Fall Cleaning for Samhain

I know most people do their major “big clean” in the spring, but I’m actually a fall cleaning kind of girl. In the weeks leading up to Samhain (Halloween), as it starts to get darker and colder, I am always seized by the urge to do a deep clean of all the rooms in the house, straighten up and rearrange any clutter, and get rid of stuff I no longer use or need.

My minimalist holiday display.

I’m not sure if this is because on some level I know I’m about to be stuck mostly inside the house for the winter, or if it is a more spiritual urge brought on by the ending of one year and the desire to start clean for the next. (Samhain is considered to be both the end of the year and the start of the new year in the Pagan Wheel of the Year).

Either way, I start by dusting and rearranging my altars, and the shelves where I store and display my stones, cute little cat and dragons, and all the rest. Then I go through each room and do a much more thorough clean and neaten than usually gets accomplished in my weekly Saturday house cleaning. Ah! It feels so good to have everything (okay, most things) nice and tidy, at least for as long as it lasts.

The shelf over the couch.

The desk in the dining room and another shelf. Look, you can actually see the surface of the desk!

This is also the time when I do my yearly protection spell on my house and property, preparing it for the seasons to come. Do you do a spring cleaning, a fall cleaning, or something else entirely?

The stone circle behind the barn, weed-whacked and ready for ritual on Tuesday.

Happy fall!

It's Fall, and That Means...

It's fall, and that means...

Mother Nature is putting on a beautiful show.

The hills behind my house. The view from my house is actually blocked by pine trees, so I have to walk next door to see it.

I'm getting the last of the harvest in and putting up pesto (before the basil gets frosted, since it is the most delicate thing in the garden) and applesauce (since my trees are loaded with apples this year).

Pesto ingredients and one small cat who is not allowed on the counter. Yes, that's Luna. Yes, she's still here. That's a discussion for another blog post. The lemon is my secret ingredient.

Finished pesto. Most of it will go into the freezer to bring a spark of summer glory in the midst of winter.

The apples on the right are Golden Delicious. The apples on the left are a mystery apple. The trees long predate my buying the house--14 years ago--and this tree never gave me apples until this year. Go figure.

And tearing down the garden. That means dismantling the pond fountain and filter (a slimy, wet, and unpleasant job), planting next year's garlic with the help of pal Ellen, and clearing and covering the beds.

Dying tomato plants on the left. They'll come out soon. Brussels Sprouts. More tomatoes to the right mixed in with the asparagus ferns which still have to be clipped back.

The pond

This guy was supervising.

Fall also means that it is time for another newsletter! If you haven't signed up yet, you should do it right away, since I'm hoping it will go out at the beginning of the week. There is going to be all sorts of fun news that my newsletter readers get to hear first. You can use the form at the top left of the blog, or this link: NEWSLETTER SIGNUP

I usually only send out about four newsletters a year (seasonally, more or less), although there may be a few extra in the coming months as the new books come out. Did you realize that it is only five weeks until VEILED MAGIC comes out on November 17th? Eek! If you want, you can preorder and it will be automatically delivered to you on the day! (It is an ebook only, but if you don't have an ereader, you can download a free app and read it on your computer.)

Also, be sure to check back here often in the next five weeks (or, you know, sign up to get email notifications when there is a new blog post) because I am about to go into SUPER GIVEAWAY MODE. And you don't want to miss what's coming up...

Happy fall! What's it like where you are?

Fast and Easy Protection Work

Y'all asked for it, so here it is. Let me know if you have any questions.

Fast and Easy Protection Work

I think it is natural to feel a little more vulnerable as winter approaches. The nights grow longer and the days colder, and some echo in the back of our ancestral brainstem tells us that soon food with be scarce and predators will prowl. (Which explains why I suddenly want to eat lots of fattening comfort foods. Thank you SO much, hindbrain.)

This makes the fall a perfect time to do some fast and easy protection magick. You don’t have to do long and complicated rituals, or even be a full-time full-on practicing witch. Folks have been doing this kind of work forever.

First, put together a quick herbal protection mix. In the best of all possible worlds, you would grow the herbs yourself (I do). But not everyone has a garden, or the inclination to grow stuff. So feel free to pick these up at a local health food store, New Age store, or even the grocery store, if that’s all you’ve got. (Herbs tend to be fresher and more powerful if you buy them loose from bulk bins, rather than getting them from the spice section, where they have often been irradiated, and might been years old. The bonus—they’re cheaper when purchased loose, and you can use what’s left for cooking later.) I use dried herbs because it is easier, but fresh will work fine too.

Mix together these herbs: basil, rosemary, and sage, crumbling the leaves with your fingers or a mortar and pestle. Place them in a container with some sea salt (regular will do if that’s all you have). If you’re going to use the mix outside, add some garlic powder. For inside use, maybe just a token sprinkle, so you don’t stink up the place. You can stop there, or add a few drops of any magickal protection oil. If you want an extra oomph, you can bless and consecrate this mixture on your altar, or leave it out under the light of the full moon. But if you’re in a hurry, it will work just fine as is. Putting this together will take you less than five minutes, but remember to focus on your intention—protection—as you combine all the ingredients.

Then go around your home and sprinkle the mixture while repeating the following spell. You can do it inside or outside (you may have to vacuum if you do it inside, but wait a day or two), and you can use the same spell to protect your vehicle. Again—this doesn’t have to take more than about five minutes, but it is important to really FOCUS during those brief moments. Put all your energy and will into your intention of protecting those things and people that are precious to you.

House Protection Spell

(works for cars, too)

I call upon the gods above

To protect and guard this place [car] I love

Earth and water, air and fire

Keep it safe as I desire

*

Protect my home [car] and those within

From pest and illness, floods and wind

From any who would cause it harm

Protect it with this magic charm

*

Keep safe and sheltered this my place

With shining light and shining grace

Earth and water, air and fire

Keep it safe as I desire

So mote it be

Stay safe out there, people!

Spiritual Fall Cleaning

Yes, you read that right—I said FALL cleaning. I know we usually talk about spring cleaning, and in fact I have written articles and given classes that focus on what I call “Spiritual Spring Cleaning.” But in the last few years, I find that I am more likely to do my big cleaning and clearing push in the fall instead.

There are a couple of reasons for this. For one thing, here in the cold and snowy Northeast, we tend to get stuck in our houses a lot during the winter. [There are people who actually go outside for such winter sports as skiing and skating. Please see “cold and snowy” above for why I’m not one of them.] If I am going to spend all that time in my house, I like it to be clean and neat, and have good energy.

But it also seems to me that clearing and cleansing and protection work fit well with the waning energies of the season. In the fall, things are slowing down; the nights are longer and the days shorter, there is less light. All around us, the natural world is dying off or getting ready to slow or cease production—leaves fall from the trees, gardens get put to bed, birds fly south for the winter. This makes it a good time to make your own “nest” ready for the quieter, darker, colder months to come.

I like to start by clearing away “crap.” Each of us has a different definition of crap, of course, and I’m not suggesting that you toss your collection of vintage bottle caps if it you have a deep, emotional attachment to it. I’m talking about the accumulation of useless stuff that most of us have lying around—things we meant to sort through and throw away, but never got around to. Old paperwork, letters and cards from people you don’t even remember, clothes you never wear, tools you never use; you know what I mean. Start by doing a clear-out. Throw things away, donate them to the needy, find a friend who will actually use whatever it is. (For instance, when I started going through the room where I store most of my craft and Craft supplies, I discovered I had enough candles stowed away for three or four lifetimes. So I let the folks in my group pick out the ones they wanted, and brought the rest to the Salvation Army.)

Once you’ve cleared out the clutter, and organized whatever is remaining, then it is time to do the big fall clean and cleanse. If you want, you can start with yourself. Take a ritual bath or shower and wash away the busy, hectic summer season that lies behind us. Maybe do a fast for a day, or take a couple of days to just eat really healthy to prepare your body for the tougher winter months. Fall is the perfect time to do this; since there is such an abundance of wonderful fresh fruits and veggies, you can eat healthy with virtually no effort at all.

Then clean and cleanse your house. I took a good look at my broom (my regular cleaning one, not my magical one) and realized that it was over ten years old and falling apart. So the first thing I did was to buy a new broom, and consecrate it for cleansing work. Then I went through the house from top to bottom and swept every room, being mindful of not just sweeping away dirt, but negative or stagnant energy as well. I finished up by going through the entire place with a sage smudge stick and a salt and water mixture, clearing and cleansing all the places (like windows and doors) where energy can come and go.

Fall is also the time I do my yearly protection work on my house. I make up a mixture of sea salt, basil, sage, garlic (just a token amount if I’m using it inside) and a pinch of cayenne pepper. This year, I added some charcoal from the Midsummer bonfire, for an extra boost, as well as some magical protection oil I’d made up previously. You can add anything else that you like that is protective in nature. I go around the outside of the house, paying special attention to doorways, and then I go around the edges of my property (which isn’t very large). I ask that the house and those who live there be protected from anything harmful, whether intentional or accidental, and I focus all my energy on placing the house and property within a protective bubble. If you are in an apartment (or a neighborhood full of nosey people) you can always do this inside instead of outside. [Don’t forget your mailbox, since lots of things come into your house that way.]

When I’m done, the house is neater, the energy clearer, and I feel ready to settle in to my “inside” time of year, without the baggage left over from the previous, more active seasons. Of course, come spring, I’ll do another cleansing to prepare for that energy, but for now, I can sit on the couch with a cat (or three), a mug of mulled cider, and a good book. Who could ask for more?

Harvest at Summer's End

This is a bittersweet time of year for gardeners. The harvest is in full swing, and each time I walk out to the garden, basket over my arm, I come back with loads of things to put up for later or eat right now. That's a mixed blessing, of course--lots of work, and things that can't wait (or you end up throwing away your summer's labor because it rotted on the counter before you could get to it). And much in the garden is dead or dying, the leaves withering and turning brown.

I'm always somewhat relieved at this point--every year I reach exhaustion with that garden chores right about the time they peak :-) There is still much to do, of course, but the nights are turning cold, and soon I'll be watching the weather channel for warnings of frost, running out to rescue the last tomatoes and squash, clipping the delicate basil and making it into pesto before the cold turns it into nothingness.

Here are a few pictures of recent harvest hauls. Do you feel bittersweet about summer turning into fall, or are you relieved to have the heat behind you and the kids back in school?

An Autumn Equinox Ritual

A few folks have asked me how I will be celebrating the Autumnal Equinox, so here is the ritual that Blue Moon Circle and I will be using. If you normally cast a circle and call the quarters, do so at the beginning. This can be used by a group or an individual. You will need a sage smudge stick (you can substitute any incense you like) and an apple.

Happy Mabon!

Tonight marks the Autumn Equinox, also known as Mabon. This is the second harvest festival in the Pagan year—the Witch’s Thanksgiving. And so we gather to give thanks for all that which we have harvested in the past year.
When we talk about our harvest, we speak not only of the physical harvest of vegetables and grains to grace our tables, but also of spiritual, intellectual and symbolic harvest—that which graces our lives. Whatever you have been working toward this year, whichever goals are finally bearing fruit in tangible ways…these are the things we celebrate tonight.
At the equinox, day and night are equal, in perfect balance. We look to find this balance in ourselves as well. So let us look clearly at the harvest, and what it means for us as individuals.
It is a time of rejoicing, and of gratitude for all that has been given to us. But we have worked hard for that which we harvest, and sometimes, when the harvesting is done, we are tired and dirty and filled with regrets for those things that failed to grow and prosper. Shall we let this hold us back from celebrating with joy and enthusiasm? By the Goddess, we shall not!
Instead, we will work toward balance by allowing the elements of fire and air to cleanse us of the accumulated debris of the last year. Sage is traditionally used to cleanse and purify. Light a sage smudge stick and let the smoke waft over you. Visualize yourself letting go of all that holds you back from joy and celebration, and emerging clear and energized, ready for another year.

Now that we have lightened our spirits of their burdens, we can give thanks for the many blessings in our lives without sadness or reservations. Cut an apple in two, through the middle. Be sure to look inside to see the star that hides within! Think of those things you are grateful for and say them aloud one by one. After each one, take a bite of apple, to symbolize the sweetness of the blessings you have reaped.

We have washed away the dust of the long year behind us, and given thanks for our present blessings. Now, to complete the cycle we will look to the future, balancing what has gone before with what lies ahead.
It is time to refresh and reenergize ourselves, taking in the last light and warmth of the summer to sustain us through the darker, colder days ahead. We need this energy not only to finish this year’s harvest before season’s end, but also to plant the seeds for next year’s goals. So together, we will recite a spell to replenish our bodies, minds and spirits and use the abundant positive energy we have created here in this sacred space to bring our intent into being. (Hold the remaining half of apple as you recite the spell.)
Spell for Energy:
I call upon the Power of Air, with energy creative
I call upon the Power of Fire, with energy passionate
I call upon the Power of Water, with energy healing
I call upon the Power of Earth, with energy strong and unending
I call upon my inner wisdom
That I may tap into this energy only when it is needed
And rest when rest is called for
Let the energy be there for me when I need it
Let the energy be there for me when I call it
Let the energy be there for me when I will it
So mote it be
(Eat the apple!)