Mother Nature weaves her spell....

At twilight now, I can smell the scent of woodsmoke in the air and when darkness falls, the sky is indigo and the moon so bright I have felt that I wanted to go outside and capture extra hours in the day. Everywhere you look there seems to be hints of magic....Mother nature weaves her spells with a wave of her wand.




Mornings have been misty, days quiet. Things are winding down in preparation for colder days. There has been fruit collecting and conker stringing. The cupboard is now home to sloe gin. There are blackberries in the freezer, plum wine fermenting in the kitchen, apples, still to be dealt with.



Even if we don't think its cold yet. Nature knows when its time to come in and hibernate.

Samhain

The celebrations on the eve of All Souls Day, called Halloween, stem from the Celtic New Year celebration called Samhain. When the Sun goes down on this eve, there is a time between the old year and the creation of the new. Specifically, this occurs at sunrise.


In this twilight of the years, the veil between this world and the world of the spirit is thin. It is a time when ghosts and spirits can interact with the living, and a time when divination is most effective. This is a sacred time when all warriors were to keep their swords sheathed.

Samhain literally means “end of the summer.” This day marked the last harvest of the summer, and so it is a harvest celebration. But, because there were only three months in the ancient Celtic calendar, and no autumn, it is also the beginning of the winter death that will lead to next year’s regeneration. On this night, the lord of death reigns, and the Celts protect themselves from this threat with bonfires and animal sacrifice. Animal sacrifice is closely associated with divination.

In most ancient cultures, the remains of the sacrificed animal were examined to discover the will of the gods and to predict the future. The Druid priests would take advantage of this auspicious time to look into the events of the upcoming year—at least up until Beltane, which marked the year’s midpoint.

Although predicting the future is not necessarily the best use of the tarot, this is a good time to try reading the future. You can do this by laying out three cards for each of the six months from Samhain to Beltane (you should have eighteen total cards). Read each set of three cards as a story that will pertain to that month.

It has finally arrived!

Within the wheel of the year, Autumn has finally arrived!  The season of change, beautiful change, has arrived.

The afghans are ready to come out and be placed in every room, and if I had a fireplace, the firewood would be properly stacked and ready. My tea cabinet is fully stocked as is the baking cabinet. I look forward to many evenings in the kitchen...filled with the aroma of comfort food.

Time to prepare the woolens and get out the comfy slippers. Oh, and did I mention I've already started Halloween preparations? Never too early to get into the spirit of things. As I always say... grab that bull by the horns.


I wish for you an Autumn season of comfort, happy moments, and love!

Magic Is In The Air...

Me thinks perhaps tis the Autumn underway...right around the corner.


The air is crackling with energy...sweet yet mysterious vibes. I feel it all around me. What exactly is surrounding me with such force that makes me smile in anticipation??

I bite my lip playfully as I look around me and wonder. What enchantment has nature put me under? For I know that the slightest hint of coolness in the air...the merest whisper of change in season casts a spell of splendor...

wistfulness...and contentment in all that surrounds me.

I light the scented candles. My kitchen smells of freshly baked oatmeal cookies (though I did bake brownies last night)...the rest of the house is scented in an aroma of crisp Autumn. It's tough to explain the essence. Let's just say that a whiff of it has you seeing colorful leaves in abundance, pumpkins on the steps, a stew on the stove, herbs harvested and hung to dry, and an apple pie freshly baked...piping hot.

This is the magical spirit permeating the house at this moment. This is my witch's brew for the season...this is the spell I'm casting for all who enter my abode. Enchantment is everywhere. Come visit...I'll have my cauldron on the fire. It'll be brewing a smile, warmth, a nice cup of tea, an afghan made by my own hands to keep you warm on chilly evenings, a book to take you away to other lands, laughter, soft music, a cat on the lap, and most of all...comfort to lull you to the land of nod when the lights go out.