Fall Equinox
RITUAL: Balance | SOLAR TERM: Qiu Fen | SEASON: Mid-Fall
September 23 - October 7
The sixteenth solar term of the Chinese calendar is called Qiu Fen. Qiu Fen is the fourth solar term of Fall. It marks the mid-point of the solar year, the middle of Autumn and the Fall Equinox when the length of day and night are equal.
Westerners think of the Fall Equinox as the first day of Autumn. But according to the Chinese solar calendar, we are already half way through the Fall season. This last half of Fall is to be savored with delight and thoroughly enjoyed before the cold winter weather sets in. It’s also the time of harvesting, feasting and making our homes cozy in preparation for the winter months ahead.
Shadow
Following the Fall Equinox, the nights will begin to be longer and the days will become shorter. We’ll enter the second half of the year in which there is more night time and less day light. Entering a period of increasingly more and more dark and less and less light, is the most optimal time to do some shadow work.
Of course, shadow work is something you can do on an ongoing basis year-round. Because like a woman’s work, shadow work is never done. There’s always something more to discover and reveal, befriend and benefit from, embrace and embody, integrate and become one with.
I like to go through my own Integrating Your Shadow course during the month of October. Each year, I read a new book on the shadow and embark on my own dark night of the soul. I journal about what I find in the underworld, wickedness and being the villain, enemies to lovers or frenemies to besties tropes, soul gifts and zones of genius hidden in the darkness, making the unconscious conscious, being whole within, the divine union of masculine and feminine, sacred alchemy and marrying the night.
Balance
Today, September 23, 2023, marks a moment of perfect balance. Each year, there are two moments when the dark and light are in perfect balance. The Spring Equinox in March and the Fall Equinox in September. Depending on where you are in the world, that moment of balanced night and day, dark and light, yin and yang, occurred last night or is occurring sometime today.
The cycles of energy and changing seasons model the embodiment practices that bestow the wisdom of Mother Earth on those who are in tune with her cyclical nature. Equinoxes show us that a balance of energy is possible, even if only for a moment. But that trying to gain and maintain balance in all things, every day of the year, is unnatural and impossible. Equinoxes teach us to acknowledge and celebrate these moments, instead of trying to hold on to them and keep them in stasis forever. Because balance is found in the continual flow of receiving and releasing, the welcoming in and the letting go.
While balance is a worthy intention and highly beneficial, it’s not sustainable or even natural. In The 8 Elements work, there are things we can do to balance our energy. And balance is absolutely essential to wellness, well-being and a well-lived life. But that’s just half the story.
What is natural is honoring the ever-changing cycles and different aspects of energy. That’s why my work with The 8 Elements is “a guide to honoring your unique personal energy”. Yes, it’s vital to balance your yin and yang energy and your physical health and mental states with your emotional expressions and spiritual consciousness. But, just as we honor the seasonal changes in our dress and decor, food and festivities, we also need to honor what is unique to ourselves.
For more, read about Feng Shui Yourself’s The Honor System self-study course.
Harvest
Fall is synonymous with harvest. If you planted a garden, you’re busy turning all of the abundance of produce into bountiful feasts or pantry stable food storage. If you planted seeds of intention for yourself, your life or your business, you’re reaping the rewards of your diligent efforts all Summer.
If you don’t grow your own food or aren’t growing a business, you can still get into the spirit of the harvest season. Plan some Fall outings to a local apple orchard or organic farm to pick your own apples and pumpkins. Visit your local farm stand or weekly farmers’ market to purchase the first fruits of the season.
Feast
Celebrate Fall with some seasonal drinks, dishes and desserts. Start enjoying warm, spicy beverages and hot comfort foods. Make some crockpot or sheet pan meals, hot apple cider and pumpkin bread. Cook and bake more than you need to share with others. Or, host a potluck feast to revel in all the autumnal goodness with family and friends!
Cozy
Decorate for Fall with the treasures you find on a nature walk. Pull out the warm sweaters and comfy blankets. Light an unscented candle and diffuse a blend of Autumnal essential oils. Make a cup of tea and bake a batch of sweet and spicy snickerdoodles. Read a book set in the Fall.
Share in the comments below how you plan to celebrate Fall Equinox!
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Dara Eden is the author of HER Rituals for the Divine Feminine, a periodical guide created in December of 2021. The 8 Elements, her life’s work, provides guidance about how to honor the essential needs and highest values of your personal feng shui element. Inspired by an Internet challenge designed for men, she created 365WISE, a daily self-care practice that supports women in honoring their needs and listening to their inner wisdom.
In HER Rituals, she offers insights, ideas and intuitive guidance about ways to honor your needs, values and unique expression of the divine feminine.
HER Rituals is a Womb Wisdom KeepHER’s guide to cyclical rituals for sovereign women. It provides insightful information, inspirational ideas and intuitive guidance on daily and seasonal rituals you can practice as a form of self-care. Read about ancient wisdom and philosophical principles, holistic approaches and traditional skills, slow work and intentional living, embodiment practices and immersive experiences.
