September is a special time of year. The warm afternoons and chilly evenings mark ever shortening days. The biting winds are blowing away the hot humid air and providing an opening for change. September's main holiday is Mabon, or the Fall Equinox. During the Equinox, day and night become equal. The first official day of autumn, Mabon means "divine youth". It represents the Sun that is waning in strength. The waning light can be scary and depressing, as humans require the light of the sun to survive. So, get out there and spend as much time as you can outside. Finish harvesting your herb gardens and stock up for the upcoming winter. The leaves are beginning to fall and most harvests are in, except for the grapes. Big and heavy, the wine harvest was the most important, by our ancestors standards. They believed that imbibing wine was a quick way to experience the Divine. This makes wine and the wine harvest sacred. An old tradition, that is still practiced today, involves sharing a bottle of wine in fine glasses or goblets. Before drinking, toast loved ones who are absent by pouring out some wine onto the ground. The weather is shifting, pulling, and effecting our bodies' inner clocks and patterns. Even the mornings are beautiful! Leave the drapes open while you sleep and let Nature be your alarm clock. Even if you are a night person - like me - don't deprive yourself of the moonlight while tossing and turning all night worried that you'll only get a few hours of sleep before the sun rises. Once Mother Nature's light and energy adjusts your sleep patterns, you can say goodbye to sleepy mornings and dragging afternoons!

This time of year, Magick is done mainly for our own sakes. So participate in the yearly cycle! Perform a ritual to deep clean your home and then close with an Elemental Blessing. An easy way to do this is to light a black candle. Then, starting upstairs (if you have one) and working your way down, dust, vacuum, windex, and mop. Don't forget to clean out and renew the supplies in your cupboards, both Magick and otherwise. And while you clean, imagine all the stale energy dissolving. When you are done, take a shower and rinse yourself off with some lemon juice to cleanse your personal energies. Then, extinguish the black candle and light a white one. Go outside - after dressing of course - and say, "Air blows and Fire glows. The Water flows to make the Earth grow." Because the days are getting shorter, we often forget that there are powerful energies out there waiting to help us rejuvenate and balance ourselves. Help boost your health for the upcoming winter months. Light a green candle and fill a large bowl with water. Call your Spirit Guides, Angels, and Teachers and ask Them to help you to become a channel for healing energy (Yup! Reiki will do quite nicely.). Visualize white light flowing down from the heavens over your body, bathing you, filling you, inside and out. Feel the balance being restored to your body. When you feel 'full', hold your hands, palms down, over the water and let the energy flow through you into the water. When you feel you are done, thank your Guides, Angels, and Teachers, and place your hands on the ground and let the excess energy go back into the earth. Drink the water through out the day, everyday, to stay hydrated and healthy.