Fall is the season of letting go. Of making decisions about what will be harvested, what will be cut back, what will live and what will die. All around us, leaves fall to the Earth to break apart, rot, and get composted into something new. Plants die back, sending their energy down into their roots to go underground for the winter. The sun glides lower across the sky, casting longer shadows with the precious light of the last sunny days.
Today is the Fall Equinox — when light and dark are in balance. We find ourselves at a tipping point, when the length of the day is equal to the length of the night. From here on out, the light wanes a little bit more each day as we shift into the dark half of the year: a time of rest, transformation, and connecting with mystery. This point in between light and dark is a ripe time for reflection:
What have we been cultivating during the solar-fueled growing season?
What resources can we draw on to sustain us into the winter months?
Where do we find balance?
In Chinese medicine, fall is the season of metal, an element associated with the lungs and with grief. As the days get shorter, we may feel the pull of the season turning us inward. We may also experience grief, sadness, or constriction — all metal qualities.
When we find ourselves in a place of constriction, it is important to keep moving, keep feeling. Our energy can stagnate when we don’t fully allow ourselves to be with what’s happening, to feel our feelings and give them space to move.
Right now is a great time to slow down and notice what changes the season is bringing. Fall invites us to let go of what’s holding us back or dragging us down, and make conscious choices about saying yes or saying no. It’s a time of refining, of simplifying. What is most important? What needs tending? How can we create more balance in our lives, in our relationships, in the world, in our city?
We may want to carve out more time for rest; we may gather with community to celebrate the harvest, and share the bounty with folks who have less access to resources. If we broaden our lens, balance is not just something to attain in our own lives — it’s something we move toward together. We are all constantly influencing and impacting each other, part of a vast living system seeking homeostasis. How can we, collectively, through our millions of daily acts, help move this system toward greater balance, toward restoration, toward justice?