We may not have livestock to tend or hay to bale and store or sell, but we, too, can expect some seasonal lifestyle changes. Yes, the work of the growing season may be coming to an end, but the work of preparing for winter now begins. Whatever you are rich in, be generous with! Prepare Mabon is the perfect time to give of your bounty. In keeping with the tradition, be liberal with your gratitude this time of year! Remember to thank the people who have supported and edified you, the land that sustained you, and the home that kept you safe. Mabon has also been known as the pagan Thanksgiving, as it has traditionally been the time of year when farmers can see exactly how well their crops and livestock have done, thus determining how comfortably their family will be sustained throughout the winter. Or, take a drive and watch the slow motion sunset of the local flora. Find the nearest orchard, pumpkin patch, or corn maze and make a day of it, complete with hot steamy apple cider or some corn on the cob.

While you're contemplating that, don't forget to feed your eyes, your nose, your mouth, and your soul with the last of the late summer's bounty! You may not have a garden, but someone does. Obviously, don't let the gifts from your garden go to waste, but remember to take a look back over all that you've been working on this year! How have you grown and progressed? What sacrifices have paid off? Don't deny yourself a moment of pride and accomplishment for how far you've come.

Time to reap what we've sewn! Take this as literally or figuratively as you need to.

Or maybe it's the moment you hear yourself ordering your Americano hot instead of iced. Perhaps it's that first morning you pull a cardigan from deep in the back of your closet. What indicates the changing of seasons where you are? What is in bloom? What is dying? What color is the sky, the sea, the prairie? When does the balance seem to tip for you? This year the autumnal equinox takes place September 22nd in the Northern hemisphere, though folks who observe these seasonal holidays may adjust their practices to reflect the nature of their locations. It is both celebratory and solemn, intrinsically linked with the concept of death, the inevitability of change, the necessity of letting go. It is a time for gratitude, not just for the bounty of the harvest, but for all the sacrifices made for survival along the way. Mabon is traditionally a celebration of the second harvest, indicating the culmination of the year's hard work and the community's capacity to survive the winter. The best known of these was a week-long Greek festival called the Eleusinian Mysteries which centered around Demeter (the Goddess of grain and harvest) and the abduction of her daughter Persephone - a tale that ultimately explains why we have seasons. Mabon (so named in the 1970s by Aidan Kelly) is a modern pagan celebration surrounding the Autumnal Equinox, inspired by the harvest festivals of numerous cultures throughout history. By late September the balance will tip, and we will be heading into the 'dark half' of the year, taking with us all that we have nurtured to fruition under the sun. The long days of summer have been waning as the hours of light and dark return to equilibrium. In your hands, a hot mug of something steamy. In the distance, there will be chimney smoke. The leaves will change colors while you aren't looking, then release them to flutter through the streets like schools of brilliant koi. Soon the bees will tire, and the bucks will shed the velvet from their antlers. Soon the mornings will be chilly and wet.

Autumnal equinox celebration