Autumn Rituals

One of my favorite autumn rituals is taking walks along

The creek… drinking in the changes I see and hear….

Listening to the husky voices of the crows in the oak tree,

observing the ochre tinge just at the edges of the leaves

and inhaling that distinct scent of change in the air. 

It is a wholesome and necessary thing

For us to turn again to the earth and in

The contemplation of her beauties

To know of wonder and humility.

~ Rachel Carson

People usually consider walking on water or in

thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle

is not to walk either on water or in thin air,

BUT  TO  WALK  ON  EARTH…

Every day we are engaged in a miracle

Which we don’t even recognize

A blue sky, white clouds, green leaves,

The black, curious eyes of a child…

Our own two eyes… All is a miracle.

~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Everyone, no matter what their cultural background

Has a right to discover the Sacred in Nature;

To heal and be redeemed spiritually by nature;

And to revere the ancestors. We are all

Haunted and saved by our memories.

~ Martha Brooks (from Bone Dance)

“Everyday Goddessing  is about sharing magical techniques and sacred wisdom with other beautiful Goddess women. I believe that within every woman there is a goddess, a wise woman, beautiful, creative, powerful, with a deep soul, and that everything we need and are looking for is already inside  each of us.” ~ Rose Arizmendi

Enchantment In The Air

May the whisper of the Autumn wind carry blessings of love & abundance to those you love.

I find myself staring out the window a lot these days as November’s magic swirls around me. Watching the golden leaves ~ floating to the earth below . . . the plants and trees slowly winding down their cycle of growth and beginning to die, and yet I love the energy and the brilliant colors of autumn.

~ For some unknown reason, I always feel younger and more alive during this time of the year.

A sense of stillness and inevitable change linger in the air . . . then the dark rain clouds overhead  suddenly release one drop . . . another drop . . . and then another. I am completely enchanted by every nuance of light and shadow, every smell, every sound, and experience of the rainstorm.

As nature undresses herself during the transition from autumn to winter, I often find myself in the garden, tucked away beneath a warm blanket where I sit and reflect on the incredible beauty of this season.

 Breathe in the magic and wonder of fall . . .

~ a bitter sweet tingle of enchantment in the air. ~

Each step we take in nature is a step towards deeper understanding, connection, love and  gratitude for this sacred planet.

  “…we are custodians of deep and ancient thresholds. In the human face you see that potential and the miracle of undying possibility.” ~ John O’Donohue

 

 A very enchanting short by Alasdair Beckett-King

“Delicious autumn!   My very soul is wedded to it,
and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth
seeking the successive autumns.”  
~   George Eliot 

 “Everyday Goddessing  is about sharing magical techniques and sacred wisdom with other beautiful Goddess women. I believe that within every woman there is a goddess, a wise woman, beautiful, creative, powerful, with a deep soul, and that everything we need and are looking for is already inside  each of us.” ~ Rose Arizmendi

Autumn Musings

For me, August is a bittersweet time at summer’s end, with it’s warm soft days that I wish would stay and never go.

This morning, the sun came out and lingered in the hazy late summer air as I watched the day seep into my house. The cooing of morning doves, the laughter of children and the sound of wooden wind chimes in the distance. So here I am, perched at the edge of my studio window watching trees, basking in the late morning sun, quietly dreaming.

Mother Earth is lavish with her gifts this time of the year;  the smell of loamy earth, the scent of jasmine in the air, tomato vines heavy with fruit and buzzing bees. On my morning walk, I also noticed a few yellow leaves on the birch trees,  indicating the change from summer to fall . . .      Sweet . . .  Autumn is here!

 

. . . as you sit on the hillside, or lie
prone under the trees, the great door, that does
not look like a door, opens. ~ Stephen Graham

In oneself lies the whole world and if you know how to look and learn, the door is there and the key is in your hand. Nobody on earth can give you either the key or the door to open, except yourself.
~ Jiddu Krishnamurti~

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.
Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.
The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy,
while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.
~ John Muir~

“Everyday Goddessing  is about sharing magical techniques and sacred wisdom with other beautiful Goddess women. I believe that within every woman there is a goddess, a wise woman, beautiful, creative, powerful, with a deep soul, and that everything we need and are looking for is already inside  each of us.” – Rose Arizmendi

Dancing With The Moon

I stepped out onto the patio tonight and was very pleased to see the most enchanting sight. Just coming up over the hill, was the beautiful moon. Although the moon will not be completely full until tomorrow. I stood there gazing upon her, loving the way the moonlight spilled out over the landscape bathing everything in a soft glowing light.  Hello mother moon . . .

The full moon this month is known as Fruit Moon, and even though the days are slowly growing shorter and the nights longer there is something so magical and joyful about the beginning of the harvest season. I love the heady smell of freshly plowed earth and the golden fields of  grain that are now ready for the harvest and I especially love the fresh vegetables and delicious fruits at our local Farmer’s Market.

The great wheel of change is moving forward into the autumn season, the great exhalation of the earth mother, a time of gratitude and celebration as we harvest the fruits of our labor. Celebrate and open your eyes to the magic of the season.

 

The Summer Day

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean-
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

~ Mary Oliver

 

“Everyday Goddessing  is about sharing magical techniques and sacred wisdom with other beautiful Goddess women. I believe that within every woman there is a goddess, a wise woman, beautiful, creative, powerful, with a deep soul, and that everything we need and are looking for is already inside  each of us.” – Rose Arizmendi

Gifts From Nature

I found these small gifts tucked safely away in my coat pocket ~ Gift’s from earth, sky and sea. A feather caught in my hair on one of my walks ~An Oak leaf with a tiny acorn from a favorite tree and a small treasure from my last visit to the ocean.

Later, as I was cleaning out an antique chest of drawers , I decided to try and find some information on the unusual drawer pulls. The only info I found was very limited. ~  Sigh . .

Aunt Margie purchased it at a garage sale in New York  in the early 40’s. Apparently, it had been painted over with several layers of bright green paint. Imagine her surprise to find cherry wood underneath all that paint.

Over the years, this old chest has become like an old friend with it’s worn edges and Victorian Green Man faces staring out from each drawer like little guardians protecting hidden treasures tucked away inside.  Such beauty & craftsmanship!

Autumn ~ So Peaceful ~ Mother Nature ~ Winding Down ~ A touch of frost in the air.

Before I go,  here is a sweet little video I found on You tube.

Autumn, and the lure of the season. A dance film working around poetry.

October Days

“Come said the wind to
the leaves one day,
Come o’re the meadows
and we will play.
Put on your dresses
scarlet and gold,
For summer is gone
and the days grow cold.” ~

A Children’s Song of the 1880’s

“Everyday Goddessing  is about sharing magical techniques and sacred wisdom with other beautiful Goddess women. I believe that within every woman there is a goddess, a wise woman, beautiful, creative, powerful, with a deep soul, and that everything we need and are looking for is already inside  each of us.” – Rose Arizmendi