In October, trees are painted with hues of yellow and orange and warm spices drift through the air.
October’s name comes from the Latin without any change; octo references the “eighth” month of the old Roman calendar, the eighth month following March (as January and February hadn’t existed as calendar months yet). To the Saxons, the month was known as wynmonat (wine month). Though autumn has fully arrived, bringing with it brisk winds, a burst of color can also be found in the month’s abundant flora—unparalleled by any other season.
Apple trees are clothed with full, heavy branches, the ripened fruit swaying in the orchards. An abundance of autumn fruit is ready to be gathered: pears, grapes, pomegranates. Saffron plants bloom with their purple-crimson hues, along with marigolds and their brilliant, intense oranges. Old corn stalks bow in cooler light, the fields washed with gold. Ivy covers rocks and fallen trees, nature embracing itself with green life; graceful reeds dance in the light winds. A few late roses and wallflowers add their colors to the fall cornucopia.
Geese travel in v-formations, flying after warmer temperatures; swallows can be spotted migrating in large flocks. Wild hogs go after fallen acorns on the leaf-strewn floor of the woods, while sheep bleat in contentment in their rolling pastures. The shining harvest moon hangs above with its brilliance, denoting the pleasure of reaping the season’s crop.
October sees an abundance of fairs and agricultural festivals, with farmers proudly displaying the fruits of their labor. The 31st is Halloween, a holiday with ancient roots in the Pagan celebration known as Samhain; the day is also the beginning of the Day of the Dead, a Mexican holiday where people connect with their ancestors and celebrate their lives.
The month’s birthstone is the rose tourmaline, a delicate pink gem that radiates energies of creativity and helps one trust fully in the power of love.
October’s astrological signs are Libra and Scorpio. Libra, an air sign that belongs to people born up to the 22nd, signifies the midpoint of the astronomical year. The radiant scales are a fitting representation of its symbolism: they denote balanced precision, the golden mean between opposites, an equal meeting of “I” and “you.” Scorpios are born from the 23rd on, the bold scorpion symbolizing resistance and dynamism and endurance. People with this sign tend to be persistent yet somewhat withdrawn, always exhibiting cool control.