autumn
S E A S O N A L T O O L S + P R A C T I C E S
Artwork: Sarah Treanor
THE SEASON OF waning
Autumn is a time to let what no longer serves us fall away. To observe how easily the leaves drop from their branches and invite that ease within. After often busy summer months it is a time of coming home, to more deeply connect with yourself. While fall is the season to start leaning in to the quiet + more cozying in, it can also be a period ripe for manifestation as it is the time of the harvest. It is also a time to more deeply connect to our intuition + intentionally tend to the parts of us that require solitude + time to empty out.
In Chinese medicine Autumn is associate with the element metal, the lungs + the large intestine. It is an invitation to process grief + sadness. It is a great time to work on your boundaries + bring awareness to your openness.
It is the season of Vata in Ayurveda. We are moving into cooler, drier times. Vata can also feel like the air element with more mental activity or erratic feeling energy. We want to balance with moisture, grounding, warmth + calm. You'll find below that there are a lot of practices, rituals and food choices for body, mind + spirit to support you through this liminal time of waning.
food
First and foremost, listen to your body and know what's good for your constitution + determination. Keep a food journal if you need to. And, know that foods can affect you several days after consuming them. Below are recommendations based in Ayurvedic, Chinese + Holistic medicine for what types of foods can be beneficial for autumn but if something doesn’t agree with your body then don't eat it ;). Always tune in for what resonates with you. Eating a diet rich in whole, seasonal foods that are varied in color is a great place to start. When we eat seasonally we also give our bodies a break from the foods not in season which can result in less intolerances and allergies. Don't know what's in season? Google your location and seasonal produce and you can pretty easily find a chart.
For Autumn we want to focus on foods that nourish, moisten and ground our system.
We want to start to minimize lighter foods, raw + cold foods, and dry foods and opt for whole grains, in season fruits and steamed vegetables, root vegetables, soups, nutrients dense animal protein, dairy (if tolerated), healthy fats (olive oil, ghee), nuts + seeds.
Foods that help nourish and generate fluid during this time are pears, apples, persimmons, figs, pumpkin + sour foods which help preserve yin and moisten, things like citrus and pickles. Incorporate seaweed into meals + snacks.
We can sweeten with raw honey for all of its nutritional and immune supporting components. If it’s local it will also help with seasonal allergies.
And for hydration we can focus on nourishing herbal infusions, tea and/or warm water which aids in digestion.
HERBS + SPICES for Autumn: Star Anise (great in tea), Basil, Black Pepper, Cardamom, Cinnamon Clove, Cumin + Ginger and Chilies when we need to warm up.
Garlic is also incredibly potent for our immune system. Eating a piece of raw garlic a day is a great way to boost your immune system. You can also add raw garlic at the end of cooking so it maintains its medicinal properties.
medicinal broth
NO-BONE BROTH
From The Witch’s Herbal Apothecary
Yield: 1 gallon
1 cup of dried chives
1/2 cup of burdock root
1/2 cup of dandelion root
2 slices Reishi mushroom
1 cup dried shitake mushroom
Salt to taste
Place all ingredients into 1 gallon of water and bring to a boil.
Cover, lower the heat, and gently simmer on low for an hour or more until you get a strong decoction and broth.
Serve with liquid aminos, lemon, chili powder, as is or over rice noodles.
recipes
Fall is a great time to make Fire Cider to be ready for winter.
Baby Bok Choy + Shitake Stir Fry
Most of the Winter Recipes will also be supportive
This Little Figgy Crumb Pudding
From High Vibrational Beauty
1/2 cup coconut oil, plus more for greasing the pan
8 to 10 fresh figs, halved
1 cup of coconut flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt
1/2 cup Aquafaba (the juice inside a can of chickpeas)
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract or 1/2 vanilla bean
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place a piece of parchment paper on the bottom of a 9” springform pan. Grease both the parchment and sides of the pan with the reserved coconut oil. Place the figs, cut-side down, on the bottom of the pan and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
Place the aquafaba and sugar in the bowl of a mixer. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form. Add in the vanilla and coconut oil and whip for two additional minutes. Working in stages, add in the flour mixture until just combined. Pour the batter over the figs. Place the pan on a baking sheet to prevent any spills and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool. Remove from the pan and gently flip, using a serving plate to assist.
plant medicine
My favorite Autumn herbs + medicinal mushrooms. I mostly enjoy these as teas, tonics + infusions but you can also get many like Kava in a tincture (be mindful it has numbing properties when you take it and can make your mouth feel a little funny at first). Olive leaf I take in capsules and I shared my favorite Damiana tincture below. Different preparations emphasize different properties.
NERVINES + ADAPTOGENS
Skullcap
Passionflower
Damiana
Kava Kava
Reishi Mushroom - a favorite of mine I speak of often. In addition to all of the physical benefits, helping us to feel safe, it is also a great tonic to use in meditation to help expand consciousness and connect with our higher mind and the Otherworld (see below). Also good for immunity.
Linden
Gynostemma
Siberian Ginseng
immune support
Astragalus Root
Echinacea
Turkey Tail Mushroom
Chaga Mushroom
Ginger
Olive Leaf
Cats Claw
Schisandra berry
LUNG SPECIFIC
Tulsi
Mullein
Skullcap
🌿🌿🌿 You can also bring a big pot of water to boil (and then simmer) on the stove and put herbs in for immunity + lung support to cleanse the air and add moisture during this time when the air is drier. Some good options are: rosemary, thyme, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, sage, lavender, lemon balm + basil. You can let it simmer all day with enough water.
create some consistency
While being rigid about strict routine is not ideal for everyone. Use your chart to see how ritual and rhythm may uniquely serve you. Look to your arrows + what they have to tell you you as well as your North Node. Do you have Gate 5 which is deeply rhythmic (or Channel 5-15)? Do you have Gate 15 which carries its own rhythm within extremes… do you allow your rhythm to change and flow?
Because Vata season can feel a bit chaotic energetically, it can be really helpful to support ourselves with some routine or way to create consistency (when we go to bed/wake up, times we eat, time for a meditation practice or exercise, etc..).
Develop some supportive daily habits
exfoliate
Fall is a good time to shed some old skin layers as well. Gentle exfoliation can be good any time if it feels good for your skin. If you are a menstruating woman you want to avoid any deeper or chemical exfoliation while you are on your period (and the few days leading up to as your skin thins and there is a drop in collagen).
Some of my favorite fairly gentle exfoliators for the face: aloe vera, papaya, honey (especially Manuka), yogurt, clays, pureed pumpkin, adzuki bean powder, chickpea powder/flour.
There are lots of different potential combinations. A great easy mask is yogurt mixed with honey or after scooping out a papaya to enjoy, rub the inside of the skin on your face, let it dry and rinse. You can also make a paste with chickpea or adzuki flour and use in a gentle circular motion.
You can also make a simple body scrub with sea salt and olive oil mixed into a paste or for just hydration (+ relaxation) take a long soak in the tub with seaweed.
It’s always good to follow exfoliation (at night before bed) with moisture rather than any active serums.
wear a scarf
In Chinese medicine it is said that Wind enters the back/nape of the neck causing illness so protecting our neck helps us to stay healthy. Bundle up!
P R A C T I C E
Intentionally de-condition.
Fall is connected to late afternoon/early evening. Transition from output to input, from doing to being, around these times.
REST!!! Find times to bring ample relaxation into your days. Be discerning with where you put your energy.
Lay your body on the Earth. Spend time in connection + release.
Tend to your garden, cutting back and clearing dead brush.
Contemplate what is ready to die in your life + be composted for new life.
What is ready to release? What is ready to release? What is ready to release?
Work with mindfulness practices and meditation to settle + soothe the mind.
Connect with your Strategy, Authority + intuitive gates of inner knowing. Connect to your intuition through the Third Eye Toolbox.
Fists of Anger for releasing negativity.
Find a resonant Kundalini Kriya to work with.
Braiding your hair grounds you to the Earth.
Get a book and learn what you can forage in your area or follow this gem.
Learn to make plant medicine.
Visit the Third Eye Toolbox for dreamwork support + The Crown for connecting to divination.
Rebounding to move lymph.
Work with + nourish the earthly Chakras: The Root, The Sacral, The Solar Plexus
Wear the warm colors of the above Chakras (orange, deep reds, browns + mustards).
Breath of Fire to build heat, move stagnation and clear mucus.
Enjoy infrared saunas regularly.
Sesame oil abhyanga
Visit a local farmers market.
Have friends over for dinner to enjoy the bounty.
Take your time with something. With everything.
Explore Shamanic Journeying if you feel called.
Practice left nostril breath (or alternating).
Slow flows in yoga (gentle Sun + Moon Salutations) are nourishing during Fall as well as standing and balancing poses and those that foster your connection to the Earth. Restorative Childs Pose + Legs Up the Wall help ground excess Vata.
Warm baths with 1-2 cups of apple cider vinegar. ACV can reduce inflammation and joint pain as well as clear bacterial conditions and provide nutrients to your skin (and absorbed through). Dunk your head to give your hair and scalp a healthy boost.
Exercise during early morning or early evening hours. Bonus at sunrise or sunset to support healthy hormones and circadian rhythm.
Get in the Spirit.
Cook a nourishing dinner.
Spend time in nature, especially around water.
Take an evening walk.
Make something.
Learn more about your ancestry.
Read poetry or about your gates.
Find an accountability buddy to help you meet your goals.
Cultivate healthy boundaries.
String marigolds. You can use them as table decoration, garlands or on altars for your Samhain or Day of the Dead celebrations (see below).
Check out Winter rituals + practices as well as there can be a lot of supportive crossover.
Bless your food. Put water under full moons to absorb her powers. Say a little prayer and then blow it into your beverage. Practice sacredness.
Practice Gratitude:
“Everyday there is a reminder to be Grateful (Great-Full). Gratitude and inadequacy can’t occupy the same moment.
At meals look and see all there is to be grateful for. Take notice of all the beings that participate in the food you eat. Count them all with gratitude; and note how the whole of life is working for your existence. The farmers, truck drivers, fisherman, engineers, shop-keepers, bankers, earthworms, rain… all of them are in the body of you life supporting you.
Each time you exchange money or pay bills gratefully participate with Spirit as the phone company, the government, the clerk. Be moved by our interdependence and be grateful for the Whole body of life. At the end of the day if you find you have forgotten to be grateful, just review the day and give thanks for all you received. It is never too late to be grateful.”
-Matthew + Terces Engelhart, The Abounding River Logbook
R I T U A L
CLEARING + COMPOSTING
Space Making
Clearing + cleaning out is not just for Spring. It’s really for anytime, as I believe in constantly taking inventory of our belongings to make sure they still serve us, are getting used, and light us up. When we are not utilizing or wearing something it creates stagnant energy.
At least twice a year we want to intentionally make space for new energy and Autumn is also a supported time. Get into your closets, corners, and drawers where things tend to accumulate. Look around your house and notice what is no longer bringing you joy and re-home it with the objective that it finds a new loving place.
Cleansing your Environment
This is really good habit to get into daily. Choose plants, resins or trees to burn that feel resonant to you and are ethically harvested. Burning palo santo, yerba santa, cinnamon sticks, sweetgrass, frankincense, cedar, juniper, etc..
Smudging has been practiced cross-culturally and globally for centuries. As you do so, do it with intention. Connect to Source, your guides, Mama Earth and ask for help in clearing negative energies and filling the space with love. Make sure to get in the corners where energy gets stuck. Once finished let it burn out in a fire-safe dish like an abalone shell or snuff it in a potted plant.
+ Make your own magical broom or purchase one here! Brooms are not just for cleaning our physical environment but our energetic one as well. Use it with intention to move negative energy out the door. I plan to make one soon with things I find in nature.
+ Make a spray for cleansing your environment. My favorite is a bit of spring water, of colloidal silver, of alcohol + favorite essential oils. I like cedar, sage, juniper or sweetgrass for cleansing, frankincense + vetiver for grounding. Or you can buy one here.
Compost Broth
Compost broth is a great way to make use of your kitchen scraps in a sustainable way, saving the ends of celery, onions, roots, carrots, kale stalks, beets, mushrooms, cabbage, the ends of herbs, the cores of fruit, the outer layers of an onion, etc.. You can keep it all in the freezer until you have enough to cook down into stock, adding some fresh veg, herbs or spices if you need/desire.
I always sauté everything (like an onion, not frozen) with ghee for several minutes before adding the frozen compost and water to cover, bringing to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer for an hour or two to deepen the flavor. You can make large batches and then freeze what’s left to use later.
products
Turkey tail, Reishi + Chaga medicinal mushrooms and tonics.
Propolis Throat Spray
Four Thieves Candle inspired by botanicals believed to prevent the plague. (see story)
This incredible ghee. I LOVE every one I’ve tried but am especially obsessed with the cartelized garlic.
Gentle retinol serum
I LOVE Triphala for most people to constantly support your body + remove toxins.
For seasonal allergies.
Mountain Rose for ordering bulk herbs.
Jing herbs for all my favorite tonics. This one particularly for profound relaxation.
Herbal smokes which may feel particularly supportive for Mountain Environments
Mugwort oil or smudge for deeper dreaming and better recall.
Work with Ghost Pipe - the queen of liminal spaces + moments of becoming
the otherworld
Fall is considered the time when the veil between worlds is at its thinnest. It is a liminal time, an in-between time, when we are really neither here nor there. It is a time of magic and connecting to the Otherworld, to the unseen and the subtle. When we open ourselves up to connecting to the Otherworld we also strengthen our ability to connect to our own higher consciousness and to the Infinite, to possibilities.
There is the story that the Fair Folk, the Sidhe, once lived among us but at some point the worlds separated. Our world focused more on the mundane, a world of matter while the other a world more of fluid imagination. We are surrounded by Spirits, of nature and subtle energy beings. It is said that we only see the surface of what is here, the tip of the iceberg, while 98% remains invisible to most of us. There is consciousness all around and there are portals all around as well, in places like caves, transitions in landscape, wells and holes in trees.
Samhain
Samhain is actually considered the Celtic New Year. It is celebrated on November 1 (my birthday :) but with rituals and celebrations beginning on October 31. It makes sense that we would begin anew in the darkest part of the year. It is at its heart an Earth based holiday that was sort of co-opted or adapted by Pagans. It marks the beginning of winter, the darkest time of the year in the Northern hemisphere. It crosses over with Halloween as well as the Day of the Dead, a celebration of ancestors originating in Mexico. I love participating in my own ways.
Some options are:
create an ancestral altar with some of their favorite things, flowers, foods, as well as a glass of water and/or items connected to them
put out a Spirit plate
honor the darkness, “plant seeds”, use candlelight rather than artificial light.
be in ceremony in some way, cut cords
host a feast, better yet make it a seasonal pot luck.
make a pot of cider or mulled wine
drink Hawthorn tea with the intention to open your heart + invoke magic.
draw tarot cards (check out this Otherworld Tarot Deck)
meditate + connect to ancestors to ask for guidance + healing
set intentions to clear intergenerational trauma (see Meeting Ground to explore karmic trauma within your lineage)
go on a Shamanic Journey
write something down that is ready to be released and burn it in the fire.
set intention(s) around what you want to create in the coming year, similar to planting seeds at a New Moon
let go of old ghosts (energy doesn’t end it only transmutes)
From a Chinese medicine perspective, ghosts are anything that haunts you whether an event, relationship, old trauma… something that is still tethered, that has not been fully released, processed or ‘finished’. This is a powerful time (this holiday, and the season of Fall in general) to LET GO.
ADDITIONAL READING:
Anam Cara: A book of Celtic Wisdom
Conversations with the Sidhe
The Druid Shaman: Exploring the Celtic Otherworld
Ancestral Medicine: Rituals for Personal and Family Healing
If Women Rose Rooted
In Light.