Come, dear witches, as the darkness approaches come sit a while. Get yourself a drink of something hot and pull up a seat and take a moment to relish, to soak up, to just be as the time of balance is at hand. For as I write this, the astronomical autumn equinox looms, and with it heralds the return of the dark half of the year.
For some, the autumn equinox stirs feelings of sadness. The light and joy of summer have ended and the cold and the dark of the winter months are on their way, but I have always loved this time of year. The darker months have always been mine, even from being a child. Perhaps it is because you can hide away from others, or perhaps because the woods and the wild places are less frequented. Or simply because it stirs something in my soul, is a homecoming of sorts.
There is magic in this time.
The equinoxes themselves are a magical time, a time of balance, when night and day are of equal length. The equinoxes are liminal times and liminal spaces, ones that last for only a day and as such magic worked at this time can be potent indeed. So come, sit a while and we’ll explore this liminal time together, for indeed we witches ourselves are liminal beings. We walk between the worlds of the mundane and the spiritual and the magical.
At this time, the darker spirits are waiting, the darker gods, or those perceived as such. Look for Hekate at the triple crossroads, for she is a liminal being, keeper of the keys. Papa Legba too is a threshold being, loa of the gates, none may pass without his permission. The crossroads are his place too. There are others, many others, waiting in the dark, waiting for the illumination that is your own discovery of them. All you need to do is search, to seek of them and they will answer.
This time of year is also perfect for ghost stories. Gather round your friends and around the glow of dying embers, tell your stories, to delight and scare. I love ghost stories, my favourites are the ones steeped in truth, the stories that speak of love lost and then found, or of jealousy and murder. In the town where I live, it’s almost impossible to escape the history of the place, and there are stories about almost every old building in the town centre. Go in search of your own ghosts, find the history of where you live, the secret history, if you will, and learn it’s lessons.
Or in this time of balance, the calm before the dark, scry your own soul in the mirror of your heart. Build a fire out of doors and lose yourself in it’s dancing flames. Or walk through the darkening woods and watch the beautiful display of death as the leaves turn shades of yellow, reds and browns, before falling to carpet the forest floor. Visit the cemetery and pay homage to those who came before. They are waiting, ever waiting, and as the veil between the worlds begins to thin, they eagerly await you.
As the dark months descend on us, shore up your skills, be merry and enjoy, for the season of the witch is here! Whatever your tradition and no matter how you choose to celebrate, enjoy the equinox and welcome the darkness that will follow, for all things grow in the dark.
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The deep, dark wild woods, mysterious and magical, have an almost mythic status amongst Pagans. Indeed there is something so alluring about losing oneself beneath the canopy of the forest. However, for the beginner, the best place to start is somewhere close to you, somewhere you can visit daily or weekly. It can be a garden if you have one, or a local patch of trees, whatever. What is important is that you can get there as often as possible.
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Come, dear witches, as the darkness approaches come sit a while. Get yourself a drink of something hot and pull up a seat and take a moment to relish, to soak up, to just be as the time of balance is at hand. For as I write this, the astronomical autumn equinox looms, and with […] -
Come, dear witches, as the darkness approaches come sit a while. Get yourself a drink of something hot and pull up a seat and take a moment to relish, to soak up, to just be as the time of balance is at hand. For as I write this, the astronomical autumn equinox looms, and with […] -
Come, dear witches, as the darkness approaches come sit a while. Get yourself a drink of something hot and pull up a seat and take a moment to relish, to soak up, to just be as the time of balance is at hand. For as I write this, the astronomical autumn equinox looms, and with […] -
Come, dear witches, as the darkness approaches come sit a while. Get yourself a drink of something hot and pull up a seat and take a moment to relish, to soak up, to just be as the time of balance is at hand. For as I write this, the astronomical autumn equinox looms, and with […]
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