Sacred Altar of Autumn: A Fall Equinox Ritual

Establish one room in your house as the temple. Ideally, it is the room in which you normally keep an altar or sacred shrine. In any case, you should create an altar in the center of the space. Place four small tables in the four directions, which may be closest to either the walls or the room’s corners, and place four evenly spaced candlesticks between the tables. Place a loaf of freshly baked bread (bread you have made with your own hands is best) in the east, a bowl of apples in the south, a bottle of wine in the west, and a sheaf of wheat or a bundle of dried corn in the north.

Upon the main altar, place a candle, a plate of sweet cakes, and a goblet. Light incense and place it in front of the cakes. Before your ritual, take some time for contemplation. Think about what you have achieved during this busy year:

• What have you done?
• What do you need?
• What remains to be done?
• What are your aspirations?

Write down your thoughts and feelings and the answers to those questions. Read what you have written and ponder it. Look for continuing ideas or themes, and make notes of these on a piece of paper. Next, take a calming and cleansing quiet bath, and snip a lock of your freshly washed hair and place it on the paper where you wrote your notes. Dress yourself in a robe that feels right for making magic and enter your temple space. Light the candle on the altar, and use this candle to light all the other candles in the temple. Speak the traditional Hebrew words of self-blessing:

    Ateh, Malkuth, Ve Geburah, Ve Gedulah, Le Olahm, Amen:

    through the symbol of the pentagram in the name of Adonai.

Repeat this facing each corner, and then face your altar and say:

    In the east, Raphael; in the south, Michael; in the west, Gabriel;

    in the north, Uriel.

    Welcome to this place in the name of Melchisedec, the High Priest

    of the Godhead.

Then go to the east, and raising the loaf of bread in a gesture of offering, say:

    Raphael, Lord of the Winds of Heaven, bless this bounty born of sun

    and air and earth.

    Let us feed the hungry and bless the hand that gives it.

Place the bread back into the bowl and go to the southern corner. Raise an apple in offering and state:

    Michael, protector of the weak and the oppressed, bless this sun-

    ripened fruit,

    and let it be not the fruit of temptation but the fruit of our

    knowledge,

    so we know how to make our choices and understand the measure

    of both good and evil.

Place the apple back into the bowl and go to the western corner. Lifting up the bottle of wine, say:

    Gabriel, bringer of the word of God, bless this wine that we may

    take into our body

    the wine of life shed by all saviors since time began.

Place the bottle back on the western table. Turn to the north, and raising the corn or wheat as an offering, say:

    Uriel, Lord of the Earth and all its bounty, bless this crop

    that it may be plentiful all over the earth,

    that this may be a year when all humankind

    will know the comfort of food and hearth.

Now return to the altar in the center of the temple. Light the incense and place some bread and the chalice of wine on the altar. Dip a piece of bread into the blessing wine. Proclaim:

    Melchisedec, priest of the most high God, in the desert after the battle

    with the kings of Edom you brought bread and wine to Abraham. In

    this communion shared between man and priest of the most high God,

    a covenant was made. I pray that this coming harvest makes bread

    for the world. In token of the ancient custom, I take this bread and

    wine into my body. Now in this sacred place, guide and teach me,

    show me how to pursue knowledge for the power of good. Help me to

    grow in wisdom. Bless me. Bless those who share my life. Bless all of

    those with whom I work. Bless this earth, this sweet, green world that

    gives us all the blessings we enjoy—all the water and wine, all the corn

    and wheat, all the joys of life in this body. Bless my home.

Take a lock of hair, light it from the candle, and burn it in the bowl of incense, saying:

    This is the offering of myself.

    In the east—blessings to Raphael.

    In the south—blessings to Michael.

    In the west—blessings to Gabriel.

    In the north—blessings to Uriel.

    Blessed be to all.

Now go around your temple space in reverse order, extinguishing all candles. Then declare your temple closed. The common wisdom is that you should place the apples, bread, and wine in your garden the next day as an offering and a blessing to all of nature.

Autumn Equinox

Here is a wonderfully creative variation on this seasonal rite designed by Robin Heerens Lysne, the author of Living a Sacred Life. It is based on the Native American Muskogee Creek tribal story about the spider who weaves her web sack to catch the sun and bring it back to earth. Lysne suggests holding a potluck dinner followed by a story-telling session as the light begins to wane. While people tell their equinox or fall season stories and feelings, they should hold the end of a ball of yarn or string and toss the ball to the next person to signal that it is their turn. As people hold the yarn, they should wrap it once around their wrists. When the talking is done, you will have a web of people woven together. Make the web of life with the yarn, symbolizing the weaving of night, day, relationships, and the time of autumn. When you are finished, let yourselves be in the web and contemplate the meaning of your connections.

September

September 1, Greek New Year September 2, St. Mama’s Day in Cypress

September 3, Sukkot, Feast of the Tabernacles, a Jewish moveable feast celebrated around this time

September 4, Founders day of Los Angeles (1835), the “City of Angels,” celebrated with processions, dance, rodeo, and Mass

September 5, Mother Teresa died in 1997

September 6, First day of the Hebrew calendar since 3761 BCE

September 7, Rificolne in Florence and Siena celebrating Cosimo de Medici’s 1260 victory: a celebration with picnics, lantern processions, folk singing, and street dancing.

September 8, Water Festival honoring springs (Tibet) 

September 9, Chrysanthemum Festival in Japan, Choyo no Sekku, Kiky bo Seku

September 10, St. Salvi Day, French bishop who died and came back to life in 574 BCE still celebrated with parades, feasts, and Mass

September 11, Coptic New Year in Egypt

September 12, National Grandparent’s Day (United States) 

September 13, Epulum Jova, The Great Banquet in Rome 

September 14, First day of Greek Eleusinian Mysteries 

September 15, Day to Respect the Aged (Japan)

September 16, Mexican Independence Day in Mexico (1810) 

September 17, Feast of Hildegard of Bingen

September 18, Feast of Demeter (Ancient Rome) 

September 19, International Talk Like a Pirate

September 20, International Day of Peace

September 21, Autumn equinox (on or around this day)

September 22, Birthdays of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings

September 23, Shubun no Hi, grave visiting day in Japan 

September 24, Schwenkenfelder, German Thanksgiving

September 25, Rosh Hashanah, the movable Jewish feast of the New Year, occurs around this date

September 26, Saint Cyprian and Saint Justina’s Day

September 27, Saints Cosmos and Damian’s feast day, Arabian doctors

September 28, Birthday of Confucius, the great Chinese scholar (551–479 BCE)

September 29, Day of Saint Michael and All Angels (also known as Michaelmas)

September 30, the first book is printed with movable type, The Gutenberg Bible, 1452

The autumnal winds bring change as we begin harvesting and preparing for the future. We unpack the warm clothes and woolens, and start to winter-proof our homes, offices and cars. In our modern world, we go back to school and college. Vacations are over, and we go off to work with renewed spirits and goals. We now reap what we have sown throughout the year. Winter is also coming, the “scouring storm.” To survive and thrive in the coldest times, we need to prepare by doing our inner work. 

Power Crystals & Soul Stones for Early Libras

Libra, First Half: September 22-October 6

A soul stone that was extremely popular in days of old is spinel, a jewel available in a multitude of hues, including black, dark green, orange, white, blue, purple, and red. Spinels were symbols and stones of the royals; the Queen of England owns a grand specimen called the Timur ruby, and the czars of Russia wore a crown decorated with a magnificent spinel. Spinels are rarer than either rubies or sapphires, and I predict they will have a renaissance. The extremely rare precious green spinel is the type most highly prized among Libras, and it can bring out their aesthetic values and empower their pursuit of the arts.

Dioptase is the power stone for first-half Libras. A deeper green than any emerald, it has an extensive copper content. Venus is associated with the color green, and the intensity of this gorgeous green stone makes it a love crystal for Venus-ruled Libras, enriching both their personal relationships and their higher love for humankind. Dioptase can also awaken the spiritual side of Libras, making the usually attractive members of this sign even more beautiful inside and out. Dioptase is difficult to cut for jewelry because of its brittleness. Use uncut crystal clusters as lovely spirit enhancers all around the home.

Kyanite is the sky-colored heart stone for early Libras. Because it shares the same chemistry (but different crystal structure) as a couple of other minerals, kyanite is known as a stone of symmetry, perfect for providing balance. The Greeks favored this aluminum-based rock and called it disthene, meaning “dual strength,” because it is soft (and easily cut) lengthwise but much harder across. Kyanite most commonly occurs in long, bluish green crystal blades but also comes in cluttered rosettes with a pearly, opalescent surface. If you’re a Libra, an air sign, keep kyanite around to stay steady and strong and help avoid spreading yourself too thin and succumbing to petty, energy-draining distractions.

Honor the New Season: Autumnal Equinox Ritual

Establish one room in your house as the temple. Ideally, it is the room in which you normally keep an altar or sacred shrine. 

In any case, you should create an altar in the center of the space. Place four small tables in the four corners of the directions and place four evenly spaced candlesticks between the tables. Place a loaf of freshly baked bread (bread you have made with your own hands is best) in the east, a bowl of apples in the south, a bottle of wine in the west, and a sheaf of wheat or a bundle of dried corn in the north. Upon the main altar, place a candle, a plate of sweet cakes and a goblet. Light incense and place it in front of the cakes. Before your ritual, take some time for contemplation. Think about what you have achieved during this busy year:

What have you done?

What do you need?

What remains to be done?

What are your aspirations?

Write down your thoughts and feelings and the answers to those questions. Read what you have written and ponder it. Look for continuing ideas or themes and make notes of these on a piece of paper. Next, take a calming and cleansing quiet bath, and snip a lock of your freshly washed hair and place it on the paper where you wrote your notes. Dress yourself in a robe and enter your temple space. Light the candle on the altar and use this candle to light all the other candles in the temple. Speak the traditional Hebrew words of self-blessing:

Ateh, Malkuth, Ve Geburah, Ve Gedulah, Le Olahm, Amen:
Through the symbol of the pentagram in the name of Adonai.

Repeat this facing each corner, and then face your altar and say:

In the east, Raphael; in the south, Michael; in the west, Gabriel; in the north, Uriel. Welcome to this place in the name of Melchisedek, the High Priest of the Godhead.

Then go to the east and raise the loaf of bread as offering and say:

Raphael, Lord of the Winds of Heaven, bless this bounty born of sun and air and earth. Let us feed the hungry and bless the hand that gives it.

Place the bread back into the bowl and go to the southern corner. Raise an apple as offering and state:

Michael, protector of the weak and the oppressed, bless this sun-ripened fruit and let it be not the fruit of temptation but the fruit of our knowledge so we know how to make our choices and understand the measure of both good and evil.

Place the apple back into the bowl and go to the western corner. Lift up the bottle of wine and say:

Gabriel, bringer of the word of God, bless this wine that we may take into our body the wine of life shed by all saviors since time began.

Place the bottle back on the western table. Turn to the north and raise the corn or wheat as an offering and say:

Uriel, Lord of the Earth and all its bounty, bless this crop that it may be plentiful all over the earth, that this may be a year when all mankind will know the comfort of food and hearth.

Now return to the altar in the center of the temple. Light the incense and place some bread and the chalice of wine on the altar. Dip a piece of bread into the blessing wine. Proclaim:

Melchisedeck, priest of the most high God, in the desert after the battle with the kings of Edom you brought bread and wine to Abraham. In this communion shared between man and priest of the most high God, a covenant was made. I pray that this coming harvest makes bread for the world. In token of the ancient custom, I take this bread and wine into my body.

Now in this sacred place, guide and teach me, show me how to pursue knowledge for the power of good. Help me to grow in wisdom. Bless me. Bless those who share my life. Bless all of those with whom I work. Bless this earth and sweet, green world that gives us all the blessings we enjoy—all the water and wine, all the corn and wheat, all the joys of life in this body. Bless my home.

Take a lock of hair and light it from the candle and burn it in the bowl of incense and say:

This is the offering of myself.

In the east—blessings to Raphael.

In the south—blessings to Michael.

In the west—blessings to Gabriel.

In the north—blessings to Uriel.

Blessed be to all.

Now go around your temple space in reverse order and extinguish all candles. Then declare your temple closed. The common wisdom is that you should place the apples, bread, and wine in your garden as an offering the next day, as a blessing to all of nature.