There is something about Fall that always feels abundant to me.
The gardens are overflowing, apples are ripening on the trees, berries and seeds are being gathered, and farmers' markets are filled with the colors of the harvest. Even as the days begin to shorten and the natural world starts preparing for rest, there is this beautiful moment when we can see just how much has been created.
Fall reminds us to gather.
But it also reminds us to notice.
Abundance is a word we hear a lot, and sometimes it can feel as though abundance simply means having more—more money, more success, more things, more opportunities.
Nature offers us a very different definition.
Abundance isn't necessarily about constantly accumulating. It is about recognizing what has grown, gathering what we need, sharing what we have, and eventually releasing what we no longer need to carry.
And there may be no better time to reflect on this than the Fall Equinox.
The Fall Equinox: A Moment of Balance
The Fall Equinox marks the transition from summer into autumn and a moment when day and night are nearly equal in length.
Light and darkness meet one another in balance.
After the Equinox, the nights continue to grow longer as we move toward winter. The outward energy of summer begins turning inward. Plants send their energy toward their roots. Leaves begin changing color and eventually fall. Seeds scatter across the earth, carrying the possibility of another season within them.
For me, the Equinox feels like a threshold.
We are standing between the fullness of summer and the quiet of winter.
It is a beautiful time to ask:
What have I grown?
What am I harvesting?
What can I share?
What can I release?
These questions can be about our gardens, but they can also be about our lives.
Maybe you grew a relationship. Maybe you learned something new. Maybe you started something, changed directions, healed something within yourself, strengthened a friendship, or simply made it through a challenging season.
Not every harvest looks the way we expected it to.
Sometimes abundance is recognizing what is already here.
What Abundance Means to Me
A long time ago, one of my teachers shared something with me that has stayed with me:
If someone needs your last dollar, give it to them. The money will come back to you.
It wasn't really a lesson about money. It was a lesson about trusting in abundance and allowing what we have to circulate instead of holding onto it from a place of fear.
That doesn't mean giving beyond our own capacity or ignoring our needs. For me, it is a reminder that abundance grows when it moves.
And when I look at my own life and ask where I experience abundance, the first things that come to mind aren't material things.
I am abundant in friendships.
I am abundant in family.
And I am incredibly grateful for the abundance I experience through serving the herbal community.
Getting to share plant medicine, teach, gather with people, and help make herbal care more accessible has brought a richness to my life that I don't measure in dollars.
The older I get, the more I realize that some of the greatest forms of wealth are the people around our table, the relationships we've nurtured, and having something meaningful that we can give back to our community.
The Harvest Was Never Meant to Be Kept
One of my favorite things about working with plants is that they continually remind me that nothing in nature exists entirely for itself.
A plant can produce hundreds or thousands of seeds. Some become food for birds and animals. Some travel on the wind. Some land in the soil and become next year's plants.
Fruit ripens and falls.
Leaves become compost.
Roots store nourishment underground.
Everything moves.
And I think abundance works the same way.
When we have enough, we have an opportunity to allow some of it to move outward.
That doesn't have to mean money. We can share food, herbs, knowledge, time, a meal, something we grew in the garden, something we made with our hands, or simply our presence.
Sometimes the simplest act of abundance is inviting someone to sit at your table.
Gathering the Herbal Harvest
As an herbalist, Fall has always been one of my favorite times of year.
There is something deeply satisfying about filling jars with herbs, making tinctures and vinegars, drying plants, simmering syrups, and preserving what the earth has given us so we can carry it into winter.
It is one of the oldest expressions of abundance: take what is plentiful now and preserve it for the season when there will be less.
Autumn also brings some of my favorite flavors—apples, hawthorn berries, rose hips, cinnamon, clove, ginger, cardamom and orange.
These warming, aromatic plants invite us into the kitchen.
And one of my favorite ways to work with them is through mulling spices.
A pot of mulling spices simmering on the stove changes the entire feeling of a home. The scent fills the kitchen, people gather around, and suddenly making a drink becomes a ritual.
So for this season, I wanted to create an Autumn Abundance Mulling Spice Blend to share around the table.
Autumn Abundance Mulling Spice Blend
Makes approximately 1 cup
· ¼ cup cinnamon chips
· 2 tablespoons dried orange peel
· 2 tablespoons hawthorn berries
· 1 tablespoon dried rosehips
· 1 tablespoon ginger root
· 2 teaspoons cardamom pods, gently crushed
· 1 teaspoon whole cloves
· 3–4 whole star anise
· 1 teaspoon whole allspice
Combine everything together and store in a sealed jar in a cool, dark place.
You can also divide the blend into smaller jars and give them as Fall gifts—another simple way to share the harvest.
Autumn Abundance Mulled Wine
1. Pour one 750 ml bottle of red wine into a saucepan.
2. Add ¼ cup Autumn Abundance Mulling Spice Blend.
3. Add a few slices of fresh apple and orange.
4. Add honey or maple syrup to taste, if desired.
5. Warm gently over low heat for 20–30 minutes. Don't allow the wine to boil.
6. Strain into mugs and garnish with an apple or orange slice, cinnamon stick, or star anise.
Autumn Abundance Mocktail
1. Pour 4 cups apple cider into a saucepan.
2. Add ¼ cup Autumn Abundance Mulling Spice Blend.
3. Add a few slices of fresh apple and orange.
4. Gently simmer for 20–30 minutes.
5. Strain into mugs.
6. Serve warm, or finish each glass with a splash of sparkling water for a little brightness.
For a Fall gathering, make a larger batch and keep it warm so everyone can fill their own cup.
A Simple Fall Equinox Abundance Ritual
If you make this recipe around the Fall Equinox, turn it into a small ritual.
Pour yourself a cup. Find somewhere comfortable to sit. Take a few breaths and think about the season you've just lived through.
Then ask yourself:
What am I grateful for?
What can I share?
What can I release?
That's it.
You don't need an elaborate ceremony. Ritual can simply be giving ourselves enough time to notice where we are.
Carrying Abundance Into the Darker Season
The beautiful thing about Fall is that abundance and letting go exist at the same time.
The trees can be full of fruit while their leaves are beginning to fall.
We can be grateful for what we've created while acknowledging what didn't grow.
We can celebrate our harvest while making space for rest.
The Fall Equinox reminds us that both things can exist together.
As we move into the darker months, perhaps abundance isn't about asking for more.
Maybe it is about looking around and recognizing what is already here.
Make something warm. Invite someone you love to your table. Share a jar of herbs. Take a walk among the changing leaves. Tell your friends and family how grateful you are for them.
And remember that you are part of the same cycle.
Gather. Give thanks. Share. Release. Rest.
Then, when the season turns again, we begin to grow.
Looking for Herbal Support?
If you'd like personalized herbal support as you move into the new season, we offer full herbal consultations as well as our Sliding Scale Community Clinic. Together, we can explore herbs and practices that support you wherever you are in your own season of growth, change, and abundance.
Sign up for a Sliding Scale Community Clinic consultation here.
You can also explore our Open Heart Mulling Spice Blend or Opulence Ceremony Myst for diving into Fall.
Stay tuned for the podcast with Witches in Yoga Pants…
This information is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for individualized medical care. Herbs can interact with medications and may not be appropriate for everyone. Consult an appropriate healthcare professional if you're taking medications, pregnant or breastfeeding, or managing a health condition.