An Autumn Ritual

The autumn season ushers in a natural inclination to turn inward and that makes it a fun time to explore rituals. It is especially fun to experiment around Autumn Equinox, or Mabon, and Halloween, or Samhain. Rituals can be simple; you can use household items or offerings from Nature. Choose a dedicated space that doesn’t often get disturbed to set up a small altar.

I read about a Gratitude Corner in “The Book of Altars and Sacred Spaces: How to Create Magical Spaces in Your Home for Ritual and Intention,” and was inspired to create something similar. You could easily adapt this ritual to make a corner of gratitude for yourself.

For this Autumn ritual, I found pieces of Nature that represent the season. I brought in Goldenrod, red leaves, small pinecones, and bark. This is also to honor the harvest and abundance Nature provides us. It’s a small gesture of thanks for the beauty and nourishment given to us.

I brought in crystals as elements of healing and meaning. Yellow Calcite was used because it is warming, soothing and balancing. It reminds us to harvest the wisdom of summer’s warmth as we embrace the coming dark days. It is also associated with the solar plexus and builds hope, dispelling self-doubt and held negativity. I also used Carnelian as it holds the warm hues of Autumn and reminds us to store warmth within. It is also mentioned to represent prosperity and good luck.

An offering of bay leaves is a great addition to your gratitude altar. Ancient Greek mythology frequently uses the Bay tree as a symbol of strength, courage, and glory as Greek Gods are seen adorned with crowns made of leaves from the Laurel tree. It is also an important tree because it’s thought to have magical properties for divination, protection, binding, healing, wisdom, and inspiration. Burning bay leaves are often used for everyday rituals to manifest wishes, purifying ceremonies to cleanse energy, or rituals to encourage visions.

Find a basin or small cast iron pot and put dried Goldenrod, dry pine bark, incense, or a candle into it. Contemplate your abundance. You can be grateful for being abundant in friendship, family life, or career rewards. What other blessings are you thankful for? Remember they don’t have to be material. These are the things you will be focusing on in this rite. As you're thinking about these things, anoint the Goldenrod and candle with a ritual oil, and then light it. You can do this as many days as you want during the season to serve as a reminder of your gratitude when our harvest grows thin.

Add other elements that make sense for your practices! You can use photos, keepsakes, and other symbols that align with where you are in your life. Rituals do not have to be rigid or prescribed. Using your intuition and doing something that makes sense for you only enhances your power.