In this episode of Come To Your Senses, Mary Lofgren explores the sensual pleasures of November and the seasonal wisdom of letting the world become a little quieter, more restful, and simpler.
Inside this November almanac, you'll discover:
The sensory pleasures of the dark season, from golden leaves and warming sunshine to roasted root vegetables, butternut squash soup, and cozy November style.
How Celtic and pagan harvest traditions cultivated gratitude and appreciation for the abundance of the earth.
The practice of nature offerings: a simple ritual for creating beauty and expressing gratitude with fallen leaves, pine needles, and other gifts from nature.
Three thoughts to try on for a more nourishing relationship with slowing down, doing less, and making room for the quieter parts of yourself.
Let November be a feast for the senses, a reminder that there is richness to be found in the turning inward, and that you don't have to wait for the world to slow down before you begin.
LINKS FROM THE SHOW
Join the live workshop on the Sensuality of the Dark Season, November 17th
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Savoring November. Seasonal Rituals for Richer Living
Hello, beautiful beings, and welcome to today's episode on Savoring the Pleasures of November.
So November is a time where the reverie of Halloween has passed. And we are now descending and spiraling into the heart of the darker days. To me, November is this contrast between the blazing egg yolk yellow last leaf that clings on, and the somewhat haunting simplicity of a bare naked tree branch. And in the month of November, you know the Earth and the seasons invite us to really simplify.
All of the Earth's energy is being drawn inward as we step towards winter. And while you may sense the pounding hooves of the holidays in the distance and the glare of the holidays kicks up within you, there is an ancestral and an ancient. Knowing that this is actually a time for more quiet and for more enjoyment of the velvety texture of darkness. And so in today's episode, we're going to talk about some of the distinct pleasures of November a ritual for celebrating the harvest of November, and 1 or 2
Thoughts to try on to make slowing down in this season more possible. Because the impulse when we hear slowing down and doing less is to immediately look towards our calendar and to do list, which causes our nervous system to tense up because it can seem like everything is essential. And actually we need to add five more things that we hadn't thought of when we originally made the list. But if we look at it from the perspective of our calendars and our to do list being created from an orientation of quiet and stillness and going within, you may notice that your priorities and your tasks change, and that things that seemed essential a moment ago may not seem as essential.
And again, that starts not with waiting for the outside world to change and become less busy, but with deliberately nurturing intentional thoughts within yourself that creates new pathways of possibility. And so let's dive in to our gems on a cozy, beautiful, restful November. So our first gem has to do with the distinct sensuality of the dark season. Behind the scenes, I have been preparing for a really exciting live global event that's happening November 17th called Inhabiting the Sensuality of the Dark Season.
And last week I published an episode on embracing the dark season as a portal to the sensual. Go check that one out. In case you missed it. But you know the dark season. And when I say dark season, I simply mean this season where the days become shorter, the nights get longer, and where darkness occurs around and within us. Because of that drawing inward of the energy, we are more able to access some of the darker, more quiet aspects of our being. And so when we look at the dark season and November specifically, there are a few pleasures I wish to pluck from the collection of November, which are things like leaning into warm. Golden leaves and sunshine. That energy of winding down the year. One of my favorite ways to celebrate November is through a giant pan of roasted root vegetables, sprinkled with chunky sea salt. Not too chunky, but you know what I mean. Fresh rosemary. Oh my God. The other day I roasted up some butternut squash, some chopped apple and fried up some sage, mixed it all together in a pan and added in this cashew ravioli divinity on a plate.
You know the beauty of the squashes this time of year. The variety and the warmth of the soups. This time of year, I mean a ham sandwich with Gruyere dipped into some butternut squash soup. Help me. Rhonda. One of my favorite recipes to make all season is I'll buy a rotisserie chicken at the market. And once I finish it, use the bones to make a really delicious bone broth. And there are so many variations of bone broth that you can make. Like turmeric and ginger and lemongrass. You can make a coconut milk bone broth. And bone broth is so nourishing this time of year for the belly. For the nervous system. And it makes an amazing contribution to some of your autumn and winter soups. And I make it all year, and I just keep it in the freezer all year long for sipping and soup making.
There's the November style. I bust out my thermal PJs, my long sleeved tees, my puffy vests, my fluffy robe, my cozy slippers. And there are a lot of rituals around November, particularly having to do with our relationship to nature that can nourish and fortify the practice of gratitude and abundance, which is particularly important as we head into winter. You know, if we look at nature as a template for how to exist as a human being and really embody our full humanity, there is literally less on the trees. There is less light in our days, and when we look outside in winter, it makes sense that seeing less color and light would affect the way that we see ourselves, and that we see the world. And something that offers me a lot of spiritual richness. Is learning about Celtic spirituality and our pagan ancestors, and the way that all of autumn was this celebration of the harvest and of gratitude, not just to give a thumbs up to the abundance of the earth and the crop, but also to practice and fortify the muscle of gratitude in preparation for the season of glass.
And one of my favorite rituals around gratitude is a nature offering. Nature offerings are a ritual that was originally taught to me by my good friend Rochelle Chic, who is the creator of the inspired movement. She has a beautiful I mean, it's impossible to put into words how deeply Coya has impacted my life, but she also just created recently a wonderful Substack all about the practice of nature offerings, so I'll pop a link to that in the show notes. And there are so many ways to make a nature offering. One of my favorite ways is simply to assemble fallen items in nature, like crispy leaves and pine needles, and arrange them in beauty and infuse them with gratitude.
And one of the most central phrases in acquire practice, acquire movement practice is we focus less on how it looks, more on how it feels. And that is also true for our nature offerings and our gratitude offerings. Is that more than it? Being perfect or having the most perfect elements is that it be infused with the sincerity of your own heart and of your own prayers. And lastly, I want to offer you some cozy November thoughts to try on for size. I'm always cautious when it comes to affirmations, because to suddenly adopt a thought without dropping it into your own body first and seeing if it resonates as truth and be a little trauma uninformed. So I invite you to try these on like a warm cable knit cardigan for the November season and see how they bloom throughout your own life.
The quiet parts of me are worth making room for. I am doing the most by doing the least. I trust in the wisdom of slowing down and doing less. And so as you drop those in. If there's even a spark of truth to that for you, I invite you to practice and play with those thoughts, particularly when you start your day, because just one thought that is intentionally placed on the altar of your awareness and attention can redirect, can redirect so many of the other unconscious autopilot thoughts that may keep you stuck in old patterns. And so I hope that this little trip down the path of rest and letting go and warm comforts and going within that are so native to November has inspired you to celebrate this month and this season through your senses, and I hope that you'll join us for Inhabiting the Sensuality of the Dark Season on November 17th. Thank you so much for listening. Wishing you a beautiful, embodied, delicious November ahead.