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As the Earth Turns Inward - Woodchant Autumn Edition

Updated: 6 days ago

This collection explores how the rhythms of nature and the chemistry of our bodies move together as the Wheel turns toward rest. Through science, sound and story, Woodchant listens to the subtle descent: the forest’s breath, the body’s slowing and the deep hum that unites them.



Before you read : This is an Autumn gift from Woodchant. Download the full edition (including practices & sources) on Ko-fi.



Better experienced in music ...

Begin The Journey & listen






An atmospheric soundscape woven with Theta binaural tones, wooden flutes and forest whispers leading you  into the season’s slower pulse. Not just to soothe, but to ground, to warm and feel the strength beneath the soil.

*Important: Use headphones to fully hear binaural beats!

I hope you enjoy it. 


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☽ The Forest Lowers Its Voice ☾

As light fades, the forest begins to change and so do we.



Can You Feel It?


The forest slows. Amber light filters through thinning canopies.

The air breathes damp and earthy...petrichor, moss, memory entwined.

Leaves fall like whispered farewells. The forest exhales.

 You pause. You breathe with her.

Trees draw energy downards. Sap thickens, roots awaken.

Animals gather, listen and grow still.

The forest’s heartbeat softens and we descend with it. 

Melatonin rises, cortisol falls, breath deepens.

We shift from doing to being, mirroring the trees down in to ourselves.

At Samhain, the veil thins, just like the canopy.

Soil, breath and memory slow together.

Autumn is a return to the hearth, settling into fertile darkness and

where life quietly recomposes itself.

Dormancy flows down to our roots,

 carrying rhythm, resonance and quiet power.


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☽ SPARKS ☾

Light is the rhythm we live by.

As it fades, we turn towards the quiet.

 Its angle lowers, Its duration shortens,

And in that shifting glow our chemistry responds.

The forest slows.

Trees release their calm breath.

Melatonin rises.

Serotonin softens.

Reproductive rhythms recalibrate.

Animals prepare to hibernate.

Mood, sleep and emotional tone begin to turn.

As the leaves blush and send their farewell kiss to the waiting soil,

we all fall into deeper layers.

Not away from life, but toward its quieter cadence.


 l. As Light Fades, Chemistry Shifts The forest and our bodies begin to change

As light fades, trees release scented molecules called BVOCs (Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds), rising in the cool air. A forest-born chemistry that helps trees resist cold,

 signal microbes and prepare for dormancy. When we breathe them in they calm our nervous system, lowering stress and inviting stillness by activating our parasympathetic pathways.

 


We too, quiet to the dimming light:


Hormonal Changes: Melatonin & Serotonin

The Pineal gland senses the lowering angle and shortening duration of light, adjusting our chemistry to the season.

  • Melatonin (the “sleep” hormone) rises earlier: inviting rest and reflection. 

  • Serotonin (the mood-stabilizing neurotransmitter) softens: alertness fades,focus turns inward.


Brainwaves: As melatonin rises and light fades, the body prepares for rest. Brain activity slows, shifting dominance from Beta waves (alert, 13–30 Hz) towards Theta (drowsy, 4–7 Hz), with Alpha (relaxed, 8–13 Hz) often bridging the transition. (The ambient piece you’re hearing mirrors this natural slowing guiding toward Theta’s calm flow.)


Sleep: Circadian rhythm (the body’s internal clock) responds to shorter days and longer nights. This seasonal delay alters sleep timing, appetite and emotional tone, syncing us with autumn’s quieter cadence.


As Light Fades, Chemistry Shifts the forest and our bodies begin to change

We do not mimic the forest.

We remember we are it too.

And as we are all drawn to the light’s call of rest,

our chemistry begins to listen,

in the rhythm with Mother Earth.


*Find the full e-book Ko-fi (members and shop) https://ko-fi.com/estellemey/shop

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☽ Where the Pulse Slows ☾


As cool, quiet air drifts through the thinning canopy,

the forest’s voice shifts.

High whispers fade: leaves, insects, distant birds...

while low tones travel farther, steady, grounding.

Our bodies follow the cadence:

breath slows, heartbeat deepens, focus turns inward.

Calm strengthen,as serotonin dips & melatonin rises.

Sensory filters adjust, nervous systems rest.

We attune to pulse, texture and depth...

the resonance beneath the leaves,

the hush in the soil and the quiet between breaths.

In this silence, perception sharpens.

We feel more than we hear.

Every vibration, every pause, carries meaning.

Hearts beating in quiet rhythm with Mother Nature.

ll. As the air cools, the forest lowers its tempo.

Beneath the soil, root and fungal signals slow down. 


The breath of microbes and roots drop by up to 60% in colder conditions. Electrical pulses between trees and fungi quieten, conserving energy and preparing for dormancy. It’s the forest’s heartbeat softening. A physiological descent into rest.


In our bodies, the same shift unfolds. 


Cooler air activates the parasympathetic nervous system, our “rest and repair” mode.


  • Heart rate and breath slow, guided by vagal tone

  •  Cortisol drops, as the body conserves energy 

  • Heart rate variability (HRV) increases, a sign of nervous system balance and recovery.



Did you know?

 Seasonal descent affects us all. Shape, posture and movement.  As trees shed, still and brace for winter, so do we. Cold air stiffens joints and softens stride. We hunch, we round, we protect. The body becomes a shelter. Like bark & sap thickening and more drawn to warmth.

In every falling leaf and slowing pulse,

the body remembers its lineage.

What the forest practices in soil and sap,

 we practice in breath and cell.

One long exhale of the world.


*Find the full e-book Ko-fi (members and shop)

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☽ Under the layers ☾


As the Autumn exhales,

The trees descend into themselves.

Chlorophyll fades, energy flows downward,

roots gather strength.

We follow.

 Brainwaves soften. Breath deepens.

Authenticity, connection, stillness awaken.

Sleep, hormones, rhythm… all turn inward.

In this quiet, your voice can travel and nourish its strength too.

Steady, rooted and alive.

Like the forest, you can send sound into the unseen. Letting it anchor through your body while your brain and nervous system respond as if the action were real awakening focus,

calm and inner power.




lll. Autumn’s Descent

A Physiological Turning Trees move downward, they deepen.

As chlorophyll fades, energy flows downward, nourishing roots for winter.

 This isn’t death. It’s preparation. A descent into stillness, into memory, into the unseen. We turn inward. Emotionally, biologically.

Brainwaves slow. Breath deepens. Sleep shifts.

Hormones recalibrate: melatonin rises, cortisol drops.

The body prepares for restoration, not performance.

In humans, the body listens too.

 Seasonal descent affects more than mood. It reshapes our physiology:

  •  The immune system shifts from surveillance to repair, thickening its bark before winter.

  •  Hair shed increases just like leaves falling in autumn. As more follicles enter the telogen (resting) phase.

  • Skin dries, its moisture retreating like sap conserving, concentrating, preparing.

*Find the full e-book Ko-fi (members and shop)


Seasonal changes influence human physiology, including immune function,hormone levels and brain activity. In autumn and winter, melatonin increases, cortisol decreases and immune gene expression shifts toward repair and inflammation control.  (Nature Communications: Seasonal Biology in Humans (Dopico et al., 2015))



As the trees descend within themselves and leaves fall,

their movement becomes ours.

Energy flows downward in roots and sap.

In our breath, our voice, our stillness...

All nourishing the strength from inside.

Each exhale carries memory, calmness,

and the quiet power of autumn itself.





Where the Echo Continues I hope you enjoyed this piece.

If this resonated with you, you’ll find more of my work here on the Woodchant Website

or on Ko-fi , with full e-books, gifts, behind-the-scenes glimpses and new releases. Your support helps spark new editions, fund my music

 and keep the Woodchant flame alive.

Every echo continues. Every seed sings forward.


SOURCES TO DIVE DEEPER: 1. Circadian & Seasonal Biology

Dopico et al. (2015) - Seasonal Biology in Humans:: https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms8000

  • Study showing over 4,000 genes with seasonal expression patterns, immune function changes, and increased inflammation in winter

Additional seasonal research:

2. Forest Bathing & Phytoncides (BVOCs)

Li, Q. (2010) - Effect of forest bathing trips on human immune function:

Additional phytoncide research:

3. Binaural Beats & Theta Waves

Positive findings:



It's interesting to aknowledge research on binaural beats shows mixed results. Some studies show benefits, others show no effect or even negative effects on cognitive performance.

Critical/mixed findings:


4. Mycorrhizal Networks & Seasonal Soil Respiration

Seasonal metabolic shifts in fungi/soil:




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