Everything Under the Moon

Hi all, been feeling a little down now that summer is over. The weather getting colder, the dark comes earlier. Wondering if anyone has any inspiration to help me get over this feeling of melancholy that always seems to come this time of year. I live in the northeast, not known for its gentle winters. I have tried looking at Autumn as a time to harvest the knowledge and growth I have accumulated over the year. But looking for magical or spell work or poetry that may boost my spirit...thanks!

Have you been evaluated for Seasonal Affective Disorder? Beyond that, I would find ways to connect with nature and especially with sunlight.

Snow

I try to allow my body & spirit to move along with changing seasons. As the leaves change color & fall, I may put fun colors in my hair or cut it. I'll shop for a few cozy sweaters or boots. Try sitting outside in the cool days, sipping tea or coffee and listening to nature's beautiful sounds. When the winter comes, I just really try to let my body rest. That's what the rest of mother nature is doing. It does get darker sooner, but I take that gift in & let my body rest by the fireplace with a good book and enjoy getting warm in bed & sleeping well.

lunamoth wrote:Wondering if anyone has any inspiration to help me get over this feeling of melancholy that always seems to come this time of year. I live in the northeast, not known for its gentle winters.

Lots of vitamin D! When you live up north not only is there less sunlight,you actually can't really make much, if any, vitamin D from sunlight in the colder months. (First point on this list explains why.) Low vitamin D can cause one to be depressed, among other things.

Other than that, try celebrating the little thing as the seasons change. The changing color of the leaves, hot apple cider, how pretty frost can be. Maybe make a little seasonal shrine to decorate as things change. Depending on where you live, you might consider going apple picking, or enjoying other fall and winter activities. I know it doesn't help much when you're stuck shoveling three feet of snow in the freezing cold, but the little things can make it more tolerable overall.

I do have seasonal effective disorder...I hate the dark long cold months here. I love being out in nature, and if I can't do that it makes me feel really blue and depressed. Thinking of it like changing moods with the seasons does help, and i know that spring will come soon. But getting in tune with the cycles and celebrating with ritual and decorating for the fall are a great idea. Vitamin D yes, I have to pick some up. thanks guys

There is a wonderful Pagan calendar on the internet. You can put in youe location (or one close by) and it adjusts everything to your time zone. There are also moon and sun tables. Every day I look at the sun table and figure out how much time there is between sunrise and sunset (last week we lost 9 minutes). I feel this helps me to stay in sync with the wheel of the seasons.

evil ed, can you post link for that calendar? Thanks!

I found it at pagancalendar.co.uk .It has all kinds if neat holidays listed, as well as astrological info.

Alestar Crowley's birthday is next week, same night as the new moon!

(Never could post links worth a darn!)

I'm with you! Fall is my favorite season, and I love celebrating with pumpkiny things, a new fall themed tea, and other seasonal to dos.

But sometimes, it's nice to have a little reminder of green. I recently purchased a plant (thyme, at Safeway for about $3) that I keep in a sunny ish window in my house. I picked an herb because I love using and working with fresh herbs magically, it smells amazing, doesn't need a ton of light, and it's a little reminder of green and life. It's affordable too!

So my recommendation would be to find something similarly green/slightly witchy to keep a little brightness in your day through the season. Good luck!

lunamoth, perhaps you can try decorating your house with more lights/colourful items? There are some pretty nursery night lights that you can stick on walls or put it on tables, it's usually for kids who doesn't like darkness but some designs are really nice. Makes me happy looking at them

Hello there LunaMoth
I would suggest taking time out of the day to admire the changing colour of the leaves, the smells of rotting leaves and the crisp air.. Also with halloween/Samhain creeping up there's some very colourful pumpkins about to appear for sale
I like shatteredSouls idea of decorating.. If you haven't done so already, redecorate your alter with things that represent the season.(Or do some research and see what other pagan sites say). Maybe autumn colored gems, some fruits, fallen leaves, maybe a baby pumpkin. Or make it into a table display! a lovely lil fruit bowl blasting color and looking delicious always makes me happy.
Bright lights, Maybe some hanging decorations.. Or even scents! burning candles, inscents or even those plug in infuser thingies to make you feel more relaxed. Id repeat this year on year so you get a possitive feeling when you smell that scent around this time of year.

Hope this helps dear!

I love candles and lighting especially in the colder months when im not outside as much. Like you all are saying i think the key is to make the inside of my home as inviting as possible so i wont mind being inside as much. I have to get that pagan calender ..thanks for the link and .

HazelRain wrote:I

So my recommendation would be to find something similarly green/slightly witchy to keep a little brightness in your day through the season. Good luck!

HazelRain, I also love working with herbs and had a bunch growing on my deck this summer. I get most of my stuff from growersexchange.com . Great website and they send really healthy rooted plants.

I go through seasonal blues as well, but I deal with it uniquely...
I clean. A lot.

I've been known to do a big overhaul at least twice a year- once for the spring and one for the fall. As soon as I clean for fall, I focus on making my home a warm, happy place for my family and myself. I think it is because I don't spend as much time outside any more, so my home needs to be a welcoming.
So, I tidy a little bit every day focusing on everything I am doing, possibly saying something along the lines of "Lord and Lady, please bless this area with your love and light," as I dust or vacuum. If I am going to be home for a while, I like to light a fantastic smelling candle and say a prayer for happiness.

Sometimes I force myself to go for a short walk and will challenge myself to fine three things that I think are beautiful and take a picture of it. That way, I'm actively looking for beauty and good... Then when it is time to head back to my house, I walk into a clean and warm living room.

Just what works for me *shrugs*

Burning copal Oro or frankincense over charcoal helps me sometimes. It's a positive incense. It's been proven to help with sadness .. It has some sort of happy effect.