Merry Mabon & A Candle Ritual!

Mabon is one of my very favorite times of year! Autumn has arrived, bringing with it sweet relief from our Texas heat. The season of pumpkins and fall leaves is rushing in like a fragrant dream. And the holiday season is only a breath away--a wonderful time for enjoying the company of family and friends. This "quiet" half of the year often feels like anything but. And yet, it is a time to take stock, connect with gratitude, and sing the earth a lullaby as it drifts into its seasonal slumber.

Harvest Season

For those of us who follow a magickal path, this is a wonderful time of year. The first of the harvests is in (Lughnassadh), and two more harvest festivals lie ahead (Mabon & Samhain). It is a season for focusing on reaping all we've sown in the past year, drawing in our bounty as we wind down and prepare for the period of rest and renewal that begins at Samhain and carries on through Yule.

Solstice Crystals

LITHA 2014

 

The Summer Solstice is upon us! The sun is arching high into the heavens, the fae are out and about cavorting, and the very air is heavy with the ripening of the season. Can you feel it? It's like a caress of orange blossoms, cedar needles, and saltwater. I love the solstices. And I'm looking forward to ringing in Litha in circle with my circle-sisters. But as for the rest of you, I wanted to leave you with a little list of crystal goodness to inspire your own Midsummer celebration.

Full Moons: Peak and Potency

It's been too long since I've blogged here! Moving threw a very large stone in my path. It's taken some time to get my footing once more. In the meantime, I've begun leading full moon meditations at Body Mind & Soul in Houston. And I'm surprised at the number of people who show up that have virtually never celebrated or marked a lunar cycle before. When I ask if they know why we'd hold a meditation on the full moon, I often get blank stares. The moon's effect on our planet and our species is well documented.

Ritual

Today I want to talk about ritual. It seems there is a lot of unnecessary fear surrounding that word in our modern western culture. On the one hand, I understand why. Ritual is a gate into the Mystery— capital M intended. The Mystery, as in the universal experience of life and the universe that confounds our knowledge and understanding.