This Shifting and Turning

Tonight I sat outside and watched the sky blush pink. It was not the deep rose-purple of a summer sunset.  Instead the shade was a coral colour, stretching into tints that mimicked the salmon that are returning to our river to spawn.  It was warm, both in the hue of the sky and here on earth. The sultry months have extended their reach and show little sign of moving on just yet.

Monday or Tuesday, depending on your time zone, marks the autumnal equinox although the days and nights will not be equal here in the Valley until September 25th, when the sun will rise at 6:48am, and set at 6:49pm. By then, if we're lucky, we may see the tiniest sliver of new moon in the west, just before dark.  It all speaks of plentitude, harmony, and the continued journey (seeming ever-so-rapid these days) of our lives as we rocket around the sun.

After taking a good look at what our work has brought in as harvest, it only seems right to celebrate and acknowledge our own labour, as well as the unseen hands (hooves, paws, claws) that tend to us. It is a lovely time for a feast, a dance around the flames, or a literal (or figurative) roll in the hay as the final crops are laid bare in the fields.

I've started burning things again - as I do.  This year some of the herbs were very happy so there has been a surplus of dried stalks to save for future fires.  Tonight I was fumigated by sprigs of lavender and sagebrush twigs, and I was so thankful for the simple pleasure of having a fire bowl in my backyard to linger over.

This year has been transitory (aren't they all, really) and as well as flying by, it has seemed to take on the task of preparing me for what's to come in the next few years.  I'm sensing a big change, but I haven't quite grasped the edges of it yet.  Time will tell.  In the meantime, I'm working with a naturopath, taking a few online courses, tending the bumper crop of tomatoes, carrots, beets, and cucumbers, and gearing up for the October madness that waves hello from just over that hill...

Will you celebrate the delicious descent into autumn?  Will you feast, fire, and dance, or quietly give a nod to the movement of the hour hand of the year?

I hope it blesses you, this shifting and turning, I truly do.