Fall Blogging challenge Days 1-4

 I am doing the "Fall Witchy Blogging Challenge" put up by friend Magpie over at her blog, Parlor Games and Pentagrams.  I typically suck at these kinds of things, but I figured why the heck not?

So hear I am, technically on Day 4 and just getting started, so I am going to be efficient and lump 1-4 together and really attempt to do better. No, seriously.

• Sep. 22 Fall Equinox how are you celebrating.
• Sep. 23 New Moon, embracing the coming dark half of the year.

I am going to smoosh these together.   Normally I have multiple celebrations for all the high days.  My spouse and I usually lead the rite at the shop.  In years past there is also the celebration with my grove, and then I have my own home observation, which I have detailed here before.

I know the Neopagan calendar calls it Mabon. This year people on the socials have been extra vocal about the name, which, if I were doing a reconstructed Welsh thing might matter to me. But I acknowledge my Neopaganism is just that. Neo. A modern creation.  Aiden Kelly's provided the rationale that I've linked to a bunch, and it's all there for folks to read or not. 

The cool thing is that no one is the Pagan Pope, and you can call it any damn thing you want, but then you have to explain it to others ad nauseum if it's anything but Autumnal Equinox, so.... I personally prefer to call it Hælig (to follow the Liða, Geola, and Ostara pattern) but whatevs...

For the shop celebration (which is Mabon because that's what everyone recognizes) we have done a variant of "Thanksgiving" type of a ritual, celebrating the harvest and putting the land to sleep for the year, tucking it in, so to speak.  This year, due to some serious medical issues, I turned it over to a few folks who have been to several of the shop rituals.  I call them "shop groupies" with no disrespect and a whole bunch of love. From all accounts they did a bang-up job, as I very much knew they would. 

I'm a big behind with the home observation (see medical stuff), but one thing I will do with perhaps less ceremony than usual is switch out corn dollies.  I made a new one around Lughnasadh, so I need to place it with last year's dolly, so she can give her energy and wisdom to it. Then by Samhain, old corn dolly will get burned, and new dolly gets place someplace dark to "incubate."  She will 'arise' on Imbolc, and then take her place overseeing the garden at Beltaine.

I'm still trying to up my lunar game.  Right now in my thinking New Moons are new beginnings.  According to my big Ritual Spreadsheet, this new moon (On Oct 2) is in my 7th house in Libra, so new focus for the month should probably be something related to balance and justice in my house of partnerships.  I have a few days to figure it out, but the Tarot card I drew for my horoscope spread on my half-birthday says 10 of Swords ... so that's great.....

• Sep. 24 How does Autumn affect the area you live?

Autumn in Ohio can be very beautiful.  I know everyone immediately thinks of New England for foliage color but I think that's just because it starts earlier there.  I have been completely awed and speechless seeing how Nature puts on a show.  I love that it's warm during the day but cool at night.  Unfortunately, climate change screws up a lot, so it's been 90 here until a few days ago. But Autumn weather will catch up to Autumn timing.

• Sep. 25 National Comic Book Day – Your relationship with Comics and comic inspired media.

This is a hard one, because I'm not a big comic book person, but I do LOVE the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  There is always something satisfying about the simple Good vs. Evil, and even when it's complex. Good isn't always as good as it could be, and Evil might have a point. (Thanos' solution to overpopulation, for example.)  I also enjoy immersion into a 'universe,' whether it's that one, Star Trek, or Lord of the Rings.