Pause: Receive and Let Go
As the autumn equinox approaches, nature reminds us that life is always turning in cycles. Just as the length of days and nights come into balance, we are invited to find balance within ourselves.
The fall holds a beautiful paradox: harvest and release. It’s a time to pause and feel gratitude for all that we receive—the literal harvest, as well as our blessings, growth, the quiet abundance in our lives—and it’s also a time to let go. Like the trees that drop their leaves with the change of season, we can also let go of the old and make more space for rest and renewal.
Energy healer Hilary Nicholls—who will lead our quarterly “Circle of Light” nature-based guided meditation on Tuesday, September 16, to welcome autumn in community—reminds us that these turning points in the year mirror our own inner journey. She invites us to pause and reflect:
What am I grateful to be receiving?
What do I long to open to more fully?
What am I ready to release to create space for what truly nourishes me?
To honor this equinox balance point, Hilary offers a short self-guided meditation to help us tune into the season of autumn and embrace its joy and beauty.
Receive the Beauty of Autumn Meditation
Place your hands gently over your heart, and close your eyes.
Inhale fully, pause for a moment at the top of your breath, then exhale slowly, releasing and resting into the ease of your breath’s natural rhythm.
Repeat this breathing pattern a few times. Feel yourself being gently rocked by your own breath, carried into a state of ease.
Now focus your imagination on a beautiful place in nature, observing how it shifts from summer to fall. The sun is lowering in the sky, casting a softer angle of light across the landscape. The air is turning crisp and fresh, carrying the scents of fall. Trees are preparing to release their beautifully colored leaves.
As the length of day and nights come into balance, feel the balance within your own body. When you inhale, receive Nature’s beauty into your heart. When you exhale, feel gratitude for the joy this beauty brings you. Continue for as long as you like.
When your meditation feels complete, rest for a few breaths, being present with your body by focusing on your physical sensations. Slowly open your eyes, look around, and carry this gratitude and sense of balance with you as you step back into your day.
