As Halloween and Día de los Muertos have become increasingly visible in popular culture, this time of year also offers us an opportunity to pause and connect with those who have passed.
Across different cultures and spiritual traditions, autumn has long been associated with remembrance, offerings, and honoring the dead. Scorpio season, with its symbolism of death, rebirth, and the unseen, feels especially aligned with these practices.
Ancestor veneration comes to the forefront, inviting us to consider our relationships with those who came before us. It gives us an opportunity to confront death in a way that can feel more celebratory, intimate, and perhaps a little more palatable.
I, for one, love seeing colorful marigolds fill flower shops, storefronts, and seasonal displays this time of year. Their vibrant orange and yellow petals bring warmth to a season increasingly defined by darkness.
In Día de los Muertos traditions, marigolds, particularly cempasúchil, are used to adorn altars and graves, their vivid colors and fragrance traditionally believed to help guide the spirits of loved ones home.
These blooming cempasúchil, which are solar ruled, offer a lovely burst of yellow and orange during the season where things are coming to an end. It’s like the sun’s final hoorah before we truly delve into the deep, dark, winter.
I find that symbolism incredibly moving. Flowers, which are themselves fleeting, become a way to honor lives that have come and gone. They remind us that even after someone has passed, our relationship with them can continue through memory, ritual, and the love we carry forward.
As we move deeper into autumn, perhaps we can take a cue from the natural world and recognize that letting go is not always a loss. Sometimes, it’s simply part of making room for what comes next.
And I’m grateful for all of the beauty left to behold.
Cempasúchil in Manhattan’s Flower District on W. 28th Street.
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