Bugger it's Mabon!

Friday, 23rd September, 2011 is the day of the Autumn Equinox and the pagan festival of Mabon (Spring Equinox/Ostara for the Southern Hemisphere). An equinox occurs twice a year, when the tilt of the Earth's axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the Sun, the centre of the Sun being in the same plane as the Earth's equator. Mabon is a festival marking the second harvest, the changing of the seasons and the time to begin preparations for the winter ahead.

There are plenty of rituals for this festival and I am always a fan of adapting one to personalise yourself or your group. However for many Wiccans a full ritual on Friday may not be possible. Whether you have work or family commitments, can't find a quiet space for an hour or two or it slipped your mind (may the Gods forbid) there are still some small things you can do to honour the festival;

Mabon
- As this is a time when the trees are losing their leaves it is a time contemplate and meditate on what you can shed from your life, both mentally and physically.
- Cook corn on the cob for dinner as this is a food associated with Mabon. Other foods include corn bread, beans, pomegranates and baked squash.
- Treat yourself to a nice red wine.
- Take a walk in nature and collect a few dried leaves and seed pods to decorate your space with. - Buy yourself or a loved one a bunch of chrysanthemums
- Dress using the colours of red, orange, deep gold, brown, russet, maroon and/or violet.
- Light candles in the colours of red, orange, yellow, gold and brown to illuminate your space.
- Carry or meditate with crystals such as amethyst, yellow topaz, carnelian, lapis lazuli, sapphire, yellow agate and red jasper.

Ostara (for those in the Southern Hemisphere)
- This is a time to plant the seeds for the year ahead. Write down your goals and design and action plan, commit to email five people to progress your goals or actually do some gardening and plant some seeds.
- Take a walk through nature. Don't focus on getting exercise but rather take the walk with a focus on being triumphant of all the great things they lay ahead for you in the coming year.
- Paint and decorate eggs with children (or the children at heart).
- Buy some daffodils or pick some native wildflowers (if local laws permit).
- Include lots of seeds, nuts and leafy green vegetables in your meals.
Dress using bright colours especially green, yellow and pink.
- Light candles in the colours of yellow, green and pink to illuminate your space.
- Carry or meditate with crystals such as jasper, jade, rose quartz, turquoise, aventurine and citrine.