I dug this out of the Wondra Vault for you today. It was written back in 2006 – just three years after I moved to Wales. A lot has changed: My mother-in-law has passed away, I’m a bit more acclimatised to the bitter valleys wind, and we have since lost one of the kittens mentioned in this post. A lot of things have changed but the sentiment stays the same. Enjoy.
Last week my mother-in-law walked through the front door with a little
present for me: a space heater. (You’d think that a hardy Michigan
native like myself would laugh at the mild British climate. “You call
that cold?!” But no, I spend eight months of the year as a Wondracicle.)
I dragged the heater out of its box and, after shooing the kittens away
from what they assumed was their newest jungle gym, set it up. Sitting
back to admire my handy work, I realised that I’d unconciously placed it
next to the floor fan.
“Now that,” I thought, “Is a sign of Mabon!”
The days are still just warm enough to warrant a fan and the nights are
just cool enough to require a heater. Summer fights valiantly each day
to keep its grip on the Earth but each day Winter’s hold becomes
stronger.
Tomorrow, the tide will officially begin to change. Tomorrow marks the
beginning of the end for Summer and the Start of Winter’s rise to power.
Tomorrow is Mabon.
Many people will tell you that Mabon (ie: The Autumn Equinox.) is the
first day of Autumn. But how can this be when Mabon is the second
harvest festival of the year? The hay has already been cut, rolled and
stored away. The hazel trees lining our street have already dropped
their nuts. (I know… Quite a few found their way into my pockets. Mmmm.)
The leaves have already begun to change colours and fall from the
trees.
So, is tomorrow the start of Autumn? Not if you ask me. And if you’re
one of the people who believes it is, you’ve missed a lot of beauty in
the month and a half since Lammas.
Not that there isn’t a whole lot of beauty yet to come! When I think of
pumpkins growing fat in farmers’ fields, of shiny red apples piled high
in market stalls, of glittering frost clinging to car windows in the
morning….Well, I feel a real rush of excitement. The time between
Mabon and Samhain is the best, most magickal time of the year for me.
It’s just witchy.
I can only explain by saying that it is a time of learning. School is
back in full swing and, even if you’re not a student yourself, you can
feel it in the air.
Just think of it! Millions of kids (and young adults) are studying
vigorously all over the world right now. They’ve got their little noses
stuck inside text books, kicking up a whirlwind of engery.
Engery related to knowledge.
And knowledge is power.
It would just be silly not to seize a bit of that power for yourself,
wouldn’t it? Seize it, make it your own. Cast for wisdom. Cast for
abundance. Cast for passion. Take advantage of the gift Autumn has to
offer. And when you’re finished, read a new book, learn something new
and give a little of the same back.