Fall Equinox: Celebrating the Cycles of Life with the Medicine Wheel
- Lorraine
- Sep 9
- 5 min read
The sun sets a little earlier each day, and the leaves, like old souls, dress themselves in a coat of gold. The arrival of autumn has always had a hint of melancholy for me, the salty taste of the last swim in the ocean, the end of an immense and boundless joy. It marks the end of summer's warmth and announces a winter that I dislike so much, a season I often try to escape by fleeing to warmer lands.
And yet, this year, my heart has opened to a completely different path. I have a deep need to embrace this transition not as an ending, but as a new stage. A time to pause, to contemplate the road traveled, and to prepare for the introspection that the earth invites us to undertake.
Perhaps it was my recent trip to Wyoming, where I sat in silence at the foot of the Medicine Wheel, that caused the understanding of the sacred importance of life's cycles to blossom within me. Or perhaps it is the approach of this winter that reminds me that for last year's fall equinox, Grandmother Medicine Song was still dancing by our side.
Through life's trials, we get a glimpse of its fragility. It can be extinguished in a single breath, and it’s this reality that compels us to accept and honor each stage, without turning away. To welcome a loss, whether it's the end of a job, a move, or the gentle farewell to summer, is to embrace the cycle of existence. It is to honor the memory of what was and to consciously open your heart to the promise of what is to come.
The Medicine Wheel: An Indigenous Wisdom for Understanding Our Cycles
This eternal dance of the seasons is a wisdom that Indigenous traditions, and the Hopi people in particular, have honored for millennia. It is in September and October that nasánmuya and toho’osumuy are celebrated—rituals that honor the generosity of the Earth. The ceremonies of women's societies, such as the basket or antelope dance, strengthen community bonds and perpetuate this ancient wisdom.
At the heart of these traditions is the concept of the Medicine Wheel. It represents the four directions, the four seasons, and the four cycles of life, inviting us to align ourselves with the rhythm of the world. If you want to know more, I have already shared articles on the subject:
Grief and Transformation: An Echo Between Psychology and Traditions
In psychology, we learn to navigate the stages of grief, a path often filled with trials. What psychologists teach us is that we must go through these phases to transform. The psychologist Carl Jung, for example, already spoke to us about the concept of individuation, a psychological process that leads us to integrate all parts of ourselves, both the shadows and the lights, to become a whole being. This process, far from being linear, follows a cyclical movement of self-awareness and maturation.
This principle finds a powerful echo in the ancestral wisdom of the Medicine Wheel. For Indigenous peoples, the direction of the West is that of the evening and of transformation. It is here that we prepare for introspection and inner withdrawal, like the Bear preparing to hibernate. The Bear, in Indigenous medicine, symbolizes the inner strength needed to face our fears and our own inner "caves." It is by facing this darkness that we find the light of wisdom.
A Medicine Wheel for Our Daily Lives
The Medicine Wheel is much more than a simple representation of cycles. It is a mirror, a powerful tool that invites us to observe our own lives. By connecting with its energy, we learn to navigate challenges and transitions with more awareness and serenity.
Each direction offers us a lesson. The East teaches us new beginnings, the courage to take the first step. The South is the path of innocence, creativity, and growth. The West, as we've seen, is the path of letting go and transformation. And the North guides us towards wisdom, rest, and inner strength.
Understanding these cycles allows us to not feel lost or out of sync. If we are going through a period of great change, we can anchor ourselves in the direction of the West. If we need to rest and recharge, we can turn to the North. This alignment with the rhythm of nature offers us a deep peace because we stop fighting against the current and begin to flow in harmony with it.
The Medicine Wheel teaches us that we are part of a whole. It reminds us that well-being is not just personal, but is tied to our connection with nature, community, and the universe. By honoring the cycles, we honor our own existence.
A Voie Hopis Workshop at Yoga With You Studio
The equinox is the perfect balance between day and night. It's a powerful reminder that even in the apparent imbalance of our lives, there is always a moment for harmony. To welcome this change of season is to recognize the cycle of life and the respect we owe ourselves. The awareness of cycles is medicine in itself. At the request of some of my students, and I thank them from the bottom of my heart, I invite you to a special workshop to celebrate this transition together. I like to imagine this event as an echo of the rituals that the Hopi women's societies celebrated during this period. This workshop is an invitation, a sacred moment for us to come together and honor this change of season. Come celebrate this transition with us and make it a sacred one.
The Fall Equinox: Letting Go to Better Welcome
On September 21, at Yoga With You studio, we will celebrate the fall equinox together in joy and sharing. We'll help each other let go of what no longer serves us to welcome the new energy of autumn. It will be a time to reconnect, recenter, and take a conscious step toward a season of gentleness and introspection.
Why This Workshop Is for You
I choose to welcome this autumn with a heart full of immense gratitude. Gratitude for being alive, for every breath, for the countless gifts I receive from the Creator. I wish to consciously celebrate this season of harvest.
If you feel this call to honor the cycles of life, if you need a moment to reconnect and recharge, this workshop is for you.
To register for the September 21 workshop, click here to reserve your spot.
Walking the Path
In the silence of autumn, we can hear the wisdom of the seasons. A wisdom that whispers to us that sometimes we have to shed our leaves to find ourselves again.
If this path resonates with you, you can discover the Hopi teaching circles, drum-healing sessions, and workshops that I offer at Yoga With You studio. They are inspired by ancestral traditions, to learn how to walk in harmony with ourselves and with others.
Because at heart, every season teaches us the same thing: that we can constantly blossom, ripen, offer ourselves, and transform.
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