A note for the Autumn Equinox

September 23, 2026

A short letter for 秋分, the Autumn Equinox. The day when light and dark stand in even balance, and the year tips toward shorter days from here on.

Day and night now stand in even balance.
The thunder that spoke through the warm months has gone silent.
Hibernating creatures seal their burrows quietly; what remains is what stays.
The qi descends now, and the work is to settle alongside it.
What was scattered through summer comes home to itself.

A reflective note

The equinox is a hinge day. Liver qi, which has been most active through spring and summer, begins to release into the descending pattern of autumn. The patient who has been irritable or sleeping poorly through the heat often feels something soften at this point. Stagnation that the body could not move in summer is moveable now.

A body practice for the season

Balance the day. A morning walk that meets the sun and an evening stretch that meets the dark. Equal weight on both ends of the day, matching the season's own measure.

A relational thread

Hold a long meal with friends this week. The autumn equinox is the moment families have always gathered to share what the year has produced so far.

A seasonal gift

Pass this letter to a patient who has been carrying liver qi stagnation through the warm months. The equinox is often the moment the formula begins to work in earnest.

With respect,
Dr. Lan
Your Herbal Pharmacist