New Moon in Scorpio 2° 00’ | Tuesday 10/25/22 at 3:49 am PDT

"We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and the whirlpools of infinity.
Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share.
This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity."

~Paolo Coelho, The Alchemist

New Moon in Scorpio 2° 00’ | Tuesday 10/25/22 at 3:49 am PDT

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"Scorpio is the shaman, the alchemist, and the psychologist all rolled into one magical being. Ruled by water and the planets Pluto and Mars, Scorpio brings us the gift of transformation. She teaches us that we are the creators of our reality, and we have the power to take the lemons life hands us and turn them into the sweetest lemonade. Her power of transmutation comes from the deep understanding that everything is made of the same energy, including our emotions.

Evolution is the intention of this season. With Scorpio by our side, we can transform any emotion, trigger, or conditioned pattern into a place of strength. The key to our transformation lies in our courage to face the truth about ourselves. Scorpio teaches us to dive into the depths of our soul and understand the basis of our consciousness. Scorpio encourages us to become a student of ourselves and unravel our inner landscape one layer at a time to ultimately understand what makes us grow.

~Spirit Daughter

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"Death, transformation, the phoenix rising and the concurrent suffering of the natural world and all inhabitants are topics that can be associated with the fixed water sign Scorpio. Scorpio is a sign comprised of three levels, the only sign for which this occurs. The first level is the Scorpion representing the material plane. The second level is the Eagle that is involved with transcendence. The third level is the Dove and the peace that comes with self realization. The energy associated with the journey of these levels gives Scorpio an understanding of what motivates us and what lies deeply sequestered in our hearts.

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If you are a Scorpio or have planets in Scorpio or a Scorpio signature in your chart, we are blessed with your presence now. Scorpio leads us into the darkest part of our selves, to discover the light and bring it forth. Scorpio, with laser vision pinpoints any limitation and does not hesitate to bring us face to face with our most vulnerable self. Although Scorpios can be shocking they also have the ability to soothe when appropriate. They inherently know that growth takes place with nurturing. Leaving someone in shock does little for their ability to resume course and excel. Scorpio is a born therapist. 

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Wherever we are at, we go from there! Do or die. Bring it on! Scorpio can handle it and if you are Scorpionic by nature so can you. The rest will do their best to rise above these challenging few days and be courageous! All for one and one for all!"

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~Anna Chapman; read the rest of her article here!

Partial Solar Eclipse

"Get ready to say goodbye to longstanding patterns and say hello to new ones...The Scorpio Solar Eclipse greets us on October 25th, helping you set intentions to create the life you know you deserve. Just a couple of weeks later, we have the Taurus Total Lunar Eclipse on Nov 8th, reminding you that you can stay steady through any changes as you step into your future self.

~Spirit Daughter

"Dark is the Shadow" by Rachel Creager

When the moon eclipses the sun, be there for it.
Seek it, go wherever it takes you. Hurry.
Pay whatever is required to go into the Dark,
to see the light only visible from the Shadow.
Accept and claim its alien gifts rushing in for you
only now, only now.
Upheaval is but another word for change.‍

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Crystals for Graceful Evolution & Attunement to Natural Cycles

Autumn is a time of recognizing and honoring change, transformation, and natural cycles of all kinds. With this New Moon in Scorpio, we are focusing our awareness on ways in which we can evolve gracefully, and attune ourselves to the whispered messages of nature, the changing season, and our own subconscious.

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One helper for this work is Larvikite, also known as Black Labradorite for its blue flash. This stone enhances soul journeying through different timeframes and visionary experiences. It is helpful for understanding the breadth of your soul's experience, and holding body and soul in harmonious balance. Larvikite teaches the value of right timing and attunement to natural cycles.

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Another transition stone is Chiastolite, which helps to cope with change on every level. "Chiastolite is a gateway into mysteries and facilitates journeys out of the body. It dissolves illusions and calms fears, enabling one to face reality, and aids in transitions from one state and another, especially at the psychological level, releases worn-out conditioning and strengthens analytic capabilities. Helps maintain spirituality during illness or trauma, and assists in attuning to the soul's purpose." (Hall, Crystal Bible p. 107)

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For the deepest insights, Black Obsidian is known to aid in seeing one's true self, and diving into the subconscious to discover, process, and release negative energies and painful emotions, making way for freedom and clarity on every level. Its effectiveness works back into past lives and the ancestral line, "composting the past into fertile energy for growth of the soul" (Hall).

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Raise your vibrations and power your rituals with sacred stones from around the world.

Bring the earth’s beauty and energetic strength into your practice with an inspired collection of crystals and gemstones.

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Passing Through Winter's Gate | Celebrating Samhain & Día de los Muertos

“I was born on the night of Samhain, when the barrier between the worlds is whisper-thin and when magic, old magic, sings its heady and sweet song to anyone who cares to hear it.”

~Carolyn MacCullough, Once a Witch

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A little bit about Samhain

Pronounced "sah-win,” Samhain is an ancient Pagan harvest festival. It is Irish Gaelic for "Summer's End,” and marks the start of the long, dark winter months. Since in Celtic culture the day began and ended at sunset, Samhain is traditionally observed from sundown on October 31 through sundown on November 1st.

Katherine May, author of Wintering, writes: "Samhain was considered to be a moment when the veil between this world and the otherworld was at its thinnest. Old gods had to be placated with gifts and sacrifice, and the trickery of fairies was an even greater risk than usual.

This was a liminal moment in the calendar, a time between two worlds, between two phases of the year, when worshippers were about to cross a boundary but hadn’t yet done so. Samhain was a way of marking that ambiguous moment when you didn’t know who you were about to become, or what the future would hold. It was a celebration of limbo.”

“Winter’s gate.
The deepest in,
the darkest moon…
Silence roots, trees unleaf,
the land is stripped back to bone,
bone-fires on hills, wood smoke at dusk,
wet leaves in layers stuck to our boots,
the spider, the web, the ancestor bread,
a purple candle in the heavy-hung window
for our beloved dead returning home.”

~Excerpt from Samhain, by Debra Hall

Ritual inspiration:

~Friends and family in spirit form are traditionally honored during Samhain. This honoring can be anything from making your loved one's favorite foods to lighting a candle near their photo.

~This season is also our opportunity to rest and reflect and to dream of new beginnings...the fertile potential of Winter darkness that brings transformation and rebirth in the Spring.

~Foods for celebrating Samhain include traditional autumn fare such as pumpkin pie, apples, cider, roasted meats, root vegetables, pears, cinnamon and dark wine.

~Traditionally, Jack-o-lanterns served as a beacon for departed spirits and those carved with scary faces were thought to keep evil spirits at bay.

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A little bit about Día de los Muertos

On the Day of the Dead, it is believed that the souls of loved ones come back to the physical realm for 3 days of feasting, music, dancing and celebration. The roots of this holiday go back 3,000 years to ancient Mesoamerica, and the Aztec...

They held a cyclical view of the universe, and saw death as an integral, ever-present part of life. Upon dying, a person was believed to travel to Chicunamictlán, the Land of the Dead. Only after a journey of several years, could the person’s soul finally reach Mictlán, the final resting place. In rituals honoring the dead, family members provided food, water and tools to aid the deceased in this difficult journey.

Much later, with the arrival of the Spanish conquistadores in the 1600's, traditions from medieval Spain (All Saints Day, All Souls Day) also merged into what we now know as el Día de los Muertos.

Ritual inspiration:

~Many people create altars called ofrendas (offerings) for their ancestors. These ofrendas can be decorated with candles, bright marigolds called cempasuchil and red cockscomb flowers alongside food like stacks of tortillas, sweet decorated breads and sugar skulls, and fruit.

~In ancient Europe, pagan celebrations of the dead also took place in the fall, and consisted of bonfires, dancing and feasting. In medieval Spain, people would bring bring wine and pan de ánimas (spirit bread) to the graves of their loved ones on All Souls Day. They would also cover graves with flowers and light candles to illuminate the dead souls’ way back to their homes on Earth.

Community Altar | Add your loved ones' names to our altar ~ For the third year, Santa Barbara artist and woodwork Rebecca Zendejas is creating a Community Memorial Altar at Paradise Found, inspired by the celebrations of Samhain and Dias de los Muertos. Click here to find out more.

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“Days decrease, / And autumn grows, autumn in everything.” ‍

~Robert Browning

“Listen! The wind is rising, and the air is wild with leaves,
We have had our summer evenings, now for October eves!” ‍

~Humbert Wolfe