 |
|
"Flowers bloom as black as night removing color from your sight Nightmarish vines block your way thorns reach out to catch their prey And by the pricking of your thumbs realize that their poison numbs From frightful blooms, rank odors seep-,bats and beasties fly and creep' Cross this evil land ill winds blow despite the darkness, mushrooms glow All will rot and decompose for something wicked this way grows..."
~Scottish Gardening Manual
I think one of my favorite things about this time of year is the way everything smells. I am still not a fan of the cold (I especially enjoyed the glorious Indian summer) & October with its undeniable sparkle in the air is definitely a harbinger of winter. However, right now the season seduces me- trees ablaze with color, the rustle of crisp leaves, the scent of cinnamon, spicy pumpkin pie (yum), witches gliding across the moon & fat black cats!
Busy as it has been here, I've been counting down each day until my favorite night of the year: All Hallows Eve - Samhain or the holiday that is customarily connected to it, Halloween.
No matter where you are, October always seems magickal. Samhain is the celebration of the past year-the Sabbat which marks the new year. It is a day of divination & a night of festival. Samhain means 'end of summer', the last harvest which ushers in the dark half of the year. We celebrate the Crone aspect of the Goddess at this time calling on Her wisdom.
|
|
|
|
Season of the Crone
From "Crones Don't Whine: Concentrated Wisdom for Juicy Women" by Jean Shinoda Bolen:
"I am proposing that it is time to reclaim & redefine 'crone' from the word pile of disparaging names to call older women, & to make becoming a 'crone' a crowning inner achievement of the third phase of life.
To be a crone is about inner development, not outer appearance. A crone is a woman who has wisdom, compassion, humor, courage, & vitality. She has a sense of truly being herself, can express what she knows and feels, and take action when need be. She does not avert her eyes or numb her mind from reality. She can see the flaws & imperfections in herself & others, but the light in which she sees is not harsh & judgmental. She has learned to trust herself to know what she knows."
|
|
Breast Cancer Awareness
During October, I attended quite a few support sessions speaking with many of the sassy, sexy cancer womyn out there.
Reactions to the word CANCER can be interesting. It overwhelms in the beginning & for some that feeling never leaves. For others, it is a transition into a new way of living. One thing I have always found- there is an intense need to be surrounded by a support system of love and spiritual sisters.
So this bold sister is here to say take this disease, embrace it & learn from it. Being diagnosed with a life threatening illness means the end of everything we have ever known. From that moment forward, the world looks very different. It will take time for your heart & soul to catch up, but when it does? Watch out!! The scars you bear hold the roadmap to your life, to your soul. Tell yourself that you will no longer ignore your bodies' needs. Tell yourself you will no longer ignore the fire within.
Illness is a signal for change. Don't worry about the so called "status quo" or how to measure up to someone's ideal of who or what you should be or do. Just dance through this forest of cancer with flowers on your head & abandon in your step. Bang on a drum & sing with all the wildness that is inside you.There will be times you feel life spinning out of control, but trust that you will not fall. Trust in the fact that we are all together in this adventure called cancer. And each day release the unimportant things that dominate your life. Your Mantra? "I'm beautiful because I have spirit. I'm beautiful because I trust my place in the world.".
| |
Thank you for sharing my thoughts and ramblings. Next month look for our Pre-Holiday issue chock full of new items, sales & more.May all your festivities be safe, happy & drenched in magic
Blessed Samhain & Halloween,
Debbi Quinn
Proprietress
|
|
|
|
|
|
Blue Moon Herbals & Aromatics P.O. Box 95
Seaside Park, New Jersey 08752
877-596-1772
|
|
 |
|
