Welcome,
Dear listener.
Welcome to this special ritual within a meditation.
Today is the autumn equinox,
A sacred moment in nature.
The autumn equinox marks the time when day and night are of equal length,
Light and darkness are in perfect balance.
From this day on,
The nights grow longer,
Leading us gently into the stillness and rest of winter.
My name is Charlotte Rautenberg and in this meditation I invite you to slow down,
To return to yourself and to reflect on what balance means in your life.
Perhaps you have marked this moment in previous years,
Or maybe this is the first time you are pausing for it consciously.
Either way,
I am glad you are here.
Before we start,
Find a comfortable place to sit or lie down.
Let us begin.
Please close your eyes,
Take a slow breath in through your nose and breathe out gently through your mouth.
Feel your body arriving,
Settling,
Landing.
Let us first ground ourselves.
Feel the support of the earth beneath you.
Imagine gentle roots growing from your feet or from your spine,
Reaching deep into the earth,
Deeper and deeper until you are completely held and connected.
In autumn,
Nature all around us begins to prepare for rest.
Trees release their leaves,
Plants draw back into the soil and just like nature,
You too are invited to slow down,
To release and to feel held by the earth.
Now take a moment to breathe in,
Feel the cool crisp autumn air,
Breathe out and let go of tension.
Repeat this three times.
The autumn equinox offers us a lesson from nature.
Just as the leaves fall in their time,
So too can we release what is no longer ours to hold.
In balance,
We find peace.
In peace,
We find ourselves.
Balance is not about perfection.
It is not about everything being exactly equal at all times.
Balance is alive.
It's a dance.
At times,
You may lean toward your light side,
Active,
Vibrant,
Moving forward.
At other times,
You rest in your darker side,
Quiet,
Reflective,
Withdrawn.
Both are equally important.
Without night,
We cannot appreciate the day.
Without silence,
Sound has no meaning.
Without rest,
Action is impossible.
Take a moment to reflect.
Where in your life do you already feel balance?
And where could more harmony arise?
Let the answers come gently,
Without judgment.
Simply notice.
Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let go.
Visualize a tree in autumn.
Its leaves shift from green to golden,
Red and orange.
The tree does not cling to them.
It trusts that letting go is necessary.
So that it may rest and blossom again in spring.
You too may release what no longer serves you.
Perhaps a thought that repeats itself.
Perhaps tension in your body.
Perhaps a habit,
A worry,
Or something that simply no longer belongs with you.
Imagine that each thing you release is a leaf.
With every exhale,
You let a leaf go.
It drifts gently down to the earth.
And with every leaf released,
You feel a little lighter.
Inhale,
Welcome fresh energy.
Exhale,
Release and let go.
Autumn is not only a season of release.
It is also the season of harvest.
Take a moment to reflect on the past months.
What have you received?
What have you created,
Learned or achieved?
It may be something big or something small.
All of it matters.
Now I invite you to call to mind three things you are grateful for.
Feel how gratitude warms your heart.
Breathe in and let this feeling expand within your chest.
Breathe out and allow it to flow through your whole being.
Gratitude is a gentle force.
It opens you.
Connects you to what is already here.
The season of autumn invites us to turn inward.
Now is the time to plant a seed of intention.
Perhaps your intention is,
I release what no longer serves me.
Or,
I choose balance in my life.
Or,
I live with gratitude and trust.
Choose the words that resonate with you.
Repeat them softly within,
Like a seed planted deep in the earth.
Trust that this seed will grow in the months ahead.
Please bring your awareness back to your breath.
Feel your deep connection with the earth.
Take one more slow inhale.
And a long,
Soft exhale.
Gently move your fingers and toes.
Stretch your body.
And when you are ready,
Open your eyes.
Return with clarity,
Calm and a renewed sense of balance.
Just as the leaves fall in their time,
So too can we release what is no longer ours to hold.
In balance we find peace.
In peace we find ourselves.
Thank you so much for listening.
I wish you a wonderful autumn equinox.
And a blessed day.
