 I'm doing double duty today as I am at the coast (perfect for the SJT theme of renewal). This post will serve for SJT and PF. My mare-stanes (hag stone) at sunset at Rockaway Beach, Oregon.  Fran of Lit Bits and Pieces is hosting Spiritual Journey Thursday this month. She has a moving post about renewal and says, "In choosing the theme of renewal, I note that one definition of the word is resuming an activity after an interruption." When I heard the topic of "renewal", it was an "aha" as I have always viewed renewal as a spring time word. As I study Scots Gaelic, and the Celtic Calendar, we have entered a new year. Autumn is also renewal. The harvest is finished.Now it's the time of fall's decay, the returning to the earth. The cold months are necessary for cleansing the land, for the renewal of the earth. And it's fitting that the Gaelic name for winter is An Geamhrachd, which is the Celtic word for cold. At Faith & Worship, I found a wonderful prayer for this time of renewal: For the promise of harvest contained within a seed we thank you. For the oak tree within an acorn The bread within a grain The apple within a pip The mystery of nature gift wrapped for us to sow we thank you I found an article on A Focus On Nature by Chloé Valerie Harmsworth. She has wonderful illustrations in the article. I used the "A Time of Renewal: Autumn and Winter" for the following found poem.  A Time of Renewal: Autumn and Winter Nature Found Poem From the article by Chloé Valerie Harmsworth change the clocks have moved back the days short the nights deep and long the atmosphere seems to alter so do I mist, chilling creep through the cracks I swaddle an instinct to hibernate saving energy a constellation of warm, breathing bodies, waiting for the dark to pass strengthened this yearning of mine. we can enjoy simple peaceful activities go on life-affirming walks so much to learn the days and weeks descend into deep winter my attention turns to the trees’ naked beauty arms reaching out to the sky noisy, chattering corvids bring energy to the moment the earth’s reawakening shoots burst with spirit this period of rest and contemplation allows me to open like the first snowdrop ready to restart, refreshed and rejuvenated. ©Jone Rush MacCulloch, 2023 draft I am looking forward to hosting December's Spiritual Journey Thursday. as we head toward the shortest day, longest night, I am thinking about the importance of light in the dark of winter.
Our host for Poetry Friday is Buffy Silverman who is celebrating the arrival of her new book! 11/2/2023 07:18:27 pm
Happy turning of the wheel of the year Jone! I hope the coming cold months bring you restoration. Your poem is lovely. :) Thanks for sharing!
Irene Latham
11/3/2023 05:00:00 am
Jone, I love that hags stone pic!And I really appreciate the reminder of autumn being about renewal. Yes to "Earth's reawakening" too! xo
Karen Eastlund
11/3/2023 06:32:50 am
Jone: I love the poem you found as well as the one your wrote. I am rethinking autumn also, as it renews my ability to enjoy walks without heat, brings glorious color and line to the skyline, and the last harvest from my garden. All renewal. Thanks for this post! 11/3/2023 08:12:54 am
Thinking about nature gift wrapped like ourselves and the busyness that is taking place within that wrapping, what joy will we bring to they who wait to unwrap us come spring? 11/3/2023 09:22:55 am
Love the prayer for renewal, the oak tree within the acorn. And I so relate to swaddling the instinct to hibernate! I have to remember that it always worth it to open like the first snowdrop! (When I did this morning, I was treated to two bald eagles circling above our lake. 11/3/2023 09:55:19 am
Jone, there is so much richness in your post: the photos, the prayer, the found poem, and the Gaelic/Celtic back matter. The beach respite must have been so relaxing. Have a Happy November! 11/3/2023 11:17:17 am
Gorgeous offerings, Jone! Like you, I've always thought of renewal as a spring-ish thing. Yet the pull of it right now, in this season, is too strong for me to deny. Love this line of yours especially: "The cold months are necessary for cleansing the land, for the renewal of the earth." Truth. Love the dash of Gaelic/Celtic vocab, too! Thank you for being a fellow spiritual journey traveler. 11/3/2023 02:41:18 pm
Both poems shout a celebration for this time of year, Jone. I do love your "gift wrapped" and learning of An Geamhrachd, which is the Celtic word for cold. The 2nd poem too, shows that part that seems so important to all of nature and us, that "period of rest and contemplation". Both are lovely! I just saw your pictures at the beach, love that you shared! 11/3/2023 08:28:30 pm
Jone, I love the way you positioned the stone with the sunset in the background – such a lovely shot. I appreciate your thoughts on autumn as a time of renewal. That shift in perspective makes the shorter days seem filled with possibility. Jone, there's so much I love in your poem. I'm planning to add it to my quote book of favorites. I woke up this morning thinking,,,Ahh! the one day of the year that is longer than 24 hours, a gift for sure! I love the idea of swaddling and being strengthened, the joy of simple peaceful activities, and the opportunity to rest and contemplate. As for the naked beauty of the trees, Grandson and I call them skeleton trees. Thanks for joining us!
Jone MacCulloch
11/4/2023 07:49:19 am
Thank you, Ramona. I an honored to be included in your quote book,.
Margaret Simon
11/4/2023 05:45:21 am
This post is just right for me to share with my students next week. We will be going to a nature preserve state park for a field trip on Friday, and I want them to contemplate the renewal found in nature. Thanks for these model poems.
Jone MacCulloch
11/4/2023 07:50:18 am
I will be anxious to see what your students do with their field trip, Thank you for sharing my post with them,
Mary Lee
11/4/2023 06:04:20 am
Thank you for this focus on renewal. 11/4/2023 11:25:13 am
I also find hope in the change of seasons, a time to slow down and think. Loved the verses you shared, Jone, and the lovely rock. Along Cayuga Lake near me I've found rocks with holes that some call lucky rocks. I love to think about how the forces of nature that seem so large, manage to carve rocks like that.
Rose Cappelli
11/5/2023 04:12:19 am
Thank you for this beautiful post, Jone. I have plans to work in my garden today, preparing it for winter and thinking about the cycles in nature. I admit to savoring the dark days of winter as a time to renew. Your lines: Comments are closed.
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AuthorAll photos and poems in these blog posts are copyrighted to Jone Rush MacCulloch 2006- Present. Please do not copy, reprint or reproduce without written permission from me. 
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