The evenings are drawing in fast, and it is suddenly cooler in the shade. The breeze through the trees results in a flurry of the first leaf fall, and my working day is punctuated by the sound of acorns falling! The annual treasure of beautiful conkers makes any trip outdoors an adventure, and the rain, where I live in the Northwest UK, suddenly starts to pour for days instead of hours.

Yes, it is Autumn – the season heralding the end of Summer and the darkness coming in. We have just had the yearly marker of Equinox, that wonderful point of balance that tips the Sun’s journey towards the darker months.

The Sun travels across the sky from North East and North West at Summer Solstice, to South East and South West at Winter Solstice, and is due East and West at the two Equinox’s, marking a pause of balance, of light and dark, day and night.

I feel the balancing influence of Equinox continue throughout Autumn. Those moments of warmth reminding us of Summer, those moments of winds and frost, reminding us that we are heading into the colder months. It is also a time of preparation, tidying the garden, making our cold and flu remedies from the results of our foraging, last minute changes to our homes as we get ready for the indoor times.

I do love the introspection of the Winter, so I do also relish the balance that early Autumn brings. The calm that the weather than bring us is truly good for the soul, and always leads me to inner reflection. What harvests am I personally reaping? Have I done all I aimed to do this year? Are my magical workings on track, have I achieved all I wished to achieve, progressed as far I wanted to?

Learning in life never ends, and exploration of Magic and Spirit should never end either. However, it can lead to us becoming lost in ourselves, ungrounded, and disconnected from the natural source of all magic that is around us every day. Balance in all things is important! Let the glory around us at this time of year be a tonic to bring calm and insight.

Meditation for early Autumnal Balance

Close your eyes

Take a deep breath in, and release

Do that again, deep breath in, and release

And continue to work with your breath, really focussing on its movement in and out of your body

Watching your tummy rise and fall

And then move your awareness to your right foot

Really observe how it feels, the ground beneath it, any footwear touching your skin

And then your left foot, do the same again

And now your right hand

Is it warm or cold? What are you touching?

And now your left hand, the same

And then back to your right

And now take your focus back to your breath

That centring effect of your breath

Be aware of the column of chakras within the centre of your body, those natural energy centres ,like a tree trunk within

And reach down from your belly to your root chakra, that energy centre at the bottom of your torso, between the tops of your legs

And feel its grounding influence

Bringing strength and balance to you

With each breath feel a little stronger, more centred, more grounded

And then reach down with you awareness to your feet, both feet, equally

And feel your awareness connect with the earthing chakras on the soles of your feet

And with the Earth below

and sit and breathe with that energy

The grounding, centring energy of Mother Earth

sense that She is preparing for sleep, for a time of slumber and stillness

But it is not quite time for Her, as it is not quite time for us

And while you sit, strengthened by Her energy, and that of Nature all around you

Reflect a little on the year so far, on all the seeds you have sown, and the personal harvests you have reaped

Are there new goals for the coming year? Are there lessons learnt that you can take forward.

Breathe with those thoughts for a little while

And then, making any mental notes you need to, allow those thoughts to drift away and bring your focus back to your breath

And your connection to the Earth energies below you

Sense that energy moving up , from your feet chakras, up and up to your root chakra

and feel Her energy there

Grounding you, centring you, strengthening you

So you can move forward in your life feeling  strong and capable, grounded and focussed

Now gently move your awareness up from that connection, up to your root, and then your belly

Take a big deep breath in, release

And when you are ready, open your eyes

This meditation can be used whenever you feel out of balance and need grounding. It is a wonderful way to restore balance into a busy life. Are there particular times when you feel in need of centring?