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I can track the exact morning, the exact day last week when poof - it was Fall. From one last blast of hot and the hope of an everlasting Summer, to a flannel and a hoodie on my morning dog walk. Exactly on time Mother Nature, with the Autumn Equinox tomorrow.
The air crisper, the sky bluer, the days still warmer, the nights chillier - change is in the air. Equinox is a time of transition. Of moving from one Season to another. An in-between, a liminal space, neither here nor there. And that can be unsettling. There can be a sense of chaos, of blowing in the wind.
Fall - a time of 'back to school', of organizing, of taking stock (hello Virgos!), a time of letting go. What am I carrying that I don’t need to bring into the next season? A time of reflection (a new year according to Jewish tradition, which feels so special to be synced up with the timing of my birthday and the beginning of a new personal year). To pause and honor the passing of time. Reflect on the past year. Celebrate the ways I’ve grown and how much has happened in one year’s time. Sometimes it feels like time moves so so quickly, but then thinking about where I was one year ago, I can see how I’ve grown and changed so much. It feels important to have these reflection points so that time doesn’t just go zooming by and one day you look up and a whole lifetime has passed!
And then see what I can leave behind. As I step into the new Season, what am I carrying that is too heavy to bring with me? What can I put down? Whose season has passed? What behaviors and patterns can stay behind? It’s time for some things to die and be composted back to the earth. (See: trees in the Northeast :)) Death can be beautiful. Death can be difficult. Death is necessary for re-birth. What can I let go of to make room for something new? Something more beautiful than I can even imagine? Let me make the space and surrender. With letting go comes grief. How to honor the grief, rather than rush past it? To sit with it, to hold my heart.
I have been really feeling this transition and leaning into my herbal support and grounding practices. When there is so much swirling, it is time to balance with grounding. When there is the air of grief, it’s time to balance with heart support and protection. Adding breathing exercises back to my morning rituals, turning back to drinking teas, dry brushing, body oiling, and getting to bed a bit earlier when I can. More meditation, more writing, more reflecting. More burning herbs for smoke medicine and clearing. Grounding in and feeling the nourishment of the work I’ve done to grow and connect with my soul. And the work the plants have been doing for the last seasons - steeping and infusing in fat and in alcohol - now they too are ready for nourishing and supporting.
I rounded up some of my herbal allies I'm leaning into these days and created a Transitions Bundle. This is supportive for the move we are making into the Fall and Winter months and also for when you are moving through a personal transition. The key is grounding and balance and self-compassion - these plants are here for it.
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