Ancestral Wisdom and the Harvest of Autumn

There was a time when our ancestors lived in rhythm with the natural world. They looked to the cycles of the moon, the turning of the seasons, the migration of animals, and the flowering of plants to guide their lives. Ceremony was the language through which they honored these changes — gathering together to reflect, to release, to celebrate, and to dream.

Over generations, much of this way of living has been forgotten. We have drifted from the circle, from communal witnessing and participation, from the joy of shared celebration. Yet, the call of ancestral wisdom has never gone silent. The Earth continues to whisper to us through the wind, the rivers, and the cycles of growth and decay: Return. Remember. Live as ceremony once again.

The Wisdom of the Harvest

Autumn is a season of reckoning. It is the time when what was planted reveals itself in the harvest. Each fruit, each grain, each vine carries the story of choices made and care (or neglect) given. In our own lives, we too are harvesting. What surrounds us now — in our relationships, our work, our inner state — is the visible result of seeds we planted earlier in the year.

The harvest asks us to pause and reflect:

• What is nourishing and sustaining in my life right now?

• What has grown in ways that I did not expect?

• What no longer serves me and must be released back to the Earth?

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This reflection is not only about letting go, but also about gratitude. We bow to the fruits that nourish us and thank them for their gift. We release with tenderness what is not meant to be carried forward. And in the emptying, we create space to dream the seeds of the next season.

Living as Ceremony

When we align ourselves with the cycles of nature, our lives become ceremonial. Each season invites us into reflection, intention, and transformation. Autumn is the teacher of gratitude and release. It shows us that letting go is not an end, but a necessary part of renewal.

To live in this way is to embrace indigenous wisdom: to see life not as a straight line, but as a circle. A circle where planting, growing, harvesting, and resting are all sacred movements in the dance of creation.

Returning to the Ancient Ways

We are being called back to these ways — not as a return to the past, but as a renewal of what has always been within us. Ceremony offers us a path to reconnect with ourselves, with one another, and with the Earth. Through communal witnessing, reflection, and celebration, we remember our role as co-creators of life.

This autumn, may you take time to sit with your harvest. Notice what you have grown. Offer gratitude for the lessons, release what weighs you down, and begin dreaming of the seeds you will plant in the season to come.

The Earth is calling us home. The ancestors are waiting at the firelight. And in answering that call, we step once more into the circle of sacred living.

Invitation to Ceremony: Cycles of Becoming – Autumn Harvest

If these words stir something within you, I warmly invite you to join us in sacred space:

Cycles of Becoming: Sacred Circle of Self-Love & RenewalAutumn Ceremony: The Harvest of the Heart

Friday, September 19, 2025 | 5:00–8:00 PM

Sacred land near Greensboro, NC (address provided at registration)

Together, we will gather the fruits of this year’s harvest—the pleasant, the painful, and the unexpected—and honor them as teachers. Through guided practices, self-forgiveness rituals, and shared circle, you will come home to the truth that every harvest holds wisdom.

This season invites us to:

·          Bless what has nourished us

·          Make peace with what has challenged us

·          Prepare our hearts with clarity for the descent into winter

You will leave with deeper compassion, a renewed sense of wholeness, and seeds of intention for the cycle to come.

Contribution: $20Facilitated by: Elizabeth Alanis, LCSW – Psychotherapist, Shamanic Healer, and founder of Love Into Wholeness™

To reserve your place: loveintowholeness@gmail.com