The Spirit of Autumn: Sacred Dates to Honor the Fall Season
The dark season is descending upon us now. Unlike the shift from spring to summer, the transition from summer to fall ushers in an entirely different kind of energy. The warmth and vitality of the spring and summer seasons give way to the slow and often reclusive frequency of darker days. The spiritual task from the fall equinox until the spring equinox is to lean into the descent with courage and compassion. To allow yourself to explore what it means to be enveloped in darkness without fear or to have the fear but to proceed anyway.
Your spiritual practice may need a new way of operating in these deeper months and that is the intention behind this blog post. This is an energy report of how the season of fall, the zodiac signs, the sabbats and moon phases come together to tell a bigger story but also, how you can move through the season with confidence and dare I say, excitement.
Most importantly, consider how your spirit may be asking for something new as the autumn season gets into full force. Your body might need more care or a different type of care. Your spirit may be yearning to try a new practice or way to receive spiritual guidance. Your heart may be aching to put down old wounds or to open itself to more love. Don’t dismiss your thoughts, feelings or experiences as silly or insignificant. Take notice of anything you notice and let it guide you subtly towards evolution and healing.
You don’t need to celebrate or even acknowledge every sacred day from the fall season. Some things will resonate with you and others won’t. Instead, view each day as a portal opening a small door, offering you an opportunity to go deeper. But if you aren’t ready or able to devote time to any one fall day, then let it pass you by.
To help put all of these energies to good use, be sure to download the free Autumn Reflections and Intentions Worksheet.
Mabon
September 22, 2024
Mabon aka as the fall equinox initiates the portal of darkness. It's the first door to the autumn season, inviting us to see both light and darkness as equals rather than competing forces. Mabon is a wonderful time to practice grounding and to prepare yourself for spiritual healing. Fall often has a way of forcing you to face your wounds, whether you want to or not. Get ahead of any potential dark nights of the soul by showing yourself extra care and devising a plan for self-care should you need it.
Be sure to check out The Graceful Guide to Mabon in the member portal for inspiration on how to celebrate this sabbat.
Descending into Autumn
September 22, 2024
As the vibrant days of summer shift into the darker energies of autumn, many find the transition spiritually challenging. The balance of light and dark changes, urging you to embrace the natural darkness of life and the internal landscape. This season is a time to slow down, explore your inner shadows, and find beauty in what you might typically avoid. Autumn invites you to incorporate darker tones in your surroundings, wear deeper hues, and even adjust your daily routines by working during quieter night hours. By leaning into these practices, you can learn to appreciate the richness that comes with autumn's shadowy side.
Autumn also encourages embracing a lack of clarity, symbolized by fog and mist. These natural phenomena remind you to slow down, surrender to the unknown, and cultivate patience. Whether physically experiencing foggy mornings or creating a fog-like environment through meditation and incense, this practice helps train the mind to be comfortable with uncertainty. By doing so, you prepare yourself to move thoughtfully and calmly through the season's transitions without rushing toward resolutions or answers.
Additionally, autumn is a time for deep self-care and self-support. As the season's intense energy begins to surface, it’s essential to prioritize self-nourishment in practical and meaningful ways. This could mean creating organizational systems, paying more attention to your diet, or indulging in small luxuries that elevate the everyday. More than ever, this season invites you to explore the grey areas in life, acknowledging that you can experience a range of emotions and states simultaneously. Whether facing the shadows of the past or living in the in-between, autumn is an opportunity for profound personal reflection and growth.
Check out How to Descend into Autumn in the member portal for more inspiration.
Libra
September 23, 2024
This zodiac sign is always associated with relationships and sure, that’s a part of it but it's such a small part. In fact, it isn’t so much about your relationships but how you connect, not just to people but to your interests, what you consider beautiful and all things in your life. Libra is also the sign of justice and when the sun is in Libra, the universe invites you to look more closely at your karmic debt. How have you experienced the world this year? Was it through love and kindness or chaos and manipulation? This is where the true understanding of your relationships unveil themselves.
Libra is associated with balance; its symbol is the scales. This sign reminds you that there is give and take to all things. You give in a relationship and you take. You have to work but also need to live your life. You need to be responsible but should also make space to take risks and to open yourself up to new possibilities.
Full Moon in Aries
October 17, 2024
The full moon in Aries becomes your champion for truth. This is the warrior energy you need to find the bravery to descend deeper into your psyche. Aries isn’t afraid of challenges; rather, Aries is motivated by challenges. When Libra feels like it's forcing you to face judgment and that feels like too much, the full moon in Aries comes along to remind you that you are a warrior and face any obstacles.
Shifting into Scorpio
October 23, 2024
Scorpio pulls you deeper. For some, the journey through Scorpio will be easy. That will be the case for you if you have done this hard work. If you routinely face your challenges and fears rather than wallowing in your sorrow. If that is the case, your time during Scorpio season will be a wonderful experience of letting go for more freedom and deeper understanding.
For most, however, this journey is a hard path of confronting the hard truths you’ve ignored. Scorpio is a challenging energy to work with. Each step through this sign will break you down and then break you open. Scorpio is associated with death, something modern society has a really hard time dealing with. You’ve heard time and time again, pick something and stick with it, don’t quit, fight to keep things alive, don’t change who you are. Things like this keep you stuck instead of allowing you to let go of what isn’t serving you. There is a time and a place to quit, especially if it's draining you. Scorpio forces you to face the things that are drowning you so that you can not only survive but to thrive.
Samhain
October 31, 2024
Samhain opens the door to the psyche. It is believed that the veil between worlds is thinnest on Samhain meaning, you have the most access to the spiritual world. Your subconsciousness is the most open it will ever be so take advantage but be warned, your psyche is holding onto your dreams and highest potential but also your deepest, darkest secrets and fears. Often, your dreams and your fears are one in the same. Be prepared for any kind of guidance and don’t assume it's going to be what you want to hear.
Samhain is also the night to commune with your ancestors and guides. Connect to the deep wisdom that is flowing through your veins and invite your ancestors to answer your most important questions. It doesn’t matter if you know their names or faces or anything about them. They are you, even if you have no concept of who they actually are.
Full Moon in Taurus
November 15, 2024
The full moon in Taurus keeps you tethered to the material world so that you aren’t lost in Scorpio. Taurus connects you to your senses and grounds your body. Scorpio can be all consuming, drowning you in emotional chaos. The full moon in Taurus offers a respite from the intense emotional waves of Scorpio, allowing you to catch your breath and come back into the present.
Shifting into Sagittarius
November 22, 2024
Sagittarius forces you to find your own version of dogma whether one adopted from society or one you create for yourself. There is a purpose to going through the judgment of Libra and challenges of Scorpio. It's so you can remove all things that are holding you back, allowing you to connect with your values and sense of higher alignment. However, this is only what you need right now and know that it may be different from previous years and different still from years to come. Each journey through Sagittarius and really through the entire zodiac wheel will encourage you to evolve your understanding of what is good, right or worthy.
Sagittarius is associated with philosophy and higher learning but also adventure. This sign encourages you to find new internal terrain and to explore yourself as who you are today. We all have dreams that were left behind or versions of ourselves we wish we could get back to. But perhaps, even just for a day, don’t seek to be different from who you are right now. What are your gifts at this moment? What are your interests today, not ten years ago? How can you be the best version of yourself right now rather than trying to hit a fictional version of your future self or reconnecting to a version of you that’s gone?
Full Moon in Gemini
December 15, 2024
The full moon in Gemini reminds you that Information must be shared and that dogma reserved for power creates chaos and fear. Sagittarius personalities in their shadow use information and higher understanding to make others small. Be careful of coming across as a know it all or someone who is the smartest person in the room. Even if that’s true, you’re doing yourself no favors by adopting a superiority complex. Gemini invites you to remember your social graces and to listen as much as you speak.
