I’m so grateful to be back at the Forest Portal and although we sought out nature where ever we were during our time away, it sure feels good to return to the land and elementals I know so well here. Things have definitely changed though and the Equinox brought renewal in the air with a new path opening ahead for us. For now I’m just walking one step at a time through the open door and taking the hand of invitation with the wonder and curiosity of a child. I’m ready to journey into the unknown with full trust in the guidance that whispers through my heart.

It’s been a sweet gift to watch my forest friends return to visit and witness still some little bursts of magick taking place in the garden since being back. While some things slumbered early, Autumn seemed to welcome that transition with a supportive hand so that things in fact appear as if they evolved in a natural cycle here.

Even my big gray squirrel friend made an appearance just a couple of days ago. His energy is very different than Hope’s, although heralds his own version of possibility. The photos don’t do justice to his size, but he’s quite large and his expressions, mannerisms, and body movements are very humanlike.

In fact I don’t feel him to be a squirrel, but rather a shapeshifting wizard and whenever he appears I know that there’s something behind the scenes at work and to expect the unexpected. On this day he was nibbling away – processing with each bite, things he would pluck from the foundation of the tree stump where my planter sits atop. This particular stump has been collapsing on one side of the top and so there’s a message here you can likely put together yourself.

He’s not sinister, but is detached and calculated, always on a mission putting some kind of alchemy in motion and alerting me to do the same. He will come knock on the sliding door, or peer in, run along the fence, bench, or pots, but makes himself known deliberately.

And that gorgeous bushy tail of his is like a swirling cape that flows behind him, but also doubles as a snake charmer that casts a spell with every hypnotic undulation.

I even had this little visitor – a Mabon Moth – anchoring her magick of regeneration and transformation on the morning of Autumn Equinox. Her ability to blend into the leaves and trees around her speaks of hidden knowledge and adaptability. She navigates by lunar light and so she highlights shadow work and inner wisdom, with determined focus on seeing the silver lining through any murky experience.

I’ve been enjoying tiny pops of color still blooming though. In fact, I am looking at one single periwinkle delphinium, crimson mini rose, and white foxglove, through my office door, that each just opened since we’ve returned. And these beauties continued to flourish even while I was away.

And some of my herbs are enjoying a comeback on the Garden Tower, ever since their Faery mom has been hydrating and nurturing them.

You can also see some of the veggie friends still giving a good last initiative to see what they can do before Winter’s sleep and seed for the year to come.

I have a few Wee B Little mini pumpkins trying, but this one is the strongest so far and has actually grown since I took this photo upon return home.

Faery fingers, toes, and wings crossed for him to grow as big as he needs, as only he knows what is in his energy signature to be.

As mentioned in my return post, the side yard of little wildflowers and clover has been a delight to see and especially the six lamb’s ear plants I have there at the base of the maple tree that all continued well even while I was away.

I had three more lamb’s ear on my Garden Tower that I couldn’t bear to lose simply because of my absence because they’re my favorite, so I dug them up and brought them to my parent’s house when we evacuated so my dad could nurture them. They more than tripled in size while I was away and these are two of them I now have potted on the deck.

I gave one to my dad because he loves lamb’s ear too and had lost his beautiful plant just like I had. I used to have a huge one that I grew from one tiny clipping I brought across the water from Catalina when we lived in Southern California that didn’t like it when I had to leave her behind. I’m so happy to have these again to begin a new life cycle with.

We haven’t done pine needle cleanup yet because there’s been so much wind on and off since we returned, but plan to do that likely this weekend if it remains calm.

I like the look of things with an Autumn covering of golden needles all about, spreading like a spider’s web weaving the cycles seamlessly.

I even love this giant magick mushroom I discovered while watering the garden.

It was hidden under a blanket of dirt that was sitting like a big mound in the middle of the wildflower plants it pushed to the edges. I cleaned it off with my hands and the water to discover this single beauty.

It’s huge – two and a half times the size of my hand in this photo that from this perspective doesn’t reflect the size contrast that well.

Mushrooms are power symbols to me and as a faery they are part of the landscape I enjoy. They carry shamanic wisdom of the unseen abundant powers and spirit realm of the Underworld, enlightenment, transformation, rebirth and the recycling of all that has died, longevity, good luck, and more. Nature spirits love them and can be seen sitting atop these mysterious creations, so of course I celebrate them.

And speaking of celebration, I did spend the Equinox baking and gardening, just as Hope inspired. It was a way to honor the change of seasons and take a nice big breath after finally settling fully back and accomplishing some important things we needed to get done. In fact, I’ve purposely been letting go of doing anything new the last few days so I have time to sink into relaxing and enjoying the changes literally and symbolically anchoring.

I’ve been craving one particular thing to bake and I chose the Equinox to do that. My favorite year-round cookie from childhood was always my dad’s shortbread cookies.

So that’s what I baked – my own vegan version, but of course with a little faery infusion. I used some of the dried lavender and mint from my garden that I harvested before we evacuated and jarred upon return, then added mini vegan chocolate chips and dark chocolate slivers.

This was a first and I am so happy with them. It was a way to infuse childhood memories into the now in effort to nurture that inner child sweetness I feel is so important to strengthen.

It’s also added to the enjoyment of cozy warmth the season invites – perfect for these colder nights and mornings that have been into the 30’s.

Astrid has also been luxuriating in her royal realm, breathing in her space, frolicking about, enjoying daily indulgences, and simply surrendering. She’s definitely a Mabon Rabbit Queen, having her birthday so near to Equinox. I love seeing her enjoying her newer castle towers that were gifts to her for her Summer Solstice anniversary and a pre-birthday gift. She’s enjoying being surrounded by the environments she loves, inside and outside.

And, indeed, the landscape in the great outdoors around us has also been beautiful and crisp with the first onset of color shifts set on a backdrop of clear blue sky and that famous Tahoe blue reappearing in all her glory.

The wind constantly shifts, but we’ve had a good run of 5-6 days of great air allowing us to soak in our usual nature exercise before another bout of bad air is about to come through again.

What it’s all spoken to me of is the inevitable renewal that always cycles through over and over and of our ability to continually recreate ourselves and our lives free of any idea we felt so strongly connected to at any given time.

We can’t possibly imagine how anything else could make us feel the way we do now or better, and yet the Universe always shows us that there are unlimited versions of fulfillment when we open ourselves to the boundless abundance that is available and let our attachments roll off of our backs like cleansing rain.

Things will always rise again from the ashes even when stripped of everything. In fact, sometimes being stripped of everything is the very thing needed to rise up.

Some words that have jumped out at me have been receptivity, indolence, liberation, gumption, and arise.

Your first thought might be – but doesn’t indolence have a negative twinge to it by definition?

Of course my response will be, let’s drop preconceived ideas and definitions for a moment and embrace this in a new way.

When indolence came to me it wasn’t about ineffective laziness, sloth, or avoidance of exertion, but rather the very important effectiveness of surrendering into luxurious indolence that deeply, slowly, and sweetly inhales every moment of the circle of life. That permission to pause with deliberate accentuation and tune out life stressors, fully relax, let go, and sink your feet into the blanket of musky Autumn dirt. The invitation to be okay with not doing anything and knowing that doing so is actually quite needed, effective, and in fact does a lot more sometimes than trying to force yourself to do a list of “should’s.” That full pause and release allows space for the sparks to ignite.

The rest of the word themes I think speak for themselves…receptivity with all your senses to everything within and without so you’re taking in the fuller picture that can assist you far greater than thinking it out alone can do and therefore aligning…liberation from old thoughts, ideas, beliefs, and ways you’ve held onto tightly so that your horse can run unbridled in the field of possibility (incidentally I saw a big herd of gorgeous wild mustangs on Thursday when driving to my hair cut where I let go of an 1 1/2 inches of old growth)…gumption to go for what you want, create the changes you want to experience, and do what others would deem impossible…and arise to the stir within, awaken, and prepare for that divinely aligned action that initiates renewal.

The plants in my garden, nature around the area here, and even my own renewed inner child passion, freedom to be, and drive have provided me the map to navigate the new landscape I find myself in, as indeed everything is different upon returning home.

They speak to that receptivity that aligns with the seasons and life cycles, the periods of luxuriating indolence of surrender to the energy streams of natural flow, the liberation that comes through surrender and release of any preconceived attachments, the gumption to have spirited initiative, courage, determination, and resourceful responses when opportunity presents itself or when it’s necessary to the bigger picture to lead for the greater good, and to inherently know the seed of renewal is your destiny to rise again and again, no matter if it appears that everything has been stripped away.