A few years ago, I wanted to greet autumn with more intention than I had previously. Without the structure provided by attending school, I felt I had no specific threshold to cross into fall. That’s when I started researching various pagan rites to welcome each season. While I’m not a Wiccan, it feels nice to honor the natural rhythms of the year using the wheel of the year. Get your home ready for the new beginnings that cooler temperatures bring by practicing these witchy rituals for autumn.
This blog post draws from various sources, among them the fantastic book The Wheel of the Year: An Illustrated Guide to Nature’s Rhythms by Fiona Cook and Jessica Roux. I recommend checking it out for inspiration all year long!
Indoor Witchy Rituals for Autumn
Dry Herbs and Hang Them
Many of us grow herb gardens in the summer, but what to do with all those aromatic annuals? Dry them, of course! Simply harvest your herbs and hang them upside down in a dark, dry place. If your live in a humid area, bundle your herbs in smaller, looser batches to prevent mold growing in them. As a bonus, hanging them around your house will make you feel like a kitchen witch.
Spray Grounding Scents
The deep scents of autumn comprise some of the loveliest of the year. Pumpkin, apple, cinnamon, rain, leaves, wool. In addition to the scents of life happening around you, using essential oils to create a grounding scentscape can help set your intentions for the fall.
Recipe for Grounding Rosemary Spray:
Spray this concoction in your bedroom after it’s been cleaned, or around your altar if you have one. Rosemary, cinnamon, sage, and cedar will infuse your surroundings with warm scents that promote strength, grounding, alertness, and new beginnings.
You’ll need:
- Small spray bottle
- Scissors
- Label
- A sprig of fresh rosemary
- A pinch of salt
- Cedar essential oil
- Cinnamon essential oil
- Sage essential oil
- Witch Hazel
Instructions:
Combine the rosemary, salt, and a few drops (5-7) of each of the essential oils to a small spray bottle. Agitate gently. Fill to the top with witch hazel. Shake and spray around your bedroom or altar.
Hang an Autumn Leaf Mobile
Using natural elements to decorate is one of my favorite way to honor the seasons. Making a leaf mobile entirely out of natural materials has a two-fold benefit. First, it brings the freshness of the outdoors in. Secondly, you can easily compost it at the end of the season, returning it responsibly to the earth.
Clean Out Your Closet
While spring is a popular time to clean, something about the fall always has me itching to clean. Perhaps it’s the urge to nest as we hunker down for a longer winter. Purging your closet can help you sweep out the cobwebs, both real and metaphorical, from your wardrobe. Pull out all of your clothing and put it back in for a powerful reset. Make sure to bring out all of your seasonal garments like sweaters, and coats, too. Even if you get rid of very few items, simply the act of circulating air will breathe new life into your clothes.
Stream-of-Consciousness Journaling
As we turn over a new leaf (ha!) in this season, take the time to take stock of where we are. Engaging with your subconscious in this time can be a powerful way to tap into your innermost needs and move forward with strength. Try “automatic writing.” This is the practice of writing without engaging your conscious mind. Find a clean page in your journal and a favorite pen. Write whatever comes to your mind as it comes without a second thought. Let it guide your next steps.
Outdoor Witchy Rituals for Autumn
Sweep with a Cinnamon Broom
In addition to smelling heavenly, cinnamon brooms symbolize positivity, sweeping away malice and evil and making space for new beginnings. Brooms are a symbol of transformation, while cinnamon symbolizes prosperity and love in many different religious systems. I use a cinnamon broom to sweep the exterior of my home free of cobwebs and debris, bringing renewed luck and positivity.
Sprinkle Salt Across the Threshold
Sprinkling salt is an old custom for protection. Around the world, salt symbolizes incorruptibility, protection, and purity. In many cultures, it’s common to sprinkle salt as a way of providing a barrier against evil. After you’ve swept outside with a cinnamon broom, sprinkle a generous line of salt parallel to your exterior thresholds. You can do it along the window sills as well! However, be careful with sprinkling salt outside! It can kill your plants and flowers.
Build a Miniature Henge
Before the advent of clocks to tell time, ancient cultures had to use more inorganic means to tell time and keep track of the seasons. We don’t know precisely what the purpose of Stonehenge was, but it does seem to perfectly track the changing of the seasons according to the sun. Build a miniature henge in your backyard or at the local park from stones to replicate this tradition.
Volunteer at a Food Pantry
Autumn is a season of abundance and plenty. While many of these rituals focus on the home and introspection, look outward to complete the cycle of nurturing your soul. Volunteering at a local food bank is a great way to share your abundance with your community. Spending a single afternoon supporting your neighbors can do an incredible amount of good.
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