As summer begins to fade, nature offers us countless signs that it is time to follow her into a new season. Around September 22 or 23, the Sun crosses the celestial equator and we reach the Autumn Equinox. Day and night stand close to equal, marking a turning point between the bright days of summer and the longer nights ahead.
For those who follow the Wheel of the Year, this is Mabon, the second of the three harvest festivals. Lammas welcomed the beginning of the harvest season. Mabon celebrates its abundance, while Samhain marks the final harvest and our passage toward winter.
But Mabon is about more than a date on the calendar. The real celebration is happening all around us.
My previous post about using AI-generated images brought some thoughtful responses from readers. Several people raised concerns about artificial intelligence—its effects on artists and writers, jobs, truth and misinformation, and the resources required to support this rapidly growing technology.
These are concerns I share. I’ve heard the warnings about the potential dangers of AI, including concerns raised by people involved in developing it. Some of them are scary. And with AI already becoming part of our everyday lives, I’ve found myself wondering: What can we do about the problems that come with it?
The Full Sturgeon Moon will brighten the late-summer sky this month, offering us another opportunity to step outside, look upward, and reconnect with the rhythms of the natural world.
As July gives way to August, nature begins to whisper that another season is slowly unfolding. The days are still warm, gardens remain full of life, and wildflowers continue to bloom, yet subtle changes are already taking place. Fields of grain turn from green to gold, berries ripen along country paths, and the first harvest of the year begins.
This special moment on the Wheel of the Year is celebrated as Lammas, also known by its older Celtic name, Lughnasadh (pronounced LOO-nah-sah). Falling around August 1, it marks the first of three harvest festivals that continue through the autumn. While many people think of harvest as an autumn event, our ancestors understood that it began much earlier, with the gathering of the first grains that would help sustain their communities through the coming winter.
The Summer Solstice arrives when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky, blessing us with the longest day and shortest night of the year. This Sabbat is usually celebrated around June 20th or 21st in the Northern Hemisphere and around December 20th or 21st by those who live in the Southern Hemisphere. Known to many Pagans and Wiccans as Litha, it’s a celebration of the height of summer and the vibrant energy that fills the natural world.
The most widely recognized and commonly shared tradition of Beltane is the lighting of fires—especially bonfires. Flames symbolize the returning power of the sun and the life and vitality it brings. Beltane is the season of that fire—the fire of life, of vitality, and of growth coming into full expression.
Today, the words “green-energy” brings to mind renewable power and sustainable living, but for our ancestors, this was a description for the living energy within plants. In this article, we’ll explore these views and look at ways we can reconnect to the natural energy of the earth—to support health, bring calm and balance, and create a space of peace around us.
This thoughtful question has come up within our community—one that many of us feel deeply about, and one that touches my life personally:
Do tools like AI truly belong in a nature-centered spiritual practice?
It’s a meaningful question—one that deserves reflection and honesty.
For many of us, Wicca is rooted in connection—to the earth, to the seasons, and to the rhythms of the natural world. So it makes sense that something as modern and complex as artificial intelligence might feel out of place. And yet, like so many things in our lives, the answer isn’t always simple.
There is a personal layer to this topic that I would like to share.
Plants have a way of enriching our lives—bringing healing to the body, calm to the mind, and a deeper sense of connection to the Earth. Our ancestors worked closely with the plants around them, using their leaves, roots, and flowers to support daily life.
These plants grew at the edges of villages, along forest paths, and in humble kitchen gardens. Over time people began to notice how certain herbs could comfort, protect, or sharpen the mind. This growing awareness laid the foundation for what we now call herbal magic.
Ostara is one of those Sabbats where myth, folklore, and modern Pagan tradition weave together beautifully. Some of the stories reach deep into history, while others have been lovingly pieced together over time. Yet all of them point toward the same simple truth: this is a season of renewal, balance, and returning life.
