Embrace the shift in seasons.
The Autumn Equinox is upon us. We naturally feel better when we pause to honour key transitions within and around us.
Much like the Earth's shifting seasons, as women, we move through inner seasons each month during our menstruating years - and more significant seasonal shifts as we enter and complete these decades.
We are intimately connected with nature and thrive when we pause to acknowledge the shifts in energy, mood, and aspirations that come with a new season.
You might naturally start to sense the shift between the extroverted spring/summer period, which is all about play, pleasure, and connection, and the introverted fall/winter, which is a time for rest, intimate connection, solitude, and reflection.
How can you best support yourself to move through the darker and colder days of the year with ease and a grateful heart? Are there ways you might update your daily routines and rituals to align with the new season?
Here are some general ideas:
BOOST IMMUNITY: Increase your Vitamin D dose, Zinc, & add some Reishi or Chaga powder to your coffee or cacao to keep the flu away.
COZY EVENING ROUTINE: Light candles, incense & listen to my Autumn Mood Playlist on Spotify or make your own.
NOURISH: Hearty, seasonal food rich in nutrition like butternut squash, brussel sprouts, apples, nuts, broccoli. Batch cooking stews & soups.
CONNECTION: Focus on inner circle of close friends & family, and ways to self-connection. This is known as the reflective phase.
SELF-CARE: Baths with Epsom salt & lavender, self-massage with diluted geranium essential oil, more sleep.
DIGITAL DETOX: Reduce screen time and unplug from technology periodically for a sense of calm and reduce digital stress.
GRATITUDE: Keep a gratitude journal on your bedside table, write down 5 things before you sleep.
AUTUMN RITUAL
Honouring the energy of the new season.
Autumn is known as the reflective phase; nature slowly withdraws in order to bloom again for spring.
Historically, the Autumn Equinox has been a way to celebrate the abundance of what we’ve grown and gathered, marking the end of the harvest season, so gratitude is a key theme.
Do this little ritual alone, with family, or with friends.
1. Go outside in nature (a garden or park will do) to collect a few things that speak to you or signify autumn. It could be leaves, fruit, or chestnuts that have already fallen to the ground.
2. Create an intentional space where you can gather.
Think sensory experience; a soothing playlist, incense/burn herbs, candles, blankets/cushions. Place what you have collected from Mother Earth at the centre to honour the new season.
3. Take a moment to ground yourself/the group.
Take a few deep cleansing breaths, feel into the contact points between you and what you’re sitting on, and then sit in silence for a few moments.
4. Close the summer season by giving thanks.
With a grateful heart, write down or name 3-5 experiences/shifts/achievements that you are particularly grateful for.
5. Optional release if you’ve been feeling stuck or stagnant.
Make space for new possibilities by acknowledging & letting go of destructive habits, feelings, or old ways of thinking that no longer serve you.
Write them down and set them free:
’Thank you for trying to protect me, but I no longer need you. I release this shit back into the earth - so the shit can become fertilizer for new growth.’
6. Plant new intentions for autumn.
What are the longings and aspirations of your heart? Write down what you’re calling in this autumn.
Other reflections: Is there something your body is asking you for? Is your heart & spirit calling for a time of quieter reflection or to begin a new commitment? Are there areas of your daily routine that might need to shift to feel more at ease as the days get colder and darker?
7. Literally plant your intentions!
Go out in nature and plant your intentions into the earth for new growth.
I wish you a happy and hearty Autumn Equinox!
With love,
Emma
