Autumn’s here.
Do you feel the carpet being pulled from underneath your feet 〰 the sudden chill, the darker mornings, the quiet shift of energy?
Or do you, perhaps, feel a sense of relief as the pace slows down, as the world turns inwards, as the invitation to rest gently whispers through the falling leaves?
For some, autumn is a tapestry of beauty 〰 golden sunlight, crisp air, trees clothed in orange, yellow and red. For others, it brings heaviness 〰 grey skies, endless rain, shorter days.
However it manifests for you, autumn has a lot to offer.
Even more when you feel challenged by this season – it will be a great teacher for you.
Let’s explore what’s possible when we embrace this season – and how to surrender into the discomfort it might bring to surface.
(If you’d like a refresher on the perks of cyclical living, have a peek at my Spring blog: Reawakening with spring.)
But, before reading on, pause for a moment. Take a slow breath.
And ask yourself:
🌀 Reflection Prompt
What does autumn mean to me?
What colours, scents, textures, or emotions arise when I think of this season?
Here’s what rises for me:
The dampness of morning dew
The earthy scent of rain-soaked soil
Sniffy noses and a drop in immunity
The joy of fallen leaves underfoot
The many shades of orange, yellow and red
Wet & darker days days
The comfort of warm & nourishing stews
Pumpkins
Candlelight
In India, the amazing smell of saptaparni on the streets
Embracing feminine qualities such as softness, vulnerability and fluidity
Nature’s Teachings of Autumn
Autumn is a threshold season 〰 a time of transition between the fullness of summer(/monsoon) and the stillness of winter.
It’s nature’s exhale, the potent movement from doing to being.
The harvest has happened, the fields are empty now.
Trees begin to release their leaves, not in despair but in devotion 〰 knowing that what they let go of will nourish their roots & soil.
This season invites us to do the same – in a colourful and graceful way.
To release what is no longer serving us.
To digest the experiences of the past months.
To allow what has run its course to fall away, making space for what is yet to come.
Autumn reminds us that letting go is not a loss 〰 it’s a preparation, a release, a necessity to evolve.
A natural part of the cyclical dance between expansion and contraction, light and dark, outer and inner.
The Season of the Goddess – Sharad Rtu
In India, this time of year is known as Sharad Rtu 〰 a season celebrated for its balance, beauty, and feminine grace. Under calm blue skies and soft golden sunlight, the earth emits a quiet radiance.
Sharad Rtu is often called the season of the Goddess 〰 she who creates, nurtures, and sustains life. Throughout India, autumn is marked by festivals that honour the divine feminine, such as Navratri, the nine nights of the goddess Durga, celebrating the power that both destroys and renews, the victory of good over evil, and Diwali, inviting the light of Lakshmi 〰 the goddess of inner and outer abundance 〰 into our homes and hearts.
Through these rituals, autumn becomes a descent into darkness AND a journey toward inner light.
A reminder that darkness is equally important as light.
The festivals are a beautiful testimony of the powers of the divine Feminine – which we all carry inside of us.
And right now is thé moment to embrace our Feminine qualities – as they are naturally more dominant in this dark half of the year.
Living in Alignment with Autumn
After months of outward motion, autumn gently asks us to turn inward.
It’s a time to digest, to trust the slowing, and to receive.
A time to say no more often.
A time to let the Feminine rise 〰 not as softness alone, but as deep receptivity, discernment, and truth.
Autumn shows us how growth requires release.
Letting go of the old and meeting the darkness, creates space for the new to take root.
As the days shorten, allow your rhythms to follow nature’s lead.
Suggestions for autumn-aligned action
- Dim lights earlier
- Create moments of stillness/pause between activities
- Rest. Rest And rest more – train that muscle for the next season
- Move your body fluidly
- Allow silence to do its quiet, deep work
- Ask yourself the following questions:
🌀 Reflection prompts:
– What in my life feels ready to be released?
– Where am I still holding on 〰 to people, roles, habits, or stories that hold me down?
– What might freedom look like 〰 if I let these fall away?
In this way, you begin to align with the deeper pulse of the season 〰 the pulse that says:
It’s okay to slow down. You are not falling behind. You are not loosing your way. You are returning home. You are finding your depth.
The Inner Autumn – A critical Mirror
In our menstrual cycle, the cyclical rhythm of our bodies, autumn mirrors the premenstrual phase 〰 the phase between ovulation and menstruation.
Just as nature prepares for winter, the body prepares for stillness, for a return to our essence, and begins its own descent inward.
🍁 Energy wanes and we become more permeable.
🍁 Emotions rise to the surface and our immunity goes down.
🍁 Our intuition heightens and gut feeling becomes stronger.
Inner critic
Thé ideal moment for our inner critic to appear 〰 not as an enemy, but as a (undiplomatic) truth-teller, sharing (often unasked for) feedback that reveals where we’ve strayed from our deeper integrity.
This can be overwhelming, but our inner critic only wants the best for us.
It is never criticising who we are. Instead, it helps us designing a life in alignment with the perfectly amazing unique being that we are.
In this phase, we are asked to be with our darkness, to meet our shadows.
When we try to ignore or bypass this phase, our body will revolt, louder and louder… until we do listen.
A friend of mine calls it ‘her inner dragon coming to surface’ – phase.
We all have experienced that.
And when this 🐉 happens, it is crucial to remember that – no matter how things come to surface, how much you overreacted/exploded/dramatically communicated – there is a core truth in what you are expressing that nééds to be seen and heard. Do make an effort to compassionately acknowledge that truth, for yourself and the people that might have been involved in your tantrum.
Discernment & holding the tension
This inner autumn also is a time of discernment 〰 of pruning, editing, refining.
🍂 Reflection prompts:
– Am I actually doing what I want to be doing?
– What no longer fits in my life?
– Where am I bypassing myself?
– What truth needs to be spoken 〰 even if it shakes things up?
In this phase, power lies not in doing more nor in figuring everything out.
Power lies in holding the tension 〰 between what is ending and what is not yet known.
It can feel uncomfortable: moods shifting, energy dipping, emotions raw and unfiltered, physical discomfort such as tender breasts, cramps and bloating.
But when we learn how to listen to these premenstrual symptoms, these sensations are not a punishment; they are your initiation.
Your initiation into a bigger version of you.
They clarify what’s in and what’s out, what is you and what is not, and they help you put boundaries.
They strengthen our capacity to stand in our truth, to wield our power wisely, and to meet life with grounded authority.
Autumn’s Superpower
The Red School – where I took my mentorship trajectory – amazingly defined autumn’s superpower as ‘grounded inner authority‘.
As we let go of what no longer serves us, and speak our truth, we root deeper into what truly matters to us and who we are.
This rooting becomes the foundation of integrity 〰 a quiet confidence that guides us to live, work, and act in alignment with our deeper truth, and who we want to be.
🍂 Practice inspo:
Next inner autumn, try these:
- Make space to be with yourself
- Do things that comfort you
- Say no more often
- Be discerning
- Add more pause into your day
- And, do a 15-min free writing practice, asking your inner critic "What am I ready to release?"
Don’t overthink 〰 let the words tumble out.
When you’re done, put on a nice tune, shake your body/booty fully, breath deeply, and take some time to feel into the release
And remember, you can always make small shifts;
Define what a 1% change/space looks like for you, and gift it to yourself 🍂🥮🎃
In Closing
As nature sheds her layers, she does so in grace and slowness 〰 not in haste.
May this season remind you that rest & release are no failures, they are a strengthening and a deepening.
When you surrender to change, you make space for transformation.
When you slow down, you make room for receiving your wisdom and tuning into your intuition.
And when you listen inwardly, you begin to live from your truest power.
If this speaks to you 〰 if you feel the pull to explore your own inner seasons and rediscover the power of your feminine rhythm 〰 I invite you to join me this November for Stepping into Your Feminine Power, a course designed to help you embody the wisdom of cyclical living, to align your life with your natural flow, and to trust in your feminine qualities.
Until then, may your autumn be a season of softness, surrender, and growing illumination from within.
With love,
Stéphanie 🌞🌙
Awareness. Embodiment. Alignment. Transformation.
