Welcome to Autumn

Today is the Autumn Equinox. This means that the day and night are in complete balance. The days will continue to get shorter while the nights grow longer for the next three months.

I absolutely love this time of year. To me, Autumn represents bounty, gratitude, harvest, celebration and community. My father’s birthday was in October. My dad was a farmer, and much of my family on his side were also farmers. Growing up, we would get together with my huge family on his birthday. Not only was the

event a celebration of my father’s birth, but it was a way to honour family connection, celebrate the end of harvest, and reap the bounty of the gardens and crops. Everyone contributed to the feast, the festivities and storytelling. It was a time of wonderful connection, as we all enjoyed being with each other in times of such great joy.

Ancient Oriental Healers associated Autumn with the element of Metal. This element relates to Lung and Large Intestine energy. The Metal element represents organization, communication, order, boundaries and limits. It also represents the act of releasing or letting go. Autumn is a time of harvest. After working the long hot days of summer, we now have the chance to reap the bounty of our labours in preparation for the cold dark days of winter.

The season of Metal is also an excellent time to focus on strengthening our immune system. In Oriental Medicine, our Lungs are said to control the circulation of Wei-Qi. Our Wei-Qi contributes to our immunity. It is an energy that circulates between the skin and muscles, and defends our body from invasion of pathogens. A person with strong Wei-Qi doesn’t get sick very often, while someone with weak Wei-Qi will catch any cold or flu that passes through their community.

We can nourish and strengthen our Wei-Qi by dialing in our food choices, lifestyle and supplement regime. Focusing on sleeping well, eating whole foods, minimizing sugar, drinking lots of water, managing stress, exercising daily, finding connection to Spirit, family and community, dressing for the weather, and choosing targeted high quality supplements can all help to build and enhance Wei-Qi.

The nose is said to be the opening of the Lungs. Therefore, the regular use of a neti pot, starting in Autumn, can work wonders to support our Wei-Qi by keeping our sinuses clean and clear of nasties and debris. Using a neti pot is also an excellent choice for those who get allergies from pollen, or dust.

With our continual inhales and exhales, the Lungs create an internal rhythm. The season of Autumn allows the rhythm of Lung energy to pour out into our daily lives. After a busy and somewhat chaotic summer, stepping into the rhythm of September feels calming, purposeful, and grounded. Many start back at work after their summer vacation, and children return to school. Rhythm. Feels. Good.

Autumn is also a time of releasing anything that doesn’t continue to serve us. We can call upon Large Intestine energy to help with this. While the Lungs give us inspiration, the Large Intestine helps us let go of shit; literally and metaphorically. The ability to take in, process, then release is very important. If we don’t clear out ‘shit’ on a regular basis, it can recirculate within us. This can cause us to feel rather uncomfortable.

Constipation is the most obvious symptom of not efficiently letting go. But the inability to let go can also be viewed as holding onto unprocessed emotion. In either case, learning tactics to help release will encourage deep healing.

Autumn is a time to build fertility. In nature, leaves fall to the ground. As they decompose, they release nutrients into the soil in preparation to nourish the new growth of budding plants in the spring. We can follow this guidance from nature and use Autumn as a time to build resources, and nourish our body in preparation to conceive in the coming months.

The Autumn Equinox is an excellent time to give thanks for all that we have. I like to use the Equinoxes and Solstices as a way to honour the planet, the sun and nature. It is easy to become dissociated from rhythm of nature in our busy lives. These seasonal events are wonderful reminders that we are part of nature, and that we can strive to establish a relationship with our beautiful planet.

I would love to hear from you. Do you love Autumn? What do you do to connect during this time of year?