Older, we are now.
Ripened in the sun, hands clammy with a shared closeness,
mature and swelled.
We were not told when we'll die,
let alone how to say goodbye.
That moss would outlive us,
and so sweet kernels we chew,
against the fumes of logs glowing.
What do we have but to bow to this short
iteration of bodies,
songs of spring long behind us,
and listen, touch,
as leaves fall.
Not only does the Metal Element (the element corresponding with Autumn according to ancient Chinese traditions) being cooler temperatures, but also a conscious slowness of plants and animals (and us), a change of pace that is deeply linked to awareness, power, and shapeshifting.
Contrary to popular belief, shapeshifting is very real and is not only found in myth, folklore, and speculative fiction. All beauty — and life — comes through shapeshifting— change and transformation, some seen as natural, some seem as supernatural.
Shapeshifting is a way to unfold through a creative and collaborative impulse, just as Tea leaves ferments into Puer, cabbage into sauerkraut, clay into a vessel, soul and disco into house music, garage rock to punk. It’s about wanting-not-wasting not, trusting the Unseen, and daring to meet endings and the unfathomable.
I love the Autumn, often for its aesthetics (and Halloween obvs), but more than anything, because I am also invited to shapeshift through my body and my creative work.
Would you join me?
Today, Friday 9/22 for the Mysteries of the Metal Element Equinox event
Magick of Tea: Play and the Creative Spark at @o5tea on 9/30
And UGLY WORDS - a 6-week creative and transformative writing series that embraces rot and endings, and a rejection of perfection starting 10/15.
A sacred Fall Equinox to you.
Mimi