We call upon and welcome the spirits,
Guides,
And guardians of the West.
Golden hour,
Long skinny shadows stretching a bridge across the ground to the horizon,
Pulling up the night.
Welcome shadows and the great crossing over.
It's a time of change,
Honoring transformation,
Light to dark,
Life to death,
Movement to stillness.
We are slowing down.
We celebrate the endings,
The closure,
This great season of completion called fall.
Beautiful colors of leaves like nature's confetti,
Falling gold,
Orange,
Red,
And brown dry to the ground,
Ready to become nutrients for next year's growth.
It is a beautiful season of letting go.
We honor the great party colors of the harvest in the garden,
Pulling pumpkins and squash and kale,
Honoring the fruits of the summer,
Bright apples and pears.
As our orchards and our gardens come to close,
We tuck them in.
We till them over,
We turn the compost,
Knowing this season's letting go brings promise next year.
We are inspired by change.
This is a time of tremendous transition.
Fungus growing,
Foraging in the forest,
Turning leaves to nourishment,
Connected under the soil.
They remind us of the rich connection among us as we gather around the table,
Preserving,
Fermenting,
Dehydrating this year's,
This season's great harvest and tasting the wonderful sweetness and flavors that have come our way.
We savor the learning,
The growth.
We honor the transformation that's come out of our season of wild,
Lively abundance as we hunker down and ready for winter.
We harvest the last of our garden goodies.
We tuck in the beds just as we tuck ourselves into bed at the end of each day.
Golden hour,
Watching the sky turn bright in celebration of each day's ending.
Golden,
Orange,
Lavender,
Pink clouds tucking us in for a great night's sleep.
It is also a time of death,
A time of grief,
Of turning towards our ancestors and honoring the paths,
The journeys,
And the histories that brought us to this moment.
There is a rich history behind each of us carrying us here.
We honor the wisdom of the shadow,
The unknown,
The surprises,
The twinkle of fireflies as twilight sets in.
Welcome closure,
Peaceful endings,
Integrated learning,
Deep,
Powerful lessons.
We reap what we've sown.
Welcome the quiet of night falling.
Welcome West.
