Tune Into the Magic of Equinox
Happy Equinox!!
Autumn is truly here (or Spring if you are south of the Equator), and as I write this, we have just 99 days left till 2020.
How do you want to make the most of the remaining days to this decade?
The shifting seasons always feel like fresh starts to me. We are ushering in a new season, a new school year has started, and the natural world is showing us the wonder of that eternal truth: Everything Changes.
There is always a chance to Begin Again—even if it requires a pruning away and a dying back before the new growth is generated…. which is what we are witnessing in our gardens and wild spaces.
I’m freshly back from a long travel adventure teaching workshops in different locales across the US. And it’s just so wonderful to be back in my own cozy home again, getting grounded, enjoying my morning meditations on my little balcony. Like a big long sigh.
That ‘new beginning’ energy feels strong for me right now.
My birthday happens to fall during this Equinox week, and a New Moon in Libra comes on its heels. Birthdays and New Moons represent new beginnings and new intentions too – so personally I’m all about THAT this week. In my journal, and in my mind, I’m asking myself:
What are my Intentions for this week, this year, this month?
Maybe you want to do the same?
There’s a magical energy to the turning of the seasons too… if you close your eyes and breathe you might just feel whisper of that enchantment. Nature is supporting you in your own personal shifts, your movement. Your Transformation.
Today – and this week – you might want to amp up that magic with some sort of ritual or acknowledging. It can be a super short nod, or a more elaborate ritual and celebration of this turning of the Wheel of the Year.
Here are some ideas (you can do one by itself or all of them):
Set Your Intentions
Set aside 15 minutes or so to write down your intentions for this new Season. How do you want to close out this year?
Your intentions can be ‘goals’—meaning accomplishments you’d like to achieve by the Winter Solstice. Or they can be more ‘Being’ oriented. Such as how you want to feel, interact with the world, or communicate. When you’re setting your goals and intentions, keep them realistic. Be kind.
Acknowledge Your Appreciations
Get out a piece of paper or your journal and take some time to reflect back on the last three months – this past season. What wonders and beauty were you delighted by? What things DID go your way? Who and what brought you joy, satisfaction, or helpful energy?
Make a list of all the things that came your way in these past months that you are appreciating. It’s been proven: taking time to acknowledge what we are grateful for literally changes your brain!
Release the Yuck
Take a few minutes to delve into your mind and scan for what old grudges, or bad feelings you might be holding onto from events or circumstances over the last season. Ask yourself: “Is here any value to me in holding onto this thought or feeling?” I
If the answer is ‘NO”, take 3 deep breaths and visualize that ‘yuck’ as a little dark cloud of energy. Allow that little dark cloud to float up and up into the sky and be swallowed up and transmuted. Let it go!
NOTE: If you decide to do all 3 of the above, I suggest you reverse the order:
1. Release the Yuck
2. Acknowledge Your Appreciation
3. Set Your Intentions
If you’d like to make this feel more ‘ritual-like’ you could light a candle, spritz yourself with your favorite scent, and acknowledge you are creating a sacred space.
But – hey, if you can barely find time to figure out what to wear before you have to dash out the door and do all things….maybe you only have a few minutes to acknowledge the Equinox and tune into harnessing that magic of the shifting seasons.
Choose whatever small acknowledgment works for you. It may be three deep breaths and softly saying to yourself, ‘I’m open to the magic.’
And know that this is EXACTLY what is going to help you embrace this new season and make the most of it!
If you’re up for something more elaborate, check out this blog post from a few years ago. You’ll find five Autumn Equinox ritual ideas.
