SEPTEMBER | Seasonal Reflection

Coming into balance, the 5 year anniversary of The Illustrated Herbiary, a few good reads, and the results of the Witch Camp poll!

I arise in the morning because of the wonder of the sky, the light of the sun, the brightness of the moon, the flames of the fire, the speed of the lightening, the suddenness of the storm, the deepness of the ocean, the steadiness of the land, and the steadfastness of the precipice.

- Inscription at the Well of the Three Holy Women at Glencolmcille, Ireland

Happy Autumn, friends. Yes, I know we’re not quite there yet—the equinox is still a few weeks away. But last night I noticed how much the light has shifted. How 7:15pm is now dusky and quiet. Something in me relaxed. I always vibe best with the unraveling of the year.

Before we get to the seasonal reflection, there’s a birthday that needs celebrating: in August, The Illustrated Herbiary had its fifth anniversary of being published. What many don’t know: It was not the book I intended to write. Which is such an important lesson. Sometimes we need to move through the door that’s open instead of slumping in a sopping heap in front of the one that’s still locked. I slipped through the open door and published The Illustrated Herbiary which eventually led me back around to what I was trying to write—Letting Magic In.

My IG post from August 7, 2018

Stepping into the Season

And now, without further ado, time for another seasonal reflection (I do love these. They are where all this writing began). If you want to get back in the seasonal groove, check out Luisa Skinner’s response to the August prompt on her substack Salted. It will remind you of the seasonal feels from last month when we began the harvest season: the first of the season’s crops were ripe in the fields and we began to ease into the harvest time. Now, the “ease” is past and farmers are working overtime to, quite literally, reap what they have sown.

A farmer friend of mine tells me that during the peak of the harvest, he spends nights working outside with a headlamp. It is all he can do to gather in his peaches before they fall to the ground. He often works ‘til 4 in the morning, at which point he grabs a shower and breakfast before taking his fresh picks to the farmers’ market.

What in your life is fruiting? What kind of nourishment does your harvest give you?

Zucchini harvest in my Lettuce Grow tower.

Now Look Up!

In the heavens, September is in the sun sign of Virgo. Virgo is an earth sign that reigns over food and foodstuff, which is so appropriate for this time of year. It is also the sign of order and organization—much needed as the harvest comes to a peak and the workload gets heavy.

Take a few minutes to contemplate organization.

What in your world needs organizing? How would it make you feel to have things in your life organized?

As we come into late September, we will move toward the Equinox and the sign of Libra.

Both the Equinox and the sign of Libra are about balance. I like to think of it as the coming back into balance after the swirl of work related to the harvest. We will re-visit balance in a few weeks.

If you’re grooving on these seasonal reflections, curious to track them over time, and wondering how to best do this, check out perpetual journaling!

Autumn flowers & a good read!

In other news:

In an August writing lull, I read two fabulous books:

* Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs is a wholly original novel about sisters, spell books, dangerous families, and unspeakable secrets.

*A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon is full-on, epic high fantasy. If you need your next Game of Throne or Lord of the Rings but with fully realized, multi-dimensional female characters, give this a go! It’s a brick so save it for when you have spaciousness.

Come hang out with me September 8 & 9 at the Caroline Mountains Lit Fest! I have events and book signings both days. Be sure to introduce yourself!

AND… the votes are overwhelmingly in: we will have an abbreviated Witch Camp this autumn for paid subscribers. (And if you’re one of the two people who voted “too overwhelmed!,” I sooo hear you and will not be at all offended if you just delete those Witch Camp emails.)

xxMaia