All Souls

ruminations on November

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November is a quiet month. It begins with a remembrance of the dead. Outside, the air is motionless, and the sounds of the woods are muffled. In the spaces between the trees, there is an exhale, an emptying, a pause, a little death before the earth's next inhale. That's how November feels to me.

Young saplings and underbrush lost their leaves after a bold flourish of color earlier in the season. Now, oak leaves are russet, and birch leaves are golden. They will fade over time and become scraps of brown and yellowed paper. Bare tree branches are stark against a gray sky, angular and sharp as runes. They silently send messages to me in the pale light of dawn.

It is All Souls Day. I remember wakes, funerals, cemetery visits, tears, the spicy scent of florist's carnations in funeral arrangements, and feelings of loss on this cold, rainy, dark day.

As I sit and sip my tea, the flames in the fire flicker and jump; are they cheerful or threatening? It's hard to tell on a day like this. Into my memory leaps a vision of a favorite oracle card; it says Graveyard, unnecessary fear. It came to me at a time when there was great fear, and it brought me comfort.

If you follow the Wheel of the Year, this is the beginning of winter. Winter corresponds to the direction of north and the element of earth. It is said to be guarded by the gnomes and ruled by the Cailleach and Frau Holle. Those are all aspects that will assert themselves more potently in the weeks to come. For now, I'm drifting into the liminality I always feel just at the turn of the season.

There is a sense of destabilization as the year dies. A crumbling of time and space, a moment when worlds collide. This is what makes it such a powerful time for divination. I divine to gain understanding and receive messages or illumination. I guard against deceit and delusion. I use cards and runes to seek good counsel and meaning. At this time of the thinning veil, I have dreams of departed loved ones. Sometimes, they are comforting, and sometimes, they heighten the sense of dissolving boundaries between realms.

The Pagan Otherworlds Tarot, and specimens from nature. Tapping into earth energy as winter begins.

It's an uneasy time, and my body knows it. I've already begun imbibing elderberry syrup and fire cider tonic. Fortifying myself against illness and strengthening my internal systems.

I know that Mother Rot is roaming. I understand her to be a distant cousin to the Cailleach, a kind of forerunner. Her work of decay and decomposition comes first before the killing frost brings a final death. Here, I perceive an odd opposite to the celebration of John the Baptist when the St. John's Wort blooms just before the Summer Solstice. John is Jesus' cousin and forerunner, who prepared the way for the Son/Sun to bring life. In winter, Mother Rot clears the way for the Cailleach and death. It is strange to find these parallels and archetypal stories of cousins and forerunners, bringing both death and life woven into the seasons of the year. But that is how my mind works, always seeking those connections.

The Cailleach

There are more straightforward and pleasant things I do on All Souls Day, too. There are owls. We have owls in our woods, barred owls, and occasionally great horned owls. I begin to hear them with more regularity at this time of year. There's also Owl-a-ween, a fundraiser for a wonderful, dedicated group called A Place Called Hope, raptor rehabilitation and education. It's a rare treat to see owls up close, look into their wondrous eyes, and study the intricate patterns on their feathers.

Amber, Great Horned Owl, from A Place Called Hope at Owl-a-ween

Besides owls, there are Soul Cakes and Barmbrack, both traditional cakes for All Souls. These, especially the Barmbrack, are spicy and sweet, filled with dried fruit, a reminder of summer and harvest.

All Souls feels like a reckoning; Death, Judgement, and The Hermit from my Tarot deck synthesized into one peculiar type of November energy.

November is a month that says, "Be alert. But also quiet the spirit." It's a spiritual time of preparation. Martinmas and Celtic Advent are just around the corner. But not yet. For now, spend time with your beloved dead, honor their memory, make peace, forgive, and release. Sweep the house of your heart and soul clean before winter arrives.

What is November like for you? Do you work with ancestors, or celebrate All Souls in any way? Does it feel like winter where you are?

Would you like a Tarot reading during this potent time? This is an especially good time for a Year-Ahead Reading. Shoot me an email if you’d like to do that. Check out Red Book Tarot HERE

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