If you’re in the northern hemisphere, chances are it’s starting to feel a lot like fall: cooler, crisp, a little blustery; if you’re eating intuitively you’re probably beginning to crave more warm, comforting foods. Sweet, hearty root vegetables fit the bill perfectly this time of year.
Early fall is a special time to set yourself up for the holiday season. Eat with intention now and fall will gracefully blossom into a manageable, even magical, winter. Seasonal fall/winter food is warming, comforting, and grounding.
There are some scents that have been prized for millennia, being used for ritual, ceremony, worship, perfumery, and medicine. You’ll find them in ancient holy books as well as writings on medicine and perfumery that date back thousands of years. Many of the most popular sacred aromatics, however, are not sustainable, at least at the moment. Here, we’ll delve into some divinely scented aromatics that have been able to keep up with the exploding demand for essential oils.
An attitude of gratitude is essential for succeeding in life and the everyday stuff that sometimes can get you down—especially in these ever-changing times when it could be easy to look out into the world and feel negative or like nothing is going the way you’d like it to. Spikenard is the essential oil gifted us in order to inspire health, deeper awareness, and gratitude, and bless us to aspire into the state where we can actually be grateful
Lighting the candle and stick of jasmine incense, I arrange the multi-colored stones into a pattern to reflect the harmony and depth I seek. In the corners of the table, set aside just for such a daily ritual, I place one pinecone, one feather, one small bowl of water and one tea light—each representing one of the four directions and corresponding elements. In the center, the original candle burns, standing in as me—the light of consciousness aware of this life.
With the sun moving through the constellation of Virgo we are influenced by the element of earth and Virgo’s strong organizational and precise way of viewing the world. In order to more easily connect to what Virgo offers, both the clear quartz crystal as well as the carnelian stone can help offer both heightened precision as well as grounding support for the month.
Herbal medicine making is a powerful practice rich with intention, connection, and healing. In our modern world, the potency of plant medicine is often overlooked. Yet when we trace its roots, we see that Mother Earth’s remedies are long honored across many traditions and cultures.
Lighting a bundle of sage, the shaman, oracle, priestess, healer wafts the thick smoke of the quick-burning leaves in order to purify the space, open up psychic channels and prepare the way for deeper issues to be addressed. As the smoke clears, so too does the heaviness that was present before its igniting. All that was unclean is now clean, and negative energies cease in the space for the true work to begin.
I have a shocking confession to make.
I have dreaded yoga and meditation a thousand times. Surprising words from a dedicated yoga teacher? Yes, I have dreaded yoga and meditation a thousand times, but I have never once regretted it. Resistance to the practice is something we might not expect, and when it arises it can really pull us off the mat or meditation cushion if we aren’t ready for it.
Are your rituals honoring your body’s innate wisdom? Or are your habits overriding the body’s calls for rest?