Late autumn harbors a familiar hush, with a quiet that soothes, comforts, and invites one to rest by the glowing warmth of kindled fire in the wood burning stove. Bloodred apples turned soft by frost cling to tangled knobbly branches with a tired grasp, on the verge of letting go. Browned, dried, stiffened leaves fall in the blustery wind and come to nestle into the earth dampened by cold November rain and melted frostwork, adding to the bittersweet scent of decay and loss; an intoxicating perfume of tanned leather, antique books, and black tea, that further charms as it blends with chimney smoke and the sweet vinegary moldering of overripe fallen apples becoming earth. Low lying fog that billows along the ground in the early morning gives way to the golden, muted light of a sun low in the sky. The veil between the living and the dead feels as thin as mist. I am drawn to visit my favorite old cemetery; a secluded spot off a country road near my home; a small clearing deep within the shady forest accessible by a meandering woodland path, its ground laden with layers of old and newly-fallen leaves and varieties of soft, spongy moss, the sinuous limbs of trees encasing the splendor of the space. It is a magical, spiritual, tranquil place, filled with a strong sense of history and perhaps imprint vibrations of souls that have passed on. I am on the path to becoming a Reiki Master and my studies have prompted a constant awareness of chi, the loving white light energy lifeforce all around us, in all living things. I am not surprised to find that when I am in the cemetery I feel intuitive pulls to certain graves. Not that these spirits are necessarily hanging around, as enlightened, wise ones have moved on, but more that there are energies surrounding their deaths that need healing. My fingers, although bitten by the wintry wind, feel heat at their tips as I allow the collective, loving energy of the Universe to flow through me to these spirits.
Upon returning home, I light a white candle, burn white sage and incense for clearing any residual negative energies and for protection of my own energy, turn on singing bowls music, and continue to enjoy the floaty, blissful feeling that comes with practicing Reiki…
XO