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Magic of Equinox

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Symbols and Signs

Magic and Meaning of Equinox

Autumn Equinox

The autumn equinox is a time of death, the time to destroy the egos and our subconscious patterns such as anger, pride, greed, envy, lust... We can offer our weaknesses as sacrifices before the gods transforming them into their higher, divine manifestation.

Chinese honour this time with a ritual of standing facing west, lighting white candles, or placing white flowers on the altar.

The Druids used to cut wands from the willow trees to use for divination at this time of year.

For the ancient Celts the autumn equinox is symbolically marked as a time of sacrifice with a ritual of burning a figure from the stems of grain, representing the vegetation spirit.

Spring Equinox

The seasons change while the Earth continues its journey through the space and time. Spiritual art of our ancestors and their Rituals at the Equinox time, honour the balance between light and darkness.

Some teachings of esoteric wisdom say that during this time the veil between the physical world and other worlds opens. This is a good time for meditation, prayers, rituals and offerings. The equinox occurs twice each year, around 22 March and on the 21 December.

Spring Equinox

The spring equinox is a time of strong winds, time of the final triumph of the Sun over darkness, with the last full moon of winter. These are the days when the Sun is exactly above the Equator, which makes day and night of equal length. Aphrodite from Cyprus, Hathor from Egypt were gods celebrated at Spring equinox. The Ancient Malta temples' corridors become flooded with golden light, at sunrise, shining through to the innermost Temple stone. Their incredible astronomical orientation makes them a timeless calendar for over 5,000 years.

Rituals at Equinox

The Equinox is also known as: Cornucopia, Feast of Avilon, Festival of Dionysus, Mabon, Night of the Hunter, Witch's Thanks-giving.

There are hundreds of ancient sites all over the world that align to the solstices and equinoxes giving us various mathematical, astronomical, and sacred guidelines.

Equinox in Malta

Mnajdra’s (around 4000 BC) Lower Temple

Mnajdra is a megalithic temple complex in Malta, an architectural masterpiece, dating back to 3600 BC.

Its entrance is aligned with the sun rays of the equinox. The rays of light penetrate a corridor and illuminate a back-stone / shrine within the temple. Sunrise on the first day of spring and autumn, during the equinoxes, marks the relationship between the temples and celestial bodies.

Equinox in Egypt

The Great Pyramid

The Great Pyramiid has two of its faces orientated precisely towards East and West, meaning that these are the exact points of the rising and setting sun only on the spring and autumnal equinoxes. This kiss of sunlight and sides of the Great Pyramiid has probably resulted in a flash of light that was visible for miles around.

At midnight on the autumn equinox North Star shines its light all the way down to the subterranean pit inside the pyramid. In 2,170 BC, the pole star was Alpha Draconis. It is calculated that at the same time in 2,170 BC, Alcyone, the star Mayan believed our sun and solar system revolves around, stood on the meridian of the Great Pyramid.

Equinox in Ireland

Loughcrew

built around 3000 B.C. also captures a ray of sunlight through its central chamber exactly on the winter solstice. During the mornings of the equinoxes, the shrine within the temple that is decorated with astronomical symbols, is illuminated by the sun.

Equinox of Mayas

Chichen Itza

Mayas built their sacred site called Chichen Itza with a pyramid known as El Castillo, that at spring and autumn equinoxes creates a pattern of light on its nine steps. The game of shadow and light displays seven triangles that link up with a stone serpent head at the base of the pyramid. During the autumn equinox, the setting sun’s moving pattern appears to be a snake descending down the steps. The visual effect is the one of the serpent ascending and descending. The feathered serpent is an esoteric symbol of union of female and male aspect. The serpent symbolizes the feminine aspect, and the feathers, the eagle, the male aspect. The ascent and descent of the serpent is the symbolic representation of the descent into the underworld and ascent towards heavens.

Equinox in ancient Summeria

the goddess Inanna, and in Greek mythology the goddess Persephone descend into the underworld at the time of the autumn equinox. Astrologically speaking, this is the day when the Sun enters Libra, the sign of balance. Esoterically, the number 8 that is the symbol of infinity hides within the centre of the earth.

8 is also a symbol of the equinox