Shutterstock licensed image: Autumnal Equinox is the time to relax into and release emotions.
THE AUTUMNAL EQUINOX: The Season Of Reflection And Deepening
Every year, near the end of September, you might notice a change in temperature in the early evening. From there, the leaves are beginning to change colors and you might notice feelings of happiness, sadness, regret, and pride arise within you.
During this time, we might think about all those who helped us throughout the year and those whom we have helped. Using these thoughts as creative fodder, we might form visions and plans to enact in the new year.
The Autumn Equinox is the beginning of a period of pause, self-reflection, and dormancy. It’s a time of reassessment and inner-planning. It’s when humans, plants, trees, bugs, bunnies, birds, animals, and millions of soil inhabitants go deep within themselves. Even the life of bees is altered!
While it might appear as if everything is beginning to sleep, the energy systems of all of these beings are actually actively gathering strength and energy for a later time. Soon, we will all reemerge in the Spring.
WHAT EXACTLY IS THE AUTUMN EQUINOX?
The Autumn Equinox is when we honor the harvests of our efforts. It’s when we reflect on who we are and why we’re here on this uniquely beautiful planet. During this time, we might also rethink our processes and procedures. We might even reassess our relationships.
Certainly, the Autumnal Equinox is a time to process all of our emotions and experiences throughout the prior months, releasing the challenging aspects, celebrating the good, and fully embracing who we are in this moment.
To take full advantage of the planetary influences and this magical time of year, you might explore performing the Seven Arrows Ceremony or Changing The Book Of Life Ritual found on my Free Resources pages. Through these simple processes, you can connect with the Divine, immerse yourself in the energies of Mother Earth, release emotional and intellectual toxins, and create a pathway to begin again.
WHAT SHOULD WE BE DOING DURING THE AUTUMNAL EQUINOX?
Indigenous cultures mark this time of year as an important period of self-reflection, renewal, growth, transition, and rebirth. To those who are deeply connected to the rhythms of the Earth and Cosmos, it’s a time to gather strength, release the past, deepen our resolve to be loving, vibrant Beings, and imagine new beginnings.
During this time, we might even venture into exploring the experiences and potentialities around our own deaths. As death opens a door to a new life, so do the Autumn and Winter seasons.
During this equinox, we have equal hours of daylight and night. This is a great time to reflect on the balance of our public personas and our shadow aspects. Where there is light, there is openness and growth, where there is darkness, there is a great potential for learning and expanding.
When we rest, it is a form of self-care. When we write in our journals to express our thoughts and emotions, it’s a form of self-love. This equinox is a time for silence and looking within.
Given that our lives are moving so quickly, with too many responsibilities, each of us needs time to decompress. If we can write in our journals, find tears of forgiveness, and make time for prayer, even for just a half-hour each day, we will set the stage to become fully rejuvenated, fresh, and expanded at the start of Spring.
For those of us who operate at a rapid pace, we might also need acupuncture, massage, herbal cleanses, and healing sessions. We might feel confused or broken during this time of pause. Be conscious of what you need and seek the healers and helpers with whom you most resonate. This is the time to invest in your healing and expansion.
When we nurture our inner stillness, we improve our vibrations and allow for growth and positive change.
IMPROVE YOUR SPIRITUAL AWARENESS
As days are getting shorter and nights are growing longer, you might feel a little isolated or disconnected. Consider putting a support system in place. As you reach out to loved ones, you’ll find that everyone is processing something deep during the Autumnal Equinox.
Truth be told, you are an expanded, connected, Light-Being with unlimited potential in every direction. To source your power and light, meditate 3 times per day, even if only for 5 minutes each time. This will have you know your core Self. Knowing who she is, you can align your personality and identity with her. As you depend on your spiritual practices, you’ll notice that your inner Being is far more expanded than you may have previously realized.
Given the holiday season and all its noise and complications, you might consider foregoing the traditional popular route and create new rituals – ones that truly connect you with God, the Universe, yourself, and those whom you treasure most.
A TIME FOR SELFLESS SERVICE
During these intense transition periods, you might feel that you are focusing too much on the past. If you are unable to truly be in the present, consider volunteering for a few hours every week or every day. By doing so, your heart will come to life and your connection to the Divine will deepen.
When we selflessly serve others and when we pray for others, the Universe does the same in return.
The Autumnal Equinox awakens the loving spirits who reside in the Earth’s soil. This time beckons the ancients and our long-ago relatives to nurture us.
As you venture forward, choose love over stubbornness, hope over grumpiness, and light over shadows. During this equinox, you are being called to forgive, allow, accept, and release all aspects that do not serve your core nature and the light.
Forgive – Allow – Accept – Release
In all new endeavors, decide to be more aloof, less attached, and less dramatic. Decide to choose service over selfishness. During this time, you can create a whole new you.
Take the time to meditate, forgive, cry, pray, and serve others. The seeds you plant within yourself during this time will give birth to a remarkable, luscious Spring.
