Fall Equinox: Harvesting from the Past

As the wheel of the year turns and the lively energies of summer begin to fade, the Fall Equinox announces its arrival with gentle whispers, inviting us to pause. Equinox are sacred moments of perfect balance—day and night are briefly equal in length and suggest reflection, restoration, and connection. While in the Spring we plant for the future, extending our energy towards future generations, in the Fall we reach back to the wisdom of the ancestors and to the experiences that have shaped us, maturing us in who we have become. It is a time of harvesting.

It is a rich opportunity to engage with our creativity, using the SoulCollage® method or pouring our inquiry into any other expressive art form that calls us. We seek to reconnect with the lineage of the benevolent beings that came before us and receive their inspiration. Whether we are conscious of it or not, the stories of our ancestors—their struggles, joys, and resilience—reside within us. At this time of year, when the veil between the seen and unseen worlds grows thinner, we can connect more deeply with their presence, seeking the wisdom they offer as we journey through our own cycles of change.

The Fall Equinox this year occurs on September 22nd at 12:44am UTC, meaning 5:44am PT, 7:44am CDT, 8:44 EST, and 2:44am CEST.
For more astronomical details I recommend reading this EarthSky page.

As the daylight begins to wane and shadows grow longer in the northern hemisphere, we reflect on the opposing forces we navigate, activity and rest, joy and sorrows, gain and loss and appreciate how we have balanced them in many ways throughout our life, sometimes very successfully, sometimes not so. And yet we have arrived at this moment and can embrace the opportunity to release, surrender, recalibrate, learn, and rejoice.

In SOTO (School Of The Origins) as in many spiritual traditions, the fall season is associated with honoring the ancestors. With the turning of the year and the deepening of autumn, we enter a liminal space where the past and present intersect, offering a unique opportunity to connect with ancestral wisdom. We may find that our personal stories—of change, resilience, and growth—resonate with the experiences of those who came before us. Just as the earth transitions into a period of dormancy, we can use this time to reflect on the past, honor the cycles of life and death, and seek the support of those whose lives ripple through our own.

SoulCollage® is a creative and intuitive process where we create collaged cards that represent different aspects of our inner selves, our archetypes, and our personal guides. These cards form a deck that becomes a reflection of our psyche — a sacred tool for insight, healing, and self-discovery. During the Fall Equinox, working with SoulCollage® can help us navigate this balance between our “day and night”, the present and the past.

One way to work with SoulCollage® during this time is to focus on the theme of balance. Create or select cards from your personal deck that represent different parts of yourself that might be in conflict or seeking harmony. 

Ask yourself: 

Where in my life am I seeking balance? 

Where am I holding onto something that no longer serves me? 

This could be a relationship, a habit, or even an old belief system that feels outdated. Use your cards to explore how you can move toward greater equilibrium in these areas.

The second, more profound way to work with your SoulCollage® deck is to connect with your ancestors. Our ancestors live within us, and through the SoulCollage® process, we can engage with them symbolically. You might already have a card that feels connected to an ancestral guide—a card that you intuitively created that seems to hold a sense of lineage, wisdom, or familial energy. If not, this is a powerful time to create one.

(If you do not have a SoulCollage® deck, you may use images selected intuitively or speak with any of your creations in other medium)

1. Create Sacred Space:
Begin by setting up a quiet, sacred space for your SoulCollage® work. Light a candle, bring in symbols of the season (fall leaves, pumpkins, or acorns), and perhaps place a photo or memento of an ancestor you wish to honor. This could be an ancestor whose historical memory is still alive in the family, a grandparent, or a great-grandparent, or a symbolic image for someone whose memory is lost but it is not too far away from you in time.

2. Select or Create Cards:
Choose cards from your personal SoulCollage® deck that represent the balance of “light and dark” within you. If you feel called, create a new card that embodies an ancestral presence. This card doesn’t have to depict a specific ancestor; it can represent ancestral energy, a sense of lineage, or qualities passed down through your family.

3. Engage with the Cards:
Once you’ve selected or created your cards, spend time meditating on them. Ask each card:
- What aspect of balance do you represent in my life?
- What wisdom do you have to offer me as I transition into the “night” of the year?
- How can I honor both the luminosity and the opacity within myself?

For the ancestral card, you might ask:
- What wisdom does my benevolent ancestral line has for me right now?
- How can I carry forward their strength, resilience, or creativity (add any other quality that you seek right now)?
- What part of my past or family story needs healing or acknowledgment?

4. Journal Your Insights:
After meditating with the cards, take some time to journal about any insights or emotions that have surfaced. 

- What messages came through about balance or ancestral connections? 

- How can you integrate these lessons into your life as you move forward?

5. Release and Gratitude:
As you close your practice, consider what you are ready to release from your life—something that no longer serves your highest good and your evolution. You might write it down on a piece of paper and symbolically burn it, letting it go as the leaves fall from the trees. Finally, spend a few moments in gratitude for your benevolent ancestors and for the natural cycles of change that support your growth.

6. Pull or choose an “integration” card from your deck and ask it to help you energetically, spiritually, and even practically how to harvest the gems of your inquiry and anchor them in your memory, psyche, and subtle body.

May this equinox bring you clarity, peace, and the courage to walk in balance as you prepare for the months ahead.

Mariabruna