October's Enchanted Lullaby 🎃

The one with the promise of a world forever cast in a golden hue and mornings covered in fog and mist. 🍂

And she arrived without warning. Little Orla Roux, one of the Guardians of Autumn. The one with the promise of a world forever cast in a golden hue and mornings covered in fog and mist. A world where the trees glow like a soft fire against a clear sky and the earth crunches beneath your feet.

It’s quite impossible to catch a glimpse of her, a shred of proof that she is real, as she’s as fast as the wind. And as she stalks from tree to tree, awakening them to show their symphony of colors before slumber hits, she leaves nothing but a chill breeze with a subtle scent of cinnamon and spice and a trail of mini pumpkins in her wake. 🎃

Hello, lovely reader! I’m TJ, an artist and storyteller and on here, you will find gentle reflections & musings on life, self love, healing and the magic of mundane wonders. Aka the stories that I collected as I pivoted my life around by choosing to follow my creative dreams. Make yourself cozy, have a read and I hope you the words will bring a dash of wonder and magic into your day.

A cozy pumpkin spice chai ~ delightful baked apple cider donut holes ~ pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting 🎃

There’s a deepening of magic that happens once October says hello. Everything feels a bit more cozy, more enchanting and when I sat down to write a little musing for this magical month, I wondered what I wanted to say.

On one hand, I want to give you a cozy list with all the things you could do (which I’ll probably still do), dive into all the wonder and magic, Halloween that’s approaching and the delightful deepening of colors that is happening all around us. Also, the pumpkins! Let’s not forget about the pumpkins! But on the other hand, there’s this quiet magic that I can’t put my finger on. A magic that calls me to go even deeper within, to really be with the changing of seasons and to stand still, take deep breaths and simply listen to the ancient tunes that swirl in the air as we head into the last few months of the year.

While November is the month that’s snuggled between Autumn and Winter, but October feels like a liminal space already. A place where magic and change twirl together, endlessly and tirelessly.

I know that this time of the year puts a lot of emphasis on collecting all the cozy things, placing autumn leaves, pumpkins and candles all around the house. And I'm all about these vibes. However, a little secret? A few days ago, I caught myself fretting over the fact that time seems to go a tad too fast and this only got amplified after seeing the shops already putting holiday decor in the window displays at the start of September. The influx of all the wonderfully cozy and autumnal content made me feel more overwhelmed than inspired as my “things I want to do this season” list only got bigger and bigger. 🎃🍁🍂🍰🍵

Anne’s Wonder by TJ Lubrano

Writing this actually helped me to ground myself back again and remind myself what really matters to me now as I rebuild my magical little world: Presence, creativity, curiosity and deep breaths.

I know how easy it is to get caught up in what the world around us is doing, but we all have our own pace in life. So as I continue to invite all the cozy vibes in, there is a little reminder that I’m holding close as well and I wanted to share it with you:

We don’t always have to go all out to add the ultimate cozy vibes into our days. Sometimes the smallest action is enough to weave a thread of happiness in your day and to make a start with enjoying yourself where you are in the moment. Let all those little moments build up and create a beautiful tapestry for you to fall back into and to draw inspiration from. As Autumn's lullaby continues to paint our world in shades of crimson, copper and gold, I hope you’re always able to pick out a melody to dance to as the slower pace enters your world.

Question time: What’s one thing that you’re looking forward to this month? Specific movies & series you love to watch? Autumnal goodies you want to eat and drink?

For me: It’s my birthday month, with my actual birthday on October 21st. I don’t have specific plans just yet, but I’m looking forward to dedicating this month to doing little things I love. It could be as simple as picking leaves, trying out a new autumnal recipe or a day trip to a nearby city. Though I am pondering what type of cake I want to bake for myself, hehe. 💃✨🍰

A tiny selection of magical art created by…me. Hehe.

Remember the cozy fire that greeted you when you stepped over the threshold of September’s door? It’s still gently simmering and now, a soft melody fills the air, bringing a soothing and calming energy for you to tap into. There’s no rush to do anything else except, living. There is still time. There is always time. Life each day to the best of your abilities. And let each day be what it is; a day you get to experience. And if you didn’t have the best day, know that this is okay. I hope you can always find some compassion for yourself, because you still moved through it. You’re finding your way in this big beautiful yet strange world and that on its own shows so much strength. A new day means you get to make some tweaks and embrace living again.

I wish you a wonderful October, my loves! May it be filled with slivers of gentle magic and marvelous little wonders! ✨

Till next musing!

Much love,

TJ xx

~ News on the Glimmer Board ~

• The Gift Shop will be have a soft launch very soon. 🎊 A collection of bookmarks and prints will be available and a clearance will happen as I want to make space for new art. To be the first in the know, please sign up to receive a secret letter!

• I don’t have paid subscriptions on Substack, but I do have a Patreon world, aka Society of Wonders, where you can collect more slivers of magic for yourself. You can think of magical wallpapers, wondrous ebooks and WIP peeks & indept creative musings. You can also collect a monthly exclusive bookmark and/or 5x7in print! There will be a tweak in my art goodie tiers in November, to accomodate higher production costs & postage prices, but anyone signing up until then, will lock in the current prices. Your support is so appreciated and it helps me to keep a breathing space in my process so I can show up with more magic for you! ✨

Witch of Autumn Delights by TJ Lubrano ~ I so want a hat like hers! 👒

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If you made it to the end, I’m so grateful to have you here! I hope you loved reading and staring at all the things, lovely! If you got some value out of the words and you’d love to support me, I’d SO appreciate it if you could heart & share the words with your wonderful world. And, if it’s aligned, I’d love to welcome you as a subscriber as well! Thank you so much for reading and spending some time with me. ♥