Last weekend heralded a new moon, a partial solar eclipse and Mabon, the autumn equinox! Were you out and about, enjoying the landscape where you live? The equinox balances the hours of light and darkness, and the ancient festival of Mabon celebrates the abundance of the season.
Here at Jersey Lavender the farm is winding down to close at the end of the month. It’s been a good season, despite the lack of rain, the early heat of spring and into June and July bringing on the lavender in abundance. The stills were busy in late summer, distilling new essential oils to be laid down to mature over the next six months or so.
The scents of summer are beginning to fade in memory, but they live on in our essential oils, lavender bags, candles and the like! Stock up in our shop at the farm before it closes…or online whichever suits you best!
Remember, we are open into next week…enjoy a walk around the farm, enjoying the colours and fruits of autumn. Hawthorn berries shine in the hedgerows, sloes glow on the Blackthorn, and sweet chestnuts scatter the ground. Beat the squirrels to the hazelnuts if they haven’t already all gone!
This portal between the seasons offers an opportunity to reflect on all that has been grown, developed and established for the year ahead – the results are sometimes hidden until the seeds are ready to come to fruition.
So many visitors to the farm this summer were keen to learn about the regeneration of the farm, plans for replanting lavender, the wild meadow and so much more. Many people were curious about the methods of farming, sustainability and regenerative practices – sharing a genuine interest and regard for nature and the ecology of the farm. Essential oils and hydrosols distilled from lavender, eucalyptus and rosemary grown on the farm are integral to the production of the farm’s products.
Times have changed since the Christie family established the lavender farm, and with a new family at the helm, no doubt new best practices will be integrated into the farm’s operating plans going forward.
To mark this gateway, why not try something new….gather natural objects, leaves, twigs, leaves, stones, mosses, and fallen fruits (respecting nature in the process), and on a flat patch of earth or surface arrange these items to create a picture, or mandala. Place each item where it feels right, allowing the colours and shapes to guide you. When you feel it is complete. take a moment to reflect and ponder what you have created. Consider the abundance in your life and it has emanated from, consider ways in which you may share this with others.
Sharing a poem of the season…
Equinox by Jane Lewis, 2023
A pipistrelle parts day from night,
A barn owl hunts – silent and white.
This is the still time,
the tipping into autumn time.
pile up the knitting!
Savour the stories and songs!
Kiss the toes of sleep!
Sing to the sun with her low-in-the-sky lips!
This is the eating-ou-of-the-store-cupboard time,
bottled plums smiling gold,
chutney, jam and fruit cheese,
crisp dried apple and chewy pear.
This equinox I will meet the dark months laughing
with frosted breath,
waking late, like the sun
to follow her slow ride west.