The sun begins to sink lower into the sky and the night becomes chilly and dark. We leave the Summer heat behind and the blooming flowers are replaced by crisp leaves. Before we even notice the changing of colours with our eyes, our senses tell us that summer has come to an end.
Beautiful and nostalgic, the fall is a season drenched in tradition, encompassing many feelings, emotions and ideas. Change and transformation fills the air as nature around us changes. The leaves transform into bewildering reds and oranges, before they fall and bare the trees, reminding us how change can be scary but also a beautiful thing. The meaning of Fall is different for everyone. Some find a spiritual connection with the season while others get nostalgic over the memories.
Wednesday 22nd September marks the day of the Autumn Equinox, the changing of seasons from Summer to Autumn. The Autumn Equinox is a meaningful time of year to honor the harvest. Traditionally, the harvest period is when farmers collected their crop for the winter and celebrated what they had grown and achieved. It was a time of being grateful for what surrounded you. Honoring the harvest can be the "real" harvest of the things planted in your garden or the harvest of efforts and intentions you set earlier in the year. If you are more drawn to the latter then fall is the best season to find a new perspective.
Fall is the end of many things but it can also represent the beginning and you can use this season to help you find the balance you need.
On the day of the Autumn Equinox, the day and night are both of equal length and last 12 hours, which only happens on the two equinox days of the year. It’s a day of balance and interaction of the light and the dark. This can signal the need to balance light and darkness within us too. With the changes that occur in nature throughout this season, many find a comfort in reflecting this change into their personal life. Observing nature and reflecting it. Fall can help you find the balance you need as it too is finding its own balance.
So perhaps give yourself a little time out to embrace the change of season, a shifting of feelings and ideas as we enter Autumn and what this means to us. Whether it’s sitting quietly at home on your own, or taking a walk outside, allow yourself some mindful time. If you’re taking a walk outside, try to notice the nature around you - what can you see? What can you hear? If you want to stay inside then burn a candle or some incense sticks. Let you mind wander for that little while.
Traditionally, burning a bundle of dried sage helps to cleanse your space and body. By gently burning the end of the bundle you can walk around your home, or even just gently waft it around yourself, and let the aromas encompass the space.
Every new season welcomes in an array of emotions, feelings and ideas that weren’t there previously but we’ve felt before. Nostalgia. Autumn and Winter are the seasons we get cozy and warm, we surround ourselves with comfort and the feeling of wanting to be nurtured. We created our Autumn Fig candle to encompass this nostalgic Autumnal feeling.
Autumn Fig is sweet but woody, the crisp anise invites an autumn walk with rusty leaves, whilst earthy cedar and soothing vetiver encourage you to keep a calm mind and ground yourself with comfort and warmth. This candle only gets released every Autumn and this is why we love it. Every year we are welcomed again with this warming scent that gives a feeling of nurture and the emotion of the coming winter.
Images by Carolyn Carter.