I know it may feel a bit early to be talking about fall, but signs of the season change are all around…leaves are beginning to change color, the school year has begun for my husband (a teacher), and internally I feel the energy of the season: a time of surrender, letting go, visioning, and planting the seeds of intention. Perhaps you’ve been feeling this too?
Fall is probably my favorite time of year. We often feel the energetic shift into this season about one month prior to the actual equinox. During this season the veil between the worlds (physical and spiritual) becomes very thin, our senses become heightened and our connection with Spirit expands. Preparing for this time of connection is a very sacred practice.
As I’ve been feeling into this energy, I’ve been preparing both my home and my spirit for this season change…from inner reflections to working with different stones, shifting the items on my alter and gathering ideas and supplies for my fall equinox ceremony.
Here are 5 Rituals you can begin to welcome the fall season:
1. Experience the sensations of the season change. The fall season is rich with sensation…and all of our senses become heightened…especially when spending time in nature. Each sense has a piece of information to reveal. Take a moment in nature to tune in with each sense…what do you smell, taste, hear, feel (physically, emotionally, and spiritually), and see (with both your minds eye and your physical eyes). What thoughts, ideas, and inspirations are activated as you connect with each sense?
2. Take time for inner reflection. Fall is a season for surrender, letting-go, embracing new visions, and planting the seeds of those visions. In order to embrace our visions & plant their seeds we NEED to let go of old ways of doing things, old beliefs, old stuff, old stories, old practices…we need to be willing to let go of who we were in order to create space for who we want to become. This happens when we approach our recent and sometimes distant experiences with loving curiosity. Take a little time to reflect on some of the celebrations and challenges of your past year. How have they shaped you? How have they served you? How have they helped you to expand into who you are? What more can you learn from those experiences? What needs to be received from the experiences in order for you to let go?
3. Letting Go. The fall season is a time of harvest…a gathering of all that was planted throughout the year. But in order to successfully harvest we need to have space for all that we gather in the harvest. This means taking time for an energetic purge…and space clearing with white sage, palo santo wood or cedar is a wonderful place to start. See where it leads you…clearing closets, dressers, windows, cupboards, your inner worlds, emotional, physical, diet, health, etc…just flow with it and let go what needs to be let go of. You are creating space for your harvest and creating space for your new visions!
4. Begin gathering items and ideas for your fall alter and/or fall ceremony. Alters are fantastic way to flow with the season change. Not only are they a visual reminder, but they are an energetic gathering space for you to connect with your personal intentions for the fall season.
An alter is simply a space where you gather objects of significance…they may be spiritual, sacred, or symbolic…and arrange them in a manner that holds sacred significance to you. For example, a fall alter may include crystals and stones in fall colors, decorative harvest items (gords, flowers, pumpkins, wheat), statues of your guides/saints/sages, photos, candles, incense, personal notes, feathers, or other objects.
Ceremony is a wonderful way to celebrate and honor the journey we’ve taken, the change in season, and the path that is opening before us. A wonderful time for such a ceremony is on the fall equinox (September 20th…so you have lots of time to draw in ideas for your ceremony).
5. Begin welcoming in crystals and stones that match the energy of the fall season(surrendering, letting go, visioning, and planting the seeds of intention). Notice how the jewelry you wear, the stones you carry in your pockets, or even the ones you meditate with begin to shift. It may seem like a simple palette or texture change, but color and texture of stones you’re drawn to offer insights about the season and the specific work you will be doing as you move with the season.
Stay tuned…in the coming weeks we will dive a bit deeper into each of these practices and details for a fall equinox ceremony will be coming soon!
Wishing you a wonderful week!
– Lori