“13 Thoughts to Ponder” will be an irregular feature designed to provide some stimulating ideas and questions to spark conversation.* Meditate on what comes up for you, do some free-writing, or make it a conversation with your family, coven or working group. Do as you Will!

We are heading into the Dark Time. It’s important to rest. What part of your life can you leave fallow right now? It’s the law that all things that rise must fall. What can you see from where you sit that’s reached its peak and is now dwindling? We can have a tiny keepsake of the Sun to keep us company in the darkness. Do you have enough candles? Your health is important. What event will you not go to because you are taking care of yourself? “Me time” is sometimes an excuse to not live up to our responsibilities. How will you be of service to others? You are here, alive, today because of so many miraculous factors. How many ancestors can you name? The dead are dead, no longer inhabiting this physical realm. What is the thing you will miss the most when you are no longer corporeal? Sacrifice means to give up something for some significant purpose. Have you ever made an offering of something you dearly loved? There are tales upon tales of how death came to be. What is your favorite? Many people are afraid of the dark. Are you? Different foods are characteristic of this time of year. What do you like to eat in the fall? Some folks like to change their altars for each season. Do you have objects that you only bring out at certain times? Autumn is the exhalation of the year, leading us to the time of stillness. Among all the other considerations of your life, how do you stay mindful of the turning of the Wheel?

*I was inspired to this idea by, among other things, John Beckett’s “Nine Things I Think“.