Today autumn begins in the Northern Hemisphere, while the folks in the Southern Hemisphere are preparing for warmer, spring weather. 

In 2025, the Autumnal Equinox arrives on Monday, September 22, at 1:19 P.M. Central Standard Time. The autumn equinox happens at the same moment worldwide marking the astronomical start of fall in the Northern Hemisphere – the moment when the direct ray of the sun crosses the equator to the South. After the autumnal equinox, nights begin to grow longer than the days until the winter solstice in December, when the days start to grow longer and the nights are shorter. The Autumnal Equinox represents the symmetry between light and darkness, as a balance is struck between day and night.

According to the Chinese Medicine understanding of the cycle of the seasons, we have technically returned to Earth phase, or Doyo, which is the transitional time when the seasons change, four times per year. After this return to earth transition, we will be in the metal phase of the seasons which invites reflection and resonates with breath and sound healing.

The Earth element is associated with times of change throughout the year, which happen between each of the seasons around the two equinoxes and the two solstices. These transition phases begin about 7 days before each equinox and solstice and continue for about 7 days after, which constitute an approximate three-week period of adjustment between the seasons. 

I  embrace and promote the wisdom of seasonal cycles  increasing awareness of and balancing our individual constitutions within dynamic change and to honor repeating cycles throughout our return to our wholeness.  

WHAT IS THE EQUINOX?

The word “equinox” comes from Latin aequus, meaning “equal,” and nox, “night.” On the equinox, length of day and night are roughly equal.

During the equinox, the sun crosses the “celestial equator”—an imaginary line or extrapolation of Earth’s equator line into space. The equinox occurs precisely when the sun’s center passes through this line. When the sun crosses the equator from north to south, this marks the autumnal equinox; when it crosses from south to north, it marks the vernal equinox.

At this exact moment, the lengths of day and night are approximately equal around the world in the Northern and Southern hemispheres — hence the term “equinox,” which is derived from the Latin phrase meaning “equal night.”

Image credit: NASA

Why the Autumnal Equinox Doesn’t Fall on the Same Day Every Year

Depending on the part of the world and time zone where you live, the equinox usually falls on either September 22 or 23; although it can sometimes occur anytime between September 21 and 24. That is because the equinox is not an exact, daylong event but is defined by the position of the Earth and the sun at a particular moment in time. 

Ancient Autumn Traditions 

The fall equinox has been celebrated by cultures for ages as people track the transitions of the Earth’s paths around the Sun. Indigenous cultures recognized EARTH wisdom and understood that the Winter Solstice, Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice, and Autumn Equinox reflect our own inner spiritual journey.

• An ancient stone monument called Intihuatana at Machu Picchu in Peru, which means “Hitching Post of the Sun”, serves as a solar clock to mark the dates of the equinoxes and solstices.  
• In Mexico, the Mayans built a giant pyramid called Chichen Itza. On the equinoxes, a snake created by light appears to slither down the pyramid’s steps.
• And of course, in England, Stonehenge is aligned with the equinoxes and solstices.

An image of the serpent appearing on the side of the Temple of Kukulcan on the equinox at Chichen Itza

SIGNIFICANCE

The Autumnal Equinox is a significant time of year to honor the harvest, which may be an actual harvest of fruits and vegetables from your garden or the harvest of efforts and intentions for your life that you set earlier in the year.  This Earth seasonal return represents the harvest time of year, when we acknowledge the gifts and abundance in our lives. It is a time when we can see, in nature, a reflection of our own lives as we go through cycles of growth, harvest, death, and rebirth.

At the Autumnal Equinox, it’s important to take a moment to go inward. Life is a continuous circle of shifting and evolving, dying, and being reborn again. Because change is a constant, it is possible to identify unbroken patterns within the ebb and flow of life. As we become quiet during this time of transition, we are allowing space for our greater vision to emerge and set in motion the intentions for another cycle. I invite you to take some time September 22 to be mindful of your life cycle, honor your own growth and shine your inner light.

Whole food is medicine.  Processed food steals your vitality. Ultra processed food creates chronic disease, offers pharmacy and invites slow death.

One of the top three outcomes of the lockdowns of 2020/2021, in my opinion, was the return to or beginning of cooking at home.  We can choose better quality products than most restaurants are able to provide on small margins.  We are, therefore, improving our economic health while improving our physical health.

Let food be thy medicine, let medicine be thy food.

~Hippocrates

The Basics: Where? When?  How?

Where? Where we acquire our food matters. Ideally, we hunt and gather or eat from a garden – our own garden or from our local farmer’s or brick and mortar vegetable markets.  When we shop at a conventional grocery store, shop the perimeter. 

In an ideal world, our foods are free from harmful chemicals, pesticides and pharmaceuticals (antibiotics, antifungals, growth hormone). Animal (and animal fats) are raised in their natural environments. Soils are replete with the broad spectrum of minerals and micro-organisms that render our foods nutritious.

When? Foods should be consumed or preserved in seasonal time. In a world which offers food from all corners of the county during all seasons – choose seasonal and buy local. The choices in your neighborhood may not be perfect, or we may not be able to allocate our resources to only organic and farm raised products. But we can educate & inform ourselves of the best options available today. Consume or process the foods for later consumption as soon after acquisition as possible.

How?  Make the best choices possible.  I hope this link will help you make the best choices available to you. This list from the Environmental Working Group is updated yearly: Dirty Dozen & Clean Fifteen

One of my favorite resource books is Healing with Whole Foods written by Paul Pitchford. Learn more here:

Citrine is known as the merchant stone as it attracts prosperity and abundance.

• The crystal ranks 7 on the Mohs hardness scale
• The color ranges from lemon yellow to rustic red-brown
• It is associated with the solar plexus in the chakra system 
• Citrine balances the Earth Element
• Natural Citrine is found in igneous rocks like granite or alluvial deposits
• Citrine forms around 440 degrees 
• Citrine is a gemstone name for quartz with iron in the color center
• Lab made Citrine is an eco-friendly choice

The color gold is associated with the earth element

We, therefore, utilize the hues and tones of yellow to support our center. I have a favorite yellow linen shirt and a gold silk shirt that I find again and again during the earth season. What golden tones do you have in your closet?  Wear them during Earth season. I adorn with amber and citrine during the transition season. Bejewel yourself with gold and golden gems.

Citrine is Vitamin C for the soul

Through Qi Gong principles, we learn that the physical form is a manifestations of the more subtle energies.  Visualization focus energy into form.  I often describe Qi Gong as internal Tai Chi – the medical form of the martial arts.  We can focus our mind’s eye within our organs and highways of energy – the meridians – for wellness. Praying or meditating, visualizing wellness, speaking positivity, chanting or singing can heal our bodies.

In the prosperity area of my office (SE), I have a citrine sun catcher.  This Feng Shui placement invites abundance into my practice. 

Right now, visualize the sparkling yellow light of citrine in your umbilicus.  Allow it to fill your organs, your tendons, your muscles, your skin.

Invite citrine to support you in prosperity, abundance & health.

Meet Fresh Ginger.

Nature: warm

Taste: slightly sweet, acrid

Action: releases exterior, disperses cold: stops cough, alleviates vomiting, regulates migrating motor complex of Small Intestine

Skin: promotes urination, reduces edema

Affinity:  Lung, Spleen & Stomach

According to eastern dietetics & herbalism – foods, spices, herbs and medicine have a distinct nature, action, direction & affinity with one or more organs.  

As we become more familiar with these qualities in some of our familiar foods, we begin to fine tune our eating & drinking to the dynamic rhythms of the season.  We also eat to support our five element constitution or balance our acute imbalances which manifests as dis-ease. For example, ginger should be used sparingly or avoided when signs of heat are present. Conversely, it is advised when cold signs are prominent.

During this seasonal transition time, I invite you to enjoy some of my favorite ways to spice it up with Ginger and support your digestion.

Preparation Tips: Peel ginger with a spoon & store any overages in the freezer. Microplane rasp is the grater of choice.

Easy Adds: Grate ginger directly into salads or salad dressing, sauces, stir fry or smoothies. Slice very thin into hot water.

Carrot-Ginger soup is ideal nourishment for the Earth/Metal transition.

Find the recipe here!

RETURN TO EARTH ELEMENT

Autumn days come quickly, like the running of a hound on the moor.
–Irish proverb

Autumn is right around the corner for all of us in the Northern Hemisphere, while the folks in the Southern Hemisphere are preparing for warmer, spring weather. 

In 2019, the Autumnal Equinox arrives on Monday, September 23, at 3:50 A.M. Eastern Standard Time. The autumn equinox happens at the same moment worldwide marking the astronomical start of fall in the Northern Hemisphere. After the autumnal equinox, nights begin to grow longer than the days until the winter solstice in December, when the days start to grow longer and the nights are shorter. The Autumnal Equinox represents the symmetry between light and darkness, as a balance is struck between day and night.

According to the Chinese Medicine understanding of the cycle of the seasons, we have technically returned to Earth phase, or Doyo, which is the transitional time when the seasons change, four times per year. After this return to earth transition, we will be in the metal phase of the seasons which invites reflection and resonates with breath and sound healing.

The Earth element is associated with times of change throughout the year, which happen between each of the seasons around the two equinoxes and the two solstices. These transition phases begin about 7 days before each equinox and solstice and continue for about 7 days after, which constitute an approximate three-week period of adjustment between the seasons. The Doyo, or Earth, is its own “mini-season”. In case you missed our earlier post on the Return to the Earth Element, click here.

I  embrace and promote the wisdom of seasonal cycles  increasing awareness of and balancing our individual constitutions within dynamic change and to honor repeating cycles throughout our return to our wholeness.  

WHAT IS THE EQUINOX?

The word “equinox” comes from Latin aequus, meaning “equal,” and nox, “night.” On the equinox, length of day and night are roughly equal.

During the equinox, the sun crosses the “celestial equator”—an imaginary line or extrapolation of Earth’s equator line into space. The equinox occurs precisely when the sun’s center passes through this line. When the sun crosses the equator from north to south, this marks the autumnal equinox; when it crosses from south to north, it marks the vernal equinox.

At this exact moment, the lengths of day and night are approximately equal around the world in the Northern and Southern hemispheres — hence the term “equinox,” which is derived from the Latin phrase meaning “equal night.”

Image credit: NASA

Why the Autumnal Equinox Doesn’t Fall on the Same Day Every Year

Depending on the part of the world and time zone where you live, the equinox usually falls on either September 22 or 23; although it can sometimes occur anytime between September 21 and 24. That is because the equinox is not an exact, daylong event but is defined by the position of the Earth and the sun at a particular moment in time. 

Ancient Autumn Traditions 

The fall equinox has been celebrated by cultures for ages as people track the transitions of the Earth’s paths around the Sun. Indigenous cultures recognized EARTH wisdom and understood that the Winter Solstice, Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice, and Autumn Equinox reflect our own inner spiritual journey.

• An ancient stone monument called Intihuatana at Machu Picchu in Peru, which means “Hitching Post of the Sun”, serves as a solar clock to mark the dates of the equinoxes and solstices.  
• In Mexico, the Mayans built a giant pyramid called Chichen Itza. On the equinoxes, a snake created by light appears to slither down the pyramid’s steps.
• And of course, in England, Stonehenge is aligned with the equinoxes and solstices.

An image of the serpent appearing on the side of the Temple of Kukulcan on the equinox at Chichen Itza

SIGNIFICANCE

The Autumnal Equinox is a significant time of year to honor the harvest, which may be an actual harvest of fruits and vegetables from your garden or the harvest of efforts and intentions for your life that you set earlier in the year.  This Earth seasonal return represents the harvest time of year, when we acknowledge the gifts and abundance in our lives. It is a time when we can see, in nature, a reflection of our own lives as we go through cycles of growth, harvest, death, and rebirth.

At the Autumnal Equinox, it’s important to take a moment to go inward. Life is a continuous circle of shifting and evolving, dying, and being reborn again. Because change is a constant, it is possible to identify unbroken patterns within the ebb and flow of life. As we become quiet during this time of transition, we are allowing space for our greater vision to emerge and set in motion the intentions for another cycle. I encourage you to take some time September 23 to be mindful of your life cycle and spiritual path. Honor your own growth and inner light.

Express GRATITUDE for everything ~ the easy stuff and the challenging stuff.  Give THANKS for the ability to awaken to our true nature, to the awareness that everything we need is available or made available to us. Acknowledge the gifts and ABUNDANCE in our lives.

WE HAVE RETURNED TO THE EARTH ELEMENT SO LETS TALK EARTH OR IN THIS CASE LISTEN TO THE AMAZING SOUNDS OF  EARTH FROM SPACE.  IT’S SO COOL!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1x8P-o296ZI#action=share

Click here to learn more about the scientific underpinnings of  ‘harmonic resonance’ and the sounds of the earth.

DID SOMEBODY SAY BEES?

We have all heard about the declining bee populations caused by pests like tracheal and varroa mites, colony collapse disorder (CCD), and the use of pesticides and other agricultural chemicals. Unfortunately, toxic chemicals like pesticides harm not only bees, but also butterflies, bats, birds, and other animals. A focus on natural, nontoxic beehive management including keeping bees without harmful antibiotics, pesticides, and other chemicals, may not only save the bees but save us!

Bees are responsible for pollinating much of the food we eat. Without pollinators like honeybees, up to 30% of our food would actually disappear including many of our favorite fruits. Foods such as plums, beans, broccoli, and mangoes all depend on pollination by bees.

Natural beekeeping is an approach to beekeeping encouraging minimal manipulation and as hands-off an approach as possible

Backyard beekeeping ensures that the food crops in our backyard gardens are pollinated. Bees forage up to two miles from their hive, so a colony of bees in an area or neighborhood translates to everyone’s gardens and orchards producing more yield. I’m fascinated with and awed by bee wings and their frequency which you can read all about here.

Tips for a Healthy Earth Element Season

The organs of digestion and nutrition~the spleen, pancreas, and stomach~ are associated with the Earth Element. Western Medicine views the spleen as part of the immune system; however Chinese Medicine couples the spleen with the stomach as part of the body’s digestive system. The stomach receives and breaks down the food we eat while the spleen separates the pure from the impure for proper distribution. The pancreas regulates blood-sugar levels in the body.

The Spleen, Stomach and Pancreas comprise the Earth Element organs from a 5 phase system.  The return to the earth during this period of transition invites us to concentrate our healing aim toward blood sugar balance. Naturopathic Physicians choose to address the cause of dis-ease and have a lot of wisdom to offer us!

My colleague, Dr Mona Morstein, discusses diabetes management and healing from a Naturopathic point of view:

PODCAST LINK HERE

The podcast begins with Type I diabetes, gut microbiome, intestinal permeability (17) Type 1.5 (18.3) Type 2 (20) Sleep (22) BMI (26) Inflammation/Oral Health (29)Blood Glucose monitors (32)  Levels (35) Dawn Phenomena (37) Concerns with A1C (39) Fatty Liver (42) Foods and Carbohydrates (44) Supplements (50) Insulin Resistance/Appetite (53) Complications (57)

You can purchase her new book on Amazon: B076DGZW1N

ep108-mastering-your-diabetes-with-dr.-mona-morstein

Here’s some of what you’ll learn:

• The many types of diabetes
• The pitfalls of conventional diabetes treatment
• The food that you’ll definitely want to eliminate to prevent type 1 diabetes
• The dietary approach (es) that’s helped Mona manage diabetes successfully for over 25 years!
• What your blood sugar numbers mean
• The shortcoming of HA1C measurements and new, improved test for glucose management
• What the “dawn phenomenon” is and how to fix it!
• The link between diabetes and oral health
• LIfestyle strategies for managing diabetes
• The shocking link between poor sleep and diabetes
• The best diabetes supplement on the market
• And SO much more

There are now adhesive (no more sticks) 14 day blood glucose monitors that may be right for you.

The product that Dr Morstein has developed is Diamend by Priority One.  

You can purchase Diamend by Priority One, Gymnema sylvestre by Wise Woman Herbals, Super EFA by Genestra (or Vegan Prenatal DHA) along with a large selection of protein powders and your other favorite professional grade products, through our electronic pharmacy, Fullscript.  Search, click and have delivered to your home.  Don’t have an account? Simply create one via the link below. 

To learn more about Dr Mona Morstein:

Dr Mona Morstein’s website