The Autumn Companion Set

The Autumn Companion Set brings together the Autumn Companion and the simple tools for recording what you notice as the season unfolds.

At its center is The Season of Dimming Light: An Autumn Companion, a book for August through October. Its reflections follow autumn as it gradually arrives through changes in light, weather, plants, wildlife, and practice. Wide margins leave room for dates, memories, and observations of your own.

Alongside the Companion is a glass dip pen, pen rest, and ink, tools chosen to make writing part of the seasonal experience. A dip pen naturally slows the hand. It invites a pause long enough to notice what might otherwise pass without being recorded.

This is not a workbook or a set of assignments. Read the Companion straight through or return to it as the months turn. Write a paragraph, a sentence, or only a few words in the margins. There is no need to document everything. One observation may be enough to hold the memory of a particular autumn day.

Use the Companion Set at the beginning or close of the day, keep it near a favorite chair, or leave it open where you can return to it whenever the season gives you something worth remembering.

The land changes gradually.

The Desk Set offers a place to notice—and to write down what you do not want to lose.

Includes:

• The Season of Dimming Light: An Autumn Companion
• Borosilicate glass dip pen
• Black ink bottle
• Glass pen rest
• Foam-lined gift box for storage and protection

The Companion is wire-bound to lie comfortably open while reading or writing.

The borosilicate glass dip pen writes with a smooth, even flow and cleans easily with water. The included pen rest keeps the nib safely elevated between uses.

The sturdy gift box is lined with soft protective foam to help keep the pen, ink, and pen rest secure when not in use. It also makes the set easy to store between seasons or return to year after year.

A Practitioner's Note

The tools included in this set were chosen because they invite a slower pace of writing.

The glass dip pen is comfortable to hold and writes with a smooth, even line. While it will tolerate a heavier hand, I found that a lighter touch produces the best writing experience. One dip in the ink was usually enough for three to five lines before dipping again.

The paper in the Companion is thick enough that I experienced no bleed-through while writing. I have included a blank page at the back of the Companion where you can test the pen and ink, practice a few strokes, or become comfortable with the pen before writing in the margins.

There is no need to write beautifully. A date, a sentence, or a few words are enough. What matters is not the handwriting, but the moment you chose to remember.

— Elaine