In the physical and subtle realms this time of year, we explore themes around release & renewal, reflection & introspection, boundaries & protection. These energetics show up in both classical alchemy as well as Traditional Chinese Medicine through the elements of water and metal.
If you're curious to learn more about how these elements intertwine and overlap, check out our blog about autumnal energetics here.
One of the most potent ways to connect with and attune to the these seasonal energetics is to work with plants! Below, I share five of my favorite plant guides that help to balance, harness, and embody these autumnal energetics.
Mugwort:
Part of the genus Artemisia, named for the moon goddess Artemis and associated with the water element, there are a number of species of Mugwort used for their medicinal and energetic properties.
Autumn, the alchemical season of water, invites a shift inward, encouraging contemplation and preparation for the stillness of winter. Mugwort is famously associated with enhancing dreams, intuition, and inner vision, making it an ideal plant for this season. It supports practices of self-reflection, meditation, and exploring the subconscious—activities that align well with the slowing energy of autumn.
Mugwort is known for its cleansing properties and has been traditionally used to clear spaces and energy fields. As autumn represents a time of shedding what is no longer needed, Mugwort energetically supports this process by helping to purify and release stagnant energy, making space for renewal and deeper emotional work.
Autumn is often associated with the thinning of the veil between the physical and spiritual realms. Mugwort has been historically revered as a plant that bridges the gap between our everyday and the Otherworld, aiding in connecting with ancestral wisdom and spiritual guidance. Its use in rituals and ceremonies highlights its role as a guardian of both transition and transformation.
Also known as Cronewort, it can awaken and provide a way to tap into the Crone within each of us: her wisdom, her ability to listen beyond what is said, her intuition, and her guardianship.
Mugwort's bitter and pungent flavors mean that it's cooling like most bitter herbs and clears damp or toxic heat, but it also increases circulation and moves stagnation like many pungent, aromatic herbs.
Autumn is a time when diets often shift toward heavier, warming foods, and Mugwort’s digestive properties can support this transition with its action on and affinity for the digestive system as well as the liver and gallbladder. It has been traditionally used to stimulate digestion and relieve bloating or digestive discomfort.
Mugwort’s warming and circulatory properties can be beneficial for supporting menstrual health, which is often impacted by the seasonal shift as the body naturally starts to slow and external cold can cause stagnation in the lower body. It helps promote blood circulation and can relieve menstrual cramps and stagnation.
Hawthorn:
Autumn is a season of turning inward, reflecting, and reconnecting with oneself. Hawthorn’s energetic properties are heart-focused, fostering a sense of emotional support, balance, and protection. Imagine Hawthorn as a close friend with their hand on the back of your heart, offering stability, warmth, and love. It provides a safe place for tender reflection and emotional restoration. This makes it ideal for the contemplative, transitional nature of autumn when both the body and spirit prepare to move from the outward energy of summer toward the inward energy of winter.
Hawthorn has been historically viewed as a protective plant, often symbolized as a guardian of thresholds and transitional spaces. Hawthorn’s thorny branches symbolize boundaries, reminding us to create and respect personal space and emotional boundaries as we settle into a quieter, introspective season.
Medicinally, Hawthorn is renowned for its cardiovascular benefits, supporting heart health and improving circulation. As the cooler weather sets in during autumn, the body's circulation may become sluggish, making Hawthorn a fitting ally to maintain warmth and vitality. Its vasodilatory and antioxidant properties help nourish the cardiovascular system and promote healthy blood flow.
The gentle, calming effects of Hawthorn can help reduce stress and anxiety, which may arise during times of transition or change. This can be particularly valuable during autumn as we adapt to shorter days and cooler weather.
Elder:
In autumn, Elder generously offers her highly nutritive berries for harvest by animals and humans alike. Elder is a powerful plant for autumn, aligning with themes of protection, transformation, and ancestral wisdom.
Elder has long been regarded as a protector or guardian plant, creating a boundary between realms and warding off harmful influences. In autumn, as we prepare for winter’s stillness and draw inward, Elder’s protective energy supports a sense of safety and resilience, helping us establish boundaries both physically and emotionally, and aligning with autumn's themes of protection and boundaries.
Elder represents the cycle of life and death, a central autumnal theme. Its berries mark the final harvest before winter and embody a deep respect for nature's cycles. Elder’s transformative power serves as a reminder of the beauty and inevitability of endings, encouraging acceptance of change and a willingness to release what is ready to be released.
We see the theme of protection and boundaries again in Elder's long history of immune support. Elderberries are well-known for their immune-boosting properties, making Elder an ideal ally for autumn as people prepare for colder weather and the season’s illnesses. Rich in antioxidants and vitamins, including vitamin C, quercetin, and rutin, Elderberry syrups and teas can help fortify the immune system, providing natural protection against colds and flu.
In particular, Elderberry offers strong support for the mucus membranes such as the lungs and upper respiratory system. There’s a vast body of research on Elderberry for shortening the duration of viral infections as well as lessening the symptoms.
Tulsi:
Autumn is a season of transition, where the external energy of summer shifts inward in preparation for winter. Tulsi is an adaptogen, which means it helps the body adapt to physical, emotional, and environmental stress. Its resilient energy helps us gracefully manage seasonal change, strengthening our ability to stay balanced and calm.
Considered sacred in many spiritual traditions, Tulsi symbolizes protection, purity, and devotion. Its association with spiritual clarity aligns well with the autumn season, which naturally encourages reflection, reverence, and deep inner work. Tulsi reminds us to honor ourselves, our intentions, and our practices as we prepare to go inward.
Tulsi is often used to purify spaces, bodies, and minds, symbolizing a clearing of energy that aligns well with autumn’s theme of releasing and letting go. Tulsi’s balancing qualities are symbolic of creating harmony between the mind and heart, making it ideal for restoring balance during this transitional season.
Energetically warming, Tulsi is especially beneficial as the weather cools in autumn. This warmth encourages circulation and helps dispel dampness and stagnation that may accumulate as the season shifts toward the colder, wetter months. Tulsi’s gentle warmth can help counteract feelings of heaviness or sluggishness, providing a light, uplifting energy that revitalizes both body and mind.
As a respiratory-supportive herb, Tulsi helps to clear excess dampness from the lungs, which can be particularly useful as autumn air often becomes more moist and cool. This makes Tulsi an excellent ally for clearing congestion, balancing lung energetics, and supporting respiratory health. It helps keep the airways open and promotes deep, clear breathing—a vital function as we move into a season known for introspection and breathwork. This is especially helpful when we remember that in Traditional Chinese Medicine, autumn is associated with the lungs.
One of my favorite ways to work with Tulsi is in this tea. It highlights the incredibly complex flavor of Tulsi and the other ingredients support Tulsi's digestive and respiratory properties.
Burdock:
Burdock root is another powerful plant aligned with the autumn season, offering grounding energy, symbolic depth, and medicinal benefits that support the body’s transition inward.
As a deeply rooted plant, Burdock embodies grounding energy, which helps us anchor into the earth and feel secure as we turn inward in autumn. Its energy encourages a slow, rooted connection with the body and nature's cycles, aligning with the autumn season’s introspective qualities.
Autumn is a time of release, and Burdock energetically aids this process by promoting a gentle, yet thorough, clearing out of stagnation. Its centering energy can help us let go of emotional and physical excess, creating a sense of clarity and openness as we prepare for winter’s stillness.
Burdock is well-known as a blood and liver cleanser, which makes it ideal for autumn’s themes of clearing and detoxification. Its bitter and mildly sweet flavor stimulates the liver and supports the body’s natural cleansing processes, helping to gently clear out accumulated toxins and metabolic waste. This supports overall vitality and prepares the body for winter’s slower, more restful energy.
Traditionally, Burdock root is used to support the skin and lymphatic system. As the body naturally slows in autumn, Burdock encourages gentle lymphatic movement, which can be beneficial for skin clarity and detoxification. It helps release excess heat and stagnation through the skin, supporting clarity and resilience as the air grows cooler and drier. It also helps balance the skin's oil production, which is commonly impacted by the dry, cold nature of autumn and winter.
If your skin could use some oil-balancing support, you may resonate with Luna Balancing Serum, my favorite serum for the autumn months when our skin often needs a little extra calming and recalibration.
Communing and working with these plants can look very different, depending on your own constitution, if there are specific things you want to work on within your body, and how you like to work with plants.
You also want to consider the taste, actions, affinities, and energetics of these plants and how they impact your system were you to consume them. Sometimes, the most effective way of working with a plant is simply by sitting quietly in its presence. When sitting with a plant, here are some questions I like to ask:
- What does it feel like to be in this plant's energetic field?
- How does it affect your own field?
- What are some of the energetic qualities you notice about this plant?
- Does it have any wisdom to share with you? What does it want you to know?
- Are there any emotions or memories that come up while you sit with this plant?