Question for you all - how to do honor the season of Samhain? 

This time of year, what is called Samhain (pronounced sow-in) by the Gaelic traditions of Europe, is when death is closest to us. This tradition of honoring death and going inwards spans most global traditions once the autumn seasons descend. We can feel it all around as the leaves begin to shed, blanketing the sidewalks and lightening the burden of each tree as they prepare to take the long rest of winter. We sense the otherworld growing nearer, engulfed by signals from the natural and supernatural alike. Space becomes more still, quieter as animals take shelter, and the daylight hours give way to greater darkness. Once we learn to listen to ourselves properly, we undeniably can hear the echoes of those passed as they teach us who we are. Through connection to ancestors, we can learn more and more what that means for us as individuals who are part of something so much greater than ourselves. 

We have also watched the unnatural death cycles in Palestine unfolding- heartbreaking first hand accounts of so many precious lives lost under the grip of hate and greed. Those of us that haven't looked away are heavy with grief, and often, hopelessness. I'm going to challenge you to feel all of your feelings today, to see if you can transmute your rage, fear, despair, sadness and confusion into action. What are you good at? How can you meet this moment with LIFE? Our Ancestors are at our backs now, the veil thin. Let's call on their strength and resilience to transmute our grief and rage into community and beauty. 

If you're still with me here, thank you. I know these newsletters are often a soft landing spot for those of you here but this is a moment of action, and a personal request to show up (in whatever way you can). I am here because some of my family escaped the horrors of the Holocaust, and because we had family in Tbilisi, Georgia- where Christians, Jews, and Muslims all co-existed. My Ancestors are with me now (and very loud) about the atrocities happening in Palestine. Liberation isn't for some people, it's for us all. 

The shop is raffling this self-care set off until the end of today, with all proceeds donated to the Middle Eastern Children's Alliance please consider adding it to your purchases or making a direct donation. I will also be organizing an in-person self care event with grab bags for community, local protest organizers and Palestinian folks that need some softness right now. If you'd like to donate product, money, or come volunteer I would really love that, just follow this link. Thank you for being in community with us.

We hope you're taking good care of yourself, babe. Here are some sweet treats for your day: a lovely playlist for tapping into Samhain energy and drawing on ancestral support for personal and collective healing, and a ritual oil recipe for Protection.