The equinox may not be until Sunday the 22nd here in the UK, but it certainly feels like autumn has rolled in early this year. The harder I tried to hold onto the last warming rays of summer sunshine, the more I noticed the changes and transitions into a new season.
How the mornings became crisp. How the leaves that were once a vibrant green were turning shades of red. How clear the nights were, and how the stars sparkled. How, some mornings, mist clung to the fields I can see from my windows, before the rising sun burnt them away. How the nights descended a little earlier. Eventually, I knew.
It was time to let go of Summer, and embrace Autumn.
This season is my favourite, and I’m eager to celebrate and embrace it, but I’ve made a conscious effort of allowing each of the seasons their time, so that I can soak in the magic and the medicine of the season, rather than spending my time wishing and waiting for my favourite. I wanted to slow down and appreciate the season that I found myself in- whether that be my least favourite season, or my favourite.
There’s something that I love in each season- each has its own, unique essence; The return of life in Spring. The burst of colour in Summer. The crispness of Autumn. The Stillness of Winter.
The Autumn Equinox this year falls on Sunday 22nd September. The season seems to have already rolled in with a few crisp mornings, misty starts, the leaves turning colour and settling down for an evening with a blanket. It soothes my soul.
Themes of the Autumn Equinox
Although the signs of Autumn are already around me when I look, the equinox itself is a time of equal balance- day and night are equal. It’s at this point that the darkness wins, and the downward spiral begins with the nights getting longer, day by day. The harvests are nearly done, and everything is beginning to prepare for the darker months ahead-from the animals prepping for hibernation, to plants beginning to draw their energy back into themselves to lay dormant over the winter months. We’ve reaped what we sowed over the growing season, and now have the joy of the accomplishments we’ve achieved over the last several months- whether that be harvesting our own home grown food, or an intention we set to be more social, to prioritise self care, to finish a big project, to get a job or earn a promotion. As the days become shorter, we find ourselves with more time to reflect and begin our own inward spiral, mirroring the spiral of nature around us.
As you can see, there’s a few themes mentioned here, and I’m exploring them more, below.
Honouring the duality.
The equinoxes are a time of balance, marking the point where we stand between two seasons- leaving Summer and entering into Autumn, in the case of the Autumn Equinox. We’re beginning the transition into the dark half of the year. There’s beauty in the lightness of Summer, but there’s something intimate and cosy about the darkness of Autumn. It’s beautiful in its own way. I was reminded of a primal fear recently, after a conversation with my four year old son, who expressed some worry at bedtime when his bedroom light was turned off; the nights are getting darker and that means that his room is now darker, too. He was afraid of monsters that may be in his room because it was darker. Fear of the dark is a primal instinct- we cannot see what is there when there is no light; but we fear the possibility of what could be there, rather than the darkness itself. We love the light, but we also need the darkness- we rest in the darkness, in its softness and gentleness. Plants germinate in the darkness, and animals hibernate in the darkness. His worry soon passed (with the help of a lavender ‘monster’ spray, to let any monsters know that they’re not welcome in his room!) and I appreciated the delicate balance and duality of light and dark more.
Gratitude and Balance.
The Autumn Equinox is a time of harvest; so it’s the perfect time to celebrate the harvest of what we have and express our gratitude for it, too. The Full Moon just before the equinox is known as the Harvest Moon- perhaps you noticed how bright it was, only a few nights ago? The land was bathed in bright moonlight, and traditionally farmers would have used this time to harvest the last of their fields. I may not have fields to harvest against shortening days, but I did take some time to moonbathe beneath the Harvest Full Moon, feeling gratitude for the smooth transition of my son starting school, of having a garden that I could stand out and enjoy the Full Moon and the darkness that was comforting. I’ll be spending time out in the garden this weekend, to celebrate the Autumn Equinox with my family.
It’s not just a time of harvest though- this time of year is about balance. Day and night are equal, so there’s an emphasis on balance and equilibrium. I experience a feeling of coming home to self during the start of Autumn- Summer is fun, hot, full of adventure and playful joy. Routines are relaxed as the days are long and the nights can be uncomfortably humid. As the Autumn winds move in, and I see the changing colour of the land around me, I’m brought back to self, grounding and settling back into routine. This year I feel it strongly, as my family routine changed drastically with my son starting school. Now, I’ve found time for introspection which is perfectly themed for the Autumn Equinox, as it’s a time of reflection. Picking up my journal and reflecting on my Summer months has felt good, and helped me focus on my goals and aspirations for the remainder of this year.
Embracing the change of Season.
So, as the Autumn Equinox approaches, here are some ideas of things you can do the embrace the changing of seasons and honour the transition of Summer to Autumn, of reflection, gratitude and the duality of this time of year.
- Go for a Nature Walk- look for the changing of the season around you. Leaves turning colour, mushrooms, harvested fields, etc.
- Have a Bonfire- if you want an easy ritual, write down the things that are no longer serving you, and offer them to the fire to symbolically make room for the new.
- Eat a Seasonal Meal- I love making a stew for the Autumn Equinox and some hot berry cider, but look into foods that are available to you locally to celebrate the harvest!
- Bake- fruit pies are great for this time of year, but anything with autumnal spices or apples is perfect!
- Make a Gratitude List- write down everything that you’re grateful for, no matter how small or big. See how much abundance you have in your life right now.
- Go to a Farmer’s Market- embrace the autumn season with a trip to a farmer’s market, or a farm shop! It’s a great way to get locally produced seasonal foods, and some have PYO as well; my local farm shop will be opening their PYO pumpkin from the end of September.
However you spend the Autumn Equinox, I hope you have a joyful, peaceful weekend, filled with gratitude and love. I’d love to hear about your celebrations of the Equinox, so if you want to share, please do below!