Autumn officially begins today, on the 22nd of September. Hence it is the day of the year when we have equal day and night, called the Autumn Equinox. The days will get shorter, and the nights will get longer, all the way through to the shortest day of the year at the Winter Solstice in December.
Use it as a time to engage the senses, have fun, and create family rituals. In addition, the Autumn season offers a mirror to our own life. It’s an opportunity to look within to see what needs to release, what’s outgrown in our lives. You can read ideas for that further on but first, here are several ideas for all the family:
Have fun with your children during the Autumn Equinox
Grab your coats, go outside and find the trees in your area. Collect and identify trees and leaves. You can return home, make leaf people and leaf collages, and use the leaves to print.
Make a leaf headdress.
Have a sensory table full of Autumn riches
Play Conkers
An old game, but it remains so much fun.
Read lots of Autumnal themed Books
Host a light parade through your street
Eat warming Autumn foods
The British Nutrition Foundation have some great ideas on eating healthily, focusing on Autumn coloured vegetables. For Example,
Carrots
Sweetcorn
Pumpkin
Butternut squash
Beetroot
Plums
Blackberries
For more nutritional information and recipes, go to https://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/seasons/autumn.html.
Teach your children the Ancient Rituals to connect with nature.
Harvest celebrations have been observed right around the equinox in many geographic locations and historical periods. For example, the Celts celebrated Mabon (pronounced MAY-bone). The Druids call this celebration Mean Fo’mhair and honour The Green Man, the God of the Forest, by offering libations to trees.
Fall festivals and personal observances of the equinox often involve these themes:
- A time of rest following working on the harvest.
- Being grateful
- Building and celebrating community through sharing food and labour
- Preparing for winter practically, emotionally, and spiritually and using it as a time to release
Beyond the fun activities, we can also use the season to remove and let go.
What do you need to let go off
Why not assess your personal life – is there anything you could let go of? It doesn’t just need to be a process of physical letting go. We can let go of mental habits such as criticizing ourselves, feeling guilty, feeling that we are a ” bad” parent, or even needing to be perfect!
What are the roots of your beliefs and attitudes that require your attention? During the Autumn season, trees know that to make room for new growth, they must let go first. We are no different, but most know that change is not always easy. We often cling to situations and habits we know we had outgrown years ago.
What does ” letting go” mean to you?
To let go, we must trust and know everything will be alright. This means letting go of fear, control, and what others may think of us.
Fear can often get in the way of what we truly want in our lives.
Release by:
Give yourself some time for yourself.
Creation comes from the space of nothingness. Therefore, we need to give ourselves time away from doing time to allow some new to go through. We are conditioned to drive through life rather than allow it to flow.
Be a gentle gardener, and may you sow the seeds for a new beginning- with love Catherine.
Contact me for a consultation if you are worried or concerned about your child; it is never too late to sew some new seeds.
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