Autumn Activities
As the nights draw in, we close the curtains and have a chance to reflect on what has been and what is to come. We may go apple picking, stargaze, sweep up the leaves, watch and listen as the season turns. Curl up by the first fires of winter, light a candle, bring the heat and light of summer indoors.
Annual Review
As
a meditation you might like to consider where your life is
on this cycle. What happening had significance for you in the last twelve months?
Are
you at a beginning, going through change, or having changed enjoying
the happy outcome?
Maybe
you are having a quiet, almost hermit like period, or releasing
items, relationships, projects that have run their course.
Perhaps
you have totally initiated those closures and going through a period
of death, letting experiences die away and decay, for, as the cycle
shows, new beginnings are next on the cards!
Periods of Adjustment – Using Inspirational Positive 'Leaves'
Change is in the air and sometimes we feel very challenged, even frightened, by change. At this time of transformation or at any period of adjustment in your life you can encourage your optimism with this project.
Draw a leaf shape on paper and cut out many pieces. You can either use papers with the Autumnal hues, orange, deep yellows, reds and browns, or dye white paper with tea. Experiment with different teas, different strengths and different temperatures.
Write
positive words on the leaf shapes, such as golden, rich, mellow,
rich, crisp and warm.
Now place these around your home so that you will see inspiring words in unexpected places.
Write A Gratitude List
As we hunker down for the winter it is time to recall the last twelve months.
There will have been happy days and sad times of course. But here we are, ready to go into the darkness of winter, our thoughts turning inwards. It is the season to give thanks to all that life on this earth brings us. No better time to recall and remember all that we can be grateful for.
Release and Transform |
Retain and Treasure |
My habit of drinking lots of tea during the day. |
My habit of early morning cuppa. |
Writing shopping list on paper scraps which I loose. |
Making a list for shopping in my diary. |
Not meditating everyday. |
Favourite meditation for last thing at night. |
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Home Altar - Genus Loci - A Practical Dialogue
Just as each place in the outer landscape has a genus loci many believe each home has it's own 'atmosphere' and protective guardian.
To acknowledge and thank their part in maintaining the happiness of all beings within the home it is good to create a tangible expression of your gratitude. This doesn’t have to be anything grand. A theme of the fire, earth, air and water elements might seem appropriate, a bowl with local stones and earth, a vase of flowers, some seeds, fruit, a feather, candle with the house name written on it, anything found around your house. Do what seems right and what you feel represents the spirit and the energy of the place around you.
Harvest Dolls
| Corn Lady handmade by Elaine Lindsay of Something Corny, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Shared as the earth element in our centre in 2014. |  |
Go Fruit Picking
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Drinking Rocks - Drink and Dream
We physically ingest ancient components of rock and stone every day through the water we drink. Water continuously recycles through earth. As it passes the underground layers it picks up minerals. Stop reading now and have a drink of water with the knowledge that you are taking into your body the elements and minerals of the earth. You are drinking rocks. Your digestive system draws out of the water the minerals and elements and they go into your body tissues. Connect to the earth in this direct way as you embody, through drinking, the essential nature of the land.
To aid in gaining access to the wisdom of the rock you will need two glasses of water and two pieces of paper, one plain and one with a print out / simple drawing of the rock place. Place one of the glasses of water on the plain paper. When you place the other on the print out, set the intention by stating:
' I ask that the wisdom of the rocks be transferred to the water'.
One of the characteristics of Ireland and its people is spontaneity. Everything has its own time and place and so there is no exact time limit on how long you leave the glasses on the papers. When you feel ready take the plain paper water and taste it. Then taste the water that has sat on the rock picture. Note any differences in the water, maybe one glass has bubbles, note any differences in taste. Before going to sleep set the intention by stating:
'I wish to dream the wisdom of the rocks of (place you wish to connect to)'.
Drink the rest of the water that has been sitting on the rock picture. Have a notebook ready beside the bed and write down anything that comes in dream state or immediately on waking.
Conjure cards and prosperity / abundance pouch
| On Sunday we made cards. |  |
Cards - The cards can be very complex or then a bit more simple, such as a card
for protection for a whole year (they're always meant for one year,
then you have to make new ones).
We made money themed ones and had
fun doing that, though the energies were intense. The room heated up
like a sauna, no kidding. We've had this happening before, but it's
always an interesting experience. Work like this can basically soak
you, it can make you run for the loo like silly lol, it can exhaust
you, it can make you super hungry (we've had this in Fourknocks before,
yep)... and so on. You never know what will happen and it's always an
interesting experience.
The heat today may well be in connection of Sun energy, because Sunday, because the Sun works with money-abundance-energy, too. Archive - September 2015 - Sun, Moon and Me
Pouch - With the intention to recognise the abundance in your life put into a bag anything that appeals to you - small crystals to link to the earth, written lists of what you enjoy in life, any symbols of abundance, eg. a coin for money wealth, a nut for nourishing food, a piece of jewelry for beauty. This can be kept for a year along with the card.
Dream Bags
2007 - Dream Bag into winter We met at the gate entrance onto the Hill of Tara, and centred, grounded and protected symbolically and intentionally before acknowledging the season and its attributes.
We then walked across the hill and created a centre, shared smudge and light, and called in the cardinal direction's energies. We created dream bags actively harvesting from the outer world in order that we could dream on the inner world.
The energetic vibration of the day was 5, the throat chakra. We spoke our truth, demonstrating the power of intention and sending healing intentions to self, others and the planet.
We faced the cold reality of winter.
| Cut 2 circles. Pierce each with 8 holes. Thread a drawstring through the holes. Place objects inside. |  |
Merlin App
Autumn sees the birds stocking up for winter on the hips, haws, fruit and berries ripening on the trees and bushes. They often discuss their juiciest morsels and chatter as they feed. A great opportunity for us to check up on who is in our neighbourhood.
You can identify the birds using the merlin.allaboutbirds.org app "Free global bird guide with photos, sounds, maps, and more."
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