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Though walking The Path is truly a lifestyle for every season, who can deny that now, in the Autumn, we feel somehow more alive? An unseen yet tangible energy permeates all of nature and nearly every mystic I know perceives this season as one of great power, great magick and high-time to celebrate! This Autumn holds many milestones for me and mine and I simply cannot wait to immerse myself into all that lies ahead for us. My son, recently thirteen, although a natural mystic if ever there was one, begins his formal Wiccan training now. As I planned our studies and activities for the next year, I must admit, it occurred to me that for this year-and-a-day period, I expect to learn as much, if not more, than he does. I mean, we are talking, after all, about a boy who has dug up crystals, minerals and animal bones since he was old enough to dig. And I do mean he has found a lot. The kick-off was when, at age three, he became completely obsessed with digging. Fairly normal for a three year old boy, right? Absolutely! So we did what any good set of parents would do: we bought him dump trucks, a construction hat and multiple copies of the videos I Dig Dirt and There Goes A Bulldozer (yes, multiple copies, as he wore them out from watching so often). He began wearing a toy tool belt and construction hat around the house and my mother - Goddess bless her, loony as a bed bug at times and more stubborn than a mule - did what any doting (or loony) grandmother would do: she bought him a kiddie pool, placed it in her dining room and filled it with dirt! My son would visit Nana and dig to his little heart's content. Fairly normal for a three year old boy, right? Well ... I soon came to believe that the kid was simply practicing. Practicing for when he could begin to do "the real thing." Because as soon as the spring-time mud gave way to fresh grass, my son began to dig, ALL DAY, nearly every day. The first treasure he brought in - with immense pride - was a huge chunk of selenite, embedded in rock with little points of quartz protruding from it. Next came some lovely jaspers. A geologist friend told us that type of jasper was normally indigenous to the Southwest but could be left over from an early period here in New York State. After that, came the skull of a fox. Then, deer bones. More gemstones and pretty rocks. Then, an entire cat's skull. Then, more quartz crystal. He even dug up a Herkimer diamond - and we weren't even in Herkimer! Once, a dear friend of our family, an emergency-room physician who also happens to be a bonafide mystic, was visiting. My son walked in (then eleven years old) with a bucket full of fresh dirt and bones (and his dirt-clad little sister in tow), wanting to know if the good doctor could help determine whether they were fox or coyote. Everyone who sat around the coffee table exchanged amused and knowing glances. For not a week before, another dear friend, a trained and initiated Shaman, had looked my son in the eye and held his gaze for what seemed quite a long time. She then raised her eyes to mine and said, "He's a Shaman, you know." I did know. I'd known it since he started digging. I knew it when elemental spirits began trying to communicate with him when he was just five, and I knew it when his collection of bones, rocks, crystals, sticks, bee-hives and other treasures of the earth he found to be sacred, became so large that we had to purchase him a four-shelf glass display case for his bedroom! I knew it when he came downstairs one morning for school and told me the name of a Shaman-Guide who had made himself know to him during the previous night's dream-time. So yes, I am privileged and honored to begin my son's training at this milestone age of thirteen; yet I remain humbled by the realization that every step of the way, I too will be the student, in the presence of the young embodiment of an ancient knowledge and a wise spirit. This Autumn is also meaningful for me because it marks the beginning of my favorite seasonal rituals: the visits to farms and pumpkin stands, the decorating of my home and outdoor property, for the season. I kid you not: I have literally had cars slow to get a gander at our porch and our annual corn-stalk tee-pee complete with hay bales and pumpkins carved with moons, stars and a pentacle! I also look forward to jarring the herbs that have been drying now for weeks, and I anticipate with much excitement the annual making of a new besom; this year with my current apprentice, who has been studying for several months now and is all but salivating to make her own house-broom! As the Enchanted Night of Samhain approaches, I will begin to ready my self, my home and my property. Autumn decorations will give way to Halloween ones, and I will begin to prepare my mind and spirit for our annual Dumb Supper and the great Enchanted Night itself, the night of high-power when the veils between worlds thins to it's most translucent and we are able to peer backwards and forwards in time so much more easily... able to communicate and commune with spirits with greater ease... Trick or treaters will find my porch a delight, with our jack-o-lanterns stacked sometimes three-deep and our jugs of cider and platters of donuts there for the taking. What they will not realize is that the besom that stands leaning against the door-frame serves as steward of protection for my home and all who dwell within it. I shall answer the door on All Hallows Eve dressed in my usual way: as a Witch! Little do unsuspecting neighbors and trick-or-treaters know that this is quite usual for me; the only addition I will make is a conical hat, the original "cone of power." Dressed as such, no one will suspect that the cauldron that sits on the porch, filled with herbs and stones and crystals and other "witchy" things, is really a great protection potpourri, with ground iron and wolf hair mixed in, all the better to guard hearth and home from undesirable energies that may walk freely this night. Are ya feelin' it yet!? Are ya excited about Mabon, that great day of balance, the Autumnal Equinox?! Are ya gettin' that Samhain vibe?! It's Autumn folks, and these high days are right around the corner! This year, Full Moon Rising Magazine, together with our sister publication, Nature's Wisdom Magazine, will bring back the always-enjoyed and oh-so-important HARVEST MOON BALL. If you have not attended in the past, DO NOT MISS IT THIS YEAR! We will hold it at Hands on Healing Wellness Center located at 1441 South Avenue in Rochester. There will be Tarot readings, Candle-divination, Palmistry, Drumming Free Refreshments and so much more! Tickets are just $5 and all who attend may enter a raffle to win a gorgeous cauldron planter filled with all kinds of tricks and treats! Pour yourself a cup of mulled cider and snack on some light refreshments. Merry meet with those of like mind and indulge in a night of merriment. The Harvest Moon Ball will be held on Friday, October 27 from 8:00 p.m. until the Witching Hour, 12 midnight We will conclude with a Samhain Blessing Circle. And the very best part?? All proceeds - 100% of them - will benefit the Natural Food Cupboard, New York State's only natural food pantry, which opens twice each year (during the holidays of November and December) to provide food baskets to individuals and families who might not otherwise receive the nourishment they need. Indeed, wear your favorite seasonal best; I look forward to meeting readers and viewing your preferred Samhain garb or robes! Oh, but the fun doesn't stop there. The following night, October 28, Full Moon Rising will be teaming up with Sanctuary of The Crescent Moon to support the annual Witch's Ball, presented by Willow Grove Spiritual Community. The organizers are describing this Ball as "Prom Night At Hogwart's!" Just one of the evening's highlights will include a Pointy Hat and Besom contest, complete with prizes. A catered buffet dinner, door prizes and dancing will make the evening magical indeed, and I understand the decorations promise to be enchanting! All this in the environment of a lovely hotel ... Please do join us; we promise a witching-ly good time! And don't forget to dress for a Ball, in your favorite elegant or ritual wear, complete with decorated pointy hat and besom! Until then, from my hearth to yours, may your Autumn be brilliant. May your Mabon be filled with balance and reflection, and may your Samhain be powerful and rich. Many blessings upon you dear readers... It is my hope that you enjoy this very special issue of Full Moon Rising; our writers have worked hard to weave articles, rituals, meditations and more that are bewitching, inspired and will leave you spellbound and empowered! We will meet again when the as winds from the North blow the last leaves from the trees and we invoke the dwindling Light at the celebration of Yule on the Winter Solstice. May your path be filled with Prosperity, Health and Light! - Jo Lynne |
