Wednesday 15 September 2010

What to do for the Autumn Equinox


We are approaching the time of the Autumn Equinox, when the day and night are of equal length.

The Autumn Equinox falls this year on 23 September, when many Pagans will be celebrating the festival of Mabon, named after the Welsh god of that name.

This is a harvest festival, so if you grow your own vegetables you could celebrate at home with a feast made from your own produce - or you could go blackberry picking and make pies or crumbles. It is also a good time to get balance into your life by addressing issues you have been avoiding or making up after a quarrel.

If you want to celebrate the season at an open ritual or public event, here are a few taking place:

Friday 17 - Sunday 19 September; Out of the Ordinary Festival at Knockhatch Farm, Sussex. Three-day day eco & family-friendly festival celebrating the Autumn Equinox. It will have solar and wind-powered stages for talks and entertainment plus a healing arena, workshops, children's activities and a green market. Knockhatch Farm is near Hailsham, East Sussex BN27 3GD. Three-day tickets cost £80. For more details or to buy tickets, call 01273 688788 or visit the website http://www.outoftheordinaryfestival.com/

Thursday 23 September; Autumn Equinox Open Ritual by Hern's Tribe with Pagan Federation London. Venue: Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, Holborn. Time: 7.30pm for 8pm start. Event ends at 10pm. Entrance: £5. Just turn up, no need to book in advance, but bring seasonal food and drink to share.

Thursday 23 September; Autumn Equinox at Stonehenge stone circle, in Wiltshire. The Autumn Equinox is at 4.03am UK time (3.03 UTC), but there is no public access to the stones after dark. Open access times to Stonehenge are decided by English Heritage and depend on visibility. Sunrise is at 6.48am, and it is expected access to the stones will be allowed from approximately 6.30am to 8.30am. More details can be found at http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/stonehenge/

Thursday 23 September; Autumn Equinox festival at Chalice Well World Peace Garden, in Glastonbury. Free admission to the gardens between 10am & 12pm to gather at the Well Head at noon for celebration and meditation until 12.30pm, when there will be a gathering around a fire on the lower lawn for informal conversation. All are welcome, as this is a chance for people to share ideas, thoughts and beliefs, and to increase connection through understanding. For more details, visit the website http://www.chalicewell.org.uk/

23 - 25 September; New Forest Festival. This three-day festival includes live music, films shows, craft workshops and storytelling based on the magical tales from the New Forest. Although this isn't officially a pagan event, I am sure there would be lots for pagans to enjoy. Autumn is also a great time to explore the beautiful New Forest (pictured above), with its old traditions of witchcraft. For details of the festival, and to buy tickets, visit http://www.newforestfestival.com/

25 & 26 September; Brighton and Hove Faerie festival at The Hove Centre, Hove, East Sussex. Free entry and lots to do with entertainment, stalls and workshops. Times: 11am - 6pm daily. For more details: http://www.thefairyball.co.uk/

Saturday, 25 September; Open Ritual for Mabon at Avebury stone circle. The Cauldron of Cerridwen will be holding an open ritual to celebrate the Autumn Equinox at Avebury, in Wiltshire, at noon. All are welcome, including families. For more details, email: sian_ap_pysgotwr@yahoo.co.ukor call 07746365980.

Saturday, 25 September; Free & Open Gorsedd of Caer Abiri is holding an Autumn Equinox open ritual at the stone circle at Avebury, in Wiltshire. Meet at 2pm beside the Red Lion pub before heading to the stone circle for the ritual, which will go on until about 4pm. All are welcome, but please bring offerings of music, poetry, bread, mead and cakes.

Sunday 26 September; Autumn Equinox druidic open ritual at the stone circle at Avebury, in Wiltshire. Meet at noon beside the cafe before heading to the stone circle for the ritual. All are welcome, but please bring offerings of music, poetry, bread, mead and cakes.

You can see other pagan events in and around London over the next few months by clicking on the events link at the top of the page.

Links:
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/09/autumn-equinox.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/09/barrow-hill-autumn-equinox-game.html
http://www.pagan-magic.co.uk/shop/?ad=badwitch
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/10/gathering-harvest-by-moonlight.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equinox

4 comments:

James C. Wallace II said...

I have my Weather & Climate classes that day. We're going to balance eggs for fun...

Of course, a month later, we'll do it again and show that it matters not what day one balances eggs.

BTW, did you know eggs are poison to gnomes?

Badwitch said...

Indeed, the only thing that matters when you balance eggs, is how steady your hand is and the age of the eggs :)

I had no idea that eggs could poison gnomes.

Anonymous said...

Love that photo you posted.

And I'm planning to attend a ceremony based on Native American traditions. It'll be something new, so I'm looking forward to it.

Badwitch said...

Thanks for complimenting the photo. I took it myself, but I must admit I tweaked the colour saturation in Photoshop and also the contrast.