It doesn’t all get accomplished.

All the things on your to do list. They don’t all get accomplished. We start each season with renewed ambitions and intentions to take on creative projects, expand our current projects, spend more time with our family or whatever else we can dream up. With the advent of fall, and winter creeping up, let’s take a moment to salute the completed and the fallen intentions and ambitions of summer.

Fall as a time of reflection

The days of fall are real here in the boreal forest. I wake up to frosty mornings, where the frost delicately creeps into coating the grass, the fallen leaves and the plants that are still standing in the garden. Every step across the grass crunches, and as the cold frosty wind whips through the vents in my sneakers, I realize that winter boot season isn’t coming – it’s here. (That or I should wear start wearing socks again).

Fall season begins here about mid-September when we get the first hard frost of the season. The plants that aren’t harvested or cold hardy, quickly shrivel. Giant vines of pumpkin and squash that have been stretching far beyond their borders suddenly get touched with frosts icy fingers and turn black like they were burned. Tomato plants that were reaching for the sun, suddenly flop over and give up on the season.

In my own garden, this year, we let it grow wild for the most part. I planted and maintained to the best of my ability, a few rows in the front. But going from a large community supported agriculture program to just supporting my family meant the size was way off. It also meant, as a family, we spent less time cultivating it then we had in the past. The lambsquarter for the most part took over, much to my husband’s frustration.

As a I sat with my warm cup tea the other morning as I planted a few more plants and weed what I could, I watched the wild chickadees, sparrows and nut hatches swoop in and out of the tall lambsquarter and realized, what we did accomplish was feeding the birds seed in the fall without hanging the feeder yet.

Reflections for Autumn Equinox

This portion of the year always becomes reflective. The balance between light and dark is equal. So in equal measure, we celebrate the summer intentions and ambitions that helped us grow, and we also release what intentions and ambitions have damaged us.  This deep contemplation of gratitude and letting go is part of this time of transition.

Activities to try in Autumn Equinox

• Make a Gratitude List + a Stop Doing List
• Seek a Night to Visit the Moon + Stars
• Enjoy the Bounty of the Season (pumpkins, apples, squash, root veggies, corn, pomegranates)
• Bake Bread
• Make Apple Cider, Sauce, or Baking
• Pick Apples or Pumpkins at a local farm
• Make Grapevine Wreaths
• Make Apple Dolls

Mabon + Autumn Equinox

September 19-22: This lunar cycle is a time for the great harvest. We have harvested some crops but others remain in limbo. We rejoice in the changing colours. We compost and put our gardens to bed. We bid goodbye to the flocks of migrating birds. We feast and give thanks for the bounty (Thanksgiving). We prepare for the dark winter days ahead, and celebrate the light. We balance between hope and fear.  We take the steps we can to ensure success in our lives while trusting the Universe will meet us half way. The balance between light-dark, yin-yang is equal.