October Notebook: The Cosy Living Issue

Pumpkin spice, candles and moonbathing

Hello,

And welcome to the best month of the entire year, in my humble opinion.

If you love all things cosy, nostalgic and mystical, (of course you do, you’re reading this newsletter!) then this is the month to indulge all of these whims. No other month is as filled with dark folklore and cosy magic than October.

The woods are beautiful right now; golden colours, earthy mushrooms, shiny berries and crunchy leaves underfoot. But there’s also an undercurrent of something darker swirling around.

As the nights draw in and the weather cools, strange folktales and mysterious stories rise to the surface in the run-up to the spookiest festival of the year; Halloween.

Who’s ready to jump into October with me?

Photo by Hendrik Morkel on Unsplash

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Before we start I just wanted to say a quick thank you to everyone who joined the online Autumn Equinox Retreat for paid subscribers last month. It was such a lovely week. We baked Soul Cakes, topped up our Autumn bookstack, shared photos of the amazing Harvest Supermoon, and soaked in the early Autumn magic of the Equinox.

We had people reading along from all across the UK and the US and sending in beautiful photos of the Harvest moon from as far afield as Japan. It was wonderful.

Just a reminder that paid subscribers can still access everything from the Retreat Week on the Seasonal Retreat members hub. New members are welcome to join us at any time, just upgrade your subscription and you’re in the club; when you do you’ll have instant access to everything in the members hub.

The next online retreat week for paid subscribers will be happening at the Winter Solstice in December with the theme of Midwinter Magic, but more on that at a later date.

Right, back to October.

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Things to Love about October:

1. The colours

The trees seems to change colour almost daily at this time of year so, weather depending, October is the month for walking in woods and soaking it all in.

It’s also the month for wrapping up in woolly layers, picking apples and doing all those wholesome, early Autumn activities before the darkness of November and December draws in.

2. Witchy season

Have you been waiting for witchy season to begin? If so, your wait is over. As the build up to Halloween begins, permission is granted to drink pumpkin-spiced everything, deck your house out in autumn colours, carve spooky pumpkins and light candles at dusk.

If, like me though, you’re more drawn to the older Halloween traditions than modern day practices, take a look at this guide to Ancient and Peaceful Halloween traditions for some ideas of how to celebrate that don’t involve trick-or-treating or terrible costumes.

3. Lunar magic

October feels like the perfect time of year to lean into some of the mystery and folklore of the moon, and this month’s full moon is also a Supermoon. So make sure to catch it if you can. It falls on the 17th October.

I’ll be sending all paid subscribers a Full Moon reminder nearer the time, with some folklore and magic specific to this particular moon to help you make the most of this super-boost of lunar energy. Sign up now if you’d also like to receive that.

Side note: I know this is a really interesting year for moon watchers, with the Major Lunar Standstill doing all kinds of things to the trajectory of the moon. But is anyone else finding this makes it really difficult to see the moon from their house because of this? The last couple of months I actually went out for a drive to try and find the full moon as I feel unsettled when it disappears from sight.

Photo by Svitlana on Unsplash

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Feeling suitably October-y yet? I hope so. Right, here’s your list of things to do, see and eat this month:

1. Visit a pumpkin patch

This is the month for wandering through the pumpkin patch, dusting off the pumpkin spice and trying to remember how to carve a pumpkin without losing a finger. Here's a list of farms that have pumpkin patches in the UK. Hopefully there’s one near you.

And if you love all things pumpkin you might like my Pumpkin Season newsletter from the archive. It’s stuffed with recipes, folklore and activities. I’ve taken it out from behind the paywall for this month to make it free for all to read.

2. Light a candle for your ancestors

One tradition linked to this time of year that I really love is to use candles and fires to guide the way home for those who are lost. Traditionally, people placed candles in their windows to guide ancestors and loved ones home on the eve of All Hallows Eve (Halloween) as it was believed that loved ones might visited their old homes on this one night of the year.

Bonfires were also lit on high ground as a way of lighting a path to the sky and connecting heaven and earth, providing a path for wandering spirits and lost souls.

3. Listen to an Autumn soundtrack

I’m currently obsessed with seasonal ambient soundtracks on Youtube. I shared this one with my Seasonal Retreat Members for our Autumn Equinox Retreat so I thought I’d send it out to everyone today.

There’s a crackling fire, rain pattering on the roof and the sound of book pages being gently turned. There’s also a random crow call every now and again too, which makes me laugh. It’s the most Autumnal thing I’ve ever listened to. So here it is, as my October gift to you.

You can just run it quietly in the background as you read or work and it’ll get you into the perfect cosy October mindset. Enjoy!

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October Folklore

Finally, there’s good news for anyone who’s missing the sunshine…

Enjoy ‘St.Luke’s Little Summer’

According to Old English weatherlore, there is often a spell of mild weather in October known as “St.Luke’s Little Summer”.

This stretch of warm weather starts on the 18th October on St.Luke’s Day, and ends on the 28th October on St Jude’s Day which has a reputation for ending the ‘mini summer’ with a day of bad weather. Let’s test it this year shall we?

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Ok, that’s all for now. I hope you have a lovely October, filled with pumpkins, beautiful colours and quiet Halloween traditions.

I’ll see you on the 1st November for a peaceful November edition of the Monthly Notebook. We’ll be diving into ways to rest, retreat and press pause. Look forward to seeing you there. If you haven’t already subscribed then just click below to make sure that post arrives safely in your inbox.

Vicky xx

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