Gone is the hustle of summer.

As I harvest the last fruits of the growing season and find ways to preserve them, I feel myself shifting gears. Gone is the hustle of summer. With less daylight hours, I move indoors sooner, seeking cozy evenings on the couch surrounded by yarn or thread. The meals I crave and make are warmer and heartier. My attention turns inward. I want to dive deeper into meaningful topics and to listen closely to my ancestors. Just like the plants who move their energy into their roots at this time of year, I too experience my energy moving in and down. Autumn is the season of rootedness. 

During Makerspace Open Hours (Wednesdays and Fridays between 2 and 5 pm), there will be opportunities to engage in rooted activities that celebrate the season and prepare us for winter. Last Wednesday we made Pepper Jelly with the harvest from the Shakti garden. This Friday we have plans to make Fire Cider, an herbal remedy to bolster the immune system. If you have thoughts about activities that we can do in community, then please contact me. I would love to implement new ideas. 

In addition to Makerspace activities, Cleo has been working with amazing volunteers to prepare the Shakti garden for winter. After digging up the potatoes, ground cover was planted to nourish the soil. After the first frost, roots of medicinal plants will be dug up and prepared for tinctures and syrups. If you would like to be a part of this endeavor, then please reach out. 

L: Beautiful, organic potatoes from the Shakti garden! R: After removing the unwanted grass, volunteers planted ground cover, preparing the soil for next spring.

With colder weather approaching, the need for gloves, hats, scarves, and socks arises. A Shakti Angel has created a simple knit pattern that makes a lovely hat. We have yarn and needles on hand for anyone who would like to make warm hats to put in the Little Free Pantry at Shakti. Pop into Makerspace or reach out if you would like to contribute to keeping our neighbors warm this winter. 

Below are some Autumn Activities in which I like to engage. Feel free to share your autumn plans that will inspire the rest of us.

Wishing everyone a wonderful week!

Love,

Kim

For nearly thirty years, Kim Bushore-Maki has served Appalachia as both a pioneer and champion of holistic well-being and community health. 

A licensed clinical counseling professional, she became the first Master level clinician at East Tennessee State University's Counseling Center, where she provided therapeutic services and directed the Sexual Violence Prevention Program and the Alcohol and Drug Prevention Program.

During her tenure at ETSU, she was a founding organizer of the Tennessee Coalition for Healthy and Safe Campus Communities as well as Tennessee's representative for the National Prevention Network. She drafted ETSU's first Sexual Violence Response Policy and coordinated the region's first "Take Back the Night" program and fundraiser (the oldest worldwide movement to stand against sexual violence in all forms), the proceeds of which funded the first SANE nurses at the Johnson City Medical Center. Kim also served as Interim Director of Disability Services for 11 months.

In 2010, Kim followed her intuition and vision to found Shakti in the Mountains, a thriving healing-arts center that draws on somatic expressive therapy, archetypal psychology, wisdom traditions, and regenerative economics. Kim continues to maintain a small private therapy practice and also leads healing programs and retreats, guides the Shakti Stewardship Program, and serves as a community-building consultant to justice-oriented initiatives committed to building safe, inclusive, vibrant, and resilient communities.  ​

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