Truth be told, I was working all equinox weekend. All of it, as in around people all the time, Friday afternoon to Sunday evening non stop. You know how life is sometimes.

It would be nice to always do full beautiful ceremonies at the very moment of the equinox, the exact night of the new moon in Libra, or just even the “right” day, but I know life is just not like that. And I know this is another excuse we use to beat ourselves up spiritually, for missing the day, the moon phase, for not being ready, for not being perfect.

So we fall into inaction.

Fuck that.

Here at Priestess Training, we are interested in getting shit done, even if it’s little baby steps, even if it’s not at the perfect time or in the perfect place – as long as we are moving towards our spiritual goals in some way, we are winning.

I truly feel that the energy of the Sabbats don’t just BAM! turn up one day and POOF! dissipate by midnight. Nature doesn’t work that way – Humans think it should work that way, but Nature’s not interested. I feel that the energies roll in slowly over time, reach a peak of potency at the nights of the Sabbats, then slowly roll out again. Like the moon does.

And just cos you are not doing stuff at the mostest perfect peak of potency, doesn’t mean there is no point in doing anything at all, or that you are failing. If you are trying for a baby, would you only get your freak on just the most fertile day of the lady’s cycle and twiddle your thumbs for the rest? I doubt it. It’s not as if just one day in a month works for babymaking – it waxes and wanes, like the moon, like the seasons.

So if you miss the date of the equinox, like I did, chillax. The vibes linger. It’s still the season of balance and abundance. You can still do stuff. Ease up on yourself.

So in that spirit:

Autumn Thanksgiving Ceremony.

A really simple way to honour the season and to give thanks to the Goddess/Earth.

Take a bunch of fallen leaves and a pen – something like a Sharpie is best. Biros work too, as long as they are not crispy leaves. Pop into your garden, or somewhere where you can sit on the earth and can get grounded and meditative.

Take each leaf, and write something you are thankful for on it. It could be an adventure you have coming up, the ability to pay your heating bills, you kids’ successful start at a new school, whatever is good that has happened to you in the last year.

Write as many thanks on as many leaves as you can. How cool would it be to have a pile of thanks, a baby tree’s worth of things that you are thankful for? If you haven’t got time for that, just do a couple. Gettin’ a little bit of stuff done is always better than not getting anything done.

Keep going as long as you have time for. After you write on each leaf, hold it to your heart and spend a couple of moments in gratitude for this thing on the leaf. Remember to thank the Goddess for each one.

When you’ve had enough of leaf writing, look at your pile (if you have enough leaves and are in a safe space, create a circle of leaves all around you) and intensely feel the gratitude for all the stuff that has happened to you.

Goddess, I thank you for all the blessings you have gifted me with, all these wonderful things, ideas and experiences you have brought into my life.

I am humbled by your generosity, Great Earth Mother, and I open myself completely to your love and abundance. Thank you.

You have a couple of options from here:

– Scatter the leaves under trees and bushes, so that they can turn into mulch and retun to the earth, thus giving your offering of gratitide to the goddess. Make an adventure out of it.

– You can bury the leaves, sealing your offering of gratitude into the earth.

– You can take them to a river and drop them in with reverence and watch them float away.

–  You can sew the leaves onto a piece of wool and use them as a harvest decoration, a bit like prayer flags.

Whatever works for you, dude.