Well, hello there.
And welcome to the season of autumn, dear one. The season is finally here. That’s what I always think this time of year. And now, we’re here. I can hardly believe it.
Summer’s activity is now just a memory. The growing season has come to a close for all intents and purposes. We’ve entered mid-harvest. And it is time to gather, prepare, and turn inward.
This weekend has been a powerful one, preparing us for the changes and for this most special season of the year.
Just a couple of days ago, we crossed over the equinox threshold. The official astrological beginning of autumn, though I and others mark September 1 as autumn. But now, that mystical moment of balance of light + dark has passed. That gentle, silent moment when the earth stands tilted with equal day + night has slipped quietly by. Did you feel it? Did you think of it? Or did you go through it without even noticing? No one way is right or wrong. Nothing is bad or good. It all just is what it is. Whether you thought about it or not, though, the time of darkness has arrived. The cozy, warm, mystical, quiet, empty season of release, rest, and magic is here. Autumn is upon us.
And, now, here we are, together in this little digital space on the new moon of September, recognizing and welcoming the autumnal season and ushering a whole new energy for the month ahead. You know, as we celebrate the new moon this weekend, I am reminded that we are being drawn ever closer to the end of the year. There are only 3 new moons left in 2022. Everything in nature and in my soul tells me that it is time to begin our annual descent. We are invited + drawn downward. Without doing anything, we have entered into the darkest half of the year. From now until March, each day will have more darkness than light.
And, I feel the pull downward in every part of my being. I receive Mother Earth’s invitation as I watch the leaves turn golden, orange, red, and brown… only to then fall from their branches, down to the ground. Letting go. Surrendering. Accepting. Dropping (literally) into the cycle of life. Reminding me that only when something ends can something new begin . Calling me to also bow down to the dark half of the year. To release, to return home, to turn inward, to fall into the darkness… ready to find inspiration, power, rest.
So, from now until the end of October all I intend to do is to bask in the energy of this time of year. To watch nature as she changes and enters her own time of death and rest. To capture the quiet, beautiful moments as they pass by: watching a leaf gently float down from above. Seeing the sun sink lower in the sky, disappearing behind the horizon earlier + earlier. Practicing simple magical traditions of ancient folk. Cooking + baking hearty, warm, autumnal meals. Walking in the crisp, fresh air. Soaking in the last warm rays of the sun. Bringing ritual into my days + nights. Trusting the energy that I feel + listening to the urge to cozy up at home. Celebrating traditions by gathering together. Following the phases through the last two new moons. Allowing my focus to turn inward and to embrace the quiet, dark, shadowy spaces of my soul.
This weekend, on the equinox, there was one silent cosmic moment, like the pause between breaths, when there was complete balance. But balance isn’t really what remains, is it? We only find moments of balance when we are in-between breaths. The rest of our time we are actively breathing in or out. As our planet rotates and revolves in our solar system, every other day on earth there is either more light or more dark. Seeking + finding balance is simply the journey of living through every moment. Light. Dark. Joy. Despair. Winter. Summer. Full. Empty. Life is not latching onto one of these and just staying there. Life is the beautiful, wild, cosmic dance between them all. It is both the moments when it all feels balanced + grounded; but, it is also every moment in-between. The highs, the lows, the cries, the laughs, the life, the death, the light , the dark.
The autumnal equinox this weekend gave us a tiny moment of quiet balance. But, after a few breaths, the earth continued her rotation, tilting us away from the sun ever so slightly, ushering in the dark season. Continuing the flow of life, the changing of the seasons, and our own evolution. In other words, we cannot stay in that state of balance forever. We must continue on. That is the way, the flow, of nature. Balance is part of the flow that keeps us moving forward.
And so, down we go. Down into the growing darkness of the autumn. Down into the deep, hidden, shadowy, beautiful parts of our soul. Down into the energy of release, mystery, magic, and rest. It’s time this weekend to pause in the balanced energy of the equinox and then surrender to the flow.
Now, to celebrate + mark the beginning of my favorite time of the year, I think I’ll wrap up this missive to you, head into the kitchen to make pumpkin latte, wrap a blanket around me, and watch a little autumn/Halloween something on tv.
Here’s wishing you the coziest of seasons - filled with moments of balance that ground you + inspire you onward. But, mostly, I wish for you a deeply magical season of beauty, surrender, and release. Weeks filled with slow, deep, inward focus - even as life continues to flow onward.
Join me in creating an autumnal season filled with on rituals, traditions, soft, gentle, reflection this year. And dare to embrace the energy of autumn as darkness falls.
xoxo. liz.
You can find my autumn playlist here. Or simply click below: