You know that there is a difference in the air. The nights are starting to be tinged with a bit of cold and the trees are turning red, orange or yellow. The Autumn Equinox is here!
This is also known as the “second harvest” or a time when you can experience the fruits of your labor as you celebrate your hard work. We welcome this change in season by inviting fall décor into our homes and rich recipes with apples and warm spices into our kitchens. It is also an opportunity to go inward and tune into the energy around us. Just like the ebb and flow that occurs in nature, we instinctively want to balance the expansiveness of summer with the introspection of fall. This is a time to wind down and prepare for the slow, restorative winter months. Here are ways to get started:
1. Let go. First of all, everything is energy. Our thoughts and feelings emit a vibration, and what we send out to the world is what we receive back. This isn’t just some “airy-fairy” thing -it’s quantum physics. That means that whatever we give our attention to (good or bad) grows. If you focus on happiness, hope, and satisfaction, you’ll experience more of that. If you focus on pain, regret, and fear, you’ll experience more of that. Have you ever told yourself to stop worrying, only to find more things to worry about? The same goes for letting go. Unless you’re able to truly let it go by withdrawing your attention completely from the negative, you’re more likely to focus on the unwanted and thus draw more of that into your life. It’s all about your mindset. It’s almost as if this time of year is synchronized to assist you in letting go of burdens. Why? The Autumn Equinox is when the Earth is perfectly balanced with equal light and darkness, night and day. As we transition into longer nights, we can dig deep, get honest with ourselves and release what no longer serves us or blocks us from great things –individually, as a family or globally.
2. Set intentions. What do you really want for yourself? Make sure you’re setting an intention that resonates with you at a deep level. It’s easy to confuse what we want for ourselves with what others want for us, or even what we think others want for us. Spend some time in stillness, until you reach a place that feels authentic. You’ll probably feel it in your gut. Set an intention from that exact place and then make sure you do not make it about what you are going to do. Make it about who you are going to be. Instead of telling yourself you will go on a diet or go to the gym five times a week, repeating the words “I will make health and fitness a priority in my life” is better. Daily affirmations work wonders in manifesting the larger vision we have for ourselves.
3. Go big. We are shaped by a lifetime of limiting beliefs. Actually, we are limited by generations of survival mechanisms that are designed to keep us safe and minimize risk. In setting intentions, it’s crucial to see the forest from the trees. Your level of perception expands when you are willing to step out of the box to better understand your true potential. Ask yourself questions that help you grow. What structures have you outgrown? Is your passion the same as your purpose? Then write your answers down on paper. Something huge happens when we put it in writing. Thoughts become things -concrete and tangible things! We breathe life into our intentions by putting pen to paper and committing to bring them forth. Keep them in a special journal or a safe place where you can refer to them over the next few months.
Once you let go of the old, set new intentions and see things objectively with positivity as your guide, you will find it is easier to focus more on how to be grateful and inspired.
Fall forward and don’t look back!
If you enjoyed this article, check out Heart & Mind Learning and/or follow our Instagram and Facebook pages.