Mabon blessings

Autumns change this year is proving to be quite hard for me. The Equinox tides are strong inside and have made me feel very emotional.

 I am not sure why this turn of the wheel is so hard, but it is.

 Is it the sudden change  from golden summer to autumns chill and damp?

 I have had a real longing  for Glastonbury, a real urge to go down and visit old haunts. But my sensible side reminds me that long journeys are still too painful for my new knee.

 Every journey hurts at the moment, even a short trip to the next county does it. So how a trip of 4 to 5 hours would be I have no idea. But I can guess.

 I have also had a need to be in amongst trees and ever changing colours, well it is autumn equinox after all.

 Yesterday was going to be that day but continual rain put paid to it. I am a little fair weather woods woman at the moment.

 I don't mind damp or very cold but rain takes the edge of it for me at the minute. Possibly the aching knee has something to do with that.

 As i sat in bed this morning doing my morning pages I could see sunlight so "to the woods" was the cry. I didn't know which woods or where but woods it had to be.

 I wanted to smell the leaf mold, and to taste the years turn on the back of my throat as I breathed deeply.

 I wanted to feel the leaves as the first ones dropped gently on to my upturned face.

 I wanted to sit against the trunk of a tree and still my breath to a slow,slow inhale then exhale and just be.

 No dashing, no anything but stillness amongst the trees. I may see the green man or I may see the goddess out the corner of my eye as she dances in her cloak of reds and golds.

 If I do I will feel truly blessed, but if I don't I will still feel blessed to be a part of natures turning glory.

 A true delight to have marked the Equinox and the turn of the wheel in a simple meaningful ceremony.

I will come home and feast on apples bright red ,from my daughters tree, baked into a golden crumble with oats local honey, nuts and spices. I made her and my grandsons some apple strudel and an apple crumble for their freezer last week as part payment. I have promised another pudding in due course.

 Well I did most of that:) and as you can see collected some of Gaia's bounty to return home with.

 over 2.5 kg of blackberries that are now resting in the freezer until needed.

I have also prepared another large carrier bag of apples,they have been peeled ,baked in the oven with local honey and now are frozen in bags for later in the winter to remind me of the Equinox day we have just had. I've two more large carrier bags of apples to do over the next few days and a friend has also dropped off a large bag of plums from his tree. I swapped him those for a plum crumble and a beef and beetroot curry for his tea.

A fair exchange  for both of us.
So how did you celebrate the Equinox?