Welcoming in Autumn with the Fall Equinox
“Summer passes into autumn in some unimaginable point of time, like the turning of a leaf.”
~ Henry David Thoreau
Welcoming in Autumn with the Fall Equinox
The Fall Equinox marks the beginning of Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. A day where day and night are in balance. Longer nights have already begun to grow, and we are experiencing the softer and slower energy of Fall.
There is a natural inclination to balance being outdoors and indoors during Fall. We want to make the most out of the golden sunlight, moderate temperatures, and marvel at the changing of the leaves. But darker nights and falling temperatures make it a welcome time to get cozy at home.
The balance we are being asked to strike is in making space for time in Nature and making time to nurture ourselves (indoors or outdoors!).
Traditionally for those who relied on harvests, the Equinox was a celebration for Mother Earth’s bounty and abundance. Nature had provided all the food and resources that were necessary to comfortably hold those over through the Winter. There would be a pause to acknowledge, with gratitude, the natural progression of the seasons—busy Spring bouncing into Summer, Summer spilling into Fall and then the ease of Fall slowing into the stillness of Winter.
Fall is a time for period of honoring growth—all that has grown and flourished. Take time to celebrate the phase of life or growth that you have personally completed or are in the process of completing.
Take time to journal, reflect, or share with others all that you have accomplished up to this point of the year. Practice gratitude, witness areas you have been successful and lessons you have learned when there was struggle.
Celebrate by eating warm and earthy foods and seasonal dishes. Practice nourishing yourself with meals that fuel the body and meet your body’s needs by slowing your pace and recharging as needed. Take time to heal the body with rest and engage in restorative practices, with gentle stretching, yoga, walking, and maybe even treating the body to a release through massage or energy healing, such as Reiki. Create a cozy place in your home for nesting in during Winter. Bring in colors, fragrances, and elements of the fall into your living space.
Although most crops growing cycle is complete, growth does not end in Fall. Many fruits and vegetables are just beginning to fully ripen and peak. For us, just like hardier trees and plants, Fall is also a time for strengthening our roots as we return to Earth. Trees and many plants do not die in Fall but prepare themselves for a dormant season. Leaves and fruits may fall, but the root system holds sturdy. There can be endings as visible growth declines, but there is medicine for us to take time to go within and fortify our roots. Time to reflect on the season’s actions and experiences and begin to quietly strengthen our inner fortitude and recalibrate ourselves for the next growing season.
During this time of slower energy, we have a different perspective on what worked for us in the recent past and what still needs work in the future. You do not need to commit to anything new but contemplate instead: Would this serve me? Would this increase my happiness and joy? Would this support me in achieving my goals? Would this create an opportunity to use my unique gifts and talents and allow me to show up authentically as myself?
“Autumn came, with wind and gold.”
~Henry David Thoreau
Almost all ancient cultures celebrated ancestral wisdom and ancestral connection during Fall. We can honor the wisdom of our ancestors by celebrating their lives through sharing stories and lessons we have learned from their life. It can also be a time for releasing any ancestral pain. It may be time to work with a practitioner to assist you in inner work with talk therapy, intuitive coaching or guidance, or Reiki or Shamanic healing to heal or release ancestral wounds. It is also a time to let go.
We are also encouraged to take time during Fall to allow for personal acknowledgement and celebration of our own knowledge and wisdom. Practice trusting in our ability to discern between choices and behaviors that are supportive and loving for our future self’s success. Additionally, we can begin to recognize how we wish to spend our time and energy to be support ourselves into Winter and beyond.
This can be a time of increased inner knowing or intuition. Allow your inner knowing to show you—your path to inner peace.
The busy and productive Spring and Summer are behind us and now it’s time to naturally reduce the busyness in our schedules. Choosing which activities are most important to us, giving ourselves permission to only commit to the activities that feed us mind-body-spirit. By reducing any tendency to over-commit or create a hectic and depleting schedule, we reinforce for ourselves that our needs matter and deserve to be honored.
Just as there is balance in spending time outdoors and indoors, there is also balance in spending time alone and time with friends and family. Practice noticing what you need and give yourself permission to adjust your calendar or schedule accordingly. This can be a practice of creating and enforcing healthy boundaries within ourselves and with others.
"I am struck by the simplicity of light in the atmosphere in the autumn, as if the earth absorbed none, and out of this profusion of dazzling light came the autumnal tints."
~ Henry David Thoreau
Recap on five of the focuses of energy of Autumn:
1. Express Gratitude. Marvel at Nature’s wisdom. Witness Nature’s ease in cycles, rhythms, and seasons. See your own expressions of growth, wisdom, and transitions. Share your “bounty” of the season, this is a great time to donate your time, your talents, or to host friends or family for a shared meal or simply time to reconnect. Keep it simple. Not only recognizing the “little things” that bring us joy, but also for relishing and expressing gratitude for the simple pleasures in our life to expand our joy.
2. Find Balance or Rebalance. During Fall, we can benefit (mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually) greatly by choosing to live in alignment with the pace of the season. Give yourself permission to prioritize how you are spending your energy and how you fill your calendar. Cut back on unnecessary or unfulfilling commitments and increase your time spent on reflection, introspection and staying present in the moment. This might be a time to get back to a better sleep schedule, increasing your morning and nighttime routines to create less stress and incorporate more restorative forms of movement and being (yoga, meditation, energy healing).
3. Notice and Honor Wisdom. Honor the wisdom of your ancestors by telling stories, giving thanks, recognizing the lessons in their lives. Witness how they still “speak” to you and through you. Release any ancestral wounds that are not yours to carry. Honor your wisdom, don’t discount your experiences, knowledge, or wisdom. Practice noticing intuitive nudges from your higher self. If this is a newer practice, take time to be still and get quiet in meditation or in activities that can be meditative in nature, such as baking, drawing/painting, sewing, walking outdoors, gardening, etc., and take notes or journal thoughts and feelings that come up. Notice your dreams; often time messages from our guides, ancestors, or higher self, come through dreams—this is a great time to create a dream journal.
4. Honor the Cycle of Change. Through watching Nature, we witness the wisdom of the birth, life, death, and rebirth cycle of change. How did Spring and Summer flow for you? What has run its course? What are you allowing to end? Where do you need to make changes and tweaks? What are you hoping to create or experience in the next cycle? Tune in to the energy of Nature to support releasing what no longer serves you. Angst can pop up at times of endings but knowing that endings unfold into new beginnings can bring trust that all will work out.
5. Nourish and Nurture Yourself. So much of summer is “on the go”, now is the time to slow down for meals and to manage our time in way that is nurturing; create new routines that are informed by self-care and begin adding rest to your “to do” lists. This is a practice round for Winter, so try to test out different indoor activities for relaxation and stress relief. This is a wonderful time of the year to begin enjoying warm dishes with root veggies, spicing things up with cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger. Take advantage of local farmer’s markets to enjoy fresh, whole fruits and veggies such as apples, pears, plums, pomegranates, squash, grapes, figs, carrots, greens, potatoes, sweet potatoes and of course—pumpkins!
Wishing you a wonderful Autumn, a wonderful Fall Equinox and as little or as much pumpkin flavored everything as you like!
Mary
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