The time change has occurred here and the sun is setting at about quarter to 5. It means more sleep for all of us, because darkness just…makes us start nodding our heads. While I was teaching SouLodge with Snake in September, we made a practice of going to bed with the sundown, waking up a bit in the night to commune with our thoughts and the spirits, and experiencing a second sleep for starting the day feeling really refreshed. Women reported never having slept so well and of vivid dreams and recall. SouLodge is always an adventure that way. We open the portals with care and step right in to see what medicine will come.
I’ve since added a morning ritual of warm oil self-massage and drinking very warm (but not hot!) water for hours after waking. Oh, and have I mentioned that I scrape my tongue each morning now, too? I used to drink water upon waking, but now I clean everything out of my mouth first. Try it! It makes sense, right? My energy level is finally what it was before Ivy was born and my whole world turned upside down. Sleep matters. Flushing out the system daily works wonders.
I’m watching the green ones curl up and go back to the Earth, the nicotiana and sage are ready to be harvested one last time, and the mullein is giving the weather it’s best shot at hanging in there. The magic is held in watching them surrender, and resisting the temptation to grieve their going. In my conversations with my plant allies, I never sense the anxiety we humans have about change. They just go with the flow. Why would they question their death and rebirth?
We had our first hailstorm of the season, which made me instantly crave rich soup. After slacking on cooking for a season or two, I tend to find my kitchen magic when the temps drop. I whipped up this from memory and thought you might like to try it, because it was so very tasty-though rather indulgent. It’s so basic and takes only 45 minutes from start to finish. You may have to use your imagination on the parts I didn’t measure! I peeled the potatoes before turning on the fire, and it saved my onions from overcooking. This soup is dairy-rific, so modify it in your way if you need to.
Wintery Potato Soup
4 slices local bacon, half an onion, 3 cloves garlic, 8 medium russets, 6 cups chicken broth, flour & milk, salt, pepper, & thyme.
Slice the bacon into small slices and place in stockpot over medium low heat and remove to a little bowl on the side
Dice onion and garlic and toss into the bacon leavings, sauté on low for 5 minutes
Meanwhile…
Peel and dice potatoes and toss in with onions-cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring with the onions.
Add chicken broth and turn up to boil then bring it back down a bit
Add salt, pepper and thyme
Whisk a bit of milk with a bit of flour (just enough to give the soup some body) and add it to your pot
Cook for about five minutes more until potatoes are tender, reduce heat
Scoop out about half of the soup carefully into a measuring cup and pour it (carefully) into a blender and purée.
Add back to your pot, stir together and add some half and half, as well!
Top with bacon and shredded cheese, too, if you like! YUM.
Feeds about 6 around your candlelit table or fireplace and makes for lots of moaning and yumming.
How are you spending your darker days?
Reading this felt like sitting by a fire and drinking a lovely cup of tea. The time change has been more seamless for me this time, and my dreams have been so alive. Snake helped me ease into this season for sure and I am grateful. Last night in my dance class I offered the similar focus of letting go and surrender, that when we step back and look again, everything is as it should be. It’s amazing how timely and natural everything feels when we just sink ( and sync) into each season without resistance. Thanks Pixie :-).
XO
Potato soup is such a yummy comfort food! I was going to make some creamy mushroom and wild rice soup for tonight but maybe I’ll make potato instead. I have been spending my days outside raking and mulching leaves, cleaning up the gardens for the winter and enjoying the Indian summerish weather we’ve been having, cuz it looks like it will be coming to an end this weekend…and then it’s nice to come in and make dinner and shnuggle down for the night. Thanks for sharing sister????
I skip the blender and use an old fashioned potato masher a little bit. Works great and I don’t burn myself anymore! 🙂
Dear Pixie love,
I have nicotiana growing in my yard.. would love to know the proper harvesting… Do I just pick the leaves and tie up like I would saliva apiana? never thought about other uses… it was a hitchhiker plant and I thought it so pretty I have always just let it stay where it planted itself.
Hugs and love… still practicing snake shedding…. so good.
I was just saying the other day how much I love the time change and thoroughly enjoy it getting dark early. It forces me to slow down and release the day instead of pushing through in the long days of summer. It hasn’t quite gotten cold enough for soup. It’s 90 degrees today, but I’m hopeful! Thank you for sharing that yummy soup recipe!
this is my time of year…I love the shorter days, the darkness, the cool snap in the air…oh it is heaven…growing up in northern BC with 6-7 months of snow I learned the way of stillness and hunkering in and it was a good way to live…now living in the south there is not snow to force such living, so I depend on the darkness to bring it to my community and to myself…fires in the wood stove, running in the dark, drinking tea and red wine…and yes the kitchen witch emerges more it seems…soups and wholesome baked goods…it is home to me.