A Ritual To Welcome The Autumn Equinox
09-19-2023As the summer solstice comes to an end, it is time to give thanks to our Mother Earth for a bountiful harvest, while honoring her ritual to go dormant for the winter. The Autumn Equinox represents a physical and spiritual end, and prepares for new beginnings. We must ignite our senses to the changing tides and prepare our hearts for a season of spiritual reflection and solitude for the expansion of spring, and new intentions for the days to come. Let us grab our favorite fall sweaters (and ugly ones) and ponder these things while we observe the change of the Autumn Equinox, welcoming this cleansing energy with a Gratitude Ritual.
Dawn
The sun symbolizes renewal, so the sunlight hours are optimal for performing rituals to release old energies and start fresh. Here are some ways you can absorb the energy of the autumn equinox into your morning meditation routine:
We are made of the earth and when grounded, we have similar feelings as the plants and trees that absorb energy from the sun. Embrace this limitless healing and renewing energy by waking up early and watching the sunrise. Try setting intentions for your day and soaking in the power of your morning to help with the rest of your day.
Go On A Walk:Whether this is a walk around your neighborhood before work or a sunrise hike, embark on a journey with no music or podcasts. Just try to enjoy the natural world around you. Have gratitude for all the beauty the plants and trees and light this world has offered. Try embracing nature as you become a part of it, not an observer.
If you find something along your walk that you would like to bring back home with you. Try asking for permission. Keep it respectful and listen to your instincts. If you get a “No” then respect that instinct and leave the item. More often than not, the Earth wants to provide you with things that are meaningful. Just be sure to listen.
Sun's Peak
Try performing a Gratitude Ritual around noon or afternoon. Take a break from work and find a quiet place alone (even if it’s a bathroom stall!). It’s important to have somewhere quiet so that you may focus all your energy. Ultimately it’s intentions and not the place that make this ritual so powerful. kneel or sit in the sunlight (if you can) to meditate on the realizations you had on your walk from the morning. Have a pen and paper ready to write any lessons or observations and a mason jar with a lid to place them in.
In the Mason jar can be anything of importance to you, I like to have these items:- fresh earth from your walk
- a few fallen leaves
- some marigold (for admiration)
- sage (for wisdom and cleansing from negative energy)
- yarrow (for love and healing)
- amber (for love, harmony, and healing)
- clear quartz (for strength and balance)
- amethyst (for new beginnings, happiness, and protection)
- a few drops of Supernatural’s “renewing” essential oil blend
While sitting in the sunlight, fill your jar with the items you brought with you and place it in a safe space, left in the sunlight to charge. Do not move it until sunset. Give thanks to mother nature and the universe for all blessings you have received. This is important to do before asking for new energies to approach new goals and intentions. Recognize all that she has done for you and the newfound strengths you have received from her. Write each of these things down on a piece of paper. Fold it up and place it in a box near the jar.
Whenever you are feeling lacking or struggling to find gratitude for what you do have, open the box and re read what you had written at the beginning of the season. Likewise, when you find new things to be grateful for, you can pull out your list and add to it. Next year, as you prepare for the autumn equinox again, you should pull out your old list, remembering what it was that you were thankful for the year prior and observe how much you’ve grown!
Sunset
Set new intentions and goals, visualize yourself achieving them. Today is always the best time to start a journal/diary. It’s a wonderful practice for expending the energy of our day. To leave on paper what we don’t wish to take into our dreams. Or vice versa, to write and call forth that which we want in our lives to make it easier.
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If you’re not sure where to start, try following these questions until some of your own come in.
- What new beginnings am I looking forward to?
- What are my goals for the weeks to come?
- What direction do I have for my career?
- What relationships need renewal?
- How can I grow personally?
As the sun sets, bring in your gratitude jar and place it on a shelf somewhere in your house that you walk past often, reminding you to be grateful in this season. Try committing all or part of this daily ritual everyday. It takes 30 days for ritual actions to become a habit. I have found it extremely beneficial to my state of mind and heart to find gratitude everywhere I walk. That feeling doesn’t leave. If I feel more depleted than usual, I find myself reading what I’ve written down and often find new inspiration from the most important person in your life, yourself!
