Drifting into Fall
I woke up on the first of September with a heaviness in my heart I didn’t even know was there.
The unofficial ending to a summer that flew past my eyes.
The beginning of, already, a new season.
There’s a familiar chill in the air now, as the earth tilts a little further from the sun. The warmth lingers, but less each day. The sun sets earlier. The light fades faster. Things are changing again.
Even though the calendar says summer doesn’t officially end until the 22nd, September 1st has always felt like the true beginning of autumn. A reminder of how fleeting nature is. The leaves are already turning color, some dropping to the ground, when it feels like they have just bloomed.
On the first of this month, Saturn has moved retrograde in Pisces and will stay there until early 2026. The astrological planet Saturn represents progress, self mastery, discipline and the revisiting of unfinished business. This particular shift prompts reflection integration of past lessons before moving forward with new goals. During this transit, one may experience the dire need to slow down, and to perhaps re-evaluate their spiritual paths. Take the time to ponder, and make the necessary adjustments to ensure you are living in alignment with the life that you really do want to attract.
Letting go of the rush of summer, the ease of constant sunshine, or even the anchors we’ve clung to that now keep us stuck.
Letting go is hard for me. I’m a summer baby who thrives in the heat. But even I can admit that in New Jersey, September is arguably the best month. The mornings are crisp enough for a sweater, the afternoons warm enough to peel it off, and the evenings cool enough to trade sandals for boots. It’s a balance no other month really gives.
This season always stirs the reminder that what’s happening outside is also happening inside. Change is here. It’s been almost a year since I moved back home, and lately I feel that familiar itch to move again. The lives around me are shifting too, my closest people changing course, starting new chapters. Some days it feels like I have too many options, and at the same time, not enough. The freedom is endless, yet sometimes suffocating.
Lately, I’ve been painfully aware of the “good old days” as I’m living them. Days when my best friends are still close by. Days when I get to see my parents alive and healthy. Days when my work is as simple as pouring cappuccinos for familiar faces who’ve become family. Days where I’m still free, maybe more than I’ll ever realize until they’re behind me.
And things are changing, yet again.
The beginning of autumn feels like an invitation. A season to welcome routine back into our lives. A chance to return to the daily rituals that ground me: reading, yoga, journaling. A rhythm that matches the shortening days. This month I’m preparing for an upcoming trip for the month of October, squeezing in as many late beach days as possible, enjoying the local summer that has finally arrived, and taking the time to bask in the morning sun while it still lingers.
Let us be like the leaves on the trees: shifting, changing form, adapting, and letting go. Allow the new season to carry us forward without clinging too tightly to the direction. September is a time to reflect on the goals we set, the pace we’ve been moving, and the space we need to give ourselves now. Summer often pushes our bodies faster than our thoughts can keep up.
Let this season be the moment to let your thoughts catch up. To pause. To ask: where do I stand?
