Fall Glow
RITUAL: Glow Up | SEASON: Fall | MONTH: September
Fall is the perfect time for a Glow Up! As the weather gets chilly and we begin to enjoy more cozy evenings at home, we also start to turn our attention inward. We let go of our attachment to desired outcomes, love what is and shift our focus to honoring our needs and values.
In fact, each season offers us opportunities to glow up in different areas of our lives. We can improve or restore our health, beautiful our skin and strengthen our body. We can heal our hearts from betrayal or trauma, improve our mental health and process feelings or clear stored emotions. We can upgrade some of the things in our life or home. And we can uplevel in our career or business by shifting our money mindset and working smarter, not harder.
The Spring is a great time to restore our health, renew our energy and plant the seeds for personal growth. It’s the season to do a liver detox protocol, drink herbal tea and eat lots of fresh green veggies. Spring clean, declutter and refresh our feng shui and home decor. And set intentions for what we’d like to devote our time and energy to growing, so we can look forward to harvesting them in the Fall.
The Summer is a good time to follow through on our intentions, sustain our energy and cultivate the development of our ideas, the fulfillment of our dreams and desires and the achievement of our ambitious goals. The warmest and brightest months of the year offer us the opportunity to get a healthy glow from the time spent outside in nature, in the fresh air and bright sunshine, exercising and eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. And keep growing, both personally and professionally.
And the Fall is a perfect time to release all of the things we don’t need, honor our energy and be rewarded with the fruits of our labors. It’s the season of reveling in the comforts of home, appreciating the simple joys in life, expressing gratitude for all of our many blessings and having a heart full of thanksgiving. And finish up any tasks or projects so we can feel accomplished or complete.
Winter is a time to review and reflect, conserve our energy and hibernate until the snows melt and the ground thaws. The coldest and darkest months of the year offer us the opportunity to rest and reset, plan and prepare ourselves for the year ahead. And dive deep into our inner wells of wisdom to access insights and gain clarity and recommit to fulfilling our life purpose or soul mission.
According to the dictionary, a glow up is “an informal term for a positive personal transformation, typically one involving significant changes in appearance and style and often also growth in confidence and maturity and sometimes aspects of personal or professional life.”
But a “glow up” is far more than just a makeover for your personal appearance and style, involving a new haircut and capsule wardrobe, skin care routines and workouts, makeup tutorials and spa treatments. A glow up refers to the positive effects a personal transformation can have on you and your life. And, as with most things in life, the greatest glow up you can have comes from within.
Often, women who are pregnant are told they’re “glowing”. This pregnancy glow comes from the increase in blood volume that brings more blood flow to the face, giving it a rosier appearance and making lips look fuller and redder in color. Also, due to hormonal fluctuations, skin conditions tend to clear up during pregnancy, leaving the skin clear and blemish-free. Because pregnancy induces a state of slight immunosuppression, inflammatory skin conditions, like eczema, tend to go into remission or at least tend to be less active during pregnancy. Pregnancy hormone levels also cause the hair to grow thicker and shine, giving women’s long locks a healthy glow.
People who are in love also have a certain glow. This is the result of oxytocin, the “love” hormone. Primarily produced in the hypothalamus of the brain, oxytocin is also made by our skin. When we’re in love with a romantic partner or our newborn baby, the hormone binds to receptors in the skin, giving us a desirable “glow”. Our bodies release oxytocin during sex giving us that orgasmic glow. But it can also be released in response to non-sexual loving touch, like an affectionate caress, being held by our beloved or hugging a loved one.
Inner happiness can also make you appear to be glowing. When you are genuinely happy, your eyes shine and you exude an aura of energy that seems to glow. Your natural smile and the countenance of your face brightens when you feel content with life, successful and accomplished or personally fulfilled. You might glow with pride knowing that you’ve done something valuable or after receiving acknowledgement for good work through words of affirmation or expressions of appreciation.
Healthy Glow
While much of the “glow up” tips are focused on improving our outward appearance, true health and beauty come from within. So, while you can make some changes to your looks, a healthy glow comes from a healthy body and mind. Invest in organic food, nutritional supplements, filtered water and detox herbs just as much or more as you invest in trips to the hair salon, day spa or fashion boutique. And make the effort to have both mental and emotional wellbeing.
Hormonal Glow
Even though a surge of pregnancy hormones are not available to everyone or all the time and the hormones that result from being in love are not sustainable, we can choose to do the things we love or that that make us feel “in love” and well-loved. Many people teach about manifesting with sacral or orgasmic energy. Kim Anami coaches people how to be a “well-fucked” man or woman. Make a list of things that make you feel in love with life. And do more of the things that give you that loving (or orgasmic) feeling.
Happy Glow
People think that having a certain ideal situation, perfect relationship, financial status or material things will make them happy. The truth is that happiness is an inside job. If you’d like to have a happy glow, you need to make yourself happy. Do the things that will make you feel happy with yourself. Do the things your future self will be happy you did. Do the things that make you feel happy within. And let that happiness shine through your eyes, smile and every pore of your being.
In the comments below, share one thing you plan to do this Fall to glow up an aspect of your life.
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Dara Eden is the author of HER Rituals for the Divine Feminine, a periodical guide created in December of 2021. The 8 Elements, her life’s work, provides guidance about how to honor the essential needs and highest values of your personal feng shui element. Inspired by an Internet challenge designed for men, she created 365WISE, a daily self-care practice that supports women in honoring their needs and listening to their inner wisdom.
In HER Rituals, she offers insights, ideas and intuitive guidance about ways to honor your needs, values and unique expression of the divine feminine.
HER Rituals is a Womb Wisdom KeepHER’s guide to cyclical rituals for sovereign women. It provides insightful information, inspirational ideas and intuitive guidance on daily and seasonal rituals you can practice as a form of self-care. Read about ancient wisdom and philosophical principles, holistic approaches and traditional skills, slow work and intentional living, embodiment practices and immersive experiences.
