Millicent, my Halloween witch, has greeted trick or treaters for twenty years now. She’s worn the same black robe with orange and green trim, the same hat made from a foam sheet and borne the same sign all this time. I decided it was time to update her look when I ended up with several large scraps of Halloween fabric from making my Halloween skirt.
The first three days of remote learning had gone relatively well. I was able to get up at 8:30 am (a feat since I am a night owl who takes morning personally). I was getting my son, Ben, online and keeping him on task. I had tackled my to do list with gusto, drawing a red line through each completed task.
That fourth morning, though, I couldn’t drag myself out of bed before 10:30 am. My husband is working from home due to the pandemic, so he was able to get Ben started on schoolwork, and I felt guilty about leaving him on the hook for that. Within ten minutes of finally getting out of bed I was on my way down a shame spiral that so often ends with me fucking around on my phone for the whole day and abandoning my plans. And once I get derailed it can take days, if not weeks to get back on track.
To put the brakes on that tailspin, I pulled out my Tarot deck. I had started pulling a card each morning as a means of meditation, but it has turned into a way to ease in the day. As I shuffle the deck I think about the upcoming day, focusing on my anxiety and reluctance. When I pull the card and look up the meaning I find it encouraging. So far I’ve managed to find a message in each card that has helped me to get over the inertia I’ve had at starting the day.
Autumn is my favorite time of year. It is the season where I most feel magick in my bones. The colors always seem just a bit brighter as the season turns. And, for those who forage, there’s a treasure trove of materials and food available.
Like spring, Autumn is a season of transition; where various planes of existence–physical, spiritual, astral, etc.–come into close contact with each other. Samhain and Halloween are both traditional times to connect with spirits, and to consult various oracles with questions about the future.
Today’s craft makes use of the foraging and divination aspects of Autumn to create a timely oracle you can use throughout the year: We’re going to make a set of acorn runes.
After writing about the paltry harvest I had foraging the backyard, my neglected garden decided to speak up. This year I had only managed tomatoes and cucumbers. The peas and beans fell victim to the local vole and chipmunks. The two pepper plants were overshadowed by volunteer sunflowers so much that they have only now started to produce.