Fall and the Autumn Equinox represent so many elements of change. We often look at the changing of the seasons as the end of the bounty of summer or the harbinger of the cold winter months. Or, we can focus on the holidays of the season: the jubilance of Halloween, the connectivity of Thanksgiving, and the observance of the various spiritual and religious events falling during this time.
For some, it’s the excitement and pageantry of the kickoff of football and winter sports, and playoffs for summer sports. The list goes on. It is up to each of us to seek out and harness the opportunities of this transitional season. While September 22 marked the official transition into fall, you can harness this transition throughout the season.
Today, I invite you to think about the fall season in terms of the harvest. Connecting to our hunter-gatherer and agrarian roots, autumn is when we collect all of the final resources to sustain us through the winter. It necessarily includes taking stock and giving thanks for all the land and nature has provided to date, as well as for the covering that’ll be provided for the months to come. Adopting the harvest mentality can bring a deeper appreciation and a refreshing during these transitional months.
A few tips for harnessing this autumn energy:
- Find balance in the Autumn Equinox
- Connect with gratitude
- Prep your home with autumn colors, fall-oriented crystals, and an extra dose of coziness
Finding Balance Through the Autumn Equinox
Autumn Equinox is a time focusing on balance. The light and darkness meet in perfect balance before the night begins to slowly grow through winter. Check out the Farmer’s Almanac entry on Fall Equinox and its traditions.
This transition gives us a moment to reflect and seek balance before we embark into the new fall season. Do not skip this rebalancing — it will clear and center you and allow you to connect with gratitude.
September and early October full moons are a great time to seek this balance, as well as the Fall Equinox itself. In your full moon release rituals this season, see my Beginner’s Guide to Clearing with Moonlight for tips, focus on who you want to be during winter.
Ask yourself: What is out of balance? What can you get rid of that’s been pulling you further from balance? What is holding you back?
Crystals that support balance within ourselves or our environment are especially important during equinox rituals: Herkimer quartz, kyanite, and selenite (balance and clear chakras); and clear quartz and milky quartz (or moonstone and sunstone) balance yin and yang (feminine and masculine energies).
Harvest Asks Us to Take Stock and Be Grateful
Fall is the time when everything is brought in, tallied, and stored to sustain us over the colder months. Now that we’ve energetically cleared out everything no longer serving our best interests, we can recreate this process to take stock of all our accomplishments, our growth, and the additions in our lives. From this place of awareness, we can give thanks for all of these gifts and experiences.
This year, let’s harness the gratitude we typically reserve for Thanksgiving and bring gratitude into the beginning of autumn! Try a gratitude meditation (I’m a big fan of the ones on Calm), journal on gratitude, or verbalize your gratitude to others. Find a modality that gives your gratitude substance.
Where to find fall gratitude:
- Putting your garden to bed and moving your indoor plants away from drafty windows
- New seasonally available foods
- Preserved food or stock in your pantry
- The beauty of nature as the changing leaves fall
- Your children and their teachers and schools as classes resume
- A safe, warm home sanctuary
The fall foliage signals the colors to highlight; the early frost reminds us to get cozy.
Fall Colors in Décor and Crystals
Nature is painted in rich yellows, oranges, reds, and deep greens. Consider this your color palette for décor and also for crystals; the typical décor available for Halloween and Thanksgiving already adopts this palette.
Search for pieces that can last all season — or better yet, all year. A simple mustard-colored vase or pot can be used year-round and moved to a place of prominence during fall. I also love autumn-colored pumpkins that transition from September through November with ease.
Fall-colored crystals also bring much-needed warm vibes and energy to the season. Here are some crystals with autumn colors to consider working and decorating with during this season:
- Orange Calcite
- Yooperlite — a trendy new stone featuring fluorescent sodalite flecks.
- Mookaite
- Ocean Jasper — especially the green and yellow varieties
- Honey calcite
- Red jasper
- Yellow onyx
- Picture jasper
- Iron-included quartz
- Vanadinite
Prep for a Cozy Home
Similarly, the early frost and chill in the air remind us to bundle up. As the cold begins to drive us inside, remember to make your home ready for the cozy seasons.
Spring clean in Fall or Winter
As you start spending more time at home, do another pass at decluttering. Before storing all your summer gear, ask whether or not you used it and if it serves you to hold onto for another year. As you pull out warmer clothes, bedding, holiday décor, see what you love and what you plan to use. It’s a great time to donate cold-weather gear and even summer items for holiday gifting.
This year I reviewed all my Halloween decorations and gave my friends all items I wasn’t putting up, all in time for them to go to good use this spooky season! It’s also a great time to do a deep energetic clearing of the home. Find tips for energetic spring equinox cleaning in my guide to Spring Cleaning in Winter.
Crank Up the Cozy
Besides fall colors, bring in inviting textures and highlight warming features in the gathering areas. Add velvet, chunk knits, or faux fur throws and pillows to bring snuggly comfort to the seating.
Also honor the hearth – the symbolic and literal protective force, warming the home. Orient the seating and décor around the fireplace. You can also create a representative hearth by adding centerpieces of candles in your living room and dining room.
May you find a new appreciation of the gifts of the autumn season and create a cozy home to enjoy through winter!
