Embracing the Autumn Equinox
EP 205: featuring Elyse Preston
Founder of Be More Connected
As a lover of the natural world, Aubrey had to share this bonus minisode to highlight the passage of the autumn equinox, a time of reflection, gratitude, and harvesting the fruits of our labors (both literally and metaphorically). She and Elyse discuss the beauty of synchronizing one’s modern life with various phases in nature such as solstices, equinoxes, and moon cycles, and how doing so can be a tangible reminder to slow down and take care in a world that is all too often go-go-go.
EPISODE OUTLINE
[00:01:07] What is the Autumn Equinox?
[00:04:40] Following Natural Cycles
[00:07:27] Phasing in the Moon
[00:11:53] Buh-bye Virgo Season and Hello Libra Season
[00:13:17] The Sun, Moon, and Stars, All Aligned for Reflection
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TRANSCRIPT
[00:00:00] Aubrey: Before we get into the episode, just a friendly reminder that joining our GAP community on Ko-fi is only available until October 14th. Signing up now will also lock in the current cost forever, but if you're still not convinced, I totally understand, which is why we have just as much free content as paid in there. We post content basically every single day and we also have a discord group where you can connect and network with other listeners, So head to the show notes, our website goldenapproachpodcast.com or link in bio on Instagram at @goldenapproachpod for access. We'll see you there.
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[00:00:41] Aubrey: Hi, Sunshine, and welcome to the show. I'm your host, Aubrey, a hopeful romantic who's always loved getting to know others and learning what I don't know. Here I chat with kindhearted humans and insightful professionals sharing their stories to learn from each other's experiences in hope of going
[00:01:00] Aubrey: beyond the golden rule and collectively building a more kind and curious world for all, this is the Golden Approach, I'm so grateful you're here.
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What is the Autumn Equinox?
[00:01:07] Aubrey: For those who don't know already, Today is the fall equinox. This is when the sun fully aligns with the equator, making day and night even. Exact times do vary by location, but if you're on the east coast like me, this occurred this morning, and we are officially into fall, which is my favorite season, meaning not only shorter days and longer nights, but a natural opportunity to reflect and transition. No need to wait till the new year to make resolutions when now is the time our bodies are ready for change. Our whole season so far has been about interconnectedness and healing, all culminating towards this opportunity to rest, reflect, and restore, so we can proceed into this next season calm and confident. So
[00:02:00] Aubrey: without further ado, let's get to the good stuff.
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[00:02:04] Aubrey: Now, I recognize some of you listening may think I've gone a little “woo woo” here, but that term has historically been associated with making fun of natural and indigenous knowledge of the universe we live in. So we're not going to go there. Around the world though, for centuries, humans lived on this planet in congruence with natural cycles. And as societies have grown… as technology has grown, we have continued to sever our ties. But personally, I think this is one of the biggest reasons we deal with so much discomfort and discord in the world right now. We cannot underestimate any longer our connection to nature, and clearly it would do us all some good to reconnect with each other. One of the easiest ways to start that reconnection process is by
[00:03:00] Aubrey: recognizing what are the cycles of nature. Majority do recognize the basics of spring, summer, fall, and winter. But depending on where you live, you may not actually have all four. And even more so as climates around the world change. It is also challenging to be in sync when you can't actually see the cosmos up above. So the easiest places I think to start are equinoxes and solstices, for that big picture, and moon cycles for the smaller. Since today is actually the fall equinox, we're going to start with the big picture. First, it's important to understand the difference between an equinox and a solstice. Scientifically speaking, equinoxes refer to when the sun aligns with the equator, resulting in pretty much equal day and night.
[00:04:00] Aubrey: This happens twice a year, in the spring and fall. Solstices are when the Earth's axis against the sun results in either the longest day, in the summer, or longest night, in the winter. These are four perfectly built equivalents to New Year's that your body is already prepared for, resulting in less pressure and better results. And they're exactly what you think. Spring is about rebirth, summer growth, fall harvest, and winter rest and reflection.
Following Natural Cycles
[00:04:40] Aubrey: It's easy to sync with these cycles because literally the whole world is doing it. Plants and animals in the spring are resurfacing and multiplying. In the summer, they are busy-bees producing. The fall, they begin to wrap up their intentions. And by winter, they're ready to be tucked in for a
[00:05:00] Aubrey: long rest. While systemically our societies can make living in sync with nature challenging, it is still most natural for us and we can take small steps to make it more accessible individually. And like anything else, the more that we band together, the more easily we're going to make those changes to our systems. I invite you to start today. Find an opportunity, no matter how brief, to find gratitude in your year thus far. Maybe it's just while you listen to music on the car ride home, or maybe scroll through some photos to remind yourself of all the good you have experienced that can so easily get outshined by the negative. Allow yourself to fully sit with those feelings of joy and hold them tight. Then reflect on how you can make it easier to feel that more. It's not to say you
[00:06:00] Aubrey: must repeat things exactly as they were, but recognize what created that joy and all the ways in your daily life you can replicate a piece of that magic. You could also reflect on goals you wanted to accomplish this year, take an opportunity to audit your progress thus far, and reflect on how you can continue to make more. No matter how small. Now is an ideal time to pick up where you left off because your body is still naturally motivated to produce, then harvest. As the days do get colder and the nights longer, it will become more and more challenging to find the gumption to keep going. So I challenge you to figure out what might be a good checkpoint to strive for that you feel is appropriate to hold you over, say until the spring, when you most likely will feel that push of energy again. And not to say we can't, or won't,
[00:07:00] Aubrey: accomplish anything over the winter. Rather, that we choose to be slower and more intentional in the work we choose to do. Hopefully, you're starting to see how easy it is to use the seasons as guides and support. There's nothing really “new” to learn here, rather simply just giving yourself the permission to embrace it.
Phasing in the Moon
[00:07:27] Aubrey: In regards to the short term, moon cycles are an amazing companion resource. Again, scientifically, the moon is proven to influence the Earth and all living on it. And how could it not? It's literally made from the Earth and connected to us by gravity. And while unfortunately, most of us cannot see the stars where we live, it is a real loss. But we can see the moon,
[00:08:00] Aubrey: and if you know nothing about moon cycles, the most important basic for now is, there are seven cycles: New, Crescent, First Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Full, Disseminating aka Waning Gibbous, Third Quarter, and then, of course, we start over again with the beginning of a new moon. Throughout the month, some cycles are meant for rest and reflection, while others for action and progress. And they volley back and forth, creating this natural ebb and flow. Sounds nice, right? And it's so easy to follow, too, because pretty much anyone listening to this probably has a smartphone available to them. So just go to your weather app, and it will tell you exactly where you are in the cycle. If you're feeling out of sync, likely it's because you are actually out of sync with nature.
[00:09:00] Aubrey: And you can then make smarter choices to recalibrate. Even if you don't quite literally believe in the moon's energy influencing you, it can simply provide a guide or maybe permission-giver of when to push and when to rest, knowing each of those options is right around the corner. Call it what you will. But I think it's poetic that the fall equinox this year happens to also align with a disseminating moon, both making the intention of reflection and gratitude even stronger. As we move towards the close of many cycles, how can we wrap up certain projects or requirements and move more towards a place of rest and slowness? Remember, nowhere in this episode is about grandiose change. More so, we're just trying to be one percent
[00:10:00] Aubrey: better each and every day, whether that be in kindness towards ourselves or habit-switching to better accomplish our goals so we can live the lives we dream of.
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[00:10:12] Aubrey: Pardon one quick selfless plug. Anyone who knows me knows I love books, so we are affiliate partners of bookshop.org, an organization dedicated to keeping local bookstores alive and thriving, because those big corporations, they just don't need any more of our money. So head to the show notes where we've linked our bookshelf and bonus, we'd love if you sent us suggestions to add. You can do so by DM-ing us on Instagram @goldenapproachpod, or join our email subscriptions on our website, goldenapproachpodcast.com. Okay, let's dive back in.
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[00:10:49] Aubrey: Before we go, Elyse was so kind as to give some insight into the astrological context of the equinox that I'd love
[00:11:00] Aubrey: to share with you. I also want to note that if you've enjoyed getting to know Elyse and her work, if you have found any of what she has shared helpful. Some quick bonuses. One, we have added her book recommendations from the last episode to our bookshelf on bookshop.org; give it a look. And two, she is currently accepting new members into her group work, aka the Growth Collective, that she described in the last episode, and it's open until September 27th. That's this Friday. She has no idea about this endorsement. I just truly believe in the work she is doing, so we're going to link that registration info as well in the show notes. Okay, here is Elyse Preston of Be More Connected…
Buh-bye Virgo Season and Hello Libra Season
[00:11:53] Elyse: Working with the astrological seasons we're into Virgo season and then slightly after, when
[00:12:00] Elyse: we reach the, the autumn equinox, we'll transition into Libra season and each of those seasons have different invitations, like different energies that are there. Virgo season is inviting us to get clear on what kinds of practical things we can implement to maybe have more order and systems and clarity and refinement and clearing out and cleansing and detoxing and getting a little bit more rooted in our bodies. And once we transition to Libra season, Libra is all about harmony and balance and connection and beauty. It's a sign that's ruled by Venus. And so you can think about how you relate to those different signs and those different energies. With Virgo season, where might you want to do some tidying up? And with Libra season, where might you want to introduce more connection and beauty? And it can be as simple as that. Like you can just ask yourself, one question that aligns with that window of time. Each
[00:13:00] Elyse: astrological season is about four weeks and you can work with that. You can work with that question. You can work with that intention, over that period of time and see what happens.
[00:13:11] Aubrey: Is there anything that was a final thought that you feel wasn't mentioned? The floor is open to you to use.
The Sun, Moon, and Stars, All Aligned for Reflection
[00:13:17] Elyse: One of the pieces of language that you used was that the way that I connect with people is energy driven and I was like, Ooh, I love that, and wanted to offer something for folks to reflect on. It's like a lot of times I think we've been conditioned to be maybe driven in a particular way based on our family or religion or cultural context, Like we have oftentimes picked up on and assumed these different drivers or motivations and I think it could be cool to get
[00:14:00] Elyse: curious and ask yourself, what are you driven by right now? What feels like it's driving and motivating you? And does that feel true to your soul? Does that feel true to how you want to experience life and show up in the world? And if the answer is yes, that's beautiful, continue on that flow, but if you're feeling like there's some dissonance, or maybe it feels incoherent to what you're driving towards right now, and maybe what your soul or your intuition is guiding you towards, that could be a really powerful place to start to make some shifts and introduce, some opportunities for redirection or healing.
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[00:14:48] Aubrey: Thank you for listening to the Golden Approach podcast, which wouldn't be possible without the support of associate producer and content manager, Emmalyn with audio technology and support provided by barn
[00:15:00] Aubrey: swallow audio company. If you've liked this episode or any episode prior, be sure to follow so you never miss a new release. We greatly appreciate if you helped others find the show also by leaving a review wherever you're currently listening or directly sharing with friends and family. You can find resources, merch, and more in the show notes and website, GoldenApproachPodcast.com. And if you're looking for more content, join our Ko-fi community and follow on Insta @GoldenApproachPod. Until next time, let your hopeful romantic side shine always. Buh bye!
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