Fall has always been my favorite season of the year. The crisp cool mornings, the changing of the leaves, and the need to get rid of the old and get ready for the new. During this season of 'letting go', we have the best holidays to enjoy. Halloween is one of my favorite past times. Dressing up, transforming into someone else and then getting candy for it? Yes please! I watch spooky movies the whole month of October, just to get pumped up! And yes, I watched all of Stranger Things 2 in less than 24 hours. I love visiting haunted buildings and places with history that extends lifetimes before. 
The origin and history of how Halloween came to be what it is today is very interesting. It has roots in age-old European traditions. Samhain is a Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the winter. It's a time to honor our ancestors that came before us. Why orange and black? Black represents death and the darkness, while orange is associated with fire, dusk, and the leaves that had changed colors. Check out this video below for some more fun facts! 
www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween

Even though I've out grown the trick or treating fun, I still have my few rituals that I do every year. It's 3 days of creating, honoring my ancestors, and embracing the traditions, new and old. I start by writing out my intentions clearly. What do you want to release this season? What is blocking you from letting go in order to embrace your new beginnings that are coming in the new year. Just some ideas there. While I am journaling, I always have my white candle lit and  have sage and lavender flowers burning. I finish my writing with a card reading. I use the Goddess Tarot, especially this time of year. I do a larger spread than the normal 3 card pull. The other things I do are cleaning out cabinets and closets, deep clean the house, bake breads or treats (give them away or eat them yourself), create with crafts or make sugar scrubs, create an alter for my ancestors, celebrate with food and beverages by having a party or attend one, and dress up! During the Samhain festival, the villagers cleaned there homes during the day of Halloween. They extinguished all the fires in their homes upon leaving for the celebration.  At the celebration, they all collected fire from the ceremonial fire and brought it back to their hearth to 'light the darkness' as a community. Fall cleaning is very similar for me, except I don't go get fire from my neighbors....but that sounds very cool.  There's more but this gives you an idea of how awesome Halloween is as an adult! How do you spend your Halloween? Do you celebrate Fall's arrival and the changing of the season? 
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    Fall is here and this weather makes me smile like a Cheshire cat. The Harvest full moon was beautiful last night! I slept so deeply. Some people have a hard time sleeping when the moon is full, but I am the opposite. The days leading up to the full moon is unsettling and sleep is erratic, but once "She" is up, I am a calm in the storm. zzzz's all through the night!
    I hope you all had a wonderful summer full of sun, relaxation, water, & fun! We had a busy summer at Atasia Spa. I honestly do what I love and love what I do. Finding the balance between work and home has been a challenge for me, because of my love of the job. I also spent a lot of days off at my friend's pool this summer, so this past month, I decided to really dedicate my days off to my home and my cats :). There's is nothing like a clean house to come home to after a long day. I turned on some Moody Blues, cleaned, moved furniture around, and I relaxed. I bought an Apple Cinnamon candle that changes colors...whoa. It brought me more joy! I had my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season. The Spa ordered our Spicy Pumpkin Sugar Scrub this week...I am a sucker for seasonal flavored fun. Football started! I bought the cats some new toys and some cat nip. There went the clean carpet :) Sometimes, when your heart is so heavy, only laughter can lighten it. Fall + Cat nip + crazy cats + new toys + color changing, apple cinnamon candles = Laughter and elation for me this week.
    Who and What brings you joy? How do you balance work, home, obligations, and extra curricular activities? I've said it before and I'll say it again...WRITE it down. Get it out on paper...or type it out. Wishing you a beautiful Autumn and sending you lots of love and light!!

Happy Autumn! The clocks have fallen back and the leaves have been sent down to the ground from the crazy wind we have had. I send my thoughts and prayers to the victims of Sandy. My lil town was lucky and I am so thankful. I did see the community come together once again. People were there for each other. It just gives me that warm and fuzzy feeling just thinking about it. Thank you to all who shared there homes, showers, generators, refrigerators, etc. etc. with there fellow neighbors and friends.
     It is time to slow down and take a breath! I don't know about you, but this past summer was a busy one. I am ready for cold evenings inside under a blanket, good books, and funny movies to take my mind off everyday stressors. The holidays are right around the corner...eeeek! Sorry for the reminder! My Thanksgiving will be so special this year! For the first time since I have been in Berkeley Springs (10 years) my family is coming to spend turkey day with me! I am so excited to show my sisters this awesome town! I am so blessed and so thankful for family and friends!
Tomorrow is my first Reiki Class in a year! Looking forward to sharing this incredible gift with my students! So excited to be able to spend a whole day just talking about Reiki and the benefits! Man, I am so blessed! I definitely love what I do and do what I Love!