Advice from the Fall Equinox
September 23
Is the day when we have balance: 12 hours of sunlight and 12 of darkness before the scales tip and we have more dark than light (in the northern hemisphere). It’s the official marker of our transition into autumn — less sunlight, cooler weather, trees changing color and waning summer insect sounds.
On Transition and Rebalance
Are you feeling a bit out of balance? It’s no wonder many of us feel off-kilter with all of the transitions we’re experiencing. Where to begin? There’s summer into fall weather, natural disasters, political instability, back to school, back into the office…
At this time of year I like to explore how we might harness creativity, mindfulness, and neuroscience to help us recalibrate our balance and manage all of these transitions. Perhaps the ubiquitous Yin-Yang symbol might help us find balance.
Why recalibrate with the Fall Equinox?
With the earth’s exquisite balance of sunlight and darkness, the Fall Equinox is a great opportunity to find some balance for ourselves. This can take the form of simple creativity-mindfulness exercises like those offered in my courses, meditation, balancing yoga poses, or a personal ritual or ceremony.
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
“Harnessing the Superpower of the Fall Equinox to Fuel Your Life” by Christine Arylo, the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health
“Ground Thyself: Yoga Poses for the Autumnal Equinox” by Andrea Rice, Wanderlust.com
“5 Rituals to Celebrate Balance and Invite Renewal At Autumn Equinox” by Sarah Grace Powers
The Shape of Balance
I find the Yin-Yang symbol — once I got past the mega cliché — incredibly helpful and supportive.
First off, it’s an exquisite image of visual balance. (Warning: artsy-fartsy love note ahead!) The white, Yang shape contains a seed of the dark, while the dark Yin shape holds a kernel of light.
The joining of the two comma-like shapes creates dynamic, not static, balance in the eye. The wide, perfectly curved beginnings slowly narrow into the slenderest of tails, adding to the perception of constant movement. (I drew this version for myself. Not easy, I must say!)
I just love how the twin shapes of the Yin-Yang elegantly symbolize the complementary and interdependent nature of seemingly opposite pairs.
Western cultures tend to pit light against dark, white against black and tack on morality with good vs. evil.
This is in stark contrast to the Taoist principles of Yang and Yin pairings like —
day/night
firm/yielding
seen/unseen
objective/subjective
that create harmony and equilibrium from a cycle of becoming, an ebb and flow. This is how I want to engage with transition and balance!
For an exceptionally beautiful and brief summary of Yin-Yang, check out the 4 minute TED-Ed “The Hidden Meanings of Yin and Yang” by theologian and educator John Bellaimey.
Ready to have your mind blown?
The movement of the Yin-Yang symbol can represent the earth’s annual trip around the sun. The Fall Equinox is smack dab in the very center at, the heart of balance. Here’s what it looks like.
The two half-circles, one above the line, the other beneath, can represent the sun rising and setting, WOW. And if you reduce these shapes to a curved line, you have a beautiful, gently curving sine wave, experienced in sound and light wavelengths, the rhythm of our breath as well as a million other meanings. I’m in love.
For a more indepth but highly readable exploration of Yin-Yang, check out Chinese Holistic Medicine in Your Daily Life, 2017 by alternative medicine educator Steven Cardosa.
Harmonizing with Nature's Cycle and Rhythms
“One of the main reasons we feel so out of balance is because we are out of sync with the natural rhythms of the earth…. When you attune your body, mind, and spirit to the natural cycles of the earth, you harmonize automatically…” says feminine power guru Christine Arylo.
Meditation and mindfulness practices make it easier for our mind-body-spirit to make the adjustment from summer to fall. They help us sync up with nature’s rhythm and cycle. Here are a few suggestions:
An Art + Well Mindfulness Exercise for Late Summer/Early Fall
Sit outdoors, in your yard, a park, or by a window close to nature.
Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths.
Pay attention to the rhythm of your inhale and exhale.
Open your eyes and notice any small hints of autumn.
Use all your senses: What can you see, hear, feel (against your skin or in the air), smell, or taste?
What thoughts or feelings are evoked?
Jot down a few things you experienced.
Tune into the Sounds of Late Summer/Early Fall
Listen to the late summer sounds at night in this NPR piece, “Insect Sounds: Telling Crickets, Cicadas And Katydids Apart,” from the series Close Listening. Bonus points if you discover the one fall night when all the summer insect sounds STOP.
Great job! If you’re reading this, you have explored lots of ways to help yourself with balance and upcoming transitions! Holding you in love and light,
