Autumn Equinox Gathering 2025
Saturday September 13
1:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Upper Falls Park, Provo Canyon
As summer winds its way in a slow descent toward autumn, we celebrate the Autumn Equinox! This was a season of harvest for our ancestors in the northern hemisphere, where they spent many hours gathering in the fruits of their labors born of relationship with the land. This time of year invites nuance and consideration of both celebration and remembrance. Discussion around meaningful yet challenging topics feels necessary and in alignment with this season. We invite you to engage with the ancestral harvest traditions of northwestern European ancestors while acknowledging the displacement of land-based traditions that are indigenous to this land.
The harvest months were a busy time for peoples in direct relationship with the land. Communities would come together to bring in the crops before the weather turned; all who could work would join the labor force, in whatever way they were able. Once the long days of gathering were done, the end of the harvest was marked with feasts and celebrations.
We recognize the privilege inherent in the societal shift toward industrialization and capitalism that many of us are afforded in modern times. The food we eat still has to be tended and grown from the land, and inevitably needs to be harvested. Many of us do not participate directly in the labor that provides us with the abundance of food we enjoy. We acknowledge the tension that disconnection may bring and offer space to engage with it during this gathering if you’d like.
As part of Nourishing Kin’s harvest traditions we craft besoms, or witch’s brooms, during the Autumn Equinox. The broom is a long lasting symbol of the witch, but it is also a practical tool used in everyday life. Cleaning a space with a broom can hold both physical and energetic significance. While materials for the broom have changed over time, traditional brooms are crafted using materials gathered from the land: wood, stiff plant stalks such as broomcorn, and twine. As we recognize the ordinary uses of the besom, we also acknowledge the ordinary people who were accused of witchcraft and the lasting effects the witch trials have on our society.
Our hope is that reconnecting to Land, Ancestors, and Community provides opportunities to shift our perspective of relationship from one of transaction to one of reciprocity.
We have planned this gathering with ample time to root into place and relationship, to discuss and explore, and to integrate and move through whatever comes up during our time together.
We will gather in a semi-secluded outdoor space to connect with Land, Ancestors, and Community through the following activities:
small selection of seasonal songs to carry you through the season
engaging opportunities to create and sustain relationships with a local community of women + femmes united by shared values of reconnection, reciprocity, and respect
brief presentation on the history of harvest celebrations and ways you can start your own
storytelling with a selection from Indigenous and Northwestern European folk tales
creating your own jar of traditional fire cider
hand-crafting besoms, or witch's brooms
shared communal meal with seasonal produce, bread, and salads
river swimming in the Provo river
For this gathering, we invite you to prepare by engaging with some resources prior to the gathering. Those resources will be sent to you via email after you register here. Additional details, including address, items to bring, and food suggestions, will be sent to registrants one week prior to the event. For additional questions, please refer to the FAQ or send us an email at nourishingkin@gmail.com
Autumn Equinox Gathering 2025
Saturday September 13
1:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Upper Falls Park, Provo Canyon
As summer winds its way in a slow descent toward autumn, we celebrate the Autumn Equinox! This was a season of harvest for our ancestors in the northern hemisphere, where they spent many hours gathering in the fruits of their labors born of relationship with the land. This time of year invites nuance and consideration of both celebration and remembrance. Discussion around meaningful yet challenging topics feels necessary and in alignment with this season. We invite you to engage with the ancestral harvest traditions of northwestern European ancestors while acknowledging the displacement of land-based traditions that are indigenous to this land.
The harvest months were a busy time for peoples in direct relationship with the land. Communities would come together to bring in the crops before the weather turned; all who could work would join the labor force, in whatever way they were able. Once the long days of gathering were done, the end of the harvest was marked with feasts and celebrations.
We recognize the privilege inherent in the societal shift toward industrialization and capitalism that many of us are afforded in modern times. The food we eat still has to be tended and grown from the land, and inevitably needs to be harvested. Many of us do not participate directly in the labor that provides us with the abundance of food we enjoy. We acknowledge the tension that disconnection may bring and offer space to engage with it during this gathering if you’d like.
As part of Nourishing Kin’s harvest traditions we craft besoms, or witch’s brooms, during the Autumn Equinox. The broom is a long lasting symbol of the witch, but it is also a practical tool used in everyday life. Cleaning a space with a broom can hold both physical and energetic significance. While materials for the broom have changed over time, traditional brooms are crafted using materials gathered from the land: wood, stiff plant stalks such as broomcorn, and twine. As we recognize the ordinary uses of the besom, we also acknowledge the ordinary people who were accused of witchcraft and the lasting effects the witch trials have on our society.
Our hope is that reconnecting to Land, Ancestors, and Community provides opportunities to shift our perspective of relationship from one of transaction to one of reciprocity.
We have planned this gathering with ample time to root into place and relationship, to discuss and explore, and to integrate and move through whatever comes up during our time together.
We will gather in a semi-secluded outdoor space to connect with Land, Ancestors, and Community through the following activities:
small selection of seasonal songs to carry you through the season
engaging opportunities to create and sustain relationships with a local community of women + femmes united by shared values of reconnection, reciprocity, and respect
brief presentation on the history of harvest celebrations and ways you can start your own
storytelling with a selection from Indigenous and Northwestern European folk tales
creating your own jar of traditional fire cider
hand-crafting besoms, or witch's brooms
shared communal meal with seasonal produce, bread, and salads
river swimming in the Provo river
For this gathering, we invite you to prepare by engaging with some resources prior to the gathering. Those resources will be sent to you via email after you register here. Additional details, including address, items to bring, and food suggestions, will be sent to registrants one week prior to the event. For additional questions, please refer to the FAQ or send us an email at nourishingkin@gmail.com
