Happy Autumn Equinox!

The day of the Autumn Equinox brings an equal balance of light and dark. On an equinox, the sun spends the same amount of time above and below the horizon; rising in the east, setting in the west and appearing directly overhead at midday. Autumn is ushering herself in and nature is beginning its long exhale. We are beginning the transition in our outer world from summer to autumn, but there is also a transition in your inner world as well.

The equinox is an invitation to turn towards our inner light. With each passing day we will gradually see more darkness in our outer world, which is a time to allow ourselves to rest and focus on our inner work. We leave the bright, active summer and descend into a season that encourages us to slow down. As we exit one season and enter another, we can pause to reflect on the personal season of life we are in. What is working? What do we need to release? Autumn is a time of letting go. We look to the trees and see how beautiful letting go can be.

A Ritual to Release

Here is a simple ritual you can perform sometime this season (or multiple times if you like) to physically release that which is no longer meant for you.

Set the mood by creating a peaceful environment before beginning this activity. Light a few candles, play some soothing music (check out my September Spotify playlist), make a cup of tea, pull out your favorite crystal, and grab a journal.

If you have a smudging stick, you can use that to cleanse yourself and your surroundings. Open a window and let that cool air in.

On a piece of paper, write a letter to yourself. Begin by giving thanks for all that has come and gone since last year’s Autumn Equinox. Begin listing out experiences you are grateful to have witnessed, but are no longer yours to carry anymore. This can include challenges you’ve overcome, people that are no longer meant to be in your life, and the difficult lessons you’ve learned. Your letter can take any form you like, it is totally up to you.

When you are ready, give yourself a hug for all that you have gone through this past year. Thank yourself for being strong and working through the difficult times. Then go outside to your backyard or a porch and use a lighter or candle to set your letter on fire (safely please!) Make sure you have either a plant, patch of dirt or pot of soil nearby to allow the letter to burn safely. Bury the ashes of the letter in the soil and allow mother earth to absorb all that you need to release and transform it into new life.

Now, you have the option to write yourself a new letter with your intentions of what you’d like to call into your life. You can keep this letter in a journal, by your bedside, or anywhere you like. You can draw pictures, create a vision board, or simply jot down the things you’d like to call in. Keep this until next Autumn to see how you’ve progressed.

This is also a wonderful day and season to work on balance, as it is the start of Libra season. As we see equal hours of day and night, you can make some adjustments in your own life to make sure everything feels balanced. We will be working with this theme at my virtual new moon circle this Thursday.

I wish you all a wonderful Autumn Equinox.