The Illuminating Spark: Autumn Musings

Thoughts surrounding the beginning of the season.

(Image description: A photo of cream colored sweater with different items on it. A brownish-white faux fur throw is on the left, while a burnt orange blanket is on the right. An orange skein of yarn, a metal and glass candle holder, a jar candle, a couple, small orange pumpkins, and a small pastry are placed on top of the sweater.) Credit: Photo by That’s Her Business on Unsplash

Fall has arrived, and it felt like a last hurrah from summer right up until the start. However, temperatures are starting to decrease, so it will soon feel like the appropriate kind of weather.

With the first few days into this cycle, the intrinsic need for things like a warm fire and food have felt like seasonal companions. Regardless of the temperature, items like these are akin to dependable travel companions.

Instead of focusing on a specific date, I have opted to honor the season during my next flamekeeping shift later this week. Since it’s not a major festival, what I do will be on a small scale. I imagine I’ll write some poetry or whatever else feels appropriate. As for Nodens, I would like to celebrate the turning of the season during the next new moon in October.

While meditating with my Brighid prayer beads, I received the sense of being wrapped in Her cloak. Not only did it feel comforting, but the action of doing so felt protective. For me, it felt as though She was telling me various points in a nonverbal fashion.

Autumn is Cozy Season for many people, a time of slowing down. More time is spent indoors, and it’s a time for bundling up and doing things that bring you comfort against the cooler, shorter days. However, this was also a time for handicrafts and protection as Samhain approaches.

As I’ve mentioned before, I have wanted to get back to weaving. I’m not entirely sure what project I would want to work on, but something related to my practice feels appropriate. Additionally, the repetitive act of weaving feels inherently contemplative.

A while ago, I was looking through the different sections of the Carmina Gadelica and realized there were prayers for blessing looms. Most prayers related to labor are for tending to livestock or fishing, tasks that I likely won’t do due to accessibility reasons. However, the looms I have are quite feasible to incorporate into a meditative practice. As an extension, I imagine that any kind of textile art could apply here; the wording would need to be adapted as needed.

Recalling back to the need of protection in the cooler months, the prayers for blessing a loom are linked with protection of the loom’s owner, the materials involved, and the overall fate of the weaver for a certain amount of time. With the wording, I feel like there’s an underlying context of involving the protection of the three realms and the protective forces within them.

If you’re uncomfortable with the Christian elements, the overall structure of the prayers can be adapted to suit your needs. The loom blessings can be found here and here, Further searching through the text can lead you to other possible prayers suitable for the other processes of the making of fabrics.

So often textile arts are merely treated as a passive hobby when there’s a lot of deep magic in the prayers and actions connected to them. Also, it’s an activity that’s done privately, so it creates a sense of an intimate meditation you can do at your own pace.

While I decide on what weaving projects to do, I wish you a happy and blessed fall!