Scorpio Season, Shadow & Samhain — A Richness of Reverence
"The shadows deepen. The bare trees creak in the wind. The candle in the jack-o-lantern burns low. On Samhain, the spirits of our ancestors are always near, in the shadows of the night." - James Kombos
Hello dear friends,
We arrive again. With a whole heart and an intentional breath. Offerings and inspiration from my head & heart below. Take what resonates, leave the rest.
🎶Today's soundscape: Océano 432 Hz Sat-Chit – Frecuencia Espiritual From the Coming Home Playlist. May it carry you inward & forward.
We move from the balancing light of Libra into the deep, emotional waters of Scorpio season, where shadow and mystery invite us to feel more fully, honor what has passed, and trust in what is unseen.
This week has me reflecting on the richness of reverence — the beauty in transformation, the tenderness of remembrance, and the vitality that lives within the cycles of loss, renewal, connection, beauty. The knowing that all our experiences, our relationships that may have come and gone, practices that have served, have left their mark and continue to shape us. Perhaps gone from sight, but not from heart. Give reverence, and lighten, embrace the shadows. Nature shows us this every day: the leaves surrendering to the wind, the rains returning, the quiet hours of dusk that ask us to listen deeply.
Center with Practice: Kubera Mudra & Om Mani Padme Hum
A gesture of light, clarity, and abundance — a gift from Susanna Barkataki to ignite your inner flame.
Bring thumb, index, and middle fingers together; curl the other two inward. Place palms face up upon your knees. Align & feel the strength of your spine. From your roots, through your heart and out your crown.
Take five slow breaths to stoke your candle flame within.
Welcome the mantra: Om Mani Padme Hum. For wisdom & compassion.
(Revisit last week's blog Creating Room for a further breakdown).
Let this mantra guide your inward tuning- to remind you that you are both the lotus & the jewel.
Monday- felt like the weather itself. The rains and winds of autumn stirring inside and out. Amid the busy rhythms of work and care, I’ve been finding my grounding and reverence in the beauty of simple moments- and more easeful presence at the edges of the day, dawn and dusk, those sattvic times when the veil feels thin, presence with potency.
Scorpio season reminds us that transformation requires feeling. It’s the realm of the second chakra, Svadhisthana — the right to feel, the fluidity of emotion, the pulse of creativity and sensuality. Its color is orange - the hue of the harvest, of vitality, of the inner flame that keeps us alive and responsive to life’s textures.
There’s tenderness here too. I learned this week that the beloved herd I’ve been tending are finding new homes — and with that, the bittersweet ache of impermanence. What are the textures that brings pings of aliveness and ache for you?
As Samhain- All Hallows- approaches — the ancient Celtic honoring of harvest and ancestors — I feel my late father, our beloved furbaby from years passed, my mothers, and the countless others free from their Earthly vessel who live on in our bones, our breath, our spirit. This season reminds us that to love deeply is to feel deeply — the ache of absence, the tenderness of memory, the beauty of what endures.
In their honor, may we pause — to listen more closely, to tend both the visible and unseen. The remembering, the longing, and the gratitude for having loved at all are sacred. These moments remind us to be with what is in front of us and within us, with more presence.
With mudra and mantra, with breath and boundary, with fortitude and heart- may we each steady our focus and find clarity amidst the swirl, meeting what’s before us with compassion, courage, and space. To welcome curiosity & wonder. To touch the beauty that endures- the wholehearted capacity to feel, to embrace the aliveness and the subtle.
You’re invited to take this pause with me — through this week’s Halloween-inspired Friday Flow (online), or in person at Heart Spring Health for Slow Flow & Ground + Release.
And if you need a gentle touchpoint midweek our Weekly Community Circle offers a 30-minute breath of reconnection, presence, and community.
Scorpio season teaches us to feel everything — even when it’s uncomfortable, even when it shakes us.
"Scorpio strips away every method we use to avoid our emotions. It melts our defenses so we can finally be honest with ourselves.” - The Spirit Daughter
Svadisthana invites us to explore the senses- taste, touch, sound, scent, sight- the vibrancy being alive.
With wisdom to support your vitality, should you find yourself overindulging to satisfy a craving, pacify anxiety, or soothe a longing- an unmet need - consider an intentional pause. A hand to the heart. A intentional exhale. A drink of water.
Whisper to yourself:
I am nourishing myself. I matter. I am honoring all of me, all who came before- through me right now. I matter and I am enough. Just this.
Over these next weeks let’s lean into our vitality, curiosity, and courage.
Honor your cycles.
Drink in the richness of your senses.
Svadhisthana- from the seat of the Self- your right to feel, to deepen, to embrace.
Find the pause and play. Allow the shadows to be your teacher.
Join Me in Practice
💀 Friday Flow (Online) – Oct 31 @ 8 AM PT
A Halloween + Día de los Muertos–inspired practice
Move, breathe, and play from anywhere — honoring both light and shadow with reverence and joy. ➡ Flow @ Home
🌿 Community Circle (Online) – Wed @ 11 AM PT
A 30-min midweek reset for grounding and nervous system support.
➡ Join Us From Anywhere
🌻 Morning Yoga @ Humberside Farm – Sat @ 9 AM
A cozy indoor flow among the gardens and autumn light. Open registration 11/8 & 11/15. ➡ Details & Registration
🪶 Heart Spring Health (SE Portland) – Wed Evenings
4:45 PM | Slow Flow Yoga - 75 min
6:15 PM | Ground & Release (Yin–Restore) - 75 min
💛 Yoga Therapy 1:1 Sessions
Personalized, trauma-informed support for nervous system balance and embodied healing.
➡ Learn More
🕯 Root Support Membership
Access 70+ replays, playlists, and seasonal practices — or offer a one-time donation to support accessible yoga therapy.
➡ Join the Membership
➡ One-Time Donation
Free Centering, Mindfulness & Breath Practices to Explore: @MayaLakeYoga Youtube
Shadow season calls for reverence and aliveness. To let curiosity be the wind, shadow be the teacher, and the flame within to be your guide.
May you find warmth in the darkness, courage in your waters, and magic in your remembering - as it lives on through you.
You are the miracle of all who came before.
Witness the present as it encompasses the richness of your life.
10/28/2025
I'll be taking space to reduce Insights & Inspirations from a weekly cadence. To focus on more presence in my ongoing offerings. Necessary space to allow for sustainability, respite, and resonance. Weekly offerings continue. I look forward to sharing insights and inspiration soon, as the seasonal shifts continue. Mark your calendars & I will see you soon!
In radiance & rest, with love & light,
Maya
