September

My podcast programming this year is simple – love letters to nature. I invite you to join me in this collaborative project to reweave ourselves to the natural world and each other.  Share your love letters with me at fromtheoutsidellc@gmail.com and I will read your loving words to nature on my podcast. How does nature make you feel, how does she sustain you, support you, inspire you, excite you? Read your letters to nature and listen for a response. What wisdom does she offer you? As we profess our deep love and gratitude to our source of life, let us deepen our sense of place, purpose, and sense of belonging.

This month, I welcomed the variety of visitors to my garden, the sounds of nature wafting through my screen door on a cooler fall morning, the joy of cutting free a small hummingbird entangled in garden netting, and the awe and wonder of new life as my family welcomed a new baby to our fold.  Listen as I read my September love letter to nature. What moments of joy, love, and gratitude did nature offer you in September?

Transcript

Hi everyone! Welcome to Season 3 and Episode 32 of the From the Outside with Sarah C podcast! I am Sarah Croscutt, the host and creator of this podcast and the owner and facilitator of From the Outside, a series of plant and nature-based lessons that help us to cultivate a deeper relationship to the natural world, ourselves, and each other. In addition, I am a published environmental writer. My work has been included in several anthologies published by Plants and Poetry Journal, including Plant People, An Anthology of Environmental Artists, Vol. 5 which was released yesterday. You can read my essay, Strawberry Love, and the discover the work of other talented creatives on their website, (www.plantsandpoetry.org) In addition, I have had essay published in Wild Roof Journal (www.wildroofjournal.com) an online journal of environmental writers, poets, and visual artists. You can learn more and find links on my website, www.fromtheoutsidellc.com.

In the past year or so, I have begun to deepen my connection to my Irish and Welsh ancestral roots. Each of us can claim indigeneity to this beautiful planet. Our earliest ancestors lived in kinship with the natural world. Their relationship with nature, their highly regarded source of life, was rooted in respect, reverence and reciprocity.   

We are living in unbelievably uncertain times. Many of us are feeling a deep sense of grief and loss – for humanity and our beloved planet. As I tend my own grief and hold the collective grief of others, I lean into nature, her comfort and wisdom. If we lean into our grief, we feel its entanglement with love. They are intertwined. Love is the wellspring from which we experience joy, gratitude, and grief.  It grows from our profound presence and awareness. Love is the most authentic and creative state of being.  In love, we recognize or “see” each other in a state of deep acknowledgement. In turn, we kindle our circle of belonging and kinship – to nature, to ourselves, and to each other.  What we love we honor and protect, deepening the authentic relationships with others that soothe and support us in times of sorrow. 

My podcast programming this year is simple – love letters to nature. I invite you to join me in this collaborative project to reweave ourselves to the natural world and each other.  Share your love letters with me at fromtheoutsidellc@gmail.com and I will read your loving words to nature on my podcast. How does nature make you feel, how does she sustain you, support you, inspire you, excite you? Read your letters to nature and listen for a response. What wisdom does she offer you? As we profess our deep love and gratitude to our source of life, let us deepen our sense of place, purpose, and sense of belonging. 

So September brings the turn from the summer to fall, the transition from the season of reach to the season of rest – slowing down and letting go of what no longer serves our growth. This is my favorite time of year – the Autumn Equinox in September to Imbolc (February 1).  

To my beloved Nature, 

In September,  

I thank you for: 

o   The amazing animal visits to my garden that began in August and have continued into September. The big groundhog who seems to guard my shed when it is not sneaking onto to the fence to reach my zinnias. The second wave of monarch caterpillars that munched my butterfly weed and swamp milkweed bare. Today is September 21st and I observed two of the newly emerged monarch butterflies resting on my mouse melons. The hummingbird I cut free from garden netting. I have never seen a hummingbird so close. I frantically tried to free it as made the tiniest, high pitched cry for help. As I worked gently to cut the netting, I spoke quietly and calmly to it to reassure it I would do my best. I cried tears of joy and relief when he flew away from the palms of my cupped hands. It was such a meaningful connection with a non-human visitor to my garden. I am so thankful I was able to free it!

o   The ever so slower pace. I miss the business and the buzzing of the pollinators. I still have lots of bumblebees, some small butterflies, and wasps but the flurry of activity has slowed down for the season. 

o   The changing colors of the season. The garden is turning color from summer’s dark, lush green and vivid, vibrant colors to the beige and brown and more muted colors of fall. The seed heads of the Brown-eyed Susan’s, Anise Hyssop, and Mountain Mint are turning dark brown, and the stems are stiffening. Soon, the leaves will begin to change color too. I love the flow of time in my garden. It is my daily, intimate connection to the natural world around me. 

o   The cooler mornings and evenings. I look forward to the sounds of nature wafting into my house through the wide-open screen door.

o   The beauty of strawflowers. Although the groundhog ate most of my zinnias, it apparently does not favor strawflowers. I have never grown them before, but they have done well in my garden. I am cutting and drying them for arrangements. Their bold colors with provide summer color throughout the winter months.  

o   Lastly, the awe and wonder of new life. If you listened in to my Summer episode, you heard my story of nurturing the Black Swallowtail butterfly that was on a dill sprig I had cut and brought indoors from my garden. My daughter has always wanted to nurture caterpillars and bear witness to their metamorphosis. One day, she and my grandsons (almost 2 and almost 4) were visiting. We noticed lots of monarch caterpillars on my milkweed plants. We clipped some milkweed, and she took four caterpillars home and set them up in my netted enclosure. She and my grandsons watched the caterpillars grow, create their chrysalis, and transform into butterflies. We released them one by one. It is just an awe-inspiring, wondrous event to witness. The boys still talk about it! While September began with the release of the four magnificent monarch butterflies, the third week of September brought the arrival of another new life into the world -  my 4th grandbaby – a grandson! The awe and wonder of a new life! We are so thrilled to welcome him to our family!

Upcoming Events

In-person in the Richmond, VA area

Selfcare Sunday Series continues the first Sunday of the month, 10 am at Powhatan State Park, Powhatan, VA.  Our next gathering is Sunday, October 5th.  We meet at the playground parking lot. The program is free, but a $5 parking fee applies.  Please join us as we connect to nature and each other!

Thank you so much for listening! I encourage you to venture out – to your backyard, a local park, a green space near where you work and spend a few minutes purposefully and intentionally connecting with nature.  Use your whole body – really integrate into your being what you see, smell, hear, and feel.  Spend time with those you love or sit in silence, solitude, and stillness. They are important states of being in nurturing our nature connections. Acknowledge nature’s wisdom and role in your life. Nature shows us how beautiful and transformative growth can be! Remember, we are all connected to the source of life and each other! With that said, you can connect with me through my website www.fromtheoutsidellc.com, or on Instagram @sarahc_outside. Links to podcast, website, publications, webinars, and all the things can be found there! Visit my website for upcoming classes in the local community, latest publications, and details on workshops available for educational settings, professional development, recovery programs, conferences, or other groups. As always, please feel free to reach out! 

Until next time, take care!