A Joyful Harvest

Beautiful Sunset Last Week

Autumny greetings to you all! 
Just made that word up, autumny, sounds like it should be a real word to me! It feels like snuggly jumpers, warm scarves, hot soup and orangey-brown leaves falling silently to the ground making a vibrant crunchy carpet. Autumny - love it, so much so that I've just added it to the dictionary on my lap top - such a big kid!

So here we are again, nearly at Mabon or Autumn Equinox; when the light and the darkness are almost in balance, a short moment of perfect timing in their yearly dance through the wheel of the year. As we head towards the darkening veil of autumn and feel the chill as the Crone's dark cloak of long winter nights approaches, we take time to give thanks for the second harvest of the land. All the fields are bare, Mother Earth has yielded her fruit, grain and berries to nourish us through the coming months, in whatever form they are preserved - jam, chutney, frozen or increasingly cold stored, imported and sold at our local supermarkets. 

My morning drive to work is slowly

Early Morning Drive into Work

becoming shrouded in mist again, the pale sun lower and weaker in the sky, the land sluggishly waking up later and later each day, as though longing for it's long rejuvenating sleep of the winter months  - I know how it feels. 
The darker evenings are equally sleepy, illuminated with some glorious sunsets as though the summer is  performing a seasonal finale - a  spectacular swansong of golden orange.  
For me Mabon, the Autumn Equinox will be on Thursday, I love celebrating this sabbat, it's not too early to get up and watch the sunrise, one advantage over the summer ones!

Goodbye to the Summer

For us, the weekend just gone was a chance to celebrate our own precious harvest in a different sense of our Sophie's birthday. All those years full of love, nurturing, patience (especially for Mothers of girls with long hair) and care lavished on our children bears fruit to produce a marvellous harvest of it's own. Suddenly the child is all but gone, apart from a rare unconscious smile, giggle, frown or anxious chew of the lip and in their place is a full grown adult ready to fly the nest. In my case, a double blessing of a caring, kind and beautiful daughter and a wonderful, thoughtful and funny son. A bittersweet moment; a swell of pride and of joy of a job well done, sliced through with the weight of the ache of imminent departure

Celebrations

 as the nest slowly starts emptying, taking comfort in the knowledge that it's all just as it should be, that and there will be less washing up  and laundry abandoned around the house! There was certainly plenty of washing up over the weekend when we had all our family and friends round for a barbecue to celebrate, not letting the rain put us off, before all the 'yoof' as Mum calls them - my children, their partners and friends clattered off into town for a few gallons of celebratory drinks and partying. I made some candle holders out of raffia, string and jam jars that I had lying around, the hearts and butterflies seemed symbolic, love and new beginnings to surround the candles that have been lit to offer up thanks for time immemorial. Especially so as I thanked Goddess for my beautiful harvest.

Autumn Sun

Another bittersweet moment this weekend was a surreally crazy gathering to give my lovely friend Sally a leaving party to remember as she gets ready to leave her comfort zone and head off to Uni as a mature student in the next stage of her journey. A day of games and absolute hilarity ensued, unfortunately not quotable or repeatable, needless to say we had a fabulous time!  
Thank goodness for the internet so I will be able to harass her at some distance whilst she is away and for the planned Pagan invasion of her student flat...... Bon Voyage!
Just thought I'd leave you with this picture I took of Lady Moon last week. 
My poor family are so used to me trotting

Lady Moon

out in my pyjamas to gaze at the moon, they have given up rolling their eyes and now go with the flow and let me know if there is a particularly beautiful moon to see. This one last week was so bright and I was delighted to manage to get such a clear close up that shows the craters and mountains. 
Not bad if I do say so myself!





        Have A Blessed Mabon x x