"Autumn is my season, dear. It is, after all, the season of the soul." -- Virginia Woolf
The leaves dance and float their way down to the cool earth. They adorn her in a patchwork quilt of golden velvets, warm sepias, and crinkled russets. The land subsumes the foliage when the bright hues convert themselves into an umber wither.
Autumn is my favorite time of year. The smell in the air is a healing all on its own. It's crisp, earthy, not quite musky, it's the smell of leaves decomposing on the land. I searched for its very own word to describe this beautiful smell that is so fleeting. I could not find one. I expressed my sadness that there was no word for the smell of autumn to my husband and he simply replied, “make one up”. So with a few quick Google searches on the etymology of leaves, decay, earth, scent, and autumn, I began to construct my word.
Sentirdecadruska~
Defined as the scent of autumn.
The old French word sentir means to feel, smell, perceive, realize, and make love to. Decad from the Latin word decadere “to fall off”, decay. Ruska is the Finnish word used to describe leaves turning shades of yellow, orange, red, purple, and brown in Autumn. From ruskea meaning “brown.”
Okay, so it's not the best word. But I craved a word for the scent of this ephemeral magic. Giving our own names to the things we love and hold sacred can lend deep personal meaning to them. (Sorry to the linguists!)
Autumn is a time when I think everyone can feel the magic, even if they don't call it that. The veil between worlds is thinning, making this a potent time for divination, ancestral work, vivid dreams, and increased intuition. Samhain (pronounced sow-in) marks the beginning of the darkening phase. It is a time to go inward, to witness the shadow, the spirits, and the abundant magic. Samhain marks the last harvest of the year, to reap what you have sown. This is the witches' new year, a good time to reflect and to look into the future.
I think this is why this season greatly inspires me. The creative layering with clothing, the colors on the hills, and the festivities. I am always in my most artistically productive time in September and October. And of course, I am always busy crafting my daughter's Halloween costume! I hope this season gets your creative juices flowing. And because this is the witch's new year, I think I'll set some goals for this next season. More reading under blankets with candles lit, more crisp air walks, and to go BIG in the studio. It's time to paint large and expressive in the way I have wanted for some time now. What goals are you setting?
With love and darkness from your local artist witch,
Tiana
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