on a walk a few months ago with naima, we marveled at the autumnal transition from the bountiful plumage of full, leafy trees to their winter forms. and it was in that moment that i realized it's only when the trees are bare that we see their true selves. it is only when every leaf has fallen away that we see the full intricacies of their strength, support systems, and identity. their scars from lightning, storms, and the passage of time. the interconnectedness between their root systems, branches, & crowns, like witnessing their love, friendship, community.

it is only when we are stripped bare, when everything else falls away, that we start to see this innermost truth of ourselves. sometimes this comes as ego death. sometimes this feels like heartbreak and loss- of life, love, patterns, or ways of being that suddenly change. but in these moments when we are most vulnerable, lonely, or weary, we can look to the trees for guidance. the truth is that we need to let others in. to be vulnerable is to let ourselves be seen through love.

in lenapehoking, we are now deeply encompassed by winter- the anchored stillness of branches stripped bare, the emptied trees, nests, homes. the gentle sharpness of each breath of cold air filling our lungs that feels fresh & crisp, like energy in wait.

now a full lunar cycle since the solstice, we're seeing sunlight slowly return to us & are feeling the deeply rooted anticipation of springtime, life, and nature's rebirth whispering to us from afar. like longing for touch in solitude, yearning for a lover, for warmth & the intimacy of closeness in the coldest months.

the slowly churning energy of cardinal earth capricorn season has been shifting the tectonic plates of our routines & belonging beneath our feet. deeply embedded questions of ambition, stability, compassion, & care have been sent vibrating through our bodies for careful questioning. on the horizon we feel the starlit energy of aquarius season starting to echo over the mountains, as if calling to us through our dreamscapes.

just like the moon returning to her home domain, we are all being asked to return home to ourselves in winter. the cancer full moon asks our hearts what we most yearn for in moments of transition- the ways we can fall more deeply into faith, comfort, & safety during hibernation. the importance of not only returning to our intuition & emotional processing; but of truly letting ourselves witness & FEEL our deepest desires. our most profound, earthshaking thirsts. our deep oceans of love. the ways we care for, nurture & reparent ourselves through heartbreak & change.

and just like the trees surrounding us in capricorn season, i'm thinking of the ways we are firmly rooted in earth yet also stripped bare and exposed in this moment. trees gift us so much; life, oxygen, companionship, protection. but perhaps the greatest honor is to witness the openness with which trees transform & show their vulnerability. it is an honor to witness them at their fullest, when they bring forth fruit and leafy homes for ecosystems of animals and birds. and it is an honor, when every leaf has been shed & fallen away, to bear witness to their truest, innermost, divine core. their essence.

the taurus & scorpio axis is one of trust. trust is required through any transformation; any life cycles of birth, death, & rebirth. plutonian scorpio emphasizes what our souls must passionately express & birth in our lifetimes, while venusian taurus grounds us by reminding us that we can see and feel spirit, ancestors, & soul as present in everything we connect with on this material plane.

kohenet Rae Abileah writes in ”Verdant Dreams of Olam haBa, the World to Come 5782,” that:

”at the end of this month, we begin to light chanukah candles. this year, light candles as a practiced of illuminating the darkness, calling attention to all that lives just beyond the limited light of the tiny candles. before our eight day festival of lights is over, we transition into tevet. kislev kisses the in-between.

Kislev is derived from the Babylonian month kissilimu. some believe it comes from kesel as in hope-- hope for winter rains-- and other hear kislev & think of the hebrew word kis, 'pocket,' and lev, 'heart.'

whether you're preparing for travels into inner dreamscapes, (em)bracing for winter ahead, or about to set off for faraway places, your journey may be well-supported by a travel altar, a 'pocket of the heart' to tend to your hopes and fears."

the new moon in libra marks the beginning of cheshvan; a month of release. the deep breath at the end of summer & the fruitful harvest before the exhale, rest, & stillness of winter. i love autumn because of the the vibrance, colors, beauty. the way the air grows chilly & fills our lungs, the way we feel the cold, fresh renewal inside of us.

you can tell libra is ruled by venus by the way every tree and leaf adorns itself with new, reinvented beauty. like warming ourselves by a fire and staring deep into the embers, we see the last, brilliant flickers of light and life in every tree branch & meadow around us, before the sunset of the seasons.

libra draws our attention to the scales of balance within ourselves & all of our relationships.

just like the fiery bursts of autumn enveloping us, we have to look inward & ask ourselves what is lighting our inner fire. what embers will we feed, what will keep us warm in the winter months?

as the air grows colder, we inhale the discernment & wisdom of what serves us in this season, so that we can release and exhale what doesn't in the next.

just like air feeds the flame, our personal air--our visions, thoughts, words, & ideas--feeds our soul & inner fire. the hearth of our heart.

what do we need to breathe into the fire to protect it?

what leaves need to be released to preserve our branches, our energy, & our colors for next year?