The Autumn Equinox

 The trees are changing, the weather is getting colder, harvest season is wrapping up. Now is the time for cider and donuts, apple mills and hayrides. For pagans, yesterday was Mabon, a cross quarter holiday on the wheel of the year for Wiccans. It's a sort of thanksgiving.

It’s the time of ‘second harvest,’ and it’s themes center around harvest fruits. An apt symbol of this celebration is the Horn of Plenty, but most things associated with this season - gourds, pumpkins, squash, corn, grapes, apples - are fitting. In relation to nature, it’s appropriate to go out for a walk and bid good rest to the trees which are now getting ready for winter… as are most animals.

Birds are gathering to fly south, and mammals prepare their burrows for the cold to come. It’s a time to honor our aging family and friends, and to celebrate not only the bounty of harvest but the rewards of our own personal efforts. All in all, this is the time in which we reap what we sow, and give enjoy all that is good in our lives.

Up and Running

I've been meaning to get this blog up for a couple months now, so here it finally is. Over the past year, I've been mostly looking into Vodun/Voodoo/Hoodoo, and brushed up a bit on Buddhism. Right now, I'm looking into more 'earth' based religions, specifically, Wicca.

Just the other day, August 1st, I celebrated "Lammas" with my boyfriend - First Harvest, the end of Summer and the very beginning of Fall. According to what I've read about the Wiccan faith, a time to celebrate the bounty of the earth, to consider regrets from the past year, and to begin gathering the fruits around you.

I don't exactly live on a farm, but there is a nice field nearby, and a very nice garden which I've been invited to share. I collected little bouquets of Queen Anne's Lace, Wormwood, mint, tansy and Rosemary, for use later*, and in the evening we made harvest bread. I just used regular dough with chopped up herbs and garlic kneaded in. The dough was a bit thick and I didn't feel like making little figures or separate rolls, so I just made it into a braided loaf. We shared the first two bites, and celebrated being together for the past six months. We also celebrated looking forward to future harvests. Overall, it was a very nice day, and a nice 'holiday.'


For those of you questioning the collection of the toxic plants (Wormwood and Tansy), they're not for consumption - their for use in gris-gris/mojo bags and satchels. Some might dismiss it as superstition, but I like making and carrying these at times, putting them under a pillow, or putting them in a drawer with my clothes. If nothing else, it sure makes things smell nice.