Welcome to October, y’all. Darkness is upon us now. The days grow shorter, the wild nights grow longer. Magic + mystery hang like mist in the air. It’s the time of descent. It is time to surrender to the mystical, haunting, earthy vibes of autumn. It’s time to listen to the whispers in the dark.
It can be a frightening time of the year. Surrendering to the dark. Turning inward. Facing the shadows, the unknown, the mysterious. Feeling those palpable vibes of letting go, endings, and finally, death.
But, all of that fear can be transformed into something deeply profound, if we simply dare to really sink into the mood of October.
And October’s mood is the deep, dark descent. Of turning from the light + drawing down in the the deep parts of the earth and our own souls. It is the season of, well… Falling. Surrendering. Releasing. Letting go. Sinking deeper + deeper into the darkness.
This the last month in the wheel of the seasons of the year (according to Celtic seasonal living, which I tend to follow). The growing season is over. Trees are shedding their leaves as I write this. Earth is preparing for her deep winter slumber. This is the last month of movement. Now is the time for those last, long deep breaths before the silence + solitude of winter. It is the time for reflecting + looking back over what has been. The time for releasing, letting go, and surrendering to the truth of the cycle of life. But, it is also time to listen to the whispers, callings, and voices in the night. They are calling us to follow nature…. down, down, down into the deep, dark, ancient places of magic + mystery.
Autumn is the earth’s process of dying. And winter, which arrives in December, is the quiet time of possibility in the pure, deep dark. Nothing happens. We wait. And, yet, in that waiting, a crack of light appears at the winter solstice, as the days suddenly start to become a tiny little bit longer every day until the spring equinox, when light takes over (just as darkness has taken over now).
So, winter offers hope. But, autumn is a pure mysterious, mystical, slow descent into deep darkness.
Then, why do I love autumn so much? It sounds a bit morbid + depressing + frightening. Well, the only thing I can say is that it speaks to my soul. I thrive when I dwell in mystery. I love unanswered, open-ended questions. I believe in a deeper knowing than what I call head-knowing. I am an old, contemplative, mystical soul meant to ponder all things, both light + dark. And, really, I believe that we are all souls meant to slow down + ponder the magic + mystery not only of life, but of our own personal power + inner knowing.
I cannot separate the soulful, spiritual mood of October from the earthy, natural cycles of October. To me, they are one in the same. Nature points + calls + shows me how to live, how to trust, how to surrender, die, wait, and grow. Not only physically, but also within my own soul. I am a deep believer in the cycle of life. And we cannot evolve + grow, the earth cannot burst forth again + again, without going through the dark. Neither can I evolve + grow without daring to surrender to the dark, waiting there, and preparing for a new cycle. This is the rhythm of our own evolution. We learn, grow, release, and find ourselves in the dark… only to rise again from the darkness ready to repeat the cycle all over again. This is how we grow, change, transform. This is what happens as we move through life… changing jobs, moving, trying new things. We experience this cycle, this rhythm year after year.
We can either just let the cycles come + go, however, or we can intentionally, mindfully participate in the rhythm of our life. This is what I mean by living a slow life in rhythm with the seasons. I choose to follow the cycles of nature because they reflect my own cycles… or rather because I reflect the cycles of nature in my life. And, all of this makes my life more spiritual, meaningful, purposeful and intentional. It keeps me present, open, and grounded.
The descent of October is frightening, yes. But, it is also the place where we meet our soul. Where we find out who we are. Where we come face to face with truth. We need to descend so that we know who we are when we emerge back into the light. We need October to help us slow down. It is the perfect setting for exploring who we really are + who we are called to be.
And, what better time to begin to unearth our own wisdom + power than in the darkness of October’s magic? This is the season for basking in the cozy, warm glow of candlelight on quiet, dark nights + crisp, dark mornings. A time to let our imagination + intuition lead us. The perfect mood for connecting with ancestors, honoring them, listening to our intuitive wisdom, believing in things unseen, listening to the wild calls of the darkness, infusing magic into our everyday lives.
We need the deep, dark descent of October so that we know who we are when we emerge back into the light next year.
I feel the cozy, mysterious mood of the month enveloping me. Over the next 31 days, dare to join me. Step into the darkness, reflect on how life can be, look into the depths of your soul. Let Mother Earth, memories, ancestors, mystery, spirit, and intuition be your guide.
Welcome to the wild, mysterious, haunting, slow, simple magic of October. xoxo. liz.
