The End of the Month, the End of the Year, the End of the Cycle.
But also the Beginning, the Rebirth, the Return, the Resumption.
Hello!!
We´re almost at the end of the year-how are you feeling?
I've been thinking a lot about how wonderful this time of year is. I love noticing how the light changes and how everything looks different now. You can feel the cold aproaching, but at the same time the sun seems to shine warmer and brighter, giving us some very special sunsets.
I love observing these days. There´s something in the air that makes me feel like our rythm shifts in these final months of the year, that something is slowly coming to a close.
Conclude, Renew, Celebrate and Honor all of this.
Slow down and observe.
In Mexico, Day of the Dead is THE celebration. We look forward to eating "pan de muerto", lighting copal, and setting up our altars. We are happy to know and feel that our loved ones who have passed will come to spend time with us.
So we gather everything we need and lovingly search for the photos of our beloved departed. We prepare their spaces, carefully choosing the spot and everything we´ll offer them. We honor them. We honor their memories, their lives, and also their deaths. We mourn, but also celebrating because their absence hurts us, but we´re comforted to have been part of their lives.
Death always comes hand-in-hand with her opposite companion, life.
Do you think it's a coincidence that the Day of the Dead is so close to the end of the year? Lately I've come to think that it´s not. Imagine it this way- we throw a celebration for death, we make offerings, spend time with her, and feel our loved ones close for a while. Don't you think it might help us a little, too? Perhaps, as she leaves, she takes some of our burdens with her, leaving us lighter, with a cleaner path to walk peacefully.
What if death injects us with life as she departs?
Let's think about it a bit more; copal burns, cleansing and purifying us, and afterward, we can reborn, ready to continue with life, to pick up, move on, on and on. Beautiful, isn´t it?
And with autumn well underway, the whole vibe turns inward. We crave warm cacao, comforting soups, meals that ground us and make us feel at home, with the people we love, wrapped in warmth and the comfort of close hearts. So, autumn also invites us to look deeper because going inside doesn’t just mean home—it’s us, too.
How wonderful it is to use any time of year, any day, any hour, to honor, to reflect, to introspect and reconsider. How joyous it is to use the renewed energy from our little (or big) rituals on November 2nd to close, but also to open. To open ourselves to possibilities, to the idea that just because the year ends, life doesn’t end. And just because life ends, we don’t vanish from memory, from the heart.
Let’s celebrate the cold, life, death, beginnings, endings, the journey, the goal…
Whether it’s the end of the month, the last quarter of the year, or day one on the calendar, we can always let go, but we can always pick up, too.
Here at AlyRo, you know we love being part of all your moments, all your celebrations, all your seasons and moods. So, with that in mind, I want to recommend some things that I’m sure will be your allies in these moments we just talked about:
This brand gets it right. Beautiful, delicious cones that last about 45 minutes. Ideal for your altar. They come with a clay holder, and all the copal is hand-harvested in Oaxaca. You won’t find anything more delightful.
Essential for ofrendas, but also perfect for connecting with fire and letting its light guide us through any process.
For those warm soups, for gathering around the table, to celebrate life and death.
We have some that are heavenly. Caldero de Luna and Amuleto Lunar smell like Day of the Dead, but also of autumn, purification, and peace.
Harvested from fallen trees for legal trade. It’s also so important to be mindful of where we source each item that cleanses and supports us. This is ideal. Slow-burning to remind us that calm is often the key.
And if you explore our website or visit the shop, you’ll surely fall in love with even more treasures.
I hope you’re feeling as excited as I am about this beautiful autumn that comes in like a sensory spectacle, embracing the soul, memory, nostalgia, and heart.
Big, big hugs to you.
From Alcachofa y Romero, with love,
Mar.
