On the changing seasons, the departed, and the beauty that remains.
This is a special time of year in many cultures.
A time that’s believed to offer a more direct connection to the world of spirits. When the boundary that separates physical and non-physical realities is said to be thinnest.
Mexico recognizes this through its celebration of Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead), during which people often create altars and decorate the graves of loved ones in preparation for their spirits to briefly return to Earth.
Celtic traditions, meanwhile, recognize a festival known as Samhain, which marks the start of winter and a time of year when the portals to the Otherworld are believed to open.
Even Halloween, beyond its commercial and entertainment associations, is steeped in traditions that honor the lives of saints and other faithful departed.
The changing seasons in the Northern Hemisphere seem to align with these traditions.
The colder, shorter days naturally compel us to slow down and reflect. To rest and renew ourselves after the energy put forth during the spring and summer months.
Crops grow more slowly (or not much at all in places with harsh winters). Trees lose their leaves, redirecting their energy toward their roots.
On the surface, things seem to die.
But that’s hardly the case.
They are resting. Awaiting their time to return and bless us again with their beauty.
So too, I would say, are the souls that have left us.
Their beauty ever-present and accessible through our own efforts to connect with them.
Living within the cycles and rhythms of nature has me convinced of this.
That’s why I take this time each year to connect with those who have passed away and shine a light on the joy they brought to my life.
A peek at the altar I put together in celebration this year.
So thank you.
To my grandparents, who passed down a lineage of love through our family.
To my cousin Nate, who lived a life fully committed to his love for the natural world and respect for Indigenous ways of living.
To Hope, whose quiet light I see shining so incredibly bright every day through the eyes of her sister.
To Micha, who was one of the first people I met on my farming journey and who had such a warm and uplifting perspective on life despite facing some incredibly difficult circumstances.
And to Coach, who I still thank every day.
From our November 2 newsletter. If this is the kind of farm you want to support, our CSA is the most direct way to do it.