Experience the Magic of Autumnus: A Sacred Cacao & Gong Journey
There is a particular quality to the light at the autumn equinox that I find myself noticing every year. The shadows grow longer. The golden hour stretches. And that lengthening of shadows is not just a visual phenomenon — it is a teaching. Autumn is the time when our shadows become most visible: the parts of ourselves we have been too busy, too lit up by summer’s energy, to fully see.
Autumnus is the Roman spirit of autumn, and she arrived for me as a teacher of exactly this. When I journeyed to meet her in preparation for this ceremony, she showed me three of my own personal shadow areas — three blind spots I needed to look at more honestly. It was both uncomfortable and deeply liberating. That is the gift of this time of year, and the gift Autumnus brings.
This ceremony was created around the autumn equinox and new moon, but you can work with it at any time of year. The themes of harvest, release, and shadow integration are not seasonal — they are perennial.
Who Is Autumnus?
Autumnus is the Roman personification of autumn — the spirit of the harvest season, the turning of the year towards darkness, the threshold between the abundance of summer and the dreaming time of winter. Interestingly, in classical Roman tradition, Autumnus is not given a fixed gender: neither strictly goddess nor god, but a spirit of the season itself.
When I connect with Autumnus, I perceive her as a goddess — warm, direct, and deeply wise. But she may manifest completely differently for you. What she brings, whatever form she takes, is always the medicine of this threshold: the invitation to celebrate what has grown, to release what is done, and to look honestly at what has been hidden in shadow.
She sits in the West on the medicine wheel — the direction of the setting sun, of going within, of harvest and reflection. Working with Autumnus at this time of year is working with the medicine of that direction in its fullest expression.
The Harvest and the Shadow: What Autumn Asks of Us
At the autumn equinox, light and dark are perfectly balanced — twelve hours each in the northern hemisphere. It is a moment of equilibrium before the scale tips. And in that balance, we are invited to hold two things simultaneously: gratitude for what has been harvested, and honesty about what has not yet been integrated.
The deciduous trees model this perfectly. They do not hold on to their leaves out of attachment or fear. When the season turns, they release what is no longer needed with complete ease — trusting that the energy conserved will feed their roots through the winter and their new growth in spring. We can do the same. What are you ready to let fall?
Shadow work — the process of meeting and integrating the parts of ourselves we have pushed out of awareness — is particularly potent at this time of year. Autumn literally makes our shadows longer. We can see them more clearly. And what we can see, we can begin to work with.
Shadow is not the same as darkness. Most shadow material is simply energy that has been misdirected. Anger, for example, can be a tremendous force for justice and right action when it is conscious and channelled well. The same anger, when it goes underground and turns into resentment, can eat us from the inside. Shadow work is the art of bringing that energy back into the light so it can be used rather than suffered.
The Ceremony: Meeting Autumnus in the Lower Realm
This is a lower realm journey — we are travelling inward, into the inner landscape, the subconscious, what I think of as the mega-conscious. After cleansing our energy field and calling in the seven directions, I guide your consciousness out through the crown chakra and across the world to a place in nature where you feel safe and connected.
From there, we find a way to descend. It might be a rabbit hole, a cave, a doorway in a tree, or — if you are drawn to water — diving down through a pool like a mermaid, sinking deeper and deeper through layers of the earth until you emerge into the lower realm landscape. This is your inner world. It is part of you, and nothing here can harm you.
In the lower realm, a power animal comes forward to guide you — whoever is right for you today. They may be a familiar animal you have worked with before, or someone entirely new. Ask them to take you to Autumnus.
When Autumnus arrives, you might ask her: what is my harvest this year? What have I grown and created that deserves to be celebrated? What is ready to be released and composted? And if you feel ready for deeper work: what shadows are asking for my attention right now? What parts of myself have I not yet seen clearly?
Or you may come with your own question entirely. Autumnus is a practical teacher — she will meet whatever you bring.
How to Prepare for the Ceremony
Bring these two things:
Your place in nature — somewhere real and safe. Woodland or a garden with fallen leaves is a beautiful choice for this journey.
Your intention — what are you bringing to Autumnus? A harvest to celebrate? Something to release? A shadow you are ready to look at? Or simply an open heart
Practically:
Prepare your ceremonial cacao and hold your intention in the cup as you drink
Dim the lights or use a blindfold — this deepens the inner journey considerably
Use good headphones or speakers for the full gong experience
Have a journal and pen ready immediately after the ceremony
Have tissues nearby — as Autumnus helps us meet our shadow, emotion sometimes moves through
Allow yourself quiet integration time after the ceremony before returning to daily life
Continue Your Journey with Me
Autumn is not a time of loss. It is a time of completion, of honest reckoning, and of the quiet courage it takes to let go. Autumnus is the perfect companion for this threshold. I hope she brings you exactly the harvest — and the clarity — you need.
→ Watch the free ceremony on YouTube
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→ Book a one-to-one shamanic healing session
We can heal our world, one heart at a time. Let us begin with our own. 🌿
