Hello, you. And welcome to the slow, dark, moody season of the year.
Samhain (a.k.a Halloween to the secular world) has passed, the season of spirits + ancestors has drawn near, and darkness has fallen. The final harvest has arrived, 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. Those gray, misty November days of melancholy are here.
For many in the northern hemisphere this time of year is tough. 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. 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.
November feels like a void. An empty month of nothingness. Just an enveloping, gray darkness. The trees are skeletons. 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. The seasons simply are what they are - and they provide me a roadmap, a guide, a way of aligning my life to their rhythms and cycles.
Sure, we’d love to have sunny summer days all year round - and some places do. But, do we really want that? Do I really want that? I need the seasons as much as the trees and birds and fields 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.
The season of winter begins on November 1 - even if the weather doesn’t feel like it. The end of October + beginning of November is a cleansing, renewing, releasing energy. Samhain/All Hallow’s Eve is the celebration of the ending of the growing year. The final harvest. The day of dead. As October shifts into November, we leave behind one cycle and enter a new one. It is the beginning of a whole new year of seasons.
So, 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 + 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 3 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 lies dormant. And, we too, are called to rest. But, it is in this resting that we actually, slowly start to awaken.
This is the time to settle and listen to our soul, the wise one that speaks from within. It is also a call to engage in slow, introspective practices that help us to unearth the mystical, universal truths that lie deep within us. It is the mysterious time of the year, as we pass from one year into the next, to create intentions, practices, and rituals that remind us who we are and that the light will returning, in due time, illuminating and waking not only the earth, but also the medicine within us that we are meant to share with the world.
For now, though, I embrace the quiet, soft, misty, grayness of November. This first phase of winter help me settle down. It draws me inward, teaches me the power of silence + 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 + hearty food, write + create + document my days. I’ll allow the fog + 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.
Here’s to a month of softness, mist, and mystery. To settling our souls in the void, opening to possibility, and welcoming winter.
xoxo. liz.
A playlist to set the mood: Click here or down below.
Darkness is upon us. Magic + mystery are in the air. And it's the time of descent. So, practice rituals. Gather 'round the Thanksgiving table. And settle in with the mystical, haunting, earthy vibes of late autumn + early winter.
Thanks for this beautiful reminder that this season is part of nature’s plan. I needed it. Moving from the golden, colourful autumn into the greyness of November is always hard for me. Your letter helped a lot. Thanks! ❤️