Thoughts from the Dean's Desk

WSTS is predominantly an online seminary.  We have a small campus in Index, Washington where The Aquarian Tabernacle Church, our sponsoring religious body, is located, but most of the staff and students are not based in Washington state.  We reside, quite literally, all over the world!  We have teachers and staff across the United States and Canada, with one of our staff members currently residing in Australia and one student in Korea. 

We are a very broad cultural group and so the seasons change differently for us as we walk the Wheel of the Year and celebrate the sabbats. Though our seasons may differ across hemispheres, the Wheel turns for us all. Whether Mabon brings falling leaves or blooming flowers, its energy invites balance, gratitude, and connection. 

Where I am in Georgia the air is changing, and summer is coming to an end. A few days ago, I witnessed that in person as I walked through a local public historical garden at one of our historic homes.  The grounds at Barrington Hall are always beautiful, with a lavender festival being held earlier this summer.  Their garden is one of my favorite spots to just slow down and stroll.   

On that day, what struck me was the very busy insect life.  Bees were plentiful and buzzing all around; the butterflies were also out and fluttering amongst the late summer flowers.  I also noticed one flower being visited by a damselfly!  I’ve never really thought of them as pollinators, but obviously they have a part to play in that process. 

While the day was slow and lovely, the insects were very busy – almost rushed, but certainly very focused on their task of finding the right flowers to visit and acquiring their goal of gathering nectar.  Their energy was in contrast to the lazy day that I was strolling through.  They felt the coming seasonal change and were not wasting a day. 

As I sat under a large pecan tree in the back of the house, I considered how in tune the insects were with the energy of the season.  Mabon is coming, the fall equinox brings with it many things for us who follow the path.  It’s more than just a harvest festival as it brings us together for a final celebration before we enter the dark half of the year.  Before we slow down and ponder our year, consider our progress, and heal from any challenges that our year brought us. As the day and night stand in perfect balance, so too are we invited to pause and reflect on what we’ve sown, what we’ve reaped, and what we must release. After Mabon, we head deep into the underworld to find Samhain and our beloved dead. 

As I sat under the beautiful pecan tree with ripe pecans hanging from the branches and dropped ones all over the ground, I considered how out of touch many of us are to what the bees, butterflies and damselflies seemed to know. The pecan tree, with its abundant fruit and deep roots, stood as a quiet sentinel of the season’s wisdom. In many traditions, trees are seen as keepers of ancient knowledge, and this one seemed to whisper: ‘Prepare. The turning comes. Change is coming! 

As Wiccans, we talk about walking the path and we spend time noticing the seasonal changes and celebrating the sabbats along the way.  But we are often immersed in our very busy, very rushed lives and unless we take time to reconnect with the earth and nature, we miss what the insects know naturally.  As humans, we look up and go, “Wow!  Where has the year gone?”  or some such thought.  The insects and the animals who live immersed in nature don’t lose track of time; they are very aware of where the wheel is at any time. They spend their lives in the present moment. 

At WSTS in our Wheel of the Year classes, we talk a lot about connecting into the season and nature as our year progresses.  There are assignments to help students do this and teachers to give feedback on their journey.  We create a scaffold to what is natural for the bees and the squirrels.  It is ever an often necessary part of us humans to remind ourselves to go outside and walk through a piece of nature, even one cultivated like the garden I visited so that we can reconnect with that rhythm all around us. 

We think about it, but Wicca is experiential.  I can tell you about how amazing my stroll through the garden was and you can imagine how it would feel, but the act of actually doing it is what is needed.  Imagining it doesn't bring the same effect to your nervous system, though it certainly does affect your nervous system.  The surprise of finding a damselfly pollinating wouldn’t have been in my imagination unless I had gone and seen it flitting from flower to flower.  Pleasant surprises are part of the effect of standing in nature.  Five senses all engaged at one time and nary an email or text message to be found!  Out of our brains and into our bodies.   

I invite you to spend some time experiencing the amazing Mabon energy that is rolling across the Northern Hemisphere for the next few weeks.  Invite some of the connection with Mother Earth into your body and allow her to bring some healing and ease your mind by engaging your other senses and sitting solidly in your body. 

It’s good for the soul . . . 

"Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher.": — John Muir