Mabon and Homecoming

Homecoming? It’s been over a year since my last post and that time has been rich, full, turbulent and scary and and… Now I find myself at home and at Mabon, the Fall Equinox. It feels the ideal time to catch up with me, take stock, sort and discern; review is an essential element of this particular celebration. We, in the northern hemisphere, are now on the tilt-edge of descent into the dark of the year.

Mabon is one of the quarter days or Sabbats. The Equinoxes and the Solstices mark the major turning points that the sun makes in the course of the year. Each of these celebrations has their own story, this is no different. Equinox is a time of equal day and equal night, a time of balance and stillness. It coincides and contrasts with the flurry of activity in Autumn; school begins, work takes on a new lease of life, gardens are full and require lots of effort after the Dog days of summer. This is planning time…how will we use the resources we have gathered from the past year? Just as Eostare (Spring Equinox) is a bustling time of year with the new juices of Spring rising in the land, we are now hard-pressed to stop, listen and breathe. And now, it is more important than ever to do JUST that. It is a pivot point, the breath between tides.

Ultimately, we are creative beings and endlessly inventive. It is essential that we discard, recycle and compost those ventures, relationships and ‘things’ that have either not developed or flourished in a nourishing way so that we have time,space and energy to promote and empower those that do.

During the past year and a half I have collapsed my life in Canada and moved back to the UK. It’s been a time full of uncertainty, second guessing and blind trust. In that process, and in accord with this time of year I found myself sorting, deciding what would make the journey with me, what needed to be left behind and also feeling a deep sense of gratitude for the many and varied gifts of my time on the west coast. Since crossing ‘the pond’ I have been immersed in the task of finding home for my family, grounding myself and beginning to make steps toward developing this next chapter in my life. As I turn to reflect on that I can see some of the successes and failures of that venture; the missed steps, the dead ends, the amazing and unlooked-for support and encouragement, generosity and welcome.

So here I am, home, and so very grateful for the deep sense of connection that I feel with this land. There is grief too; grief for the unrealized dreams and the loss of those dear to me. As I celebrate this harvest I am mindful of the concentration of power and of the essence that lies within the withered aspect, within the seed, that has come as a result of the harvest. The potent force is withdrawing now, and the light that is receding is being condensed within as the days grow shorter.

I never tire of the reminder to celebrate and feast. Look closely, take time to pause, drink in the bounty of the harvest and share it. Blessings on the Harvest!