Harvest And Hearth

Photo by trea-silverwolf.deviantart.com

Autumn is here. Yes, it is my favourite time of the year. I always feel closer to home and hearth. Now I know I'm a few weeks late for my sabbat check in, but life has been quite busy. The Goddess has blessed me with a new job in my field of study and it tends to take up most of my time. 

Mabon actually got me thinking about my own project ideas this year. Usually I look through Llewellyn's Sabbat Almanac for ideas on how to celebrate the sabbats, but I did several of the ideas in the 2013 Mabon section last year when I did not have access to my library and picked the 2013 copy up early. Thus I wanted to do something new this year and with my busy schedule came up with the idea of a sabbat candle. 

The sabbat candle is simply an offering candle that you dress with herb and oils that correspond to the sabbat and then burn the candle daily until the next sabbat when you make another one. For mine Mabon candle I used cloves, cinnamon sticks, orange and ginger oils. The candle is quite fragrant and I can feel the energy of the Lord and Lady that it brings to my home.

Mabon candle and Autumn bouquet.

I plan on doing this simple yet powerful offering for every sabbat from now on. Now back to my books so I can start planning Samhain ahead of time.

Seasons Shifting to Ponder

Blessed Beltane to all!

That said, I'm under the weather sick with a sore throat and congested head. Sitting on the couch reviewing blogs and articles while drinking tea and trying to make everything above my shoulders stop hurting was not how I had planned to spend today. Now onto something I did want to do today.

Ever since I was introduced to Paganism and began researching Sabbats and such I noticed that the "accepted" change in seasons here in California (and to some extent Washington State as well) seem to follow the Sabbats, not the Solstices and Equinoxes. What I mean by this is rather then summer starting on June 20/21 like everyone says, I believe it actually starts here around May 1. That's the time that the world really begins to warm up and come fully alive.

This same 6-week push forward of the seasonal changes I have noticed can also be applied to spring, fall and winter as well. Spring always seems to take effect in February, just in time for Imbloc. Winter always comes around the time of Samhain. Fall is the tricky one as the Bay Area experiences an Indian Summer in September and October. However, if I go by the fact that the leaves on the trees start to change colors and it gets a bit blustery in August, fall also fits this pattern.

Additionally it makes more sense tome that the fire festivals are in the summer season and all of the harvest festivals are in the fall season. The dark time of the year should encompass the winter and the return of the light should herald the spring. After all, the Wheel of the Year is supposed to represent the cycle of life, for both us and the God and Goddess, and if we go by the established secular/Christian cycle everything is slightly skewed.

I hope your Beltane brings the warmth of the Sun to you. Blessed Be.

Seasons Change

It's now officially October and while the rest of the Northern Hemisphere is enjoying cooler weather, here in the San Francisco Bay we are enjoying Indian Summer. That right, October hits and we start setting records for the highest temperatures reached this year. Yes, they days are getting shorter and the nights longer, but how is one supposed to celebrate the onset of the darker time of year when it's still 80 degrees out at 11pm? What's even more perplexing is that leaves on trees are changing colors and falling off just like they're doing everywhere else.

Most of what I have learned indicates that pagans and witches are now preparing to settle in for the winter and are focusing on home and hearth more and more. Yet, here it's extremely difficult to. My house is currently too hot to fire up the oven and bake and the temperature calls for iced tea rather than spiced cider. Autumn is my favorite time of the year and thus I am sad that I cannot observe it the way I would like. Yet, there are little things I can do. For example, consuming fruits of the season such as pomegranates, figs and apples, buying pumpkins and placing them around the house in preparation for Samhain, and collecting leaves and making decorations with them. I just wish I could start wearing sweaters, boots and scarves while enjoying the richness and warmth of the season.

Mabon Thoughts

Mabon, the Moon Festival, however you want to call it, the Autumn Equinox is here.

There are lots of traditions surrounding the equinox and the last harvest. San Francisco is currently holding the Autumn Moon Festival in Chinatown as a way of celebrating the Chinese observance of the last harvest of the summer. In more European traditions people are observing Persephone's transition from this world to the Underworld. Those who follow more Celtic ways see this as a time related to Mabon and Madron. Now matter what you believe, there is something to celebrate and observe at this time of year.

Fall has always been one of my favorite times of the year. I love the weather starting to turn and the ground fog that it brings here to California. (Ironically here in the Bay Area ,where I now live, Fall means the fog goes away until Winter brings it back.) The leaves start to turn and if you go for a bike ride you can enjoy aiming for the biggest ones and making them crunch under your tire. (This is a pleasure I got to indulge in from childhood through college.)

As I'vee been exploring Paganism and Witchcraft I have been trying to make and effort to more actively observe each Sabbat in the Wheel of the Year. And the Equinox today was no exception. Mabon is a time to focus on the home and balance within yourself. This is a reflection of the balance between day and night that is achieved today. It's also the signal that the seasons are changing, as we welcome Fall and say goodbye to summer.

My efforts this year to observe Mabon have been fairly interesting. I spent a fair amount of time over the last two weeks researching the Sabbat and figuring out how I can easily observe it while living with 4 other people at my boyfriend's house. I don't know how all of the feel about Pagan beliefs and rituals,  so I wanted to find something I could do that was symbolic of the change as well as giving myself a way to show my thanks and appreciation for the bounty of summer. What I came up with was making an Autumn lantern, which incorporates leaves and allows me to channel my energy into the work.

Autumn Lantern using leaves and wax paper.

As an Aries I have a strong connection to the element of fire. I've always enjoyed burning candles and my favorite childhood memories come from sitting in front of the wood burning stove in my parent's living room. Plus, with the onset of the dark time of the year, we will often find ourselves turning to the Lord and Lady for guidance in these dark times. Thus using fire and candles to honor the season made sense to me.

I'm constantly trying to find balance between my spiritual life and my mundane one, so when the two come closer together it's a beautiful thing. Last night while I was reading about Mabon lore, my boyfriend asked me about what I was reading and then commented that he wished he knew more about Pagan holidays and the Wheel of the Year. I don't expect him to become Pagan just because I am, but it makes me incredibly happy that I don't have to hide my beliefs from him and that he's actually supportive of my beliefs.

I know I've rambled on and I've tried to keep it flowing. For me part of the balance of Mabon is the reflection on my life and this entry is my way of doing just that. And with that Happy Mabon and blessed be!

A Time of Balance and Reflection

Recently the Dalai Lama made a post to Facebook that seems to have resonated with most everyone I know. It goes as follows:

"All the world’s major religions, with their emphasis on love, compassion, patience, tolerance, and forgiveness can and do promote inner values. But the reality of the world today is that grounding ethics in religion is no longer adequate. This is why I am increasingly convinced that the time has come to find a way of thinking about spirituality and ethics beyond religion altogether."
—His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama, September 10, 2012

Of all the major religious leaders in the world today, the Dalai Lama's message of universal peace and compassion resonate the most with me. This statement above comes as leaders in the religion I grew up in condem the works of the modern world more and more. This condemnation just makes them seem more out of touch with the world than they already are perceived as being.

The Dalai Lama's comments combine with the approach of Mabon and its emphasis on balance in life and self reflection make this an especially personal Mabon for me. I have come to find out that my other half is incredibly supportive of me Pagan leanings. (I think it helps that his aunt is Pagan.) I do feel that in many aspects od my life I have been blessed.

Last year I wanted to start observing Sabbats on a more regular schedule, rather than when I remember to. I think first I need to bring the Goddess and God into my life more. Previously I was envisioning grand rituals honoring each sabbat, but I think finding ways to incorporate the Lord and Lady into my daily life is a smarter decision. As I was always told, "start small and work your way up."

With this mindset I want to find some small ways I can incorporate Mabon into my normal life at this time of year. Given that I have been working on getting my boyfriend's kitchen into more of a "witchy" atmosphere I don't think this will be very hard. 

Mabon Altar

A Hallowed Eve

My Cat-o-Lantern

This year I have felt a strong yearning to participate in Samhain rituals and observances. I've felt it very keenly for the past few weeks, even before my move. I think it is a way of my spirit telling me that it needs to realign itself with the natural world and start the new year with a grounded perspective. As a result I've been doing some Samhain research and looking for ways I can celebrate it in my highly Catholic parents' house without offending my mom who blames people falling away from the Church as a result of "new age" and "occult" ideas. I already had to fend her off years ago and try as I might  I have yet to properly educate her on the differences between "new age," "occult" and "paganism."

My ideas so far are consisting of:

• a private ritual in my room this evening
• baking pumpkin bread as a celebration of the harvest
• placing candles in my window to guide spirits on their way
• offering apple cider
• scrying, tarot reading and/or runecasting
• making incense or bath salts for the sabbat

I would love to dress up, but I don't have a costume and my silly stupid game has an event I'm hosting at 7pm tonight. That and I told we don't get many trick-or-treaters around here so I'm not too sure of what will be going on around here this evening.

Whatever your plans for Samhain are I hope you fair well this hallowed eve.

Autumn Thoughts

With Mabon approaching I have been trying to do some research in preparation for the coming change of season. Yes, I know that Mabon is not traditionally considered a major sabbat outside of the states, but I feel that the significance behind it is important. All too often in modern society we forget to be thankful for the bounty that the Earth gives to us. With the assault on our senses that digital media and technology combine with our societal push to consume everything that we can there is almost no room for reflection and thanksgiving in modern life.

Autumn has always been a time of  re-energizing myself and of creative stimulation. I have the most drive of the entire year during autumn. It is a season of hard work to prepare for the coming of winter and a time of reflection on how far we have come during the last year. This year I want to capitalize on the changes I have made this year and to show my thanks for all that I am blessed with. I think these are appropriate goals and attitudes going into this season.