6 Ways to Connect with Nature and Find Magic this Fall.....

As summer nestles down into a slumber and we get that first rush from a cool breeze, something happens and we begin to shift our energy. Whether we realize it or not, we follow Mother Nature’s lead and sync with her circadian rhythms. She has spent the last season on fire reaching a height of growth and fertility, celebrating the power of the sun. Our energy matched hers, spending time outdoors and enjoying all she has to offer. Some of us may have even celebrated the Summer Solstice by offering 108 Sun Salutations with the rising of the sun. Longer days prevailed, and now they have begun to wane. Longer, regenerative nights lie ahead-and we need to take advantage and set our intentions to match hers.
            At the Autumn Equinox we hit a complete balance of light vs. dark, and have now just fallen past that tipping point. Now that we’ve burned off that fiery energy of the sun we can begin to shift to a more reflective, cooling energy of the moon. A season of letting go, we begin to settle under a blanket of reflection to see what hasn’t worked in our lives. Reaping the harvest of our past few months of hard work and investments, it’s time to till the soil and release what didn’t pan out. Our lives mirror the seasons, and if we align our energies properly with can work with the cycles instead of against them.
 
So as the world is set ablaze with the colors of the fall, here are 6 ways to align your energy with Mother Nature and find magic this season:
 
1. Let it go Use the elements of Mother Nature to let go of what no longer serves you. Allowing for contemplation, autumn is a time to turn inward for deeper self-healing and take a look at all we’ve worked to build. What do we need to work on? What didn’t work, and we can release? Create your own ritual of letting go. You can write down what you wish to release, toss the paper in to a fire (only safe practices here, a fire pit or other means of outdoor burning) and watch it turn into ash and disappear. You may also bury the list into the dirt and allow it to be consumed by the Earth Herself. Perform these rituals under the full moon to enhance their effects. Gather a sage bundle or smudge stick, used in purification and protection, to cleanse your home of negative energies. You may also use Palo Santo, wooden sticks made from a mystical tree in South America, found in some metaphysical shops. Related to Frankincense and Myrhh, this ‘Holy Wood’ helps to cleanse home and energy, enhance creativity and enhance immunity.

2. Protection Yourself & Your Home Every fall we gather beautiful chrysanthemums to adorn our home with beautiful colors of the fall. But did you know these are known to be flowers of protection? When we get closer to Halloween then the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest this flower is said to keep the evil spirits at bay. Red mums offer love, yellow & orange bring joy & good cheer, purple represent power & passion, white invokes the truth & bronze encourages a loving, happy home. Gather your mums to create a happy, healthy environment for your pets and your family. You may also set out stones of amber for added protection.

3. Make a Feast! Gather friends and family to celebrate this time of harvest. Foods of the season include root veggies such as beets, potatoes and carrots, nuts, breads, corn, figs, honey, as well as apples which are said to be a most magical fruit! Pomegranate and its seeds are related to Greek Goddess Persephone and her return to the underworld every fall season.  Cider, beer, wine and mead can be added to the table as loved ones offer gratitude and reflection during this celebratory time.

4. Set Up Your Meditation Altar Create your space to align your energy with the shift in seasons. The colors yellow, orange, red and brown set the tone for autumn and the changing of the leaves as they work to let go and prepare for winter. Some elements to adorn your altar include: candles, herbs of ivy, myrrh and sage, cloves, cinnamon, and stones of amber and hematite to offer protection and grounding. Add photos of loved ones and what holds gratitude in your heart, or write down a mantra you can return to every day during this shift. Offerings of fresh cut flowers, honey and mead can add another element to invoking the creative and nurturing side of nature.

5. Keep a Gratitude Journal Listen to the transition, journal and prepare for self-healing and reflection. You find you can sense, feel and become one with the change happening all around you. Once you’ve released what you no longer need you are more able to sit back and look at all that you have. Cultivating gratitude is very powerful and has a tremendous effect on your over-all health and well-being. You may choose to journal outside in nature, sitting under an oak or maple tree to connect with their energy and wisdom. This is also a nice ritual to be before you go to bed at night. Begin with some light yin yoga poses to offer the cooling energy of the moon and set a reflective and restorative tone for your journaling.
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6.  Seva-The Art of Selfless Service When we cultivate gratitude we see all that we have, but may also become aware of what many do not. Take this time to practice the art of Seva, or selfless services. Offer to volunteer at a nursing home or hospice, bring offerings and your kindness to the homeless or disabled veterans. Offer some free classes or services to those who may otherwise not be able to afford such things. Join together communities and help to offer gratitude and self-healing to others and match the nurturing side of Mother Nature during this time.
 
Mother Nature has all that we need readily available at our fingertips, we simply need to know how to apply it and connect with her energy for transformation and change. So let’s work with the currents of the Earth and find a ride with them into beautiful alignment, peace and well-being. Bring a little magic back into your life this fall and nurture your mind, body and spirit. Namaste.

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