Vigil means to stay awake and keep watch in the dark. In a season dominated by darkness, the vigil invites presence. While often touted as a passive, restful season, being awake to what’s going on in the dark requires awareness; it’s also where you’ll find the richest compost.

Do you ever rush your magical practice or push for a result? Urgency, production, and instant gratification are common themes in the overculture, so naturally, they can find their way into your magical practice. These themes have certainly shown up in my practice!

Here’s a little story about how Vervain taught me the importance of slowing down to different timelines to co-create potent magic.

It can be too easy to forget that you, all of us, are supported in both seen and unseen realms. It’s so important in times such as these that we remember and have space to feel the support of our guides, allies, and ancestors who deeply desire to help support and guide you in this life. The undercurrent beckoning us to consume or produce constantly, all in the name of making money, can easily sever us from this deep truth.

In this short share, I offer you the story of how I was guided to connect with three grandmothers, the wisdom they provided, and insight from them via a chat with the tarot.

The Autumn Equinox, which usually falls between September 20-23 in the Northern Hemisphere, shifts us westward on our seasonal wheel. The west corresponds to the element of water in most mystical and earth-based spiritual practices. It signals a time to start moving inward after the busyness and activity of the spring and summer months.

Summertime shifts us towards the south and the element of fire on our sacred seasonal wheel. The fire of the south offers a time of passion, growth, culmination, action, transformation, and, less frequently talked about, discomfort.

Imbolc is our collective season of hope and renewal. I liken it to the star card after the tower. We've been deep in the cauldron throughout Samhain and Yule, and with the arrival of Imbolc, we can start to see the slightest stirrings of life and an increase in sunlight. Imbolc brings a palpable sense of renewed energy in the air.

On the sacred wheel, the North encompasses the realm of earth, winter, death, rebirth, and your ancestors. The North is the still and sacred portal where we're allowed to break down and shed to rebuild for a new cycle. It is the seat of deep wisdom where the ancestral knowledge from all of those who've come before you resides. The North encompasses endings, new beginnings, and the space in between.

Samhain ushers in the third and final harvest and shifts us into the darker half of the year. Samhain is situated in between the Autumn Equinox and the Winter Solstice. This season is our annual invitation to explore and honor not only the need for death and decay but acceptance of death and decay.