Today marks the first day of a new season, the Autumn Equinox. The leaves here in Portland are just beginning to change from a sea of green to beautiful hues of red, orange, and yellow. This is a time when our fruitful harvests from the sunnier seasons of Spring and Summer are winding down to prepare for the chillier (also cuddle-worthy ❤) days of Winter. There is a pagan harvest festival which occurs traditionally on or around September 21st, and continues through the Full Harvest Moon on the 24th, which lands this Monday, called "Mabon." Mabon is an opportunity to take a few moments to honor the changing seasons with our community, and celebrate the second harvest of the year. For many people of various traditions and faiths however, it is also a time of giving thanks for the gifts that this Earth has shared with us, whether in the form of viable crops, better health, loving relationships or other bountiful blessings. It's an opportunity to show our gratitude, and a wonderful way of sharing our abundance with others.
Depending on one’s individual spiritual path, there are many different ways to celebrate the Autumn Equinox, but typically the focus is on either the second harvest, or the balance between light and dark within and without. This is, after all, the brief moment of the year when there is an equal amount of day and night. Warmth is behind us, and cold lies ahead. While we celebrate the many gifts of Mother Nature this Autumn, we also want to hold a loving perspective towards whatever challenges this season may bring.
This year, the Autumn Equinox coincides with National Girls Night In, and since both of those holidays are a reason to celebrate, the Dragon Herbarium has put together a few of our favorite feminine healing activities and rituals that we recommend — First, gather your besties (or best self, for those of us feeling a bit under the weather/cannot commune for other reasons this weekend), and prepare for a night in of recharging, relaxing, giving thanks, and fostering meaningful connections or changes in perspective! For our friends who resonate to the calling of honoring and healing their inner feminine, as well as the divine feminine collective, we should give thanks to ourselves as a foundation, with nourishment for awakening our minds, rejuvenating our bodies, and enlightening our Spirits.
With this specialized intention as our focus, the team at Dragon thinks a wonderful way to step into this opportunity would be with an herbal beverage catered to feminine health such as the Women’s Wellness Tea Blend by Mountain Goddes Herbals sold exclusively in our Portland apothecary shop! This potent balancing blend is brewed with herbs to support feminine health by balance hormones and lowering stress levels. Another great activity would be to cleanse our skin topically. Skin is an important physiological gaurdian to our entire inner world, a vital mode and vehicle of medicine delivery as well, throughout all body systems. For the sensitive skin on our faces, we share our gentle and effective Green Galaxy Face Mask. For those Goddesses desiring a more profound form of feminine healing, a Yoni Steam bath may be more fulfulling mentally, physically and spiritually. Our Triple Moon Yoni Steam & Herbal Sitz Bath is an all-organic combination of herbal allies for women to assist in the overall healing process after birth, during painful menses, or at a time when we are feeling called to honor our inner-Goddess in a new (yet traditional) way. Our aura-colored selection of Crystal Journey Intention Candles would be a perfect addition towards the impact of our alter or space of intention-setting. Infused with specific essential oils and reiki healing energy, each of these candles has a unique and specific poetic mantra for us to read aloud to ourselves, to help imbue within the Spirit of our Divine Truth, harmonizing us with our highest version of Self.
We wish all of you lovely souls a magical and most healing Autumn Equinox, however you chose to focus your path today! Blessings, love, and light to all as we step in to sweater weather this Fall! ❤🍂❤