"This is the fulfilled promise of the days of Spring and Summer. This is the Reckoning of the Year...," an excerpt of a Alban Elfed poem from Druidry.org.
Finally found time to welcome autumn over the weekend, once again keeping to my own backyard in the sacred circle area I've created.
I brought some traditional offerings of the season: a gourd/pumpkin, scuppernong grapes, leaves and oak seed pods, some green holly berries as well as tobacco. A bowl of water served as a reminder of our emotions, often linked to this time of the year (photo at bottom).
Burning Man Comes to Brandtlund Grove!
The really dramatic part was making my own little wicker man or John Barleycorn. The tradition goes that the Druids made wicker men figures to burn at the equinox, to symbolize the death of the growing season. I bought some raffia and surprised myself by creating a passable wicker man (sorry, forgot to get a pic!). So at the end I tossed him in a bucket, added some citronella oil for good measure and *poof*--the spirits were delighted with a wonderfully flammable display! Then I scattered his ashes around the circle.
For some of my sources for the ritual, click here.
Finally, to meditate on the coming of autumn, I thought about the seeds and dreams I've planted this year and what has borne fruit. Since I don't live an agriculturally based lifestyle, that means being thankful for more freelance writing as well as going deeper into my spiritual path with workshops, rituals and spirit journeys--bringing it to life as opposed to just thinking and reading.
I also reflected on what has passed away or changed this year, in anticipation of the fading light as winter approaches. First, I thought of my kitty Tess and her passing back in May as well as my final break with Christianity. Also, all the still-overwhelming changes in my relationship with my partner. Surprisingly, he took part in the ritual for the first time! Not sure where that will go, but it made everything particularly memorable.
Rituals like this one help me remember to look around and see the changes occurring every day. It helps me see how far I've come, where I want to go and what I've lost or found.
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