Autumn Equinox rituals and living seasonally through autumn

Journal prompts, rituals & how to live seasonally through the autumn months

Sep 20, 2024

Hello, I’m Jodie. I write about life post burnout with themes of rest, living slower, healing and self discovery. Subscribe to support my work & to read more. Or, join our Slower Space community to access all content and the monthly journaling club!

The transition to autumn and the darker months is very much underway. The cooler, misty mornings, golden sunsets and those initial sightings of burnt orange leaves falling to the ground.

Spring and summer used to be seasons I longed for all year round, I missed the lightness and energy they gave me and resisted the darkness. For me now, autumn feels much easier to romanticise and find joy in, I can soften into the cosiness of it all, and I wanted to share how I’ve found my way to that. Plus some rituals that may help you do the same…

Autumn Equinox

This Sunday marks Autumn Equinox (the 22nd of September), the point in the year where the day and night is equal before we move into the darker, cooler months.

I love that it’s fallen on a Sunday this year, the day of the week mimics that cosy feeling that comes with this season. The sense of starting to retreat, adding on the layers and beginning the hunkering and slow down process.

Rituals To Mark Autumn Equinox

There are so many things you could do to mark the occasion and celebrate the season. Honestly, it doesn’t really matter what you do, it’s more about the intention behind it, and feeling that sense of connection to the natural world and the transition we’re stepping into. If you do need some inspiration, here’s a few other ideas and things you can do:

Get up 20 minutes earlier and enjoy your favourite drink outside, noticing the cooler air and change in light.
Bake something in season, apples and pears are at their best this time of year! I saw
Victoria Harrison
shared some gorgeous recipe ideas in this post.
Have a bonfire and set some intentions for the final few months of the year
Join a community autumn celebration (more on my Autumn Equinox workshop below!)
Light a candle, acknowledging the light within the dark (and for general cosy vibes)
Go for a morning walk in nature, making note (mentally or physically) of what you see and hear
Journal on what you have harvested this year so far, and and think about your intentions for the rest of the year (also included as part of my workshop)
Write a gratitude list for all that’s come in 2024 so far
Think about ways you can offer light and warmth to others as we start to see it fade.
Gather with friends and enjoy gorgeous seasonal food
Practice Yoga Nidra for deep rest to ground after the busyness of summer
Schedule in some quiet moments throughout the day to pause
Practice a 5 minute grounding meditation

Autumn Equinox Wellbeing Workshop - let’s welcome autumn in together!

As the nights get longer and we enter cosy season, join me for a 90 minute session to celebrate Autumn Equinox 🍂

This session is designed support you to reconnect and find ease as we head into the darker months.

This workshop is for you if...

You want to learn how to lean into the darker months & change your perspective
You'd benefit from creating an autumn vision and have some intentions to help guide you through
You want to feel a sense of celebration and find joy this autumn
You're feeling overwhelmed post summer and could do with 90 minutes of self care to reconnect

Expect a grounding meditation, practical seasonal living advice and guidance, time and support to set your intentions, some mindful movements and a Yoga Nidra session to finish for deep restoration and relaxation.

autumn equinox workshop

Living seasonally through Autumn

Typically, when we look at seasonal living, autumn is a time for harvesting, letting go, preparation and balance. It’s a slow winding down as we head towards the winter months, and a sense of releasing those things that just don’t serve us.

Nature shows us this; we plant our spring bulbs that slowly find roots underground, we see the trees shed their leaves ready to conserve energy to the roots, the birds are less vocal, saving their energy. The days are shorter and cooler, less light, more darkness.

Autumn for me is reflective. I love using this time to get honest with myself, to have that final sort out, physically and mentally. To find balance again and come back home to myself.

Alongside this of-course our lives typically continue to be busy. We have halloween, bonfire night, then everything that comes with the run up to the festive period. Bringing in that idea of balance, autumn for me is about finding, and prioritising those quiet, vital moments to reconnect.

Here’s a few things I intend on doing this autumn…

More stillness, morning meditations to centre myself
Autumnal walks in new places close to home
Go apple picking
Declutter and clean ready for winter
Making homemade jam and sauces from the final summer fruits
Slow mornings reading in bed with my decaf coffee
Finally get round to watching Gilmore Girls (I know, I’m severely late to the party)
Mark Samhain (halloween) with some baking and a bonfire
Wrapping up and resisting the urge to be inside too much
Make our home feel even cosier, I’m talking candles, autumnal floral arrangements, blankets etc etc
Practice making my own sourdough loaf (it’s been on my list for ages, it’s time to make it happen)
Planting bulbs ready for spring and tidying the garden
Join a local Yoga class for slower, more Yin style practices
Experiment with new seasonal recipes
Continue to perfect my Sunday roast - it’s a family tradition I want to continue

Seasonal autumn foods to tuck into

(that are their most delicious as we head through the autumn months, and a cheaper way to eat too as they’re more likely to be on offer!)

Finally, here’s some of my favourite foods that are perfect to get stuck into right now and as the season goes on…

Apples and pears - similar to strawberries in summer, these fruits taste their absolute best now (especially in a crumble imo)
Carrots - the perfect autumn vegetable
Butternut Squash - give me a garlic heavy, butternut squash and sweet potato risotto all day everyday in autumn
Cauliflower - gorgeous for bulking out soups!