Blessed dark moon to all. I am feeling the shift of the seasons as the days get shorter, the darkness of night begins to creep earlier into our evenings, the smell of dry grasses and falling leaves fills the thick late summer air, and we celebrate the late summer harvest of tomatoes, corn, and cucumbers in our garden.

Another sign of mid to late summer, depending on where you call home, is the happy and abundant visitor that joins us along roadsides, in gardens, and anywhere she can find her persistent roots in the soil—the beautiful Queen Anne’s Lace, who guards the mystery at her center, also known as Wild Carrot, Daucus carota.

A thread that has grown steadily and mysteriously and has taken great prominence in my life over the last 20 years has been that of ceremony. Ceremony is not something that most of us in the modern world are easily or commonly introduced to. For most, the concept of ceremony is mysterious at best and feared at worst. And yet, for most of human history, our ancestors relied on frequent ceremonial practices to maintain harmony and balance for each individual, the village/society, and with the spirits, ancestors, and the natural world.

The rose is a teacher of love and beauty, but in a multi-layered way - as demonstrated by her layered petals. Her flowers embody soft, beautiful, tender, compassionate motherly and romantic love. Her stems and thorns embody protection, boundaries, and how to approach with care. She holds the code for remembering our own “hopeless romantic,” the one who believes in beauty and love beyond all.

Ferns are some of the most ancient species on earth, having survived through massive changes over the last 400 million years .

Let Fern teach you about your own ability to adapt to change this month.

The energetic quality that Bay this month is moving from a stagnant to flow state. Bay laurel has activating and cleansing energetic and physical qualities. In the winter we slow down and focus on nourishment and building up our reserve. This moment in the season invites us to shluff off some of the slow/dense energy of winter, move our bodies, and engage in the bounty of the season that approaches.

An outdated or old “structure of knowing” is a carefully constructed tower, full of meticulously placed (limiting) beliefs and opinions, for which we are willing to sacrifice our own (and others’) greatest happiness to maintain.

Knowing and being honest about our capacity can help us create a life and a world that is clear, honest, and resourced. But, why is it so hard to know sometimes how to measure our own capacity, or the capacity of a group or organization?

More often than not - we are not going to get it “right” the first, second, or even twentieth time. Our job is to offer to the world what our deepest calling is with the humility to be lifelong apprentices to this very calling.