First Autumn Moon

“The first autumn moon swayed on up from the ocean, luscious and wrapped in rainbows.” ~ Sarah Elwell, Knitting the Wind

The first moon of autumn in my part of the world rose gracefully against the dark sky. I sat outside quietly for a long time, just watching. No ceremony and no candles, just the peace of the night sky hanging above and the moon silently looking down as if she was listening to the unspoken dreams in my heart. And that was enough.

It’s little wonder that the ancient Japanese created such beautiful words to describe things like this. In Japanese culture, the word tsukimi refers to the art of ‘moon-viewing’, or more specifically observing and celebrating the autumn moon (although I think this only happens in mid-autumn).

Before going to bed, I decided to pick some Evening primrose flowers to make an elixir. What better time to harvest these moonlight soaked blossoms than on the evening of a full moon? It felt sacred somehow. I put them in a small jar of water together with some moonstone crystals and then left it on the window sill overnight.

I slept deeply last night. I must have needed the rest. When I woke up this morning, I found myself wrapped cotton-soft cosy thoughts of Goddess pouring moonlight, love and healing vibes into the elixir waters. Who knows for sure what magic happens when we sleep? Regardless, my heart is comforted by this beautiful thought.

Too Early to Wake Up

Full Moon blessings to you all!

“It is too early to wake up,” were my first thoughts of the day.

This is when I forced myself out of bed into the crisp new day. The sky was still a pale shade of grey-blue and the clouds painted themselves across the rising sun in the patchy pattern of a tortoise shell.

The garden was still fresh with dew, the grass a soft moist carpet beneath my feet. The sun trickled like streams of golden honey seeping through the trees. Like an enchanting watercolour, it painted the quiet spaces of the garden in soft magic and tints of light.

It is then, when it’s too early to wake up that I rediscover the pieces of wildness in me and in the still young hours of the day. It is then that the Great Mother wraps me in her gentle whispers and draws me out to bask in sacredness.

It is then that the elusive red-chested cuckoo from the river canopy down the road makes its way to hidden places in the garden trees to serenade the rising sun.

And the gossamer threads of spider-webs glimmer like pieces of the golden fleece.

And the Earth is alive, a vibrant Mother, sends pulses of wild energy into my body, grounding me, cleansing my aura and reaching into my heart-space.

These still mornings, when it’s too early to wake up are the invitations to enter wild worlds, even in the tameness of my garden.

These invitations work both ways, for as much as the Great Mother draws me out, it is important for me to leave room for wild worlds to enter into my own. Which is why I just love Mary Reynolds Thompson’s latest post and short writing prompt, Should My Fox Come Again to My Cabin in the Snow.

Also, I was pretty excited to have my guest post, Finding the kindness of the wild Earth, featured on the Kind over Matter blog last week.

A Note from My Wild Blessings Box

On Saturday, I had a new note to place in my Wild Blessings Box:

Today, I am grateful for the opportunity to celebrate my Wild Essence book with a group of incredibly cherished wild women. I’m not good at celebrating myself or my achievements. I hate drawing attention to myself. But thank you Goddess, Angels, Divine Spirit for the blessings that came with today. To sit in a room of such wonderful women and guide them through a wild essence meditation was such a precious moment, especially to see how much it moved some of them. It reminded me of two things – 1) I’ve always strived to touch people in meaningful ways and my heart is so full of joy because this opportunity allowed me to do so, and 2) Celebrating myself and my achievements allows me to nourish myself and allows abundance to flow to me, so I must always remember to give myself more of that. I think that slowly, but surely I am getting better at it with time.

Thank you to all the lovely ladies who celebrated with me. (Photos by Razia Van der Schuur & Cyrus Rogers)