Art by Tijana Lukovik
Hello my loves
It is the ancient festival known as Samhain, or as many people know it to be now - Halloween. The land around is fully in the flow of letting go, everywhere I walk the alchemical process of decaying, composting, breaking down and creating black fertile goodness is all around me. The smell in the air is of old bark and rich damp earth and yet held in that earthy, oaky, mulchy rooty smell is the promise of new life, of fertility and growth.
Art by Elin Manon
The ancient festival of Samhain, was seen as the new year, it was known as the time when we teeter on the tip of the wheel, about to descend into the darkness and the journey towards the inner worlds.
This might feel strange to many of us who have learnt that beginnings are bright, upward and spring like, yet when we look at the earth, we see how this is not the case. The seed does not land and grow overnight, often they are carried away from the plant or tree that grew them, by wind, fur, water, clothes and animal, to a place where they are fed by the decomposing of so much that has gone before, they plant themselves into the darkness to slowly slowly dream into their shape, to form roots, to open, taking the time to emerge.
When I look out in nature, it seems to me that all beginnings start with a death, a falling apart and a composting away of something. And that all beginnings start with a period of darkness, of being in the fertile void, of falling apart. Each seed, each baby in the womb is held in the thrum of blackness before it enters the world, in its fullness.
Art by Irina Babushkina
We must, I believe, give ourselves that time, that stillness that falling apart. So when we do hold that seed, when we are ready to let it form, we have the richness of learning, space and understanding that came with our own composting, to feed it with.
Soon the quietude of winter will be calling us even deeper into our bodies, our hearts and our minds, inviting a deep rest time, so we may imagine and dream into what we may grow into, and this is so much easier when we have unburdened ourselves with what no longer needs to be carried, acted out or performed.
Death and dying surrounds us now, but it is not some morbid show, it is the gift that is laid down on the threshold of life, it feeds life, it nourishes it, it is life. It is pure alchemy.
The alchemists of old, called it the blackening, and this word and process has since been taken on in psychology. It is the process of rotting away, composting down and decaying all that was never you, so you can come back to something more golden, alive, wild and innate. To the soul of who you are that lies waiting under who you are not, but became for necessity, safety, to fit in, to be approved of or to be loved.
We are immensely fortunate, that in the seasons, we are shown the wild skill we all have to alchemise, grow, shift and change. We are facilitated in powerful ways by nature, on the constantly shifting path of being human.
I have often felt that watching nature and the way the wild moves through all, is like watching my inner world in front of my eyes.
Art by Mirella Salame
And because this is a time of death, it is also a time to contemplate all that has gone before, so we can honour where we have grown from, the compost that fed us, the bones that made us and the ancestors that went before us.
And in doing this, we may also learn and find ourselves contemplating the ancestor we may want to become one day, for those yet to come.
Poem
Be Gentle
Be gentle with yourself these days.
Sometimes the currents beneath
bring tangles to our hearts.
And we don’t notice,
and glide smoothly on
but wonder why we are
tired, or angry, or fractious.
Sit yourself down,
with your wise grandmother,
and let yourself
be a small child again in her arms,
and let what comes, come.
And when the small child
has done her crying,
set her gently on her feet again
and send her softly back out into the world.
And sit as only grandmothers can,
calm and grounded,
wise with twinkling eyes,
amidst the ups and downs
of this crazy world.
-by Rachel Holstead
Plant of the Month
Rosemary
This plant is a plant of remembrance, stimulating the part of the brain that is for recall memory.
It has been used by our ancestors for years to help recall our loved ones and times gone by.
It was also used to help those in need of courage, just the smell can increase a sense of strength, centeredness and inner fire.
A warming, relaxing and stimulating herb that is beautiful and easeful to bring into your life.
Tea - Not many people make tea from Rosemary, yet it is one of the best herbal teas around. Just put some in a pot and let infuse for 20 mins. You’ll have a gorgeous tasting, comforting and uplifting brew.
Smell - Just the smell of fresh rosemary, rolled and rubbed between the fingers then breathed in, enlivens, clears and builds courage. Steam rosemary essential oil into a room for memory, especially recall memory.
Fire - Dry rosemary plant stems and leaves and have by the fire as wish sticks, or as offerings to ancestors, or to just smell nice as it burns.
Rosemary Memory Elixir -
This elixir can be used daily to support memory health. This can be made with fresh or dried herbs.
You can also make this just with rosemary, brandy and raw honey as a stand alone simple remedy.
Ingredients
4 parts rosemary
2 parts Ginkgo
1 part gotu kola
2 part oatstraw
1 part peppermint
Brandy
Raw honey
Directions
Combine herbs and mix well. Label and store the mixture in a cool, dark place until you’re ready to make your elixir.
When you’re ready to make your rosemary memory elixir, take a glass pint jar and fill it half full if you’re using dried, fill it to full if using fresh herbs.
Fill the jar half full with brandy, and then fill the remaining half of the jar with honey. Use a spoon to mix the herbs, brandy, and honey well.
Cover with a lid, label your jar, and place it in a cool, dark place for 6 weeks. Stir the mixture a few times a week, if you can remember.
After 6 weeks, strain the herbs from your elixir, and compost them. Then bottle and label your rosemary memory elixir, and store it.
Usage:
Adults take 30 drops of elixir daily.
PRECAUTIONS: If you have heart disease or are on cardiac medications, please consult with your doctor before using this elixir. If you are pregnant, please consult with your doctor or midwife before using.
Books -
Seed sistas, poison prescription
A book that shows how to safely explore and discover the world of poisons.
A beautiful book exploring the earths underworlds through myth, literature, memory and the land.
Music that has grabbed me of late
Kitty Macfarlane starling song
Fionn Regan The meetings of waters