This entry is a personal entry about what I did for Mabon/autumn equinox.
The autumn equinox (or Mabon as the case may be) came and went and I almost missed it... it's one of those holidays that I'm aware a lot of Pagans tend to forget about because it's not near a more popular Christian holiday, and I'm no exception. Now, I don't believe it's necessary to celebrate the eight Wiccan Sabbats, and when I started again after fighting off all-things-Wicca for years it was mostly because of the camaraderie I experienced doing so with other Pagans, but in recent years I've made an effort to at least acknowledge them, not because I think they're particularly special, but because they're based on seasons and astronomical observances and help me reconnect to the Earth's cycles in ways I have often found it difficult to.
I didn't do an official ritual this year. Instead I made Mabon a self-care day... a real one, not a "buy $10 bath bomb and drink wine" one (not that wine and bath bombs don't have their place). One of those kick-in-the-ass kinds of self care days where you actually, you know, take care of yourself.
I've been under a lot of stress lately because I would really like to plan my top surgery, but my insurance is seriously drag-assing it and hasn't gotten back to me regarding whether or not I have given them enough information to do so. So I'm in this limbo period, desperately wanting this done before the end of the year but unsure if I'll be able to, unsure about my benefits, and just overall unsure. Because of this I have been neglecting to do really quite basic things and have opted to largely just sleep instead.
On Mabon I took the opportunity to raise a lot of energy which I used to do all the things I have been letting run amok... I did my yardwork, I cleaned and organized my kitchen, I cleaned and organized my bathroom (which probably hasn't been fully cleaned since at least last Mabon), and I started to organize the living room.
I also took the opportunity to make some natural medicines, including a few tinctures, some burning herbs, and a bunch of flower essences with flowers I have in my yard. I just went out back and anything that was flowering that I suspected would not fruit in time for the winter (or that had a lot of flowers) I made an essence with... this included tomato flowers, toadflax flowers, cayenne pepper flowers, mint flowers, and pansies. I'm kind of liking these so I'll probably find more flowers to make essences out of.
I also went hunting and foraging, something I've been planning on doing more often (because it's so much better for you and more ethical than CAFO meat and industrial agriculture). Mabon around here is about the time hunting seasons start picking up here.
Anyway, that's about it for my Mabon update.
Happy trails,
-- Setkheni
