The Magic and Medicine of the Shifting Season
Greetings dear ones,
If you live in the northern hemisphere, such as I do here in California, you are likely experiencing the signs that summer is ending and fall is upon us.
Meanwhile, our friends in the southern hemisphere are feeling winter thawing and all of the beautiful potential and renewal of spring on the horizon.
A shift of seasons is upon us, and on the 21st of September, we will be in the equinox portal, a moment when all of us living beings who make up the earth will be bathed in the harmonious energy of balance.
The equinox happens twice a year, and these are the only two times a year when the length of day is perfectly equal to the length of night.
The lunar energy is often associated with dreams, mystery, creativity, and the feminine aspects of receiving and integrating, our inner world.
Solar energies are often associated with productivity, linear thought, and action, our outer life.
Do you feel balance among these aspects within yourself?
There is an opportunity here for us to prepare for the shift of seasons.
To lighten our loads and release all of the wound-up energy of late summer. To prepare for the calmer, more intimate season of fall.
Nature teaches us that summer is a time for working hard and being out in the garden until the last light when the sun sets so late. As humans, we are gifted these long days so that we can produce abundant gardens and enjoy a healthy harvest, a generous table filled with foods to share, and make it through the winter when the Earth is dormant.
And while we as modern people have access in the dead of winter to tropical fruits grown across the globe, there is an intelligence encoded in our DNA, and in every fiber of our being that asks us to come into harmony with the cycles of the natural world.
When we keep moving at the pace and energy expenditure of summer in the fall and winter, we fall sick and are forced to slow down. We exhaust our creative energy and can become depressed.
On the other hand, if we begin to lighten our social calendar, put some unfinished projects on the shelf for another season, simplify our outer life, and turn inward towards our dreams, family, home, and hearth while reflecting on how we can nourish ourselves, our loved ones, and the land we live on, we can enter a season of deep Magick, healing, and medicine.
A common misconception that people have about Magick is that it just happens “magically”… which it does, but there is a requirement for an important ingredient. And that is our conscious intention and our willpower.
Creating transformation takes effort. To break the addiction of over-productivity caused by our constant connection to our devices takes effort.
I encourage you to set some time aside to journal and reflect on what actually nourishes you most. What creates the greatest health for yourself and the ones that you love? What kind of life honors the Earth, and all that she gives us as the festivals of harvest approach?
Here are some ideas that may inspire you:
Create new afternoon and evening rituals & habits that support heartfelt connection with your family or with yourself. Journaling, arts and crafts, turning off devices early, reading, cooking a nourishing meal together, and going for an evening walk.
Drink herbal teas and tonics that are made of roots. These plants will help ground you and restore your body and heart. Burdock root, ashwagandha, Shatavari, turmeric, ginger, and dandelion.
Make a conscious intention to eat seasonally and locally. Your local foods from the farmers market have more nutrients, are filled with the intelligence of the lands that you live on, and will connect you to the seasons and cycles of nature. If we want to do our part in creating a healthy future for our children, we must support our local organic regenerative farmers. The lower price of food at the grocery store comes with a high price of greater fossil fuels, unjust working conditions & environmental harm.
Begin composting your food if you aren’t already. By composting, you are creating nourishment for the earth, mother, and reducing the waste that fills landfills.
Enjoy candlelight in the evenings, Baths as a way to relax, hand make gifts for the holidays ahead.
Follow along with the seasons and make beautiful, herbal recipes along the way with my book.
Fall is a wonderful time to simplify, slow down, and connect more closely to those you love & to the Deep knowing in your heart of how you can create a life of balance.
For each of us, balance will look different. The key is to look within and listen to the guidance of your heart and your deep intuition.
You know what truly nourishes. Take root in your knowing.