Crisp gold twirling leaves..

 ... falling downwards far from me; and into the gust.

This is one of my favourite haiku's I wrote at age 14 (there are three more verses but this is my favourite). Autumn is by far my absolute favourite season. The beauty of the leaves changing colour, the last berries and veg of the season being harvested, the slight chill in the air meaning I can wear a wooly jumper. I'm a big fan of the pinafore dress and turtleneck look. So I've been really excited to see how this autumn goes.

But lets talk about something fun! Autumn Altar décor This is by far my favorite and I can't wait to get started.

You can use pretty much anything you want to decorate an altar all year round, as long as you keep it tidy and clean, anything is a go. This year for autumn I have opted for my home made pentagram star and orange candles as my base, and quartz as my crystal of choice. Buttttt .....it needs that little pinch of pumpkin spice and autumnal flare... so I'm planning on going foraging for some decor! and yes i mean some decor from the outside! Leaves that have fallen to the ground and changed colour can be a fantastic altar addition, as can feathers, flowers and wild herbs ( as long as you know they're safe for you to touch and you vocalize your gratitude for using them)

Wild berries such as wild blackberries and mushrooms (I can not stress the need to be careful for wild mushrooms and berries- if you don't know what is safe, avoid picking anything!). Make great altar offerings and decor. Horse chestnuts and acorns are also easy to find at this time of year! ( Bonus: Horse chestnuts can help ward off spiders!) As are seasonal vegetables like gourds ( Pumpkins, Marrow, Courgettes etc.)

I'm quite fortunate that my family and my grandfather both have allotments (small pieces of farm land that is rented to the general public to grow fruit and veg on) which means seasonal fruit, veg and even wild flowers ( and on the rare occasion eggs) can be found quite well. I've actually managed to claim some pumpkins already from the allotments ready for October so will attempt to make a spiced pumpkin soup! Anyway back to the subject at hand... Autumnal Altars can include just about anything, some people even like to add bones, twigs, shells and other things they've found. Personally I'm not keen on animal altar items but as long as your finding these items, not hurting an animal to create these items, feel free to use these in a respectful manner.

I've created ,as a loose guide, a list of what you can include in your own altar. This is available to download from here Autumn Altar Ideas for free!

Until next time, blessed be