Soup and Scarf Season in Full Swing

Ring-Ring ☎️  Autumn is calling with an invitation to stop, look around and see the changes above, below and everywhere in between. As October fully engages us in its brilliance, I’m grateful for invigorating, crisp, sunny rain-free walks around town with my pup or a friend. Have you noticed the shift in pace and energy; the colors, quality of light and air, movement and mood? When we listen to Autumn’s cues, we may be called to bake, seek out more warming foods & connection to community, bundle up in scarves or go inward and seek knowledge in books, classes or workshops. Allow those longings to emerge and see where they lead. Being over-scheduled, resisting change or succumbing to the busy, windy, sometimes frenetic nature of the season, doesn’t allow us time to contemplate what our needs may be and so days just continue to roll on into the next without any meaningful moments to anchor us. 

Let Fall be about engaging in at least one thing a day that you value.  It could be as simple as stepping outside to breathe-in nature’s changes, or waking up 5 mins early to meditate, preparing a warm breakfast for yourself and sitting down to eat it, or phone banking for a candidate in a swing district to get out the vote, or looking into a loved one’s eyes and telling them how much you love and appreciate their very existence. Anything you value is worthwhile and enough! 

I notice very quickly that when I haven’t done at least one thing I value in a day, it makes me feel out of alignment .

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been extremely frustrated, angry and disheartened by the continued deep divisiveness and lack of integrity that show up everyday on the national stage in this country and it makes me wonder, how are you coping? I’m curious because I’m always seeking new ways to move through tough emotion so that it doesn’t weigh so heavily as to keep me hibernating till Spring, or exploding unexpectedly and regrettably. I’d love to hear your ideas!

For me, along with my regular practices housed under the yoga umbrella, (pranayama, meditation, asana, mantra) I’ve recently been dabbling with more intention into  surrender, acceptance, devotion and action, all concepts of Isvara Pranidhana, the 5th and final Niyma (observance) in the Yoga Sutras. It is essentially faith in something greater than ourselves, which is not concerned with things outside of us. 

“Faith is an oasis in the heart that can never be reached by the caravan of thinking.” (Khalil Gibran) 

Staying aligned with our values is such a healthy way to prevent closing off from the world, and it preserves our energy for when we’re called to action.

Other activities that help me stay present and aligned are cooking, baking, donating time and money to causes I value, keeping connection to community alive & cultivation new connections, caring for my loved ones, excercise and honoring routine. And as many of you know, one of many things I value greatly is sharing nourishing home made meals in community.  In honor of that, I’ll share a new soup recipe with you which was a favorite this past weekend on my 2nd annual yoga retreat at Wild Thyme Farm.

Savory Pumpkin Soup 

1/4 stick butter (or 2 Tbls Ghee)

1 Large yellow onion finely chopped

1 Cup scallions, finely chopped

2 Tbls vegetarian Better than Bullion (or 1-2 veg bullion cubes diluted in hot water)

One 15 oz can puréed pumpkin

2 tsp maple syrup

1 bay leaf

1/2 Cup finely chopped parsley

2 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

6 Cups water

1/4 Cup almond milk or soy milk

1 Tbls walnut oil (optional)

In a large soup pot, melt the butter over medium- high heat. Add the onion and scallions and sauté for 5-10 mins, until the onions are translucent. Add the stock, pumpkin, maple syrup, bay leaf, parsley, curry powder, nutmeg, coriander, salt, pepper and water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered for 15-20 mins until the flavors are well integrated. Discard the bay leaf. Stir in the almond milk and walnut oil.

Serves 4-6

Recipe from Simple Recipes for Joy by  Sharon Gannon

Enjoy. Share. Connect. Invite. Accept. Love.