October, y’all

You know what that means…

PUMPKIN SPICE EVERYTHING!! Lattes and jellybeans and hummus and bathroom tissue! Make it rain nutmeg and allspice! Pulverize those gourds and pump those orangey particulates into the atmosphere! MY BODY IS READY!!

LOL, just kidding. Can you imagine?

Although this is my favorite season due to the prevalence of cuffing and boots and scarves (protect your necks from wind invasion, boos), my preferred chilly weather beverage is mulled wine, because it’s wine and it’s mulled; + if made to choose in the Great Pie Wars, I’m going with Sweet Potato all day, every day. Don’t @ me).

Shady autumnal jokes aside, I’m here to remind you that collective consciousness is real and enough people yammering on about spirits and thinning veils is enough to make everything feel mystical, magical, and a little more wobbly than usual. While that doesn’t automatically mean capital-G ghosts are coming for you – they have lives of their own, you know (but if you suspect as much, you should probably make time to talk with me ASAP). However, it can mean feeling haunted by whatever you’ve been avoiding, be it psychological, spiritual, or physical. 

Look to the changing leaves as they remind us of the discomfiting loveliness of death; connect with Nature’s rhythms to release with grace and gratitude that which is falling away in order to create space for that which seeks to be of service to your highest good. You deserve nothing less.

By Ilka Pinheiro

Ilka Pinheiro is a writer, performer, seer, animal communicator, and native New Yorker.