Around this time in Fall, my thoughts always drift to Life, Death and Rebirth. I’m outdoors in nature as much as I can be, depending on the weather. I view this time of year, roughly halfway between the Fall Equinox and the Winter Solstice, as my favorite time of the year.
I live in western New York State. Usually by now we’ve had at least one hard frost. Not this year. Our temperatures are way above normal. In fact, it’s possible that we may have the warmest October on record.
Instead of leaves on the trees already in full color, most are fairly green yet. This I look at as Life. A week ago I went to a state park and was expecting more color. Last year the trees were at peak. Not this year.
Does that lack of color bother me? Not really. It reinforces what I’ve learned about Gaia when I’m outdoors with Her. It’s not on my timetable, or desires. No, it’s on Hers. And I’m good with that.
I guess that Persephone isn’t ready to go back down to the Underworld around here. That will come soon enough. The Death in nature makes me think about death in the world we live in. We’ve lived with and through this pandemic for too long now.
The rain and wind we’ve had have already taken a toll on the trees. I view the falling leaves similarly to the deaths we’ve seen with people dying from Covid-19. I can relate to what is happening with the pandemic right in front of my eyes while I’m outdoors hiking or walking.
Then when I watch the evening news, I’m bombarded with the pandemic news when I’m inside. I understand all the cycles of Life, Death and Rebirth. There is one thing I get a little sad about with this pandemic though. In my opinion, so many Covid deaths lately are from people who choose not to get vaccinated.
I realize that it’s their choice, but it affects way too many other people. I truly feel sorry for the health care workers who have to care for them. And watch many of them die. How many people have the unvaccinated people given Covid too? It affects all age groups, ethnicities, and cultures.
Samhain is coming upon us. Faster this year that I would like. I’m still doing my matriarchal ancestry work. I’ve already cleaned the gravestones of the ancestors who are buried in the cemetery near where I live. I find that to be very satisfying. I always ask their permission before I do anything. Generally I will leave them offerings that are in tune with the environment.
Maybe some of them will actually visit me soon. There are many questions I wished I would have asked the ones I knew when I was young. As I get older I reflect on that a lot. Maybe it’s never to late to commune with them from the Otherworld. I also realize it’s up to them.
The Goddess Hela has been on my mind lately. I’ve done a few workings in the cemetery in the last couple months with Her. I feel, like it is with my Goddess Hekate, that She has been watching over me as I take care of my departed ancestors grave-sites.
Death will come again to the earth. I will be a little sad to see winter come again. As in nature, Death will visit all of us eventually. I’m not afraid of it. I know that either Hekate, or Hela, will lead me over the bridge across the river of the dead. And like the leaves on the trees that will return in the spring, I too shall return from my Rebirth when that time comes. So Mote It Be! )0(
Until next time…sometime or somewhere, in the future.
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