As the Season Turns: September’s Call to Slow Down

The shift is subtle, but it’s there. The mornings have a nip in the air, the evenings draw in sooner, and the hedgerows are heavy with berries. After the bright rush of summer, September brings with it a softer rhythm, a reminder that we too are allowed to slow down.

This time of year has long been seen as a threshold — in the old calendar, it was a moment of balance. The autumn equinox arrives this month, when day and night sit in perfect equality before tipping into the darker half of the year. Folklore tells us it was a time of gratitude for the harvest, of gathering in what was needed to see the winter through. And though most of us no longer bring in sheaves of wheat or fill our larders with apples, the pull to seek warmth, comfort and nourishment is as strong as ever.

You might feel it in your body — a craving for hearty soups and stews, mugs of tea held between cold hands, an urge to wrap yourself in blankets and soft jumpers. You might notice it in your energy too, a quiet voice that says it’s okay to rest, to turn inwards, to let yourself pause before the rush of winter festivities begins.

One of the gifts of living seasonally is noticing these little shifts and allowing them to guide you. That doesn’t have to mean anything grand. It could be as simple as:

• Bringing the outside in: a sprig of berries in a vase, conkers or acorns in a bowl, a candle lit on the table as the evenings draw in.

• Honouring the harvest: baking with apples, trying a new soup recipe, or just savouring that first bite of something seasonal and comforting.

• Finding balance: the equinox is a reminder of equilibrium. What might balance look like in your own life right now? More time outdoors, or perhaps more time curled up indoors with a book?

There’s an old saying that September is the year’s second spring — not in flowers, but in possibility. A fresh page, a chance to realign. Where summer scatters our attention outward, autumn invites us to gather it back in.

So this month, notice the tilt of light, the sound of leaves underfoot, the way the air smells different in the mornings. Take time for the things that feed you, whether that’s cooking, creating, walking, or simply resting. The season is turning, and it’s inviting you to turn with it, bringing balance, comfort and moments of quiet joy