Novembers are for softest sleep when skies are dark and grey. They do not mind the time you keep when night looks much like day. They do not mind the rain that falls so warmly down your cheek. Rest easy now is what they'd say if months knew how to speak. - Ellis Nightingale
Hello, you.
Are you ready for the in-betweeness of November? We have crossed through the Hallowtide portal now and the misty fog has settled in. The trees bare their nakedness, silhouetted against the dark, gray skies. Rain patters down my window and the first frost, perhaps even the first snow, cannot be far behind. The sun in Sweden moves low across the the sky and sets mid-afternoon. The nights are long and dark. It feels dreary and ethereal, otherworldly, and melancholic, this November.
We’ve left behind the wild, golden beauty of October, but it’s not yet time for the festive, bright activity of December. And we find ourselves now in this liminal space that still holds the mystery of Hallowtide and invites us to just let it all be - the fog, the mist, the darkness, the grayness, the quiet, the unknown, the melancholy of it all. Perhaps we are called to bare our souls this November, just as the trees bare theirs.
November can be a tough month in the northern hemisphere, when the cold wind blows and the dark dreariness seems never-ending.
I love November, however, and I thrive in the darkness. So, I want to double-down on the darkness this year. In other words, I’m all in. All November long.
What that means is that I want to move slowly through this often forgotten and forsaken month. Instead of mourning the end of October and longing for the festive energy of December, I want to really feel the energies that seem to be rising up from within me as November begins.
Since I celebrated Hallowtide for three days this year, I shifted quite seamlessly from October to November. Almost as if October, Halloween, and Samhain simply dissipated and November rose from their mist. And I feel that this November, rising from the mist, is an invitation for me to continue to dance with the mystery and liminal space of Hallowtide. It almost feels as if the haunting, mysterious energies of Hallowtide are whispering to me to remain in them for a while longer. To let them linger deep into November.
Something quite unknown is beginning, I believe.
If October is the end of the life cycle as we enter the season of death and darkness, then November is the beginning of a whole new cycle of life. And, as much as we think that life begins in the spring, everything actually begins again as autumn gives way to winter. The seeds and roots begin their silent, quiet work under ground expanding their roots, soaking in nutrients, stabilizing their foundations, resting, and becoming stronger as a community of root systems. So, nature’s work begins now, in the dark of November.
I, too, like the earth, have much work to do in the dark. And November invites me to begin that work right in the middle of all of the haunting, melancholic, mystical energy of this month.
November arrives quietly, with a moody atmosphere that inspires me to turn inward, drop down into my soul, gather together to share stories and memories, practice winter rituals and traditions, and listen to the wisdom of my ancestors. All of this work is best done in the dark; slowly, and with the intention to deepen my own roots, rest my body and soul, stabilize my own foundation, and unearth the wisdom that lies within.
Because there is so much inspiring, deep, mystical work to be explored, I want to do something different this month. Perhaps, I need to do something different this month.
This November, I am going to take it one week at a time. I am going to move through the energies of November with intention and focus. One at a time.
I took a few days off from work to celebrate Hallowtide, and I have spent quite a bit of time meditating, journaling, and feeling into the energies of this particular November.
What has come from these days of ritual and rest are four distinct, yet connected themes that seem to float like ghosts and spirits through these gray, dreary November days. So, I am going to share them with you, one week at a time, as we move through November.
week 1: the deep melancholy of november
I reached back into some of my older writings about November’s melancholy and decided to update and share them here, mixed in with my reflections from today. Here’s to daring to sit with our melancholy and embracing the darkness this week as November begins.
November always begins with a twinge of melancholy. The final harvest has come and gone, the sun is setting early in the day, the last leaves are quietly dropping from their branches, the damp, cool earth is preparing for its annual deep rest. Gone are the golden, energetic, carefree days of summer. They’ve shifted into the long, dreary, mundane, dark days before the warm glow of holiday coziness. Moments of hopelessness and lethargy draw many deep into feelings of despair and loneliness. The misty fog in the air seems to be covering us as well.
November often feels like a void. An empty month of nothingness. Just an enveloping, gray darkness. Day after day we slip deeper into the darkness. Rain falls, mist rises, fog looms. The feeling of the end of everything is all around us. And our inner spirit often sinks further into a melancholic funk.
But, in this dark melancholic mood, there are gifts to be found. And dare I say, there is even hope to be found.
Nature needs this season. And so do we. Because if there was no dark, then there would be no light. If there was no rest, there would be no energy. If there was no time for rooting, there would be no rising. The moon moves through her phases and renews herself every month. Life moves in cycles.
Many of us would love to have sunny, bright summer days all year round. But, I am not one of those persons. I need the seasons as much as the trees and birds and forests and animals do. I need the rain and clouds - and even the darkness - in order to survive and grow and thrive. I need to feel the energy of melancholy and change, as uncomfortable and difficult as it may be.
So, I enter November and the season of winter acknowledging its melancholic mood. And, then I embrace it, as part of the cycle of life. As a time of the year that is needed, necessary, and even filled with deep mysteries and wisdom.
Yes, November is dark and dreary and melancholic. But, it is here, in this darkness that everything begins. It is literally how our universe was formed. Out of the darkness and chaos, came life. From the depths of the earth, roots continue to nourish and grow. Our gardens and forests are not dead, they have simply released one cycle and are resting, gathering all that they need for the new growing season that begins next spring.
These three months offer us the wise energy of winter. It is a time for tending our roots, connecting with our divinity, meditating, and tapping into the wisdom within. All of the earth begins its slumber. And, we too, are called to rest. But, it is in this resting that we actually, slowly start to awaken.
For now, though, I embrace the quiet, soft, misty, grayness of November. This first phase of winter helps me settle down. It draws me inward, teaches me the power of silence and solitude, reminds me of my ancestors, and inspires me to create my own simple rituals, traditions, and magic. These practices of slow living and finding inspiration in the darkness guide me through the dark, gray mist and help me become partners with the energy of the dark months. Instead of simply giving up and resigning to the terrible darkness of November, I find my own power by accepting, embracing, and opening my soul to the mystery, secrets, magic, and inspiration of these dark days.
Besides, this is the beginning of something new. The slate is blank. The darkness provides space. I find that I can see and hear my soul better in the dark. I can connect with my deepest self and my ancestral roots. I return to a place of quiet rest and deeper wisdom.
So, as I move through November, one dark, mundane day at a time, I’ll simply see each ordinary moment as part of this mysterious journey of life. I’ll follow my routines, practice my daily rituals, prepare warm and hearty food, write and create and document my days. I’ll allow the fog and the silence to surround me and even sink into me. I’ll light candles as every night falls. I’ll breathe long and slow and deep. I’ll take time to remember my loved ones. I’ll float in the mystery of the unknown. I’ll find my way through the dark by letting it become part of me. I’ll draw it in, instead of pushing it away. I’ll soften as the days pass.
And, before I know it, November’s grayness will slip into December’s deep, warm, festive darkness. And the wisdom of the cold, dark midwinter will be upon us. But, in order to be ready to soak up December’s magic, I will slowly drift through the misty, mysterious, melancholy of November.
So, my friend, are you ready? Have you gathered all you need? Don’t worry if you haven’t, because time moves a bit differently in November. It takes a little getting used to, this quiet, mystical mood that rolls over us like fog and envelops us like the dark. So, be patient. Let your eyes adjust. Slow your pace down and trust that you actually already have everything you need for the next three months.
Until the haunting, mysterious energy of next week, my dear one.
xoxo. liz.
P.S. Even though I am moving slowly into the melancholic energy of November, I am also balancing my own anxiety-filled, hopeful emotions as the election in the US happens this week. I will be obsessively following all week long, but that just gives me even more reason to embrace the solemn, soft energy of the unknown mysteries of November. We often never know the outcomes of anything that happen, we cannot see how things will unfold in the future, so I allow myself to feel all the feels, but I will also never give up on joy and hope, and the calling I have to manifest those energies in my own life for the good of the justice and equality and love in the world.
☀️ November sunrise/sunset times in Norrköping, Sweden (Mondays)
04 November - 7:19 / 15:57
11 November - 7:36 / 15:41
18 November - 7:52 / 15:27
25 November - 8:08 / 15:16
✨ 🌙 Sacred Days + Folk Festivals
05 November Election Day (USA) ✊🗳️
05 November Guy Fawkes Day (GB - does all of Great Britain celebrate? Let me know in the comments, if you know. Thanks!)
15 November Full Beaver/Mourning Moon
28 November Thanksgiving (USA)
29 November Native American Heritage Day
01 December New Moon
01 December First Sunday in Advent
🎵 The playlist
Darkness is upon us. Mist and fog are in the air. And it's the time of descent. Settle in with the liminal, melancholic vibes of November this week.
(A new playlist, with a whole new vibe, will arrive next week!) Hint: 👻
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