Autumn Equinox, or “Meán Fómhair” in the Gaelic calendar, which means the “middle of autumn.” We call it by this name because this year our Autumn Equinox High Day ritual honors the Gaulish Horned God, Cernunnos.
In the spring, we celebrate the power of the sacred feminine; thus, the autumn is the time to celebrate the sacred masculine. For without the womb there would be no birth, but without the seed, there would be no harvest. Cernunnos represents the virility which counterbalances the Earth Mother’s fertility; both of which are necessary to bring life to the land.
At the balance point just before the dark part of the year reigns, we remember the strength of our bond to Cernunnos, the Horned God. We honor the characteristics of the Hunter, the primal Lord of the Wilds, and the paths of sacred ecstasy. So many of his aspects are things people fear and shy away from; but we were all wild once, and there are still parts of ourselves that will never be tame. Those are the parts that are closest to Cernunnos, and we honor him when we remember those aspects of ourselves and when we drink deep of all the abundance that life offers to us.
Night and Day rest, for a moment, in perfect equality and all of Time and Space balance on the head-of-a-pin that is this Autumnal High Day. What could not be possible at a moment such as this? Cernunnos, Lord of the In-Between presides over the Mystery of this turning point when the dark half of the year looms before us. We call upon the Great God to prepare us for the Cosmic Dream Time by transforming our souls into animal form, for Cernunnos is also Lord of Animals. The ancient Celts knew that such transformations were necessary for growth, for healing, and to revive our primal nature which has been too-often compromised by the strictures of society. this is a time to journey to Cernunnos in the primordial wood to be remade and dance in new form.
My son and I spent the entire weekend in celebration and ritual with the equinox. Below is a peak at the Prayer art ritual we created by the lake and our Mabon fire later that evening.
Sand prayer ritual for the Autumn Equinox. I drew the prayers as symbols/mandalas in the sand as I set the intent. As the water carries the prayer they are released.