New Moon & Almost Equinox Greetings – September 21, 2025
Letting go is one of the dominant energies of autumn. And as we approach the autumn equinox (tomorrow) we can mindfully engage with the energy of releasing.
Simply paying attention to the letting go happening in our gardens and the green world is a starting point. Notice the seed heads and falling leaves, and also the fruits gracing our farmers markets (cleverly releasing seeds by having other species eat them).
Noticing is more than a passing acknowledgement. Take the time in your garden to look more closely at the flowers morphing into seeds, the mandala patterns of seed heads, and the beauty of the seeds themselves. That is a powerful starting point.
Aligning With Nature
We can also take a cue from nature and embrace the energy of letting go in our own lives. Intentionally aligning with that energy and releasing the things that are no longer serving us or taking too much energy to hold onto.
This works on every level of our being, from the chachka stored in the garage to our emotional and mental spaces. Most of us can immediately list some things we’d like to release. However, if you want to go deeper, grab a paper and pen and sit quietly with the question, “What do I need to let go of?” Allow yourself to write freely without censoring and you may be surprised at the results.
And if you are someone who only has garage chachka on your list, I am happy for you and also a little envious. Lately is seems that there are a disorienting amount of emotional and mental states to let go of. People, situations, and the world change quickly. How we thought the world worked may quickly morph into something unrecognizable. We may have lost people along the way – not because of death, but because one of us has changed. Losing people in this way seems like one of the hardest things to let go of because we want to hold hope that they will change back.
Grief
Grief is about processing and coming to terms with loss. Even that chachka in the garage may be hard to release because it is connected to a person or situation we’ve lost. The grief process can become stuck if whatever happened takes us into an endless maze of unanswerable questions. Over the last few years I’ve found this particularly hard when I thought a person had values similar to my own, but watched them slide into hateful beliefs and actions. Letting go to me seems to be about coming to peace with the new
reality. We can let go of analyzing what happened which takes so much mental energy, and instead cultivate gratitude for what we had at one point in time. It is a conscious decision to hold those positive moments in our hearts and let go of the rest.
Remember It is the New Moon AND the Equinox
New moon energy is about starting points and new realities. We can once again take our cues from the garden where letting go and planning for new beginnings are happening simultaneously. Our annual plants are creating seeds as they begin to die back. They are effortlessly letting go and planning for a different future.
Navigating between the two may seem challenging at first, but the way forward involves letting go of how things were and being open to new possibilities. We can hold the good memories in our hearts, and embrace new beginnings. And it is okay if we don’t have the new beginning completely worked out yet. Just releasing what we are holding onto will open up space for the seeds of something new and positive to emerge.
About this Blog Post & and Qigong Practice
This post is part of my lunar blog series. I post each new moon as it is a great time to begin projects and set intentions with the increasing light. Topics are related to related to plants and ideas featured in my book, Growing Mindful. . Other topics are related to mindfulness, gardens, qigong, and intentional living. For more details and a list of past lunar blog posts, click here.
About Qigong – I lead qigong at Bluff Lake Nature Center in Denver on the last Sunday of each month. You can find the schedule in announcements on the home page. I have also partnered with other graduates of the IIQTC (Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi) to offer virtual HeART of Body Compassionate Self Care Practice Circles based on qigong and tai chi. Check out the information here: Global Healing Circles or contact me if you need more information.
Joann, this is so full of healing and calming ideas, information, helpful metaphors. Thank you. I think your words about grieving and focusing on gratitude for what you did have no matter that it’s gone, are something I can finally hear. The analogy to plants letting go yet putting out seeds for new beginnings at the same time is a clear way to think of effortlessly letting go for a new plan – which resonates with me right now. THANK YOU. Be Well.
Debbie, Thanks so much! I mostly write to remind myself of these things as it has been hard to watch some things unfold this year.
It is importantto process grief but also find a way to move forward – and the green world does that all the time.
Watching the letting go of Autumn is one of the reasons it is my favorite season. The letting go is so beautiful. This year is particularly significant because what we choose to let go; what we choose to keep will affect how we live and move in this world. We can either drop into the sinkhole or move through the portal – the doorway to a new world and way of being. A world of peace and unity.
Equinox blessings to you Joan and to all you love.
Susan
Thank you Susan! Yes – I feel that really strongly as well, the need to avoid the sinkhole and intentionally move through the portal!
Bright Blessings to you as autumn unfolds! Joann