Autumnal Equinox September 25, 2025; What can we Learn from the Ancient Beliefs and Practices Surrounding Samhain?

Threshold of Balance and Descent

At the Autumnal Equinox on September 22, 2025, day and night stand in equal measure. This is the cosmic hinge that tilts us toward the dark. In the ancient world, this balance was honored as a sacred pause — a reminder that life requires both harvest and surrender, light and shadow.

Now, as Samhain approaches, the veil thins. Ancestors stir, fire burns on the hills, and we are asked to face endings not with fear, but with reverence. The cosmos itself gathers as guide and teacher, showing us how to walk wisely through retreat and renewal.

The Astrological Weather of the Season

The chart of the Autumnal Equinox sets the tone for this Samhain season. Its planetary archetypes act as living guides:

• Sun at 0° Libra – Justitia’s Scales
  At the Equinox, the Sun enters Libra, marking the balance of light and dark.

  • Symbolism: Justice, harmony, relationships.

  • Guidance: Ask what sustains you versus what depletes you. Balance your schedule, diet, relationships, and inner dialogue. Balance is not perfection — it is restoring flow where things have tipped too far.

• Moon at 14° Libra – The Peacemaker
  The Moon at 14° Libra reflects the Sun’s call for balance with gentleness.

  • Symbolism: Peace, beauty, emotional equilibrium.

  • Guidance: Small acts of beauty and calm — a candle, a warm meal, a quiet breath — support emotional wellbeing during the long nights ahead.

• Neptune in Aries → Mars in Scorpio → Pluto in Aquarius – The Chain of Transformation

  • Neptune in Aries – The Mystic Warrior: Dissolves ego’s grasping and softens anger into compassion.

    • Practice: When you feel the urge to push or control, pause. Ask: “Is this my soul’s need, or my ego’s?”

  • Mars in Scorpio – The Sacred Warrior: Brings precision and courage to face shadow honestly.

    • Practice: Be truthful about what you’ve been avoiding. Meeting shadow frees energy for what truly matters.

  • Pluto in Aquarius – The Shadow-Bearer: Strips away outdated structures, clearing the way for collective renewal.

    • Practice: Notice where clinging keeps you stuck. Ask: “If I release this, what new possibility could open?”

  Together, they teach us to surrender, act with courage, and embrace transformation as the key to survival.

The Air Trine – A Collective Breath of Transformation

• Uranus in Gemini (Awakener of Thought): Lightning strikes the mind, sparking new stories, new ways of seeing, and radical shifts in communication.

• Pluto in Aquarius (Shadow-Bearer of the Collective): Transformation of communities, technology, and collective structures; the deep purge of what no longer sustains the future.

• Neptune in Aries (Mystic Warrior): Dissolves ego-driven impulses, infusing the fire of initiative with compassion and vision.

Symbolism of the Trine

• Air Element: Movement, ideas, dialogue, circulation. The trine creates an open channel for collective awareness.

• Archetypal Message: The three great outer planets are “speaking in harmony.” This is rare and suggests that collective survival depends not only on food and fire (the ancient Samhain symbols) but also on thought, vision, and shared transformation.

Neptune in Aries → Mars in Scorpio → Pluto in Aquarius – The Chain of Transformation

• Neptune in Aries – The Mystic Warrior: Dissolves ego’s grasping and softens anger into compassion.

  • Practice: When you feel the urge to push or control, pause. Ask: “Is this my soul’s need, or my ego’s?”

• Mars in Scorpio – The Sacred Warrior: Brings precision and courage to face shadow honestly.

  • Practice: Be truthful about what you’ve been avoiding. Meeting shadow frees energy for what truly matters.

• Pluto in Aquarius – The Shadow-Bearer: Strips away outdated structures, clearing the way for collective renewal.

  • Practice: Notice where clinging keeps you stuck. Ask: “If I release this, what new possibility could open?”

Together, they teach us to surrender, act with courage, and embrace transformation as the key to survival.

Uranus in Gemini – Hermes Electrified

Fresh in Gemini, Uranus takes on Mercury’s archetype at a higher octave — the messenger who travels between worlds.

• Symbolism: Sudden insights, liberating truths, new narratives.

• Guidance: Pay attention to dreams, conversations, or “downloads” that arrive unexpectedly. Keep a journal. These flashes are messages crossing the veil, carrying guidance for the path ahead.

Integration: What We Carry Into the Dark

The planets this Samhain invite us to:

• Balance (Sun/Moon in Libra) — restore harmony in life and relationships.

• Surrender & Courage (Neptune–Mars–Pluto chain) — soften fear, face shadow, release what no longer serves.

• Awaken (Uranus in Gemini) — open to new ideas and stories that sustain renewal.

Lesson: Just as Samhain fire and ritual prepared the body for winter, the skies of 2025 prepare the soul — guiding us to balance, clarity, and transformation as we enter the season of descent.

The Ancient Practices of Samhain

The Celtic people knew that survival required both preparation and spirit. Their rituals reveal timeless truths:

• Sacred Bonfires lit the hills as offerings and protection. Passing through fire cleansed and blessed.

• Household Hearths were rekindled from the communal blaze, symbolizing unity.

• Offerings of food and drink were shared with both living and dead, strengthening bonds across the veil.

• Divination with apples, stones, and fire opened glimpses into the future.

• Storytelling carried myths of the Morrígan, Cailleach, and Dagda, teaching that death was part of the spiral of life.

From these practices we inherit the wisdom: prepare, honor, release, and remember.

Practical Guidance

• Listen to New Stories: Pay attention to cultural conversations, dreams, or insights that feel bigger than yourself.

• Release Old Mental Patterns: Pluto is purging — notice where you cling to outdated ideas or roles.

• Act with Compassion: Neptune softens conflict; balance courage with empathy.

• Stay Adaptable: Uranus brings surprises; flexibility is the key to resilience.

Sacred Insight

The Celts lit bonfires to guard against the dark. Today, the Autumnal Equinox and Samhain chart lights an inner fire. The planets act as teachers: balance what you hold, trust the unseen, face shadow with courage, and weave new stories of meaning.

✨ Samhain reminds us: retreat is not an ending but preparation; descent is sacred ground for renewal.

Closing Invitation

As you walk through this season, notice which planetary guide calls to you most. Do you need Libra’s balance, Neptune’s vision, Pluto’s honesty, or Mars’s courage?

Astrology offers not only timing but tools for navigating the thresholds of life. If you’d like to explore your personal chart in this season of retreat and renewal, I invite you to schedule a personalized astrology session — a way to honor your own cycles as the ancients once did around the fire.