Welcome October

"Listen! the wind is rising,
and the air is wild with leaves,
We have had our summer evenings,
now for October eves!"

- Humbert Wolfe -

October was the eighth month of Romulus's year, as the name implies, being derived from Octo, eight, and imber, a shower of rain, but in the calendar of  Julius Caesar, it was classed as the tenth month of the calendar.  Among our Anglo Saxon ancestors,  this month was called Wyn Monath, or wine month, wyn signifying wine.  This is the month of the fall vintage, when the grapes have ripened on the vine and are finally plucked and pressed into wine.  The sunlight is getting shorter and the cold dark time of winter is rapidly approaching.  Leaves change to brilliant crimson, russet, and gold. This is also the time of the apple harvest

Libra and Scorpio are the astrological signs for October. Birthdays from October 1st through the 22nd fall under the sign of Libra. October 23rd through the 31st birthdays fall under the sign of Scorpio.  This month is sacred to Cernnunnos, Hecate, the Morrigan, and the dark aspect of the Crone.   During this month, the Great Solar Wheel of the Year is turned to Halloween or Samhain Eve, one of the four Sabbats celebrated each year throughout the world.

October has two birthstones – opal and tourmaline. Both gemstones come in a wide variety of colors and are known for displaying multiple colors within the same stone. A legendary explanation for this gemstone's origin is that it fell from heaven in a flash of fiery lightning. To the Romans, it was a symbol of love and hope, and in ancient Greece, the opal was believed to possess powers of prophecy. Opal radiates powerful positive energy and helps in dispelling fear. It also enhances dreams, insights and imagination. Tourmaline is the modern birthstone for October. It is known as the gem of love and commitment. Tourmaline symbolizes wisdom, strength of mind and eloquence.

The flower for the month of October is the Marigold, also called calendula. The calendula, or marigold was considered a sacred flower, and garlands of marigolds were crafted and strung around the necks of the holy saint statues. These brilliant flowers decorated the statue of the Virgin Mary as if they were the sun and stars surrounding her. In ancient times, garlands of marigolds protected homes from evil by being strung at doorsteps. It was once thought that placing these garlands under a bed would cause the sleeping person to have prophetic dreams. Potted marigolds help people to see the fairies as they dance in front of them.Put a pot of living marigolds next to your bed at night to encourage dreams of Fairyland.

"Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells."

- John Keats -