September has arrived, and there’s something about it that always feels like a turning point.
The mornings are changing, the light is softer, the evenings seem to arrive a little earlier, and although I’m still not entirely convinced summer has finished trying to roast us, there’s definitely a shift happening.
Autumn is beginning to whisper rather than shout, she’s not sweeping dramatically through the trees just yet, but there is a definite whisper…
And honestly, I think that’s exactly how this season begins, not with one huge moment, but with dozens of tiny changes that slowly remind us that the Wheel is turning again.
The air feels different, the hedgerows begin to change, the evenings invite us indoors a little earlier, and our bodies often start asking for something slower too.
After such a long, intense summer, that feels very welcome.
We’re now moving towards Mabon, the Autumn Equinox, a moment of balance where day and night briefly stand as equals before we begin our descent into the darker half of the year.
Mabon is often associated with gratitude, harvest, balance and preparation.
Not just the obvious harvests either, yes, apples, grains, berries, pumpkins and all the gloriously witchy seasonal things are lovely, but Mabon also asks us to look at the less visible things we’ve grown.
Confidence. Boundaries. Relationships. Skills. Wisdom. Resilience.
Maybe the thing you’ve harvested this year isn’t something you can hold in your hands, maybe it’s simply knowing yourself a little better than you did last autumn, and that absolutely counts.
Before we get into this week’s moon energies, take a moment and ask yourself:
What has grown in my life this year?
What am I genuinely proud of?
Where have I learned to protect my energy?
What am I ready to carry into autumn?
What can stay behind in summer?
You don’t need perfect answers, just notice what comes up.
Sometimes the first answer is the honest one, before the brain arrives with a clipboard and starts editing everything.
We begin the week beneath a waning Cancer moon, which feels perfectly suited to the seasonal shift we’re moving through.
Cancer draws us back towards home, safety, nourishment and emotional wellbeing, while the waning moon gently encourages release.
So this isn’t really a “reinvent yourself by Tuesday” kind of energy. (Thank goodness!)
It’s more:
What do I need less of?
What would make home feel softer?
Where am I overstretched?
What can I stop carrying?
Cancer reminds us that rest doesn’t have to be earned.
Sometimes rest is simply maintenance.
Choose one room or corner of your home and make it feel a little softer.
Light a candle.
Open a window for a few minutes.
Put away something that’s been irritating you every time you look at it.
Make a warm drink.
Then sit quietly and place both hands over your heart.
Say:
“I return to myself. I release what is not mine to carry. I create safety within and around me.”
Stay there for a few minutes. Nothing else required.
As the moon moves through Leo, we get an interesting combination.
Leo normally brings confidence, visibility, expression and fire, but under a waning moon, we can turn that energy inwards. Instead of asking how we can shine more brightly, perhaps we ask:
Where am I performing rather than simply being myself?
Where are we trying too hard to be liked?
Where are we over-explaining?
Where are we seeking approval we don’t actually need?
Leo can be wonderfully bold, but sometimes the boldest thing we can do is stop auditioning for acceptance.
Write down one way you’ve been shrinking, performing or second-guessing yourself.
Then underneath write:
“If nobody was watching, what would I choose?”
Sit with that answer. Then say:
“I release the need to be understood by everyone. I honour who I am when no one is watching.”
Keep the second answer. Tear up the first.
By Thursday, we are entering dark moon energy, with the moon moving through Virgo.
This is a beautiful time to clear.
It doesn’t have to be dramatic or a “throw the whole house into a skip and reinvent your personality” way. Just enough to create space.
Virgo loves simplicity, order and practical care, and the dark moon asks us to pause before beginning again.
This makes Thursday perfect for clearing a drawer, tidying your altar, deleting old notes from your phone, refreshing your diary, changing your bedding or simply writing down what you do not want to drag into the next lunar cycle.
Take a piece of paper and write:
“I am ready to leave behind…”
Then let yourself write freely.
Old habits. Old fears. Old expectations. Old versions of yourself.
Burn the paper safely, tear it up, or simply throw it away.
Then wash your hands. As the water runs over them, say:
“What is complete may leave. What is mine to carry remains.”
Clean hands, clearer energy, fresh start pending.
Friday brings us a New Moon, and rather than setting intentions only for the next few weeks, I really love the idea of using this one to look towards the whole autumn season.
What do you want autumn to feel like? Not just what do you want to achieve.
How do you want to feel? Grounded? Creative? Rested? Connected? Braver?
More organised? More present? More witchy?
This New Moon is a beautiful opportunity to choose the energy you want to carry towards Mabon, Samhain and beyond.
You’ll need:
Light the candle and place your seasonal object beside it.
Then write:
This autumn I want to feel…
Choose three words.
Then write:
To support this, I will…
Choose three small actions.
This doesn’t have to be enormous life goals, just three things you can genuinely sustain.
Then say:
“With the turning of the season, I plant these intentions. May I move with purpose, rest without guilt, and grow into what is ready to emerge.”
Keep the seasonal object somewhere visible as a reminder.
As we move closer to the Equinox, this is a lovely time to begin making small seasonal changes.
You could:
Not everything has to be a ritual, oftentimes living seasonally simply means paying attention.
If you fancy a little journaling this week, try these:
What am I ready to stop forcing?
What would feeling supported look like this autumn?
Where do I need stronger boundaries?
What have I learned about myself this summer?
What am I grateful I did not give up on?
What do I want more of before Samhain?
What would make this season feel meaningful rather than rushed?
And perhaps the biggest one:
What does turning inward mean to me?
We’re also moving towards one of my favourite seasonal gatherings, our Mabon Ritual Sound Bath.
This one is all about harvest, gratitude, balance and acknowledging what we’ve grown, both visibly and quietly.
We’ll be working with an apple ritual, using the symbolism of the season to reflect on abundance, intention and the things we’re ready to carry forward.
There’s something beautifully grounding about Mabon energy, less about chasing the next thing and more about recognising what is already here.
What has ripened, What has changed, What deserves to be celebrated.
And after the ritual, we’ll move into a deeply restorative seasonal sound journey, allowing everything to settle
Mabon Ritual Sound Bath -Sept 24th
And honestly, this is where the year starts becoming very exciting.
Mabon is approaching… Samhain is waiting just beyond it.
The darker evenings are returning, candles are burning, the cauldrons are coming back out.
The herbs, the rituals, the workshops, the sound journeys, the seasonal circles…
We’re heading into a full season of witchiness at The Goddess Haven, and I am very ready for it! Look out for our witchcraft courses and workshops over the coming months, its an exciting time!
Summer has had its moment, beautiful as it was, but there is something about autumn that feels like coming home.
Nature is beginning to slowly turn inward, perhaps we can take our cue from her.
The trees do not panic because the light is changing, they do not apologise for slowing down, they do not cling desperately to every leaf, they release what they no longer need and conserve their energy for what comes next.
Maybe we can do the same.
We don’t have to arrive in autumn with everything figured out, we can simply begin to soften, clear some space, gather what matters, release what doesn’t and listen for what the quieter part of the year is asking from us.
“I move gently with the turning season, I release what is complete, honour what I have grown and make space for what is ready to begin.”
Have a beautiful week, and may this first little taste of autumn bring you exactly the kind of slowing down you need.
Until next week,
With love,
Marie xx
