seasonal celebrations

Next Tuesday we celebrate Mabon, the Autumn Equinox - a time of balance and the transition from the light half to the dark half of the year. We will begin our journey to winter, as the nights draw in, the leaves change colour and animals prepare for hibernation or migration. This is the final harvest, a chance to gather apples, grapes, blackberries and hops and in that sense it is a celebration focused on feasting and community as well as preserving and preparing for the winter months ahead. As the wheel of the year turns we are reminded of the need for fallow periods, for times of rest and regeneration. We need this space in order to fully learn from and embrace life's lessons. Here are some of the ways in which you can mark this occasion:

• Take some time out alone to meditate on the year so far - where you have come from and the journey that you have travelled over the spring and summer months. Celebrate your achievements.

• Gather your family together for a seasonal Mabon meal - using home or locally grown produce to create simple, nourishing fare.

• Go foraging for wild food such as blackberries and mushrooms. Take an expert or a field guide with you when fungi foraging. 

• Create a seasonal tableaux for a windowsill or tabletop, focusing on the delights of this time of year - use branches with colourful leaves, berries, teasels, nuts etc set in a vase against a backdrop of rich coloured material. Populate the area with gnomes or fairy folk for a magical scene!

• Mabon is also about death and loss as the earth turns fallow and the leaves drop from the trees. Take time to talk about those you have lost and what they meant to you. Celebrate their lives.

Equinox blessings to all.