“In November, the smell of food is different. It is an orange smell. A squash and pumpkin smell. It tastes like cinnamon and can fill up a house in the morning, can pull everyone from bed in a fog. Food is better in November than any other time of the year.”
― Cynthia Rylant, In November

This quote by Cynthia Rylant really speaks to my heart during the fall. I am a cinnamon girl, and one of my year-round morning rituals is to light cinnamon incense right after I get up and before I make my coffee. It hits a little differently during the fall and winter, though. The mornings are colder and cinnamon wraps you up in its protective arms and reminds you that you are loved.

This is just one of the rituals I craft during the busy months. The last quarter of the year is the hard and heavy season for small businesses and it’s hard to find balance during these three months. Ritual helps carve out that moment of grounding and meditation; a repetitive balm that helps to sooth and restore the spirit, in spite of the anxiety and fluster of the holidays.

Cooking is another way I can center myself and find a respite at the end of a busy day. And, this isn’t just the regular, slap-something-together cooking during the hectic week. This is the meditative, slow cooking I get to do every once in a while. For me, this meditative vehicle is most often soup. Nothing could be more compatible with one’s witchy practice than making soup: purposefully selecting the right ingredients, carefully chopping and dicing, adding heat to bring everything to a boil, and mindfully stirring to incorporate everything into a delicious, comforting potion that pairs perfectly with bread.

Soup days afford me the time to disconnect from everything around me and to focus on the task at hand. It allows me space to reflect and think about things that I often push to the back of my mind. And it fills my cup with joy that I often let pass me by during the times when the shop is the busiest.

It’s hard to make the time to step away and cultivate ritual, a self-care practice, or even to take just a moment to stop and breathe. This last quarter of the year has not been as busy at the shop as I anticipated and I find myself really getting into my head about how to increase sales, analyzing what is working and what is not, and brainstorming ways to just get people into the shop. My brain is wired to let these thoughts get the best of me and by forcing myself to stop, take a moment to light some incense or a couple hours to make a pot of soup I’m able to take a break from the constant drone of “business thought.”

Being with friends also helps and I am fortunate to have cultivated friendships with the most amazing group of women. I never had a lot of “girl”friends growing up and I’ve lost some very close friendships over the years, but these goddesses fill my cup to overflowing. They are always there with an uplifting word, a hug, a lit candle, and ready to rock and roll for one another. Regular gatherings with this friend group may just be the best ritual I can think of…

Well, if you’ve stuck it out and read this far, I think it’s time for a little treat, don’t you?

I’m including this link for a Cozy Autumn Wild Rice Soup, one of my favorite recipes from Gimme Some Oven.

Finally, it wouldn’t be a long-ass Earth Spirit email without a link to a new Spotify Playlist. This one is especially good for those quiet moments of ritual. I hope you like it as much as I do.

Happy Thanksgiving and lots of love,

Erin

Crafting ritual during the hectic times…