Mabon which begins on September 21st has the wheel of the year turn once more. The autumn equinox Harvest festival or witch’s thanksgiving as it is also known sees the leaves turning and the bounty of our harvest coming to fruition.
2020 has been an odd year there is no doubt about it but one of the interesting things about lockdown is that it’s meant more people spent the summer pottering around in their gardens and have been seeing first hand how the wheel of the year changes the daily patterns that bring Mother Nature’s goodness.
This second harvest festival in the calendar brings the Autumn equinox and in the northern hemisphere the start of the colder months. However, as I type this we are in a bit of an Indian summer and I have my sun dress and fan on and even I can’t bring myself to break out the autumn candles just yet.
Autumn brings us home, our focus is on hearth and family and plenty of laying down stock for the winter and the feeling of safety and security we all crave during the dark half of the year.
As a nature-based religion, witches will be in a period of plenty, with the fruits and veggies we have been tending all summer now being ready to harvest. As a suburban witch I expect all the tasks and chores I have been devoting my time to will start to come to fruition. We are however reminded that this time of plenty doesn’t mean we can be greedy. If we gorge ourselves now, we will struggle in the leaner months so while we celebrate and count our blessings we must also plan for winter. Those lucky enough to have plots of land and vegetables gardens might make chutneys, jams or just freeze the glut. Supermarket witches might make do with a savings account or picking up extras in our weekly shop.
So how does a modern suburban witch celebrate the autumn equinox? My plans this year again revolve around my fire pit. I plan to celebrate the light and darkness. Late on the 21st when the world is at its darkest I’ll light my bonfire to show the balance, that even in the darkness there is light.
Celebrating the apple harvest I’ll be making a fresh apple pie with lots of cinnamon and nutmeg and have a hot apple cup with the same spices (I know lots of people like the pumpkin spiced latte and while I like the spice blend I don’t like the latte taste so suggest if you feel the same that you consider using the spice blend in either a hot apple juice or Chai tea instead).
The main focus for Mabon is to count your blessings so as I get cosy by the fire I’ll be journaling my blessings and while this year might seem difficult I urge you all to look for the good and appreciate the quieter pace of life that has resulted from all of this.
Has lockdown reminded you of the people you miss that you may have taken for granted? Has it helped you see what is important? All growth is painful but hopefully this rather painful period helped you focus on what is going to be your life’s purpose.
Have a blessed Mabon and I’ll see you all next month for Samhain/Halloween. Oh and if you missed it feel free to check out the piece I wrote about Midsummer by clicking here.
First Published on: https://offtherecordblog.org/
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