September 2024 and Autumnal Equinox Dates

September arrives and tells us that the summer has ended.  September tells us that we must finish our harvesting because in several weeks, we will hit the Fall Equinox or Autumnal Equinox and then the possibility of snow.

Fall Equinox in our area always signals that winter is right around the corner.  The day signals even shorter daylight and longer night.  It is the quarter turning of the Earth.  For many, it is a time to give thanks for the bounty of the harvest.  When so many live in the cities now, the celebration of the harvesting of good, nourishing, natural food is not practiced.  For city dwellers, it is like giving thanks to Superstore or other grocery chain.

We have lost much of the art of celebrating the passage of one season to another.  A passing season is a big event - much like a birthday.  It is a time of contemplation, wild celebration, and fantastic food all rolled into one day.  Even going outside and standing on a balcony or going to a park to give thanks to Nature and the beings that care for all things in Nature is a great way to celebrate Fall Equinox.

If you want to say words as part of your celebration, try these three lines:

We give thanks for the harvest.
We give thanks for abundance
We give thanks for the blessings in our lives through the year. 

Here are the autumnal Equinox Dates from 2024 to 2027.

Autumnal Equinox Dates

Year	Autumnal Equinox (Northern Hemisphere)	Autumnal Equinox (Southern Hemisphere)
2024	Sunday, September 22	Tuesday, March 19
2025	Monday, September 22	Thursday, March 20
2026	Tuesday, September 22	Friday, March 20
2027	Thursday, September 23	Saturday, March 20

Note: Dates listed above are based on Eastern Time (UTC-5). Due to time zones, the date of the equinox may differ by +/- one calendar day in your location.

-from the site almanac.com.

Many blessings,

Judyd

November 1 2023

 

November is the turning point of the season that brings us winter, even though winter really starts at the Winter Solstice in December.  We already have a goodly amount of snow in Alberta, in different places. 

November signals a time of slowing down, of gatherings like Fall Suppers and Thanksgiving in the United States.  It is when many summer and fall activities shut down.

November is a time of remembering…of wars fought, of loved ones who left this year, of warm summer days on the deck or beach with family and friends.  

November is a time for being grateful that the year has been good.  Or, in some cases, it has been challenging and we have learned from the challenges. 

November is when most of us start Christmas shopping to get the presents to send away, and to prepare for Christmas Day which is now 55 days away.  

When we hit November, we comment on how fast the year has passed and wonder what happened to make everything seem to move so quickly.

Many blessings,

Judy

Curing a Cold

    Picture of a cold comes from www.medicinenet.com  

In Calgary, during the fall, people quite often have colds because the weather is so changeable, they may not dress correctly for the fluctuations, and it is so easy to catch a cold from someone else.  

This thought raced through my brain as I drove home from the grocery store after having been sneezed and coughed on by at least six people.  Sometimes a sneeze comes out so fast you simply do not have time to get your arm up to block it.

So, when I got home, I did some research in one of my favourite books – The Five-Elements Wellness Plan A Chinese System for Perfect Health by Barbara Temelie.  

I found the discussion of the cold on page 146, and what she said made sense to me. She talks about the effect of cold or “a cold” on the body as closing the pores.  To release the cold, the pores must be open, and the person must be sweating.  The Chinese Ancestors recommend ginger tea and hot alcohol such as hot spicy wine for a head cold. A rice dish with leeks and onions and hot spices will open up the lungs to strengthen the body’s natural immunity.  

Although I am not much on spicy wine, I love ginger tea.  And, this morning, I woke up with a head cold. I drank lots of ginger tea, took Vitamin C and D, and ate soup with rice and leeks and onions.  By tonight, I am feeling much better. I hope that the cold will be completely gone by tomorrow.  

If you try this, let me know how it works! 

Blessings,

Judy

Autumnal Equinox 2023

 Fall is not only the time of the celebration of harvest, it is a time of preparation for the winter – packing away food to be used through the fall until Winter Solstice, and deciding on what it is we want to keep (harvest) in ourselves, and what we want to discard (pulling out the weeds).

This is also the time that we prepare Mother Earth for her winter sleep.  Traditionally, farmers harvest their fields, and then bale the straw for animal use, or, plough it under.  At the same time, they are preparing for the next crop.

Here are two meditations to use for doing some self work at autumnal equinox.

Releasing a Habit

What are you doing to prepare for the winter?  For the next crop?  When you are sitting in meditation, why not release one bad habit that plagues you? These are the “weeds” of our lives.  Create sacred space by calling in the Angels to be with you and keep you safe while you do sacred work.  Simply sit quietly, and breath in and out on a three count cycle. When your breathing is regular and comfortable, say out loud:  “I freely give up my habit of ________ and I ask the Angels and Great Spirit (substitute the name that you are most comfortable using – God, Jehovah, etc.) take this habit, and take it to the Sun to be cleansed. I offer this request, without any qualifications or strings attached.”

Now, breath deeply and clearly, drawing in sunlight on the in breath, and releasing the habit on the out breath.  This process may take fifteen minutes, or longer. Do not rush it.  When you think you are clear, stop, and check in to see if you can feel the habit.  If you can, continue.  If not, then stop and give thanks.  Release sacred space.

Healing Mother Earth

When the Universe/Great Spirit does something good for us, then we need to reciprocate. This is called “The Law of Reciprocity”, and means that we balance the energy by doing something good ourselves.  In this meditation, you will need a candle, and a comfortable spot to meditate. Light the candle.  Then, create sacred space by calling in the Angels to be with you and keep you safe while you do sacred work.  Now sit in front of the candle, with the candle a comfortable distance from your eyes, and express to the Universe that you will be working on healing a part of Mother Earth.  Close your eyes, and think of the one place that you know of that bothers you because it may need so much healing.  It may be a park, a play ground, someone’s yard, a beach, a forest, or anything that you know of.  Now open your eyes, Stare at the flame, and hold the image of the place that needs healing.  Next, in your mind’s eye, start the process of cleaning up the site, and replacing it with grass or trees, or what ever it needs to make it healthy.  Stay with this process until the site is completely healthy looking.  Now, feel the energy that arises in you from working with the Universe to co-create this beautiful place.  Give thanks for this opportunity to work with Mother Earth.  Release sacred space.

Blessings,

Judy

Harvest and Zucchini Muffin Recipe

 

As we move into FALL, many of us with gardens in our back yards, or where ever, are looking at food preparation.  Our Ancestors canned fruit, vegetables, and even chicken, beef, and ham.  

We have come to rely on large factories to do our canning for us.  We get additives in “store bought” food that we would not add on our own.  

Good food feeds our body and our soul.  Clean food keeps us young. Canning is good to support our Free Will.

This year seems to be a bumper year for zucchini.  Everyone in our neighbourhood has loads of zucchini and everyone has recipes to share.

Zucchini Muffins

  

• 3 cups all purpose flour (I use gluten free flour and add Xanthum Gum) 
• 1 cup sugar 
• 2 tsp baking soda 
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon 
• ½ tsp nutmeg (optional) 
• ½ tsp salt 
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten 
• 1 cup vegetable/canola oil 
• ½ cup milk 
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice 
• 1½ tsp vanilla extract 
• 2 cups shredded zucchini, thawed if frozen 
• Optional: 1 cup chocolate chips and/or ½ cup chopped walnuts and/or pineapple or banana

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or spray with baking spray. 
2. In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. 
3. In separate large bowl, whisk eggs, oil, milk, lemon juice, vanilla and zucchini. 
4. Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir just until completely combined (it's best to do this by hand to avoid over-mixing, which results in tough muffins). 
5. Fold in chocolate chips and/or walnuts if using. 
6. Divide batter over 12 muffin cups - they will be full! Bake for 22-26 minutes, until tops are golden and toothpick comes out clean from centers. Let sit in pan 3-5 minutes before removing to rack to cool completely. 
7. Best served fresh, or freeze extras, well wrapped or in an airtight container, and thaw or reheat as needed.

Blessings,

Judy

Welcome September 1 2023

Fall is one of my favourite times of the year.  For me, it is almost as though the smells change on September 1 and the weather changes at the same time.

I think of September more than March or April as the month of change.  It seems that most of my life, my career changes have happened in the fall, usually, sometime in September or early October.  

When I think of September, I think of abundance.  This is the time of pickling, and canning, and freezing all of the produce of the summer. 

I picture Mother Nature getting all of her charges in the Northern Hemisphere ready for bed.  Winter comes early in Alberta.  Already, there are new skiffs of snow up on the mountains.

The contradiction of autumn is that while we are finishing things off on one hand, it is a time of seeking renewal and many of us start new things – craft clubs, fitness programs, bowling, curling, hockey, and the list goes on.  

A resting time!  I see that, often, we use the fall to plan a rest from the activity of summer, and to get ready to vegetate through the coldest of the winter. 

I see the Elementals, the energy spirits in the park, change their behaviour from wild to more gentle as they prepare the park for winter.  

I think that the fall is a time of healing for nature and for humans.  I see us all come closer to that peacefulness of Oneness.  For, all of us are matter, and all of us are of the Earth.  

For me, September is a time of contemplating what will happen next.  I love the surprises that it brings.

Blessings,

Judy