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The Cempaspuchitl or marigold flower is also called "October Flower" and is considered the GPS for the yearly return of souls to their families during Dia de Muertos celebrations throughout Mexico and the United States. The flower represents its transformation from the rays of the sun into many flowers, and it's fragrance is said to guide spirits home.
My gentle offering for October: Life in balance
Dear ones,
October has come and as it leaves, here in this part of Mexico, the air is shifting. Marigolds bloom in golden abundance. Altars begin to take shape. We prepare for Día de Muertos—a sacred homecoming where the veil thins and our ancestors return, not in sorrow, but in celebration.
This is not a season of mourning. It is a season of remembering with joy. Of lighting candles, baking pan de muerto, and adorning altars with photographs, favorite foods, and whispered prayers. It is a time to say: "You are still with us in spirit, and we rejoice in the legacies you have left and the life we have been given".
The Season of Shedding and Gratitude
As the leaves change and the days shorten, we are invited into balance. To honor what is hard, without being consumed by it. To name our layers of varied griefs, and the many blessings of gratitude for all that we have been given. To understand that grief, regret, and gratitude exist together. To shed what no longer serves, and to gather what nourishes.
This is the work of the season:
To acknowledge our losses, while counting our gains
• To live with both hands open—one releasing, one receiving.
• To find joy not in perfection, but in presence
• To remember that rest, ritual, and rejoicing are not luxuries—they are lifelines.
A Personal Reflection
I’ve been thinking about how we hold complexity. How we navigate transitions, aging, and ancestral memory. How we make space for our own complexities. How we live in the tension as well as the tenderness.
I invite you to reflect:
• What are you releasing?
• What are you reclaiming?
• What brings you joy, even now?
Looking Ahead
As we move toward the season of Thanksgiving, I’ll be sharing more about our upcoming offerings, including retreat updates, artist residencies, and new ways to connect. For now, I simply invite you to pause. To light a candle. To welcome your own ancestors home.
With warm regards,
Sunya
"Sunkofa"- My future me shaped by daily ritual, ancestral memory, vision, and the quiet power of rest"
PS- If I missed your October birthday, send me an email ( sunyafolayan@seesunya.online) so I can remember to send you a personalized greeting next year. Continued blessings as you embark upon your next trip around the sun.
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