Oh September, the Romance begins

Every September the romance begins. . .
It's when my heart starts to sing in it's orchestrated fashion as the nights become cool and leaves begin to turn color. Here in the Midwest it is a welcome change from the heat of summer. It's when the Renaissance faire has ended and that in itself is a sweet sorrow. The parting of old friends as they travel to other places or back home for the winter months. The farms around me are getting ready for the harvest and as the fall equinox comes around it starts the festivities of our farming community.
Oh to dwell in such a wonderful place, I am filled with gratitude everyday for the wonder of this life and all the beauty around me.
This is also when I am working hardest at creating my primitive art for the fall and All Hallows Eve celebrations. I love Halloween Art. It makes me so happy to contribute to the vast supply of  pumpkin keep sakes and dolls as collectible treasure's for years to come.
I added a Paypal, Buy it Now button to my blog today and posted pictures of my two newest creations.

This is Valerina, she is 13" tall and her walking stick is 16", she sits on a rusty bed spring. She is quite the little Harvest Thyme princess
Priscilla is 18" tall to the tip of her witch hat and stands on an old vintage bee hive bobbin, a little Steam Punkish of sorts in her grungy overcoat and a key lapel pin, they sell for $33.99 and can be purchased right here from my blog. The drop down list allows you to pick either Primitive Halloween doll.

And talk about abundance,
I own such a huge collection of Halloween Deco that I am setting my living room up as a retail store and will host a Halloween Estate Sale this year in an attempt to lessen the load that I carry and store year after year. This is a time of clearing for me. To be able to move forward with less to move around and fill the garage with totes. I was truly amazed at the fact that none of the 26 totes that are filled with Halloween stuff where desecrated by mice or spiders. Talk about being blessed and watched over. Since I dwell in the woods at the tip of a farmers field. As I was sitting in my craft room, sewing tiny mice for the witch shoes last night, I could hear the little buggers running and playing in the ceiling above me as the farmers just cleared the last of the wheat from the fields this last week. Which creates yet another task, set before me for the season.

All in all it's a wonderful time of year and one that fills me with peace and contentment as I work and craft the hours away. . .
Enjoy the season  to it's fullest and take the time to enjoy your life. . .
 

Fall Equinox, Time for a Grounding Meditation

Ahh, sweet fall, the harvest of grains and corn, pumpkins, squash and all the things we associate with this time of year. Soon we will experience the fall equinox which is a time of even balance between the light and dark. September 22, starts the fall season this year. Balance begins with grounding of the root chakra and represents our sense of security. Through the balance of this chakra, you will feel in tune with the earths balance, so lets start this season with allowing ourselves to become balanced with the earth and our surroundings along with our inner selves.
Grounding Meditation
Focus on the vibration of the Root Chakra, the sound of "O" (like- so) Chant this sound silently three times.

• Stand with your feet about hip-width apart, arms at your sides or extended out in front of you, palms down, eyes closed or down cast
• Inhale deeply
• Exhale and gently bend the knees a few inches. Inhale and straighten the knees
• Continue slowly bending and straightening your legs, feel yourself becoming more grounded. Surrender to the support of Mother Earth
• Continue for one to five minuets
• When complete, remain standing or sit comfortably if you prefer
  
• Close your eyes and focus on the following thoughts

I am grounded and balanced.
I am safe and secure
Benefits:

• Promotes grounding and a sense of profound physical connection to the earth
• calms and clears the mind
• slows respiration and heart rate

I hope you enjoy this meditation for grounding, I love to feel connected to Mother Earth with all the security and peace it brings me. Until next time. . .

The Full Harvest Moon , Fall Equinox and Mabon

Mabon is the time of the autumn equinox, when the harvest finally winds down. September’s full moon, the Harvest Moon,will fall on September 15th, early this year and has a special place in our agricultural history. Through most of the year, the moon rises each day about 50 minutes later than the day before. However, when the autumnal equinox approaches, the difference in rise times drops to about 25 to 30 minutes and even farther north, the difference is 10 to 15 minutes. As the Harvest Moon rises after sunset, this provides extra minutes of light each evening for farmers to work longer hours harvest their crops. Today, the Harvest Moon relates to the full moon which falls closest to the Fall equinox, which falls on Sept 22nd. With advanced farming techniques and electric lights, it is not as important because to farmers today as in the past. It may be more important to some for religious purposes. The Harvest Moon can land anywhere between September 8 and October 7. The Harvest Moon is no ordinary full moon; it behaves in a special way. Throughout the year the Moon rises, on average, about 50 minutes later each day. But near the autumnal equinox, the day-to-day difference in the local time of moonrise is only 30 minutes. The Moon will rise around sunset, and not long after sunset for the next few evenings. That comes in handy for northern farmers who are working long days to harvest their crops before autumn. The extra dose of lighting afforded by the full Moon closest to the equinox is what gives the Harvest Moon its name. In the southern hemisphere, this week's full Moon behaves in exactly the opposite way: there will be an extra long time between moon rises from one evening to the next. Try looking at the Moon when it's rising in the east. You might notice something funny: the low-hanging Moon looks very big. This is a trick of the eye known as the E.T. Harvest Moon.
A Time of Positive and Negative Energy Mabon is one of those times of year that affect people in different ways. For some, it's a season to honor the darker aspects of the goddess, calling upon that which is devoid of light. For others, it's a time of thankfulness, of gratitude for the abundance we have at the season of harvest. No matter how you see it, Mabon is traditionally a time of balance. After all, it's one of the two times each year that has equal amounts of darkness and daytime. Because this is, for many people, a time of high energy, there is sometimes a feeling of restlessness in the air, a sense that something is just a bit "off". If you're feeling a bit spiritually lopsided, with this simple meditation you can restore a little balance into your life. Now that fall is here, why not do an autumn version of Spring Cleaning? Get rid of any emotional baggage you're dragging around with you. Accept that there are darker aspects to life, and embrace them, but don't let them rule you. Understand that a healthy life finds balance in all things. I decorate my home with colorful autumn leaves, acorns, small pumpkins, and other symbols of the season. I like to go outside for a bon-fire: But if your forced to stay inside you can always use candles, one white and one black which signifies the evenness of day and night. I light the candles and meditate on the following. .

Mabon Balancing Meditation

A balance of night and day, a balance of light and dark
Tonight I seek balance in my life as it is found in the Universe.
A black candle for darkness and pain and things I can eliminate from my life.
A white candle for the light, and for joy and all the abundance I wish to bring forth.
At Mabon, the time of the equinox,
there is harmony and balance in the Universe,
and so there shall be in my life.

Meditate on the things you wish to change. Focus on eliminating the bad, and strengthening the good around you. Put toxic relationships into the past, where they belong, and welcome new positive relationships into your life. Let your baggage go, and take heart in knowing that for every dark night of the soul, there will be a sunrise the next morning.