warmth and abundance

Autumnal Equinox Rituals to Practice Throughout the Season

You don't need to do every ritual on September 22.

In fact, I would much rather you choose one or two that actually feel good + repeat them throughout autumn.

Make a Gratitude Harvest

Write down five things you've "harvested" this year.

They can be accomplishments, relationships, lessons, opportunities, healing, financial growth, personal growth, or even something tiny like a morning routine that finally stuck.

The point is to acknowledge what grew because you gave it your time + attention.

Make an Autumn Simmer Pot

Throw orange slices, cinnamon sticks, cloves, rosemary, apple, vanilla, or whatever smells like fall to you into a pot of water.

As it simmers, choose an intention for the season ahead.

It's basically seasonal aromatherapy + kitchen witchery without requiring you to identify as a kitchen witch.

Go Outside + Actually Notice the Season

Take a barefoot walk, sit under a tree, drink your coffee outside, collect a fallen leaf, + watch the sunset.

+z if you live somewhere like Florida where autumn doesn't exactly arrive with crunchy leaves + sweater weather, you may have to get creative.

That's okay.

The ritual isn't about recreating someone else's fall.

It's about paying attention to the season you're actually living in (aka… less humidity).

Create a Seasonal Nature Arrangement

Gather leaves, flowers, herbs, fruit, pinecones, crystals, candles, or anything that makes you think of autumn. This is SO personal.

Put them in a bowl + set them on your kitchen table.

It DOES NOT have to be elaborate.

A pretty bowl of things you found outside absolutely counts, babe!.

Make a Nourishing Seasonal Meal

Cook something warm + grounding.

Before you eat, pause, notice the food, think about where it came from the people who helped bring it to your table, + your body, which gets to receive the nourishment.

Then actually enjoy your meal.

You don't have to turn dinner into a ceremony for it to be sacred.

Practice a Release Ritual

Write down one thing you're ready to stop carrying into the next season.

Maybe it's an old belief, habit, relationship dynamic, version of yourself, commitment you don't actually want anymore.

Then tear it up, safely burn it, compost it, or throw it away.

Have a Seasonal Turn-Inward Night

Put your phone away! Take an essential oil + epsom salt bath! Read!! Journal!! Stretch! Pray!! Meditate!!! Or just sit quietly!

Then ask yourself:

What does this next season of my life need from me?

Not what does everyone else need from you or what should you accomplish or what do you need to manifest.

What it needs from YOU only.

Your Autumnal Equinox Journal Prompts

If you want to go a little deeper, sit with these questions throughout the season:

What has grown in my life because I gave it attention?

What am I proud of that I haven't stopped to celebrate?

What am I ready to release?

Where am I craving more simplicity?

What deserves more of my energy this season?

What would it look like to let myself rest without feeling guilty?

The Big Takeaway

I think one of the most beautiful things about seasonal spirituality is that nature gives us permission to stop pretending we're supposed to feel the same all year long.

Spring gets to grow, summer gets to expand, autumn gets to harvest + release, + winter gets to rest.

+ then the cycle begins again.

Your life works the same way.

There will be seasons when you're building, blooming, when you're celebrating what you've created, + seasons when you're letting things go.

You don't have to force yourself to bloom when you're in a season of shedding.

You don't have to apologize for needing rest!

You don't have to immediately replace everything you release.

The space itself is sacred.

So as we move into autumn, I want you to take a little inventory of your own life.

Then get quiet enough to hear what you actually want to carry forward.

Because the magic of autumn is about finally noticing how much you've already grown.

Muah muah muah!

Suzy