Greetings all! I hope you are having a happy and safe Mabon! Time has slipped away from me lately so I apologize for the lack of posts and that this one is (barely) just in time.
Today is a day of balance. That is what the Fall Equinox is all about. We are moving into the dark half of the year and beginning to look inward as we approach winter.
The last of the summer crops have been harvested and we are reaping the rewards of our labour. The inner seeds we planted at the spring equinox have all now had the opportunity to bear fruit. Some of us have had some failures and mistakes along the way (this is how we learn after all), but chances are we have completed at least one or two of our goals. Celebrate those victories!!!
Since today is about balance you may want to journal about how you can add more balance into your life. Many of us speak of the work-life balance and I think this affects a great number of folks. Sometimes we spend more time at work than we do with our own families. Sometimes the kids are enrolled in so many activities after school that they don’t have much home time.
Another common imbalance in our lives is our health. We often sacrifice our personal time for others and leave little or no time for caring for ourselves. While helping others is great; it is important to remember that you are a person too who deserves attention.
Eat healthy, set time aside to exercise. You can exercise with others too if you really can’t get any alone time for yourself. Socializing can make exercise more appealing if you’re not the “working out” type. Take the kids for a walk each day. Take a walk with your partner. Hold hands! Connect!
Another great activity for the Fall Equinox is to go for a walk in the forest. I know this seems very obvious but it is so important to connect with nature. As you walk pay close attention to what your are seeing, hearing and feeling and think about how those things relate to the nature of this Sabbat. If you’re in an area like mine, the trees have begun to shed their Autumn glory and the view is stunning. The air is crisp and fresh and cleansing. The breeze carries with it the scents of pine and the earthiness of fallen leaves. Allow these new sensations to transition you from the scorching heat and follies of summer to the cool air and the winding down of fall. So many folks do their rituals inside at their altars and forget to go outside. You can even bring home some gifts from the forest to decorate your altar. Try acorns or pinecones, fallen leaves even a handful of dirt. Whatever helps you connect.
If you need to practice your craft in secret the best way to celebrate the season is to walk through the woods and experience it first hand. You can have a few words memorized that you can say to yourself as you walk. No one will know you are actually doing a ritual.
Spend time with your loved ones. Let them know how you much care about them. With people traveling over the summer there may be a few friends you haven’t seen in awhile. Get together with them and catch up. Share a meal. Or get together for drinks or coffee.
The Fall Equinox is a great time to look over all the blessings we have had so far in the year. Be grateful for everything you have. If you are like me and suffer from depression, it can be hard sometimes to shift our focus from the negative to the positive but do the best you can. Our lives are full of abundance and blessings even if our lives don’t appear to be like others’. Be thankful for all you have and send love and light and healing energy out into the world. If you can’t see “big” good things, there are little things you can focus on: your heart is beating, your lungs are working. Start there and challenge yourself to come up with five positive things if depression is keeping you company.
Last but not least eat! Even if you hate cooking, try to eat a meal in gratitude for another harvest. In some places crops were not very good this year, others have been devastated by natural disasters, so be grateful for what you did get and celebrate that by eating. If you do like to cook you can make seasonal foods such as pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread (basically anything pumpkin), apple desserts, stews, soups… the list goes on and on. Cook with intent. Feel the love and gratitude flowing through you and into your food as you stir. I like to say a blessing before cooking to help keep my focus and of course a blessing before you eat is also appropriate.
This season is suited to magick that focuses on endings, facing personal shadows, emotional healing and reaping the rewards of honest labours, and careful consideration of one’s goals. It is a time of cleansing, and putting ones house in order.
I hope I have given you some inspiration for activities for the day. If you have a favourite activity you like to do on the Fall Equinox, please share, we would love to hear from you.
Many blessings,
Lady Black