Completion, Not Endings + Root Energy

Tarot/Journal Prompts for Autumn + "The Beekeeper's Question"

Serpentine bridge at Aldermarsh, November 2012

Dear Friends,

It’s the time of waning sun, waning moon here in the northern hemisphere. There are devastating storms and sweltering heat elsewhere, I know. But here in the land of sea and cedar, fog has settled in on the cattail-crowded pond just across from my porch and made itself at home. I long to break out my colored pencils in various shades of gray, along with yellow ochre and a little burnt umber, to see if I can capture the wistful autumn mood. Perhaps I’ll do that a little later today.

I just finished up an intense late-summer season. I hosted my last two retreats at Aldermarsh on Whidbey Island, prepared to speak at the Northwest Tarot Symposium (although I ended up canceling), and worked on deadline for a project I’m not quite ready to share. I’ve been struggling with some health issues that I had hoped would be cleared up by now. Instead, it looks like I’m making friends with limitations. I’m OK with that. I’m learning how to welcome long stretches of rest into my life like an old lover or a favorite shawl.

One of the art/life lessons I learned in a workshop with Lyn Belisle years ago is the idea of “creative constraints.” When you limit your color palette to two or three colors, it ignites your creativity. The thing that feels like an uncomfortable restriction at first turns out to be the impetus for something unexpected and brilliant. Who knows what will unfold next?

I shared some of the following thoughts in last Sunday’s post for paid subscribers, but I want to share them with my larger circle. My retreat at Aldermarsh earlier this month was my final one after twelve years; I hosted the first one in September 2012. My friend and circle sister Elaine Nichols joined me as chef for every retreat. It wouldn’t have been the same without her companionship and her devotion to creating nourishing, yummy meals, all stirred up with love.

Elaine and me in the apple orchard at Aldermarsh, 2014

We could hardly believe it when I counted up retreats and realized the last one was #22. Tarot people know there are twenty-two cards in the Major Arcana, signifying “completion.” So completion, not ending, became the theme of the retreat for us.

My time at Aldermarsh is complete. I didn’t feel sad when I crossed the serpentine bridge across the alder marsh for the last time. I felt satisfied, full. I’ve done good work there; good play, too. Retreatants grew and transformed (or didn’t). For some, lasting friendships were formed. Others carry the memory of intense intimacy with the More-Than-Humans on the land.

On retreat, I shared my love of connecting with nature, of tarot, of movement and song, of writing, of magical art, of herbcraft, of wisdom council. “Who wants to be the guardian of the bell for this round?” Let’s take a sacred pause and ring the bell twice, with no speaking in-between. Take it in. Let every voice be heard. It’s the Circle Way. Let the silence speak, too.

Come, gather round the council fire at the center of the circle.

Altar in Marsh House, September 2019

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The Beekeeper’s Question

I’ve been waiting for this book for a long time!

My friend and mentor Christina Baldwin has published many non-fiction books over the years, on the power of story (Storycatcher), on spiritual practice (The Seven Whispers), on the Circle Way. She spent the past decade writing a novel, The Beekeeper’s Question, and it’s just been released. I’m thrilled.

The Beekeeper’s Question by Christina Baldwin

I remember listening to Christina read passages from her novel-in-progress at a writing retreat at Aldermarsh over ten years ago. I was enchanted by the character of Doc, an irascible old doctor tending her community in rural Montana during World War II. I fell for Leo the beekeeper too, Maire the Irish war bride, and Leo’s son Jesse and his wife Willow. During the pandemic, I was honored to read parts of the manuscript as Christina labored on it. I can’t wait to dive into it again and read it in its final form.

Set in World War II on the home front, the novel illuminates themes we’re grappling with today. In a recent blog post, Christina wrote:

Sometimes we have to go back in time to see the time we are living in. This story insisted I write about the war before I was born; insisted I locate the characters in a Montana home front, using my grandfather’s homestead and vocation to house the fictional family.

In my childhood, on honey-scented weeks of family reunion and harvest, no one spoke of Native land displacement, nor that the old fort had been in Indian school or explained the ramifications of the Homestead Act. But now— being white, being settler, being part of the land-grab and genocide of American expansion, the story needed to both reckon with that past and reattach us to the best of our lineages.

You can read more about the book here.

If you’re a fan of reading ebooks on Kindle, you’re in luck. The ebook is available for only $3.99 through October 15th. The paperback version is $20. Here’s the link for both.

I hope the book touches your heart as much as it has mine.

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Tarot/Journal Prompts for Early Autumn

The Hanged One / Burdock from the Herbcfater’s Tarot. Art by JPC.

Autumn is the time of root energy. Soon everything will be outwardly dying. We’ll harvest fruits and vegetables, and the plant matter that is left will wither and die back into the ground. As fruit dies and rots, seeds are released to rest beneath the soil until next spring. The energy that saw the plant through the summer and harvest season will be stored in the root.

We begin to store our energy in our roots, as well. We respond to the darkening days by withdrawing into ourselves for a time of inner growth through reflection and introspection —  just like the Hermit.

I invite you to pull a tarot or oracle card to spark a response to one or more of the following questions:

• How are you preparing for Autumn and the dark time of the year, both internally and externally?

• What, if anything, in your life is reaching completion? How does “completion” feel different from an “ending”?

• How might you gather the harvest in, then give it all away (metaphorically and/or literally)?

Share your response in the comments, if you like.

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Resources to help those affected by Hurricane Helene

I know quite a few folks who’ve been affected by Hurricane Helene in Florida, North Carolina, and surrounding areas. Perhaps you’re one of them. Please know that our hearts go out to you as we see the devastating photographs. Of course, all the prayer candles are lit. I always wonder about the best place to donate funds that will get to people in need quickly. I trust Thorn Coyle, who wrote this in her newsletter yesterday: “If you have anything to spare, here is one vetted locals-for-locals fund organized by street medics and activists to help those who lost everything in North Carolina: Venmo: @AppMedSolid and Cash App: $Streets1de Please put "flood support" in the description.”

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This Week’s Song: “You’re Not Alone” by Allison Russell & Brandi Carlile

In the cradle of the circle
All the ones that came before you
Their strength is yours now
You're not alone

I love this song. I wrap it around me like a blanket whenever I feel lonely or adrift. And it’s such a good reminder that we are always surrounded by our ancestors, as their season approaches.

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Zoom Wisdom Circle Today, Sept. 29th, 1 PM Pacific

I’m looking forward to gathering with my paid subscribers today at 1 PM Pacific time on Zoom for a Wisdom Circle. You should have received an email with the Zoom link a few days ago, and a reminder email will go out about an hour before our call. Hope to see you there.

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Even though I’ve been posting on Substack faithfully every Sunday for my paid subscribers, I realize I’ve fallen behind in sharing with my larger circle. The last time you heard from me was just before Lammas. I plan to share with all of you at least once a month going forward.

I’ll be back to my Major Arcana series for paid subscribers with a look at the Emperor / Builder very soon.

Thank you, always, for reading and listening. And thank you for being part of my extended circle and community.

Blessings of fog, fallen leaves, and good books to read on rainy afternoons,

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Some of the links in this post are affiliate links to Bookshop.org or my website shop.

About me: I’m Joanna Powell Colbert, creator of the Gaian Tarot and the Pentimento Tarot, and co-creator of the Herbcrafter’s Tarot. I write and teach about tarot, earth-centered spirituality, seasonal & lunar lore, and creativity as a spiritual practice. You can also connect with me on Instagram or Facebook.

Headed out for a walk after the fog lifted.