Woo Woo Things

Mabon, the modern reconstruction of ancient Pagan festivals surrounding the Autumn Equinox, marks a time when light and dark stand in balance, yet darkness begins to overtake the light. As the second harvest festival, also known as “Witches’ Thanksgiving,” it is a time of gratitude for the abundance of Mother Earth and reflection on the past year. Autumn leaves stir, sunlight wanes over emptying fields, and orchards and pumpkin patches buzz with activity. Hunters venture into forests, while root cellars fill with hardy fruits, vegetables, and preserved goods. Mabon calls for preserving the harvest, taking stock of supplies, and preparing for winter. It’s a time to mend, repair, and charm storage containers for freshness, while working money and safety magick. Attention to household tasks like dusting, shaking out rugs, and storing summer clothes with dried herbs brings a sense of closure and readiness as the season changes.

• host a bonfire for friends and family
• decorate your porch with autumn greenery
• write down your blessings from the past year
• go apple picking
• clean your house and get rid of stagnant energy
• host a potluck Mabon dinner with your favorite people

Litha, or Midsummer, occurs on the summer solstice, marking the longest day of the year and the midpoint of the cycle. This celebration ushers in summer, a season where the sun’s powerful energies foster growth and expansion, making it an ideal time to nurture your ideas, goals, and desires. After sundown, light bonfires to honor the peak of magickal power while acknowledging that all things are fleeting. Celebrate abundance, fertility, virility, beauty, and the earth’s bounty—perfect for handfastings and workings for empowerment and fulfillment. Like Yule, Litha is also a time of rest, though it’s one of relaxation after months of planning, planting, and tending. Perform Sun magick to fuel growth and abundance spells, offer gifts to the local spirits, and consider attracting a house spirit if you wish. Freshen your home with Sun water, picnic, play outdoor games, and build a bonfire to celebrate the freedom that comes after hard work.

• make floral wreaths for your front door
• host a bonfire and potluck
• gather and dry herbs to use throughout the year
• take time to meditate
• give thanks for your blessings
• create an “invisibility” amulet from seeds of ferns
• gather plants and flowers on Midsummer Eve
• build a faerie house in the woods

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Happy Spring Equinox! Today is a day of balance.

On this day, light overtakes the dark, signaling a rebirth of life and the perfect time to embrace new beginnings and fresh ideas. Focus on planting not just in your garden but in your daily life, dreams, and goals. This solar festival of fire, light, and fertility invites serious meditation on your hopes for the coming year. As spring awakens, flowers bloom, and birds chirp, it’s time to open the windows, stretch wide, and perform a thorough spring cleaning. Cleanse, purify, and protect your home from harmful energies by washing windows, doors, and floors with Moon water and lemon juice, sprinkling some on carpets, and pouring it down drains. Keep tulips for prosperity, hang linens outside to absorb Ostara’s energies, and collect rainwater for plant and prosperity magic. Craft a besom from tree branches for spiritual cleaning, and make fertility charms from blown eggs filled with herbs like chickweed, cornflower, fennel, or parsley.

• plant seeds for a garden
• spring clean your house
• decorate an Ostara altar to honor your goddess
• make egg-based dishes and dessert
• take a nature walk with loved ones
• host a tea party with a spring time theme
• take time to meditate/journal

Today, the shortest day of the year, is a celebration of peace, love, and positive energy, marked by gathering with family and friends. As Yule arrives, it’s an ideal time to set intentions for harmony, happiness, and rest. Decorate a yule log with evergreen and holly, then light it at sunset to burn until sunrise. Cleanse your talismans and magickal tools with myrrh smoke, and prepare warming foods using cinnamon, clove, and ginger to fill your home with love. Take stock of yourself, your tools, and your home, jotting down your Witchcraft goals for the coming year in your journal or Book of Shadows. If snow falls, collect it for spells to slow down or “freeze” unwanted influences. Burn candles infused with ylang-ylang, cypress, or neroli, and tuck sachets of chamomile and catnip around your home to promote peace. Craft draft blockers to protect against the cold and negativity, and leave traditional offerings, like a bowl of porridge with butter, for household spirits.

• caroling
• wassailing
• burn a yule log
• walk in the woods at night
• kiss under mistletoe
• exchange gifts with loved ones
• bake cookies with traditional flavorings like caraway, anise, dried fruits, and nuts