Autumn Writing Ritual - with 13 Writing Prompts for Autumn
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As the autumn equinox approaches, the days grow darker, the air and Earth cool, and tastebuds yearn for hot apple cider and pumpkin spiced everything. Shimmering, broadleaf greens transmute into hues of gold and terracotta before dancing towards the Earth-bed below. There, they will alchemize into rich, fertile soil, which will later give birth to new life. And as these raw elements of Earth begin to shift, so too do the fauna, many of whom begin migration, or preparation for hibernation, in quiet acceptance of nature’s cyclical dance.
Despite the conveniences of modern life, we humans are also nudged by the turning of seasons - and this one comes as an invitation for us to slow down, to surrender, and to turn inwards. After the vitality and outward-oriented energy of summer, autumn ushers us into resting, reflective days. Like copper leaves that return to the earth, our energy and attention return to ourselves. This savoury season mirrors the symbolic significance as dusk, a time when our world quiets and space grows for reflection.
Sometimes this slowing down is welcomed; at other times, it is undesired. But regardless of how we feel about it, we cannot resist the turn of the seasons. We might jet off to hot, sunny destinations or keep ourselves outward-oriented with the support of screens and other flashy things, but there are nuggets of wisdom that await our discovery if we say ‘yes’ to the invites of this rustling season.
Autumn Writing Ritual
One way we can uncover autumn’s golden nuggets of wisdom is through reflective writing prompts. So, in the essence of autumn, I invite you to create an autumn writing ritual for yourself - to help you attune to the whispers of the coming season. Before you dive into the writing prompts for autumn, take a moment to prepare. Begin by making yourself a comforting warm drink - a pumpkin spiced latte, tea, coffee, hot cacao, or whatever else grounds and warms you. Then, find a comfortable space where you can sit undisturbed for 30-60 minutes. Set up this space with care and intention, perhaps building a small alter with items that signify autumn and/or lighting a candle.
You might like to cleanse your space by burning any herbs or incense you have a connection with. Then, take a few moments to mindfully sip your warm drink - and to breathe. Invite your thoughts to settle. See if you can spend a few minutes resting in relaxed, open awareness.
If you have a heartfelt intention you’d like to set for the writing session and/or season, silently repeat that to yourself a few times or write it at the top of the page in your journal.
Once you feel grounded, perhaps after sitting, sipping, and intention setting for four or five minutes, begin journaling. You can write about anything that is at top of mind or front of heart… or you can use the following writing prompts for autumn. Choose the prompts that speak to you the most and then let your pen move freely.
So again, the writing ritual is this:
Prepare a warm drink for yourself, such as pumpkin spiced latte, hot cacao, tea, or coffee
Set up your personal space, somewhere you can sit undisturbed for 30-60 minutes
You might: build a small alter with items symbolic of autumn; light a candle; burn herbs or incense
Ground into a comfortable seat, breathing and sipping mindfully
Set an intention for the writing session and/or season
Journal for as long as you like, ideally 20+ minutes
13 Writing Prompts for Autumn
How do you feel in this moment about autumn’s invitations to slow down, surrender, and turn inwards?
Is there something within you that is ready to be surrendered?
What would it feel like to let go of what is no longer serving you?
Close your eyes to turn inwards. What is alive for you in this moment?
Write a letter to your summer self as you prepare to step into your autumn self.
What are your favourite signs of autumn and why?
Write a letter of gratitude to any of the things you noted prompt #6.
Write a letter of support to yourself from the imagined voice of any of the things you noted in prompt #6.
If you were to really slow down this season, what do you think you might notice?
Write a love letter to autumn.
Begin with: “I traversed the landscape within and discovered…”
Begin with: “I gave myself permission to slow down and found…”
Beyond the overarching themes of autumn (i.e. slowing down, surrendering, turning inwards), what themes are alive for you this autumn? Explore them in depth.
Moving With Grace
To wrap up your writing ritual, spend a few moments resting in open awareness. Notice what it feels like to be held by the Earth beneath you and to breathe the air around you. Come back to your intention. Feel its energy within you. Thank everything in your life that allowed you to have this time and space to tune in. Blow out the candle and transition mindfully into the next part of your day.
And as the days pass - as you enter into autumn and as you move through it - may you move with grace. May you remain open and curious, noticing what wise whispers are rising up - from around and within you.