Balance, Fire, and Abundance

“Balance is not something you find, it’s something you create.”

— Jana Kingsford

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Quite possibly the best weekend of the year, this fall equinox (Mabon) we find ourselves at a point of perfect harmony in nature. The day and the night are divided equally. We teeter on the threshold of life and death as we harvest and enjoy the fruits of our labor, and the earth (our part of it, at least) prepares to hibernate.

In Greek mythology, Autumn begins as Demeter’s daughter, Persephone, returns to the Underworld to live with Hades, her husband. Furious, Demeter roams the Earth disguised as an old woman, and curses the Earth so it would yield no crops. When questioned, she explains that there would be no regeneration of vegetation on the Earth until her daughter was safely returned.

Today, it’s a warm, spicy, earthy time for rest, relaxation and reflection; a time for hearth and home; a time to turn inward, clear clutter and get ready for winter. This seasonal shift happens this year only a few days away from the Harvest Moon. There is a shorter period of darkness between sunset and moonrise at the time of this particular full moon. In the past, the light of the Harvest Moon helped farmers to gather their crops, despite the diminishing daylight hours.

This full moon is in Aries, a fire sign. Slowing down and reflecting during this time, with the fieriness of Aries, we may all feel a little hot and bothered. We may feel emotions that have been suppressed for years. Just let it go… use the Aries confidence to get them out and work through them. This emotional time certainly calls for a manifestation of balance. Commit and do, but don’t overcommit or overdo. It’s tough, but it’s achievable.

For me, taking as much time outside, in nature, with the plants, is my favorite way to enjoy this seasonal transition and lunar effect, and maintain that balance. Pride in the things I have grown and harvested throughout the year, and excitement in the anticipation of all I will be creating this fall with my abundance.

Here is a little taste of the colorful ideas on the horizon for our upcoming events and the things I am settling in with at home as the daylight dwindles and the weather cools.

Fall decor is my favorite decor!

Drying homegrown lemon balm for an autumn salve.

Homegrown sage and rosemary for handcrafted smudges.

Today's garden harvest... time for some more salsa verde!

Full Sturgeon Moon Magick

“Under the full moon, she had never felt crazy. She had only ever felt connected.”

— C. Churchill

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Another amazing summer magick event at The House of the Seven Gables! We, again, started with a beautiful 60 min waterfront yoga practice with Chrissy of Rebel Yell Yoga, which focused on the 6th chakra, and was infused with powerful feminine energy from The High Priestess.

We then flowed gracefully into a meditative full sturgeon moon circle while the sun set over Salem. This full pisces moon meditation incorporated tarot guidance and assistance from some magickal plant allies.

True release and manifestation with nature and the cosmos by our sides! Check out the photographic documentation of this magick below (photos take by Kris of Dark Moon Tarot and Lauren of The Chaos Factor).

Waterfront Yoga

Waterfront Yoga

The Golden Hour

Summer Abundance Bouquet

Mugwort Smudges

High Priestess Necklace

A Serene Circle

Full Moon Meditation Space

Full Moon Altar Pieces

Full Moon Altar Pieces

Full Moon Altar Pieces

Full Moon Babies and Planting Positivity

Today we are lucky to observe the beautiful full flower moon. This particular moon was named by Native Americans to signify the abundance of new blooms and plants flourishing with the warm weather settling in. It also symbolizes us humans, and asks us to also gather energy from the sun and grow! To honor this, I decided to plant a new flower in my garden at this abundant and fertile time, a recently gifted gorgeous Delphinium (or Larkspur). This plant signifies openness to new experiences and overall positivity, cheerfulness, and goodwill.

This full moon is also in Sagittarius which symbolizes positive changes as well, so I hope to harness all this optimism to help move forward from any negativity I am feeling (and emitting) in my life right now. Because Sagittarius is all about doing what you love, this full moon is a good time to get back to the heart of things with new adventures on the horizon. What perfect timing for Chrissy and I to leave for our second annual all-female motorcycle camping trip (Babes Ride Out) in Narrowsburg, NY later this week! Nothing but warm feminine vibes and good times there!

To round out this energetic full moon symbolism, I recently found out, via a birthday gift from some dear friends that I was born on a full moon! This lunar birth seems to create an extremely passionate and emotional person who tends to "tell it like it is". Ain't that the truth! I find this is usually a detriment in my life, with my honesty verging on too brutal, and being constantly misunderstood. Meditating on all this, I have decided to work on evolving this quality into a positive thing and striving to better my communication style. So off I go into June, manifesting good vibes and practical energy... thanks moon magic! <3

Beltaine Fire: Yoga, Tarot, & Moon Magic

“In the long history of humankind, those who learned to collaborate... have prevailed.”

— Charles Darwin

Happy Beltaine everyone! I think we are all still flying high on the magic from Sunday evening. What an amazing night of partnership to celebrate this sabbat as well as the full moon in Scorpio. With the special talent and enthusiasm of Rebel Yell Yoga, Dark Moon Tarot, Creative Collective, Witch City Wicks, and Scarlet Letter Press, we created an enchanting one of a kind experience that included a meditative yoga flow, Beltaine spell bag crafting, and tarot & birth chart readings. Guests also took home a specially-crafted herbal oil blend from The Chaos Factor, and a lovely spring candle from Witch City Wicks, both made exclusively for this event.

We were lucky enough to secure The Witch House in Salem for a night of yoga, tarot, and moon magic. This is an important location due to the fact that it was the home of Judge Jonathan Corwin and is the only structure still standing in Salem with direct ties to the Salem witch trials of 1692. To be able to positively celebrate the rituals that were so persecuted back then was ironic and liberating to say the least. For this reason, we also donated 10% of all profits from the evening to Safe Child Africa, a non-profit that aids in supporting children accused of witchcraft in Nigeria. Yes, sadly, this persecution is still happening in 2018 and results in abuse, torture, and even death.

Please check out the amazing photos taken at the event by Jules Lauritsen (Crabby Moon Child) of Creative Collective, and keep an eye out for a similar event to launch later this year!