Discover how to use the Autumn and Spring Equinoxes in your Wicca practice with rituals, symbolism and spells.

One half is a woman with symbols of Mabon, including apples and fall themes, with a man on the other half with symbols of Ostara, including a rabbit, egg and spring items, with a balance and cauldron between them

There’s an undeniable magic to the equinox. The sun doesn’t linger, and the shadows don’t fight for dominance. For one breath-held moment, they simply coexist. The world feels balanced.

Witches, pagans and stargazers alike have long marked this moment. Twice a year, day and night are in perfect equilibrium — neither winning, neither waning. It’s a rare kind of symmetry in a world that’s always one way or another.

The equinox is nature’s mirror. Whether you’re gathering what’s grown at Mabon or sowing what’s possible at Ostara, you’re standing at a point of balance — not static, but shifting. It’s a moment to notice what’s reflected back at you … and decide what belongs in the next season.

The Greek god Hades emerges from the Underworld to kidnap Persephone, goddess of the spring, as she gathers flowers — In the Greek myth, Hades abducts Persephone as she gathers flowers, spiriting her away to the land of the dead — a moment that marks the mythic turn from light to dark. The goddess of spring becomes Queen of the Underworld.

What Is an Equinox, Exactly?

The word equinox comes from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night), and it refers to the two points in the year when the sun crosses the celestial equator. On these two days — typically around March 20 and September 22 — we experience nearly equal amounts of daylight and darkness, no matter where we live on Earth.

Think of it as a cosmic balancing act — a time when the tilt of the Earth gives everyone a moment of stillness before tipping toward longer nights (Mabon) or longer days (Ostara).

Ancient cultures noticed.

The Maya built temples like Chichén Itzá, where on the equinox, sunlight casts a serpent-like shadow that slithers down the pyramid’s steps — a dazzling tribute to the god Kukulkan.
The Greeks saw this season as the time when Persephone descended into the Underworld, tipping the world toward darkness and marking the start of autumn.
For Druids, the momentary balance between light and dark was more than symbolic; it was a spiritual threshold, when the veil between worlds thinned and subtle energies stirred.

So why do modern witches and pagans care about equinoxes?

Because balance is everything in magic.

The equinox invites you to stand in between two forces — light and shadow, growth and decay, action and rest — and find where you belong in that moment. It’s a sacred mirror for your own life’s rhythm.

Whether you’re closing a chapter or opening a new one, this is the time to ask:

What am I growing?
What am I releasing?
What needs to come into balance?

A table laid out with three tarot cards—Temperance, Justice and the Two of Pentacles—with coins, stones, bottles, a candle, a balance, herbs and a steaming cup of tea

What Equinox Energy Feels Like

There’s a quiet ache to the equinox — like standing at the threshold of a door you’re not quite ready to close, or opening one you’re not sure you deserve to walk through yet. It’s the tension of opposites, held not in conflict, but in coexistence.

This energy isn’t loud. It hums.

It invites reflection, not reaction.

Whether you’re in the golden hush of Mabon or the dew-sparkled stirrings of Ostara, the equinox is that sacred in-between where transformation happens. Think crossroads, dusk, dawn, the last leaf before the tree goes bare. That’s equinox energy: a spell of stillness before the turn.

Some witches use this time to:

Do shadow work (for Mabon) or intention setting (for Ostara)
Reorganize altars to reflect both sun and moon energy
Meditate with balance-themed tarot cards like Temperance, Justice or The Two of Pentacles
Perform rituals that honor duality: life and death, inner and outer, giving and receiving

This is a sacred pause in the wheel — the fulcrum where the year pivots. Don’t rush it. Feel it.

Two people divided with scales between them, and symbols of Mabon and fall on one side, and Ostara and spring on the other

Equinox Themes to Explore in Your Practice

The equinox is nature’s reminder that we’re never just one thing. We’re always becoming — shedding and growing, grieving and hoping, ending and beginning. Use this moment to align your practice with that energy of both/and rather than either/or.

Here are some core themes to work with:

1. Balance and duality

The obvious one — but also the most personal. What areas of your life feel lopsided? What would it feel like to give your joy and your grief equal space at the altar?

Ideas:

Do a two-column journal exercise (Light / Shadow, Give / Receive)
Meditate on the Justice or Temperance tarot cards
Create a visual altar with half sun, half moon symbolism

2. Shadow and light

This is the season of facing contradictions. At Mabon, the light is fading — you may feel a pull toward introspection, shadow work and letting go. At Ostara, light returns — bringing clarity, confidence and growth.

Ideas:

Light a candle and speak aloud one thing you’re releasing, one thing you’re embracing
Work with herbs that straddle light and dark, like mugwort or rosemary
Create an herbal sachet with both stimulating and calming properties

3. Harvest and seeding

If it’s Mabon, the second harvest is here — a time to gather, give thanks and prepare to rest.

If it’s Ostara, it’s all about preparing the soil for the bounty to come.

Ideas:

Write a gratitude list for everything you’ve “harvested” this year (lessons count!)
Do a seed planting ritual for a new project or intention
Bake bread or cook with seasonal produce as a sacred act

4. Thresholds and transitions

The equinox is a hinge — a pause in the wheel. Honor that stillness. Embrace that liminal magic.

Ideas:

Craft a charm bag for safe passage through change
Take a solitary walk at sunrise or sunset and listen for signs
Perform a cleansing ritual or floor wash to mark a new beginning

A group of Wiccans celebrate an equinox ritual

Wicca Rituals for Equinox Magic

The equinox isn’t about big dramatic gestures. It’s about the subtle magic of recalibration — aligning yourself with the rhythms of the Earth and asking, What do I need to feel whole right now?

These simple rituals are designed to help you honor the season, balance and your own inner turning.

Mabon Rituals for the Autumn Equinox, the Second Harvest

1. The Gratitude Altar

Gather apples, acorns, corn husks, dried herbs and anything that represents abundance in your life. Arrange them on your altar, and as you place each item, say aloud one thing you’re thankful for — no matter how small.

Bonus: Write each one on a bay leaf and burn them in a fire-safe dish or cauldron to send your thanks skyward.

2. Letting Go Fire Spell

Write down what you’re ready to release: habits, fears, bitterness. Fold the paper and place it beneath a black or brown candle. As it burns, whisper:

“As the sun wanes and leaves fall low,
I thank, I bless, I let it go.”

3. Sip the Season

Make a spiced cider, tea or wine. Stir in your intentions with cinnamon or star anise. As you sip, visualize warmth radiating from your center, grounding you for the darker months ahead.

A white cat sits by symbols of the spring equinox: a candle, decorated egg, flower and apple

Ostara Rituals for the Spring Equinox, the Season of Renewal

1. Seed Blessing

Take seeds (flowers, herbs or even just intentions written on paper). Hold them in your hands, breathe on them, and say:

“In fertile earth, I plant my will.
With sun and rain, I grow until
My dreams take root and rise anew —
As spring begins, so shall I, too.”

Plant them in soil — or in a small pot to nurture on your windowsill.

2. Sunrise Candle Spell

Wake early and light a white or pale yellow candle at sunrise. As the light grows, reflect on what’s coming to life in your own world. Whisper an affirmation with the first rays:

“With this light, I rise again.
Bright beginnings, banish pain.”

3. Equinox Egg Magic

Decorate eggs with symbols of your hopes and intentions. Bury them in the earth or crack them into compost to “feed” your magic into the world.

Symbols of Ostara and Mabon, the equinoxes: decorated eggs, apple, pumpkin, flowers, herbs and the moon and stars

Tools, Herbs and Symbols of the Equinox

Every witch knows that magic isn’t just in what you do; it’s in what you surround yourself with. The equinox invites you to work with items that embody balance, duality and seasonal shift. Whether you’re decorating your altar or crafting a spell, here’s what to reach for.

Crystals

Each of these stones balances opposing energies or helps you tune into the seasonal transition.

Labradorite: For embracing change and connecting with the magic between worlds
Citrine: Sunlight in solid form; promotes joy and confidence
Smoky quartz: Grounding, releasing, shadow-friendly
Moonstone: Especially for Ostara; honors intuition and cyclical energy
Obsidian: Especially for Mabon; helps surface buried truths

Place two on your altar — one for light, one for shadow — to physically embody balance.

Herbs and Foods

These herbs reflect both the season’s energy and the magical intentions tied to it.

For Mabon:

Rosemary: Memory, cleansing, protection
Mugwort: Dreamwork, thresholds, seeing beyond
Marigold: Protection and gratitude
Thyme: Courage to release and transition
Apples: Symbol of knowledge, love and the harvest (cut one crosswise to reveal the pentacle)

For Ostara:

Lavender: Clarity, calm and gentle growth
Nettle: Protection, transformation
Dandelion: Resilience and sunlight energy
Mint: Fresh starts and mental clarity
Eggshells: Crushed for warding and blessing soil

Brew into teas, burn as incense or scatter around your altar.

Colors

Think of your altar or ritual setup as a visual spell.

Mabon:

Deep red, burnt orange, gold, brown, plum

Ostara:

Pale green, pastel pink, cream, robin’s egg blue, yellow

Mix warm and cool tones to evoke the sense of transition and balance.

Tools for an equinox ritual: cut apple, bundles of herbs, crystals, a candle, scales, a plant and a mirror

Symbols and Objects

Simple items you likely already have can carry rich meaning.

Eggs: Fertility, potential, the mystery of beginnings (Ostara)
Scales or balance symbols: Literal or metaphorical
Fallen leaves or fresh flowers: Seasonal anchoring
Sun and moon imagery: Perfect visual shorthand for the equinox
Mirror: Self-reflection, shadow work, duality

Pro tip: For an easy equinox altar, use a mirror as your base, place a candle at the center, and arrange light/dark objects symmetrically.

All of these are suggestions. Let your practice be personal, intuitive and playful. You’re not trying to copy someone else’s ritual. You’re writing your own spellbook, one equinox at a time.

Equinox Spells for Balance and Renewal

These spells are written in rhyme — not just for beauty, but because rhythm makes magic easier to remember and recite. Speak them with intention, and let the words ripple out like a charm on the wind.

A black cat looks at a table covered with tools for a Mabon fall equinox ritual, including a pumpkin, rosemary, corn, acorns, apples and paper, as leaves fall

Mabon Spell: Letting Go and Giving Thanks

“Leaves fall low, the sun bows down,
The harvest ends in golden crown.
I give my thanks, I bless the past,
And set down burdens I held fast.
Dark and light in balance meet —
I stand with shadows at my feet.
What’s done is done; what’s mine, remains.
I open space for gentler gains.”

Speak this while lighting a candle and placing offerings on your altar — such as dried herbs, bay leaves or fruit.

You can also whisper it during a walk through autumn woods as you scatter a handful of fallen leaves.

A man performs a spell to plant seeds of intention at the equinox

Ostara Spell: Planting Seeds of Intention

“Bright the bud, and bold the breeze,
Awake the roots, unbind the freeze.
With open hands and heart in bloom,
I stir the light, dispel the gloom.
Let what’s hidden start to grow,
From dream to leaf, from spark to glow.
In egg and soil my wishes lie,
To rise and bloom beneath spring’s sky.”

Use this while planting seeds or charging symbolic ones (paper, intentions, charms). Light a white or yellow candle and recite the spell while holding the seed or token in your palm.

A woman with one half in the light, with flowers and bees and the sun, and the other half in the darkness, with stars, the moon, a crystal ball and white flowers

Equal Parts Magic and Meaning

The equinox is the hush before the shift, the breath between words, the sacred pause that says, You can begin again.

Whether you’ve filled your altar with apples or planted your first spring seeds, this turning of the wheel invites you to stop and listen — to the Earth, to your spirit, to the balance you crave and the imbalance you’re ready to face.

Honor the balance. Gather what’s ripe, and set in motion what you most desire. –Wally