Guided Meditations and Writing Prompts as Fall Equinox Rituals
The Autumnal Equinox is on Sunday, September 22, 2024, 5:43 a.m. PST, and here are some creative writing prompts to meditate on
The act of contemplating the gradual return of Yin can function as a collection of Fall Equinox rituals done privately or as a group.
Fundamentally, the approaching Autumn Equinox is a time for goodbyes. We say goodbye to the warm sunsets, to the green canopy of leaves above our heads, to nectar dripping down our arms as we bite into overripe peaches. The early weeks of fall may speak of harvests, yet we know there is an inevitable slow descent into frosty days, darker skies, and eating from what we’ve stored from times of plenty.
In many ways, what’s in storage is psychosomatic. Memory has a way of revealing what is important to us, highlighting what we love, and all the stories that hold both light and shadow. And in a season where the land shows itself as increasingly darker and shaded, it’s also a natural time to sit with figurative and literal deaths, grief, and sorrow. Within Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the fall season corresponds with the Metal element and the lungs, the organ that holds grief and sadness.
MAGICK, CREATIVITY + CONTINUOUS TRANSFORMATION
The more I delve into magickal studies (Daoist-centered in my case), the clearer it becomes that my essence is meant to continually transform. This constant state of flux should be evident in both my spiritual practice and the art I create; otherwise, I risk becoming generic and empty, merely a passing trend. I end up repeating formulas that promise external but shallow approval while compromising my values and authentic voice, a pattern I observe in others as well.
HOW ONE DOES ONE THING IS HOW ONE DOES EVERYTHING
And so when we make one choice, we make many.
Samhain Market Vancouver
Visit Mimi Young of Ceremonie this Saturday, October 28 from 7-10PM at @liquidambertattoo as part of the Art Social + Witches of Vancouver market event. The Skin + Aura Care will be available between 18-22% OFF, and it's ONLY for this event, as well as my remaining Magick of Tea events for 2023 that such rad prices will be made available.
Tea Thoughts While On A Mountain
By considering alternatives, my “truths” can be suspended—even for a moment—so that new portals can open. The Universe does not want to work with a know-it-all. Spells, though are approached with some degree of knowledge, mostly work because there’s sufficient space for air and negative space to exist to fan the flames of magick.
I delight in knowing that if I told my younger self who I am now, what I’m doing now, she likely wouldn’t believe me.
12 AFFIRMATIONS + TRUTHS THAT ARE NOT EXTRACTIVE AND DO NOT BYPASS
1. While I most likely cannot be whoever I want, I can do something that weaves my interests with my abilities, to the best of my circumstances.
DO PLANTS FEEL THE SAME?
No matter how often we are told we are loved, it’s still possible to forget it. I wonder if plants ever feel the same. I confess my love for them, again, as sweetly as the first time. I think the Tea in my cup today blushes. The Ferns, too.
Following the plants,
WAYS WE BLOCK OUR CREATIVITY (AND WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT)
I wanted to highlight the importance of how this relates to our bodies, emotions, and psyche this time of the year, when you or those around you are going through the Earth energy of this Water Rabbit Year.
SIMPLE MOON RITUALS FOR POWERFUL ENERGETIC SHIFTS: IN COLLABORATION WITH GOOP
I return to goop, and was interviewed about Moon rituals that highlights principles of Yin, Yang, and Daoism (the philosophy that birthed the Five Elements and Chinese Zodiac) in general. The idea is to slow right down, get tactile, and relate differently than you typically would.
HOW DOES THE FORCE IN STAR WARS PLAY PARALLEL WITH THE DAO ACCORDING TO DAOISM?
In Daoism (Taoism), the concept of the Dao (Tao) refers to the fundamental vital life force that underlies and connects all beings and all things in the Cosmos.
In Star Wars, the Force is portrayed as a powerful and all-encompassing energy that connects all living things in the galaxy.
The Dao and the Force are both accepted as beyond the realm of human control and full human knowledge. It is the Dao that has the ultimate say; all else may be understood as mystery.
THE OFFERING ARRIVED
Qing Ming Jie, a dedicated day in early spring for traditional Chinese peoples to visit loved ones who have passed on at their graves and pay respects, was on a Wednesday this year, the day of Mercury. By custom, with the tombs freshly swept by the living, and the debris removed, the spaces consecrated as doorways to connect with the living dead were renewed at a minimum of each year. Even portals need cleaning.
EARTH DAY AND THE FEELING OF FUTILITY
Oh, loved ones. Reading my friend, Carmen Spagnola's post on Earth Day, resurrected so much within me. I remember the once held feelings of naive might-- the one individual can take on the ugly world of big corporations, the machines of government, the systems of isms. I can do this, using the stronger, faster, smarter, louder, harder mindset, and wouldn't you know, it burned me to a crisp.
NATURAL LAWS FOR INTUITION
1. Intuition require spaciousness and an unrushed pace to be the most authentic and reliable.
2. Rest and play fuel and sustain intuition.
3. Curiosity, receptivity and non-judgment to associations, signs, symbols (dreams, omens, synchronicities, correspondences) develop fluency.
DO SPIRITS CHANGE?
This morning, during my visit to the Inner Spirit Temple (an inner, spirit space where members of the Homing Coven can seek solace, meditate, and do group work), I was met by a few spirit beings I learn from and work with closely. One of the beings, Fire, along with a few plant allies, said to me, 'We change, too, you know."
DOES INTUITION CHANGE AS WE AGE?
Even the most seasoned intuitive, psychic, witch, healer, or spirit worker experience plateaus or deep winter seasons from time to time. The idea here is not to force our work into perpetual springs, as every phase of a cycle can be opportunities for engagement with the Seen and Unseen, to deepen our spiritual practice, to return to foundational lessons and skills, to renew our sense of humility and commitment to our craft.