It is Autumn here in England. For me, Autumn is when the trees start shedding their leaves. They do this because they are getting less light. This is because the Earth rotates on its axis as well as rotating around the sun and the part of the sphere I am currently living on is slowly rotating away from the sun.
However, that is the scientific reason. I confess that I would prefer there to be an occult reason, but I have not yet found one that fits with my beliefs. I have heard the one about the Oak King and the Holly King fighting for dominance and Brigit giving way to The Cailleach, but it just doesn’t ring true for me.
When I became Pagan, many books I read stated that this was the season that plants started dying. No, they don’t. Farmers will confirm that there are crops which are farmed at winter, for example winter barley. Any gardener will tell you that some plants have foliage all year round. Grass lives all year round and can be found under the snow.