If we are in touch with Mother Nature, we begin to see signs and feel a shift toward autumn long before the calendar dubs it so, which is September 22nd this year.

This has definitely been the case for me noticing some changes I’m seeing on my morning daily walks. The photo above is from my backyard. This shrub sprouts white blossoms in the spring, then over the summer develops green berries, which then began to ripen as fall approaches.

I also sense it in my energy levels as the mornings are cooler now and we reach peak heat a little later each day. It’s a time also when my creativity levels are at their highest — such has been the case with different areas of my life of late.

Just this morning I was listening to Colette O’Neill of Bealtaine Cottage. She lives in west Ireland. Her YouTube channel is one I discovered a few weeks ago and I simply can’t get enough of it! She is a spunky sixty-five-year-old woman who over seventeen years ago bought three acres of barren land and a cottage because she’d felt this strong nudge to return to Ireland. With her own hands and a budget of almost zero, she began planting trees and over the years has planted over eleven hundred of them on her property!

Her videos are of her walking her land with her faithful border collie, Jack, in front of her on the many paths that weave through her property. As she walks and shares her enchanting land with viewers she talks about permaculture, Mother Earth, life, and an occasional rant about something she has strong opinions about.

In the particular video I was listening to today (she’s been doing them for nine years, so there’s a plethora of them!) she was talking about a yearly celebration in Ireland called Lughnasadh. It begins on August 1st a time when summer is beginning to wane, and the harvest season begins. It is based on the Pagan Wheel of the Year and on the sun’s cycle, and named after an ancient Celtic Irish god named Lugh.

What really perked my ears was when Colette shared how upset she gets with the man-made calendar of dubbing later in the season as the beginning of fall (September 22nd as is the case for 2021), when really, Mother Nature does not work that way.

This resonated throughout my entire being! I’ve realized how over the years I’ve felt these shifts of seasonal change much earlier than the calendar says it as so, thus putting off just being with the delicious sensations and feelings that fall brings for me — thinking I have to “wait” until the calendar says so.

Does this not speak to dulling our intuition also? When we are in connection with nature, this is what is the perfect guide for our intuition and feeling into what is occurring around us, instead of relying on a calendar — that and what our eyes actually see as Mother Nature slowly begins to reveal herself in the subtle changes all around us. Not only in the flowers, trees, and shrubs, along with the light changing but also in how the habits of the animals change too.

I’ve noticed with the birds that they don’t frequent my feeders as much lately. There is so much more in terms of insects, berries, and other things for them to enjoy right now. Despite my having just used my birthday money from my mom to purchase this new feeding station! But I know that in time they will return again as we move closer to winter.

Speaking of the habits of animals changing during different seasons, a frequent visitor this time of the year to the feeding station seems to only be the sassy squirrel! But hey, he has to eat too as I’m sure all the goodies he stored last season are waning in quantity too.

Lastly, it is quieter this time of year. I’ve especially noted that since the wrens have raised their families and have now flown the coop. I shall really look forward to when they return again next year! While the wrens are gone, the bees and butterflies are in abundance, and hummingbirds are dancing and feeding with much more frequency at the feeders. I’m also hearing the honks of Sandhill Cranes and Geese more often now too.

As I finish writing this post, and the door is open on Joyful Pause Cottage, you could hear a pin drop as it is that quiet.

And I’m feeling grateful to have learned of the Wheel of the Year as Colette shared in the video I listened to and the celebration of Lughnasadh. It really feels so much more in alignment with my own soul, so it is one I shall continue to follow.

Perhaps it will speak to you too? If so, welcome aboard Mother Nature’s calendar…

XO

Barb