November's Arrival: Three easy rituals to embrace shorter days
Unsplash image: Georgia de Lotz
Five years ago, if you asked me about my least preferred month, November would have been my immediate answer.
November feels like an in-between month to me.
Gone are the vibrant colors of the autumn leaves (at least where I live in Calgary, Canada). The trees are bare, the snow has arrived, and the lush, light-filled days of summer seem far away.
“Why do we live here?” my husband asked me yesterday as the temperature dropped to -15 degrees Celsius (-22 with the wind chill).
I used to feel a lot of resistance to November.
For the past couple of years, I’ve paid more attention to this resistance. And I have noticed how surrendering to November - and the darkening season - feels completely different from resisting it. It feels softer and easier in my body. More gentle.
Here are three simple rituals that have helped me embrace November:
#1: Light Candles
The gentle glow of candle light is a simple way to embrace the arrival of shorter days.
Candle light is soothing for our nervous systems. When we gaze at a flickering flame, our brain begins to shift out of our constant beta brainwave state which is associated with a state of alertness and mental activity, into the alpha brainwave state, associated with a relaxed and creative state of mind.
My friend Lisa Range recently shared with me a simple morning ritual that she has created to slowly step into the day with her kids.
Here are her words:
“In the summer, when our little kids would wake early, it was generally already light or twilight out. However, as we drift into fall and winter, if they wake early it is still pitch black.
In order to slow down their awakening, and to make mornings less urgent, less hectic, I have been tucking my young daughters (ages 2 & 4) together on the couch with a big soft blanket, then lighting a couple of wood-wick candles (which have a soft crackling sound). I then slowly make them a small cup of hot chocolate. I bring them their hot chocolate and we sip it by soft, flickering candlelight.
It helps to start our day off slowly, softly, and gently.”
#2: Diffuse cardamom essential oil in your home
Infusing your space with the rich and aromatic notes of cardamom essential oil can evoke feelings of comfort and coziness.
Cardamom is known as the Queen of Spices. Derived from the seeds of the cardamom plant, this essential oil has a warm, sweet, and slightly woody fragrance.
One of the most captivating qualities of cardamom essential oil is its ability to create a sense of warmth and balance.
The scent clears the mind from over thinking and can bring a touch of reassurance and relaxation.
Cozy & Comforting Diffuser Blend
3 drops Sweet Orange (Citrus sinensis)
2 drops Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
2 drops Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum)
Add the essential oils to your diffuser drop by drop. Turn on your diffuser for 15 - 20 minutes and then turn off.
Pause, Smell & Be
Curl up on the sofa or in your favourite chair, light a candle, and take a scent journey…which means do nothing except savour the scent and soft candle light for 5 minutes.
#3: Make yourself a cuppa
“When tea becomes ritual, it takes its place at the heart of our ability to see greatness in small things. Where is beauty to be found? In great things that, like everything else, are doomed to die, or in small things that aspire to nothing, yet know how to set a jewel of infinity in a single moment?” ― Muriel Barbery
A cup of tea is one of the most consistent daily rituals in my life. It slows me down, awakens my senses, and grounds me to the moment.
Pick a tea this month and create a simple, pleasurable tea ritual with it.
Immerse yourself entirely in the experience of making the tea and drinking it. I’ve found that the easiest way to do this is by engaging all of my senses.
Even five minutes with a cup of tea is enough time for it to weave its magic – to center you, ground you, and nourish you.
Warming Homemade Chai
This recipe comes from Holistic Nutritionist Luka Symons:
In a big enough pot, add:
2 cups filtered water
2 cups milk of your choice (dairy, goat, coconut, almond, half cream half milk, etc.)
2 bags of organic black tea
1/4 tsp ground ginger powder
1/2 tsp ground vanilla powder or vanilla extract
4 cardamom pods (split open, as the flavour is in the seeds inside the pods)
2 tsp local honey
Bring it to a simmer. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Pour through a strainer. Enjoy!
I’d love to know if you weave any of these rituals into your month.
