Every Aufguss tells a story, and this one celebrates the beauty of change.

For Ritual Artisan Amanda Perrone, fall is a season of reflection, release, and renewal. Her ritual is inspired by the shifting landscape of Canada’s autumn, where each falling leaf and cool breeze carries a quiet reminder: change is not only natural, it’s essential.

Her Aufguss, designed to honour the gifts of fall, invites guests to connect with the season and feel empowered to work with its lessons. Through three rounds, Amanda guides guests through a sensory journey that mirrors the rhythm of nature itself.

A Fall Aufguss That Celebrates Change

Round One: Harvest

The ritual begins with Harvest, a tribute to abundance and gratitude. Inspired by the harvest moon: the first full moon of fall, closer and brighter than any other. Amanda invites guests to gather what they’ve sown throughout the year.

“It’s a time to harvest the seeds we planted in spring and nurtured through summer,” she explains. “So they may nourish and sustain us through winter, both physically and metaphorically.”

The moment is set to a soft cover of Harvest Moon by Neil Young, a Canadian classic that captures the warmth and nostalgia of the season. The air is scented with rosemary and blood orange, representing the final harvest of herbs and fruits, a fragrant reminder of summer’s lingering gifts.

Round Two: Letting Go

After the harvest comes release. In Letting Go, Amanda draws inspiration from the trees themselves, who gracefully shed what no longer serves them.

“As temperatures drop, the trees loosen their grip on their leaves,” she says. “We can learn from that: how beautiful it is to let go.”

The song Envy the Leaves by Madison Beer carries this message in its gentle, flowing melody. With the rhythmic movement of her fans, Amanda emulates the sight and sensation of leaves falling to the ground. The air fills with cinnamon, a warm and comforting scent derived from the tree’s leaves symbolizing the sweetness found in release.

Round Three: Retreat

With the final round, Retreat, the ritual turns inward. Having harvested and released, guests are invited to rest and restore.

“As the world slows down, we’re reminded that retreat is an essential part of creation,” Amanda says.

The round unfolds to the meditative sound of October by U2, an instrumental piece that encourages reflection. One lyric lingers: ‘Kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall, but you go on and on,” a quiet reminder of resilience and continuity. The scent of copal fills the air, a resin drawn from trees that move their energy down to their roots in fall, guiding guests to do the same.

Alchemy in the Sauna

For Amanda, each ritual is a transformation, both elemental and emotional.

“Every time we enter the sauna, we exit changed,” she reflects. “It’s alchemy really, the shifting of elements and energy, all held together with intention. It’s nothing short of magic.”

Through her fall Aufguss, Amanda holds space for guests to reconnect with themselves and the world around them, carrying forward autumn’s wisdom long after the final breath of steam fades away.

Chelsea

Winnipeg

Whitby

The Gifts of Fall: Inside Amanda’s Aufguss Ritual