5 Simple Ways to Honor the Autumn Equinox

Creating a ritual ceremony for this Autumn Equinox doesn’t have to be a theatrical or advanced ritual ceremony with patterned movements and an itinerary of events and practices. In our busy world it can be hard to find the time to do big ritual ceremonies. Between all the Full Moons, New Moons, Cosmic Alignments, Friday the 13th and normal day to day life, there’s just not the time, space, or energy for a big ritual ceremony every few weeks. Even I find it difficult at times to keep up with all the different energies people on social media are telling me I “should not be missing”. Using discernment, I carefully pick and choose which events are important to me and my path. I’ve come to understand that the intention of these ritual ceremonies should be focused on our respect and honoring of the cycles of the Earth and Cosmos, not what we can get out of the energies at play.

Between books and media, we’ve created the narrative that we are owed something when we perform big ritual ceremonies in the name of “Healing the Earth”. These ritual ceremonies are not for us to “heal the Earth” but for us to come into alignment and harmony with the Earth. I’ve come to realize that grandeur and theatrics have the potential to distract us from the connection and wisdom that is being offered to us during cycle changes, like the Autumn Equinox. We fantasize about how tools, ritual ceremonies, and magic WE are creating is going to heal and fix everything for our benefit. The bigger or more advanced ceremonies we do, the more we think we will get out of it because the theatrics feds our egos with bliss. We are placing the intention of big ritual ceremonies more on ourselves than on honoring and respecting the cycles of the Earth or Cosmos.

Holding the intention of honor and respect for ritual ceremonies like the Autumn Equinox still offers us the opportunity to receive. What we receive ends up being a greater gift than what we think we are owed. We receive realignment and harmony in the cycles, patterns, and rhythms of the Earth, Cosmos, and ourselves, which brings a sense of clarity, compassion, and grace to us in what we are able to achieve within these cycles. The more clarity, compassion and grace we have for ourselves, the more we can reflect on the times we did the simple ritual ceremonies. Then we can see how holding the intention of honoring and respecting the cycle changes, has given us what we needed in that time. Because Light Wisdom work is not about the grandeur of the offering, but it is about the intention of the offering. Holding the intention of offering honor and respect is just as, if not more, powerful than thinking about what we’ll receive from the ritual ceremonies.

It’s important to learn how to hold intentions that are not connected to our emotions and egos. That is why I continue to honor and respect the Earths seasonal cycle changes, because in the big picture these changes have nothing to do with me. No matter what I do, Autumn changes into Winter, Winter into Spring, Spring into Summer, and Summer into Autumn. It adds a humbling effect to my personal practices. One of the easiest ways to retrain our minds back into keeping the intention on honoring and respecting is to do simple practices to help us remember what we are honoring.

Autumn is the time of transformation. The bridge between Summer and Winter. During the Autumn Equinox we thank the Sun for the life it brought and all the abundance it created, taking stock of all the achievements, successes, and abundance we received over Spring and Summer. We also honor that the days become shorter, and that Winter is arriving soon, leaving offerings and blessing to the Sun that it may return in the Spring. We give gratitude to the Sun that we are offered the opportunity to slowly transition from the busy goal achieving Summer energies to the Winter Energies of cycles ending and the rest of dreamtime. Autumn also offers us the opportunity to store all that will nourish us during the Winter and release what is no longer nourishing us both physically and emotionally. We are gifted this lesson not only from the plants and trees but the creatures that live in harmony with the Earths cycles.

This Autumn Equinox give yourself permission and grace to simply honor this part of the cycle. Hold the intention of honoring the Autumn Season and its energies, the Sun and all it gifted you, and then honor the opportunities of release so that you may live in alignment and harmony with the Earths Cycles. Below are 5 simple honoring activities for the Autumn Equinox. You could do just 1, all of them, or find something that works better for you. Just remember to keep it simple and hold the intention of honoring the Autumn Season.

5 Simple Ways to Honor the Autumn Equinox

1.      Watch the Sunset: Watching the Sunset offers great perspective of the Autumn Season. It represents the transition between the Light (Summer) and the Dark (Winter). Autumn is the bridge between the two seasons. Autumn starts with reaping the harvest of Summer and storing them for use in the Winter. As the Sun starts to set thank it for the light and warmth it offered. Reflect on what you’re grateful for from this time last year to now. Welcome in the dark and thank it for the opportunity for rest. Note as the sun sets the differences in energies. How you are feeling? What are the animals doing? What lessons or messages are you receiving that will assist you to become more harmonious with the season?

2.      Spend Time in Nature: Go for a nature walk or find a tree to sit under. Observe the world around you. I suggest you leave devices in your pocket or in the car. Give yourself at least 10 minutes to sink into the vibration of the nature around you. Collect fallen leaves, seed pods, or acorns and make a pretty design to leave in nature. Reflect on what you’re grateful for. Leave an offering of song or drumming while you sit or walk. If you are in an area where there are other people, notice how they are moving, are they flowing with the energy around them or fighting it? What are the animals, trees, and plants doing? How do these things reflect in your life?

3.      Release What is No Longer Serving You: Find a non-harmful way to set down the burdens that are holding you back from living in harmony with yourself and the Earths cycles. Releasing what is no longer serving you offers space in your being, bringing your awareness to what’s around you instead of what’s spiraling in your mind. You can do this by writing everything down and burning it (safely). Or use a marker and then soak the paper in water overnight. Sometimes just writing it down is the simplest way to release. Physical activity is a great form of release. Physical activities move the energies that are stored in the body you may not be able to name. Lay on the grass or soft area then start kicking and hitting. Every time you connect with the Earth imagine an issue falling off you like a leaf to the ground. Other activities such as working out, Rage and Smash Room or chopping firewood are great physical releases. Rage and Smash Rooms offer items to smash, throw, and break with bats, sledgehammers, and crowbars. Chopping firewood offers the opportunity to make a fire to burn your burden list and as well helping you prepare winter firewood. Imagine your burdens are the items you are smashing or wood you’re chopping. Vocal release is also a wonderful release technique.  Find a private or held space in your house, with a healer, in a sweat lodge, a smash room, or in the hills to open your Throat Chakra and let out all the things you’ve been wanting to say. Allow it to flow into primal screaming. Whatever form of release you choose, make sure you have time afterwards to fill yourself back up. It could be comfort food, a warm drink, sitting in nature, gratitude list, or a nice bath. Offer thanks to the Earth and Sun for holding you while you were releasing and offer a blessing, song or drumming to give back to the Earth and Sky.

4.      Autumn Herbal Bath: Bathe in the herbs of the season. There are many herbs to choose from, but this is a great practice of self-care and slowing down. When we practice self-care, it helps us to stay in alignment with our true selves. Allowing us to hold more space for others, the Earth, Cosmos, and the creatures. Use this time for reflection and quiet meditation connecting to the energies of the season. Create a gratitude list of how far you’ve come. Offer a blessing or song to the season in thanks. You could even write what you’d like to release while you’re in the bath. Leave the paper in the herb water overnight. When you’re finished, bury the herbs in a safe space in your yard to give them back to the Earth. Below are two options for an Autumn bath. Measurements are suggested but do you what feels right and remember that less is more.

Herbal Autumn Bath: place the herbs in a tea infuser ball for easier clean up

1.      2 tbsp Epsom Salt: for toxin release and reducing inflammation

2.      ½ tbsp Dried Rosemary: for balancing emotions, purification, remembrance, and clarity

3.      ½ tbsp Dried Chamomile: for claiming, positive energy, luck, prosperity, growth, & confidence.

Apple Cider Autumn Bath:

1.      2 ½ tbsp Epsom Salt: for toxin release and reducing inflammation

2.      2 tsp Powered Cinnamon: for cleansing, purifying, remembrance, enhancing manifestation, & protection.

3.      Handful Dried Apple Slices: for healing, promoting health, abundance, & wisdom. 

5.      Autumn Dinner Fest: Cook the vegetables and fruits of the season and create a fest. You can do this for just yourself or you can have friends over. Soups, casseroles, and pies are encouraged but do what sounds delicious to you. Making sure that the food is mainly from the Autumn Harvest. You could even make Apple Cider and Barley bread. Sing and dance while you cook, the joy will ripple out to the Earth and Sky. If you feel called to, decorate the table with fallen leaves and acorns to make it more festive. Before you eat, go around the table and express at least 3 things that you are grateful for this season and offer a blessing to the Earth and Sky. Leave a plate out for the ancestors to enjoy. Just enjoy and be merry, as the Dwarves did in Bilbo’s home.