Northern Hemisphere – September 21st – 24th
Southern Hemisphere – March 19th – 21st
Autumn Equinox
The following are some ways that you can embrace the fall season and our connection to Mother Earth and all her mysteries.
Enjoy a harvest meal
Autumn is a beautiful time to share in nature’s bounty by getting together with family and friends. Create a harvest meal together using seasonal herbs, fruits, and vegetables to infuse the celebration with some special magic. Better yet, enjoy your meal outdoors with the sights, sounds and scents of nature all around you. Autumn is a time for warming and nourishing foods that help build and strengthen our bodies in preparation for the winter months. What could be better than a soup or stew made with seasonal root vegetables, potatoes and squash or a hearty quiche followed by a dessert of apple and blackberry pie or seasonal vanilla plum cake. Finish the meal off with a mug of something warm incorporating the scents of fall, like cinnamon and apple mixed with rosehips for a boost of vitamin C.
Connect with nature
Autumn is a wonderful time to connect with nature and the outdoors. Tending to a garden is a wonderful way to slow down and notice the changes of the season. Plant some herbs in a pot or planter box for some fresh winter greens. Add some seasonal vegetables to provide food for winter meals and beneficial nutrients needed to support our bodies through the seasons. Alternatively, show your appreciation for nature by taking a walk in the woods or other wild place to revel in the sights, sounds, colours, textures available in the great outdoors. This can also be a great opportunity to go foraging for wild food and other beneficial plants.
Bring the beauty of autumn indoors by decorating your home with seasonal touches to create a cozy space that you will enjoy spending time in. Create autumn wreaths showcasing a colourful array of autumn foliage, berries, acorns, and pinecones. Subtle lighting with fairy lights or candles can add to the mood. Cozy blankets, throws and other accessories in autumn colours including deep greens, warm oranges and yellow ochres can help to accent your home with seasonal décor. Add a bowl of miniature pumpkins or pinecones to your coffee table to bring more of the outdoors inside.
Restore balance
Autumn is the perfect time to shift your energy inwards. To focus on balance and realignment. It is a time to reflect on your new year resolutions or goals and assess your progress on achieving these. What have you done that you are proud of? How have things grown and evolved over the year so far? It is also a time to remove anything that no longer serves you or that you no longer need. This will make room for more of the things that bring you joy and bring equilibrium to your home and life.
Express gratitude
The autumn equinox is a time to give thanks for a bountiful harvest after the work of reaping and sowing. However, it is a time to give thanks for everything else in life. Gratitude brings abundance, and so it’s a great way to bring more good things into your life. Gratitude journaling has been proven to make you a happier and more productive person. It can also lower your stress and calm you at night. A gratitude journal reminds you to stop constantly striving for more and just appreciate the present. Use a gratitude journal to write in detail about what you’re thankful for and let yourself feel those emotions and experience the sensations. Diving deep into a few things you’re grateful for is more beneficial than writing a long list. Take your time and savour the experience.
Herbs for Autumn Equinox
Autumn is associated with berry harvesting and seed collection. It is also the time of year when the plant’s energy is focused back into the roots. The plants have produced their leaves and flowers and are now sending their valuable constituents to their root systems before the above ground part of the plants die back for winter. As such, it is the time of the year when the roots are at their most potent and perfect for harvesting. The following are some herbs that are ready for harvest at this time of year and can be used to celebrate the autumn equinox.
Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) is a deciduous, small tree growing up to 8 m high. It has bright green, toothed leaflets, with cream flowers which are displayed in large flat clusters. The flowers are aromatic with a subtle sweet smell. These are followed in autumn by round black-purple berries. Elderberries are rich in vitamins A and C, flavonoids, and antioxidants. The berries can be used as an effective antiviral, preventing cold and flu viruses. They also act as an immune booster, keeping the immune system healthy. The berries freeze well and make a tasty and immune boosting addition to pies, porridge, and crumbles. The berries can also be used to make elderberry syrup which is useful for the relief of sore throats and coughs during winter illness.
Hawthorn (Crategus monogyna) is a deciduous, thorny shrub or small tree growing up to 10 m high. It has bright green, lobed leaves, and white/pink flowers, which are followed by shiny, scarlet red berries in early autumn. Hawthorn is one of the best herbs for the heart and circulation. It can help to relax and dilate the peripheral blood vessels to allow blood to circulate more efficiently around the body. It also supports the heart’s ability to pump effectively without increasing heart rate, making it a great herb for high blood pressure. It is a circulatory adaptogen, which means that it can also help to raise low blood pressure. Hawthorn also contains powerful antioxidants that help relax the nervous system, making it an excellent remedy for anxiety and stress. Hawthorn berries can be made into a jelly or try combining with other seasonal fruits such as blackberries to make fruit leather.
Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus) is a perennial, sprawling bush, with thick purplish-green stems covered in sharp thorns. The white or light pink, five petalled flowers of spring bear juicy, purple-black berries in autumn. Blackberry can be used throughout the year. The young shoots and leaves harvested in spring are cleansing, nutritive and gently astringent. The older leaves in summer are more powerfully astringent. In autumn the berries are full of antioxidants and vitamin C.
Blackberry leaf tea has traditionally been used as a digestive remedy helping to soothe digestive discomfort, alleviate diarrhoea, and reduce inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. It can also be helpful for conditions involving inflammation, such as arthritis or used topically to help alleviate skin conditions like eczema or acne. Blackberries can be combined with seasonal apples to make a delicious apple and blackberry crumble or pie dessert for your autumn equinox celebrations.
Wild Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is an upright, branching perennial with greyish-green stems bearing dark green leaves with thread-like lobes. Small mustard yellow flowers appear in summer, followed by small egg-shaped seedpods. Fennel is an incredibly aromatic and flavoursome herb with an aniseed flavour and aroma. All parts of wild fennel are edible, from the base to the seeds. Its leaves are best eaten when very young and make a lovely addition to salads, as a garnish or with fish. Try adding some of aromatic seeds in cakes, bread, or stuffing mixes.
Medicinally, fennel is commonly used as a calming tea for digestive complaints. While the entire plant can be used in various remedies, it is the seeds that are most active medicinally. Its aromatic and warming qualities reduce cramping and bloating and dispel wind in the gut. Lightly crush the seeds in a mortar to crack the casing, and then add a teaspoon of the crushed seeds to a teapot of boiling water. Let the tea rest for five minutes before drinking.
Final thoughts
The end of the growing season brings a sense of abundance, gratitude, and self-reflection. It’s a time to gather the bounty of the fields, orchards and garden and bring it indoors for storage. It’s a time to preserve food through bottling, jam making and dehydrating to ensure the harvest lasts throughout the long and cold winter. It’s a time to celebrate with our loved ones and express gratitude for the abundance in our lives.
