In March 2016, before the Equinox, and as the moon opened to fullness, I had an experience that is basically inexpressible because of its power and because of its commonness. I sensed the moment the seasons shifted as the moon rose over a river filling with spring’s ice floes.

To convey a glimpse into the mystery of that moment, I’ll say I encountered Persephone, the Goddess of Greek myth who is kidnapped by Hades to serve as the Queen of the Underworld, welcoming the dead, and mourned by her mother Demeter, whose grief brings winter. Persephone’s seasonal visit to her mother awakens Demeter’s joy and brings the bounty of spring and summer. Most often Persephone is depicted as a beautiful maiden either being kidnapped by her husband or returning to her mother.

But the Persephone I encountered was a weathered woman climbing and clawing her way out of the Underworld through the dirt of earth. She used her Underworld crown as a plough and carried in her pockets letters from the Dead to their beloveds still living. (More about Persephone’s spring work is here.)

Persephone’s secret story is the story of her as Traveler and Messenger, the one who twice yearly, millennia after millennia, begins a journey between the worlds when night and day stand in balance.

Fall Mandala with Persephone from the Dark Goddess Tarot

In each world, she has loves and responsibilities. She must prepare for both departure and arrival at this time of year. She sadly says goodbye to some while anticipating reunion with others.

What calls Persephone from one world to the next? How does she know when to begin her preparations? In 2016 as I stood under the September harvest moon in an orchard watching Goddesses Descending, it came to me. Of course. The moon is Persephone’s signal and guide.

In spring, the days of the growing moons from new to full following the Spring Equinox set her on her journey back to earth. The waning moons after the Fall Equinox invite her to depart. The pace of her journey may vary from year to year or place to place depending on what is happening in the lunar and natural world.

When the Fall Equinox arrives we enter the days Persephone Descending. Then as full moons fade to dark in September and October, Persephone prepares, Persephone descends.

Perhaps you feel the weight of this time as she grows heavy. And if you feel it, too,you might consider your heaviness in another light, a lunar light. This heavy time brings a dark gift of attuning to the Divine, to the eternal cycles. The trees know this as they let down their leaves in fluttering surrender. Perhaps you may take the tree as your spiritual director.  

And as our perspective on this descent time shifts, we can open to opportunity, have a more expansive view. Recognize that our loss of Persephone brings a boon for the Dead. She is their Queen and comfort who loves them. She is the Traveler who has been away but now returns with new stories and gifts.

You can help Persephone make her reunion with the Dead. You can send gifts and stories along with Her. You can write letters to the Dead.

It may seem strange. You may doubt your letter can travel such a long distance. But just the act of writing and sending the letter might heal your heart.

I am writing letters in these days and offer these ideas to spark your own letter writing rituals. You might consider:

• Who do you want to write to? Joining in conversation with the boundaryless there is no limited to the possibility. You can write to those you knew in life and those you didn’t. Your beloved dead. The ancestors. A long-dead writer who inspired you. Your departed pets. Make a list.
• How will you send the message? An aerogram. A drug-store card. Leaves of petals to send without words but infused with love. You might match your form to speak most deeply to the one with which you want to communicate.
• When will you send it? You can send your letters along as you write them or wait for the dark moon days after the Equinox. Any of these days as the moon moves from full to dark are the times of Persephone Descending.
• How will you send your letters? Burying your messages in the earth is appropriate. Persephone can gather them up as she makes to the Underworld. But follow your inspiration. Maybe there is another story of life’s cycles that inspires you so you use a method that aligns with that wisdom. If water beckons you, send your notes on streams down to the sea. Light your letter on fire and watch the spark rise to heaven. Let leaves lift it into the all surrounding air. You can’t do this incorrectly.
• How will you thank your messenger? Don’t forget to express your gratitude to Persephone or the One who helps you deliver your letter. You might say a prayer of praise, make an offering, or dedicate a positive action to their name.  

Will you receive a reply?  Well, the universe is full of echoes and all kinds of communication. I have received messages from the Dead and I’m not the only one. Your letter is unlikely to receive a letter in return so you can tend your openness to different kinds of communication in ways such as these:

• Take time away from the demands of the living. It’s noisy here in the living world so just as you would step with your cell phone out of a crowded room to better hear the person on the other end, step out of the daily. Dedicate some time to ritual, communing with the dark, walking in nature. Sometimes go alone This gives you a better chance of hearing. But remember to walk in balance along this path; you do still belong in the land of the living.
• Remove this waiting for a response from the work of the rational. What you are going to do is not rational and is outside the bounds of all we can assert with certainty here in the earthly world. Don’t try to make your listening fit inside these walls. You don’t have to give up the rational as you live your daily life- we need it – but you don’t apply it to your waiting for a response to your letter.
• Listen slant. The poet Emily Dickinson said “tell it slant,” counseled that messages of Truth if too bright can blinds us. The Dead no longer speak as we do, perhaps are even forgetting the way of language with all its limits. They will reach out to you in unusual ways, in slant ways. Through a song that plays on the radio when you are thinking of them. Through the things they left behind found just at a moment that gives meaning. Through a revelation of hawk or cat or rainbow. From a rational world perspective you can never be sure from where the message comes, but when inspiration moves your heart, always take the gift it brings.   

FYI, I have two offerings for the 2019 season of Persephone Descending: an Urban Wisdom Wander in NYC with Yesbelt Fernandez and the annual Threshold of Darkness here in Easthampton, MA with the theme of Love Between the Worlds. You are invited to join us.  

Join Carolyn Cushing and Yesbelt Fernandez for a unique divinatory adventure to cultivate your intuition, tend your soul, and connected with like-minded seekers.

In this Urban Wisdom Wander, we will:

• Find and explore a question that can spark our soul’s growth and delight.
• Play with using our oracular tools (Tarot, angel cards, runes, ect) out of doors and on the move to gain new perspectives on their meaning and broader wisdom.
• Practice seeing signs and finding synchronicities in the world around us. 
• Connect with fellow seekers. 

Participants will leave with:

• Special “compass” gift to keep you inspired moving forward.
• Wisdom Wander booklet to inspire future wanders. 

To participate, you should:

• Have your deck of cards or other oracular tool. We will have decks to share.
• Have a little bit of experience working with your cards or oracular tool can be helpful. We won’t be talking about basic meanings in the group. But we will be guided by our intuition in this work so no worries if you feel like a newbie. 

Wear shoes for walking, bring water, and, If needed, be prepared for rain. Bring your phone for obvious reasons and also to document your experiences. You might also want a small notebook and pen to jot things down quickly. Travel as lightly as possible.  

Fort Tryon Park has lawns, gardens, 8 miles of pathways, The Cloisters Museum, and the New Leaf Cafe. There will be options for groups to wisdom wander together as well as going off on your own. We will bring a group into the Cloisters for which people will pay their own admission fee. If you are a New York State resident or a student in New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut, you decide what you will pay. If you are not, the price of admission for adults is $25. 

Cost: $20 if you register before September 30th. On October 1, the fee will increase to $30. Early birds are rewarded! The fee is non-refundable, but you have to cancel, you may apply it to a future service or event with Carolyn or Yesbelt.

Date: Saturday, Saturday, October 12th

Time: 11am – 3pm

Location: We will meet up near the Cloisters. We’ll confirm the exact location the day before to account for the weather. We will wander even if there is rain, probably spending more time inside the Cloisters for any wet wisdom wandering. 

Sign up now with Pay Pal or mail a check made out to Carolyn Cushing to Soul Path Sanctuary, 1 Cottage St., Easthampton, MA 01027.

The messages will be all around us as we wisdom wander!

Each season offers different gifts and challenges, flows with its own rhythm and mystery.  When we take time to turn toward the offerings of the season, we can better receive its soul tending wisdom.

The shift from October into November is a potent time of year for remembering our beloved dead cross-culturally. Mexican Day of the Dead celebrations, Catholic masses for All Saints and Soul Days, earth spirituality traditions around the thinning of the veils between the worlds, and secular commemorations on Veterans Day all offer different ways to connect with those departed. At the most basic level, this time of the year calls us to keep up a loving flow between the living and the dead. 

This year’s theme of Love Between the Worlds opens the door of our hearts to the loving ancestors for the sending and receiving of messages through: deep reading of the signs of the season; engaging in divination; and bringing our awareness to the energy of the expanding darkness. We will also be asking the ancestors for guidance on what we need to do to become good ancestors ourselves. 

In our time together, we will:

• Greet each other and the season.
• Honor and welcome the ancestors and guides who would like to support us on this day.
• Take a wisdom wander. No matter the weather, there will be an invitation to connect with the land and beings at the wildlife sanctuary where we will gather. 
• Eat a simple lunch highlighting local vegetables and fruits (vegan and gluten-free friendly).
• Create a seasonal altar and gather round it to share stories and receive the wisdom of our beloved dead.
• Leave with a message about pathways we can take to become good ancestors ourselves.

We will be a small, intimate group of no more than about a dozen.

You are invited to arrive with any, all, or none of these things:

• An image or object to represent a loving ancestor who can serve as a wise guide. Feel free to think broadly about this ancestor who could be other than human, known to you in life or not, an inspirational figure from your vocational field, ect. You may invite more than one loving ancestor to sit in circle with us, but be prepared to focus on one that you introduce publicly to the group.
• An image or object to represent someone who has recently died who might benefit from support from the loving ancestors to make their transition or receive healing. 
• Clothing appropriate to the weather and shoes for walking around on well-laid out trails. (OK, clothing is a requirement at this time of year. Not really optional!)
• A journal, drawing pad, piece of paper, pen, and/or colored pencils.
• A Tarot or oracle deck.  If you don’t have one, there will be decks for sharing for use at the retreat.
• A camera for contemplative photo receiving.

Details:

• To be held 10am to 5pm at a wildlife sanctuary in Easthampton, MA on Saturday, October 26th.
• Regular fee is $95. There is an early bird special of $85 for those who sign up before Wednesday, September 18th.
• Pre-registration required by October 23rd so we can plan how much food to make.

Click the button to pay with a credit card/use PayPal or send a check to Carolyn Cushing, 1 Cottage St., Box 33, Easthampton, MA 01027. If sending a check, do send me an email so I can start holding you a space. 

The arrival of the new moon stamps the moonth with an initiating energy that shifts and develops through the cycle of growth, fullness, and descent. The reading of the moonth can be done any time, ideally between the new and full moons. Revisit the cards you pull periodically up until the next lunation to gain new insight as the light changes. This new moon arrived August 30th (exact at 6:37am ET in the USA) . The full moon arrives September 14th.

As the season turns, we are nearing a completion here in the Northern Hemisphere. The landscape is still lush and the fields full, but growth has slowed. The sounds have shifted; the birds are quieter and the cicadas’ hum solemn. We are turning toward the final harvests.

The August 30th new moon astro-Tarot correspondences also point us toward this theme of completion as we are invited to walk the path of the Hermit,Major Arcana number 9, the last single digit.

Hermits turn from the demands of the everyday world and embrace solitude to seek the wisdom within. Paradoxically, this looking inward also tunes them into the wisdom that flows from natural cycles, the Greater Than, and all that is beyond themselves. They integrate their personal insights with the larger patterns to find an understanding of the Whole.

From the Mary El Tarot, now available in a second edition

Once in touch with their Inner Wise One, Hermits are called to return and share their insight with others. The lantern that is so common in versions of this card signifies this responsibility. Their periods of solitude are not permanent but periodic. They are still called to serve the communities from which they come, to respond to the needs of the world in which they live.

Being numbered 9 is apt for this card because to embody the archetype of the Hermit is an achievement that marks a cycle of growth’s completion. We may not be as old in years as the figures shown on Hermit cards, but we still have aged our wisdom selves when we’ve embraced a Hermit time.

So the path of the moonth calls us to completion, but there is still work to do before we are finished.  Our passage of the moonth takes us through the 8 of Pentacles.

A 1909 version of the Rider Waiter Smith deck (RWS currently produced by US Games)

The call of this card is: Keep at your work. In the fields, we will only have enough for the winter if we do the harvest and prepare the stores now. For our spiritual life, faithfulness to our practice is what truly tends our soul. With our activism, the troubled times we live in show us a world in need of our tending and healing. We hear the voice of the 8 of Earth in Maya Angelou’s words: Nothing will work unless you do.

And how shall we do this work? What will we look like as we travel the path? The correspondences of the moonth invite us to be explorers and questers devoted to the earth, traditionally known as the Knight of Pentacles. 

These exploring, questing Knights are devoted to their cause but move at their own pace. Noel Arthur Heimpel writes about the earth Explorer of the Numinous Tarot: While, like the other Explorers, there is movement in this card, it’s much slower. [They] are someone who takes their time, never rushing or making any hasty decisions. They want to have all the facts in place before they come to a conclusion.”

Note: I’ve given some some shout outs above to decks and companies. FYI, I”m not receiving any fees or goodies for these. I just think they are great decks and want you to know about them.