September’s Reset: Between Summer’s Freedom and Autumn’s Rhythm

 

September often feels like a symbolic reset some would say akin to New Years. Even long after our school days, as adults, the energy of “back to school” lingers — the return of routine, responsibilities, and obligations after the looseness of summer with many in the work force absent on holidays and both client and therapist cancellations. For some, this rhythm can feel grounding, a welcome return to order. For others, it brings a sharp sense of loss: the long daylight days are receding too quickly, and the freedom of summer slips into memory.

 

In Jungian thought, seasonal cycles carry deep symbolic weight. Summer embodies expansion, play, and vitality — the realm of the inner, and also outer child. Autumn ushers in contraction and structure, the realm of the adult who must shoulder responsibility. September sits at this threshold, a liminal space where we’re asked to integrate both energies: holding onto creativity and spontaneity while also recommitting to discipline and purpose.

 

This transition is not always easy. The call back to routine can feel heavy, even suffocating, if we slip into it unconsciously. Yet, if approached intentionally, routine can serve as ritual — a symbolic act that connects us to meaning rather than mere habit. When we wake at the same time, begin the week with certain practices, or set aside moments for reflection, we are not just organising time; we are creating a framework for our lives to unfold with purpose. This can actually create a great sense of calm in us.

 

Existentially, September invites us to consider how we choose to live within the inevitability of time passing. The rapid fading of summer is a reminder of life’s fleeting quality and time that stops for no one. We cannot hold onto the warmth and light, but we can decide what we carry forward, keeping the warmth and the light within us instead. In this sense, routine becomes less about obligation and more about alignment: a way to live deliberately, to focus our energy on what truly matters.

 

As the days shorten and responsibilities gather momentum, it is worth asking ourselves: What rhythms support my growth? What rituals anchor me? How do I want to move forward into this new season of life?

 

September, then, becomes not just a month of endings, but of beginnings — a chance to weave freedom and structure together into something that gives life both meaning, balance and fulfilment.