Autumn Equinox celebrations

[ATimeForReflection]

When my childen were younger, we'd always mark the autumn equinox with a nature walk, noting the signs of the changing seasons, a small fire in the garden, cooking, nature art etc. As they grew older, we'd also consider the year so far, celebrate our achievements, set goals, prepare for winter etc. It was just a time of peaceful reflection and togetherness.

When they left home for university and had their own plans etc, this lessened but I still marked it privately in my own way.

This year, i have decided to revive the tradition and invited my children (and their partners) to come over again for a fire, food and conversation. They're both looking forward to it. They are both quite reflective and 'intentional'. Eg they don't really bumble through life letting it happen around them, they like to have things to work towards acknowledge their own paths through life, reflect on what is going well, what isn't and how they can improve things for themselves.

I do the same. Its a time for taking stock. A personal harvest where we are thankful for the fruits of our labours, sharing stories and making plans for the season ahead.

I just wondered if anyone else does similar?

We’ve never done anything for the equinox but I do treat early September in a similar way to you - reflection and the looking ahead. September feels like New Year to me (my kitchen calendar is September to August). September is also a month where I feel the beginning and end are very different to each other and I can’t think of another month where I notice that, not even in March when the other equinox takes place.

For the last five years my local park has held a “lantern walk” on the first Saturday after the clocks go back at the end of October. It’s organised by the park community group and at dusk everyone meets with lanterns/torches and we walk the perimeter of the park (about 1km) mainly under the trees. Lots of people of all ages turn up for it and it’s a good chance to catch up with people you haven’t seen for a while, get some fresh air and a bit of exercise. At the moment I do it with DD11 (nearly 12) but I’ll probably keep doing it even if she doesn’t want to anymore.

No, it all sounds far too deep and self-reflective for me but we're all different.

I do look forward to the clocks going back though.

Although it doesn't take long for me to start looking forward to them going forward again.

A lantern walk sounds bloody lovely 🍂 🍁 🍂 🍁

This is lovely. How do you get into the right mindset for reflection and intention? It always feels overwhelming to do “on demand”

Drink half a bottle of vodka. As I know I have got 6 months of darkness induced misery to get through.

This sounds lovely. I might have to do this ☺️

Ooh, a lantern walk sounds lovely!

Yeah, I've always considered September as the 'new year' too! I always have an academic year diary for the same reason.

I suppose i start thinking about it when the first signs of the season changing appear. I don't just switch it on, I'm mindful throughout the year. I just find it's a way of keeping in touch with what really feels important and being thankful for the positives, which I find is especially important when life feels hard!

I spend a lot of time in the garden just observing. I love watching the seasons change to the next. I find I'm less content overall when life is just happening to me. If you know what I mean?

We each find our own way through but this helps the darkest days of winter to feel less neverending too.

Its not long until midwinter when the days start lengthening again and the daylight hours increase and not long again before the signs of new growth. And then it all starts all over again.

I think we (collectively) have lost our connection to the natural world.

Unless you are walking through area that is not in drought, is a lantern walk not a good idea? (I assume the lanterns are lit by candles/flame)

It is long though. It’s quarter of the year!

My own lantern has an electric bulb and most other people’s lanterns are electric too. Some people do use the candlelit lanterns but the ones I’ve seen are covered over as a lot of children do attend this event.
The walk isn’t until the first Saturday in November and hopefully by then we’ll have had a decent amount of rain, (already had a fair bit over the last couple of weeks and grass in the park is looking greener) but I do accept that the candlelit lanterns could be a fire risk.

I know. Which is why I find ways of easing the pain 😉