I began expressing my big Cancer emotions through writing at a very young age. For me, the unique act of writing is what allows me to process and evolve fully . Today, my weekly missives follow themes that weave between the literal fields of my work in the Gemmo Forest, our family homestead garden, and the energy field we all experience. My life now follows the rhythm of the land. From spring through fall, I can be found outdoors, hands in the dirt, working alongside her husband, Joachim, to tend our 7,500-square-foot family garden or with local volunteers caring for Gemmo Forest. When the cold sets in and the fields rest, I return indoors, where I rekindle my love of writing by the wood stove, always with my faithful calico, Ruby, curled close by.
Honoring the Raspberry
Their abundance builds each week, and by October’s arrival our freezer was well stocked. Raspberries set fruit as if there were no end in sight. Next to each soft ripe berry are always five more in various stages of development. Looking at them, you could tell a story of an endless season, but the weather has its own plan. Nighttime temperatures have begun hovering just above freezing, then dipping slightly below for a few short hours. This tease of what is to come continues until we reach a point, as we always do, where the dip begins in the middle of the night and holds. That is what will happen here this weekend. The raspberry's demise will show first in the coloring of leaves that, over days, will curl and eventually drop. Soon all that remains will be bare canes, tips still full of unripened fruit. Although the raspberry knows its own cycle well, it stays at the task of production right up until it's not. Day after day, fruit ripens and is ready for picking until the weather no longer supports that work. Then the focus and energy drop downward into its roots, where it remains in a state of conservation until spring. Over its long winter nap, it rests, recharges, and rekindles its passion for its purpose here on earth. We can choose to mourn or celebrate this and every turning of the wheel of life. We can extract a number of lessons from the raspberry, but today I choose the one about steadfast commitment: to be productive and fulfill its purpose right until the cold sends the cue that, for now, her job is complete. I've thought about how I have been paying homage to the raspberry and its cycle of production when I came across the quote above within Richard Rudd’s Gene Keys message. I read and reread it, allowing myself to feel what the word venerate meant to me. Webster’s Dictionary says it means to regard someone or something with deep respect, awe, or reverential honor. Since reading it, I have been drawn to consider how, through the growing seasons, so much deserves veneration. But then, as winter draws me inward, who and what do I regard in this capacity? What have I held in high esteem over my lifetime, and how has that changed? I believe the answers to these questions, or hints to them, may arrive during the upcoming Mercury Rx, a precious period for inner exploration. On Tuesday, 20 October, the Sun begins its transit through Gate 50, the gate of values. I will consider the areas of my life where I feel nourished and supported, and take responsibility for working on those where I do not. Saturday, 24 October, Mercury goes retrograde for the third and final time in 2026, this time in the sign of Scorpio. I love these three-week periods and expect this one to be an opportune time to take a deep dive into something that needs revisiting and revision, with Scorpio's help. I also won't count on external communications going according to plan because we are all listening to inner conversations. Until next week, Follow the Sun October 14-25
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Field Notes from Lauren
I began expressing my big Cancer emotions through writing at a very young age. For me, the unique act of writing is what allows me to process and evolve fully . Today, my weekly missives follow themes that weave between the literal fields of my work in the Gemmo Forest, our family homestead garden, and the energy field we all experience. My life now follows the rhythm of the land. From spring through fall, I can be found outdoors, hands in the dirt, working alongside her husband, Joachim, to tend our 7,500-square-foot family garden or with local volunteers caring for Gemmo Forest. When the cold sets in and the fields rest, I return indoors, where I rekindle my love of writing by the wood stove, always with my faithful calico, Ruby, curled close by.
Want to read this email on the web? Click here. I trust in nature for the stable laws of beauty and utility. Spring shall plant and autumn garner to the end of time.~Robert Browning Dear Reader The first frost of the season arrived as predicted in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. Although there was no frantic scurrying like in past years, a few rituals remained. Joachim lovingly gleaned the last of his cherry tomatoes, as I stripped the final zephyr and white squash. We picked another...
Want to read this email on the web? Click here. Each end is always a beginning, because nothing ever ends totally, nothing can ever end. Everything continues, only forms change. ~Osho Dear Reader Bean harvest is in full swing, and there is much to celebrate. Each pod holds the bounty we will use through the winter, as well as the beginning of next year’s crop. This season, we doubled our production and added several varieties, so the bean harvest window has expanded. I am on a mission to grow...
Want to read this email on the web? Click here. It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood, A beautiful day for a neighbor. Would you be mine? Could you be mine? Won't you be my neighbor? ~Fred Rogers Dear Reader Before summer fades far from the memory, I have one final tale that has been fermenting off to the side. It was too poignant for words as it unfolded. Now, with a bit of air to breathe and space to take shape, it is ready to share. The doorbell rang at exactly 2 pm on a Tuesday in...