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Over Twenty years ago I was working in a Veterinary Hospital as a receptionist in the East Village. It was across the street from the original Enchantments store.  At that time at best I was deeply into New Age things.  Meditation and Herbalism included as well as raising energy and working with color and music, angels, spirits and working as a reader and a medium. My Great Grandmother on my Italian side was a Strega but even though my Dads mother my Grandmohter passed on her mothers knowledge to me in cards and palm readings and even though I had been reading books on magic and witchcraft since I was a small girl, I was terrified of this store.

I imagined it was full of evil people doing terrible things. You know, what everyone kind of thinks of witches! I had been in once for a reading a few years before this but I was so terrified I almost ran out.

Now, daily I looked at this store with its interestingly scary, sexy and colorful decorations for each holiday that witches celebrated always changing in the main window.  I would have heart flutters and an exciting feeling in my belly every time I passed it.  I would sit in my receptionists chair looking at it an desperately wanting to go in. I eventually would walk over there and look at the window.  Never going in.

One day I did.

It happened to be a day or two before Mabon.  The people in the store were lovely and kind and a bespectacled man (Joe Zukowski, later to become my teacher) asked me what I was looking for.  I told him just to try a little something.  He said, “Well the holiday is today, there’s some nice incense we just made up at the counter. Why not just sit and let it fill your space?” I took a sniff of the little wax paper bag with its hand written word MABON across it.  I didn’t know what Mabon was and so I asked only to discover it was just the fall equinox and something I paid attention every year of my life (thanks to my Irish Catholic mother and Italian Grandmother who both acknowledged these yearly turning points in different ways) and so, I bought the little bag, a candle carved for the holiday with scary symbols and some oil.  I went home, prepared a wonderful dinner for my little son and burned it and yes, let it fill my space.

I never turned back.  Mabon was my first holiday.  Its where I stepped on the Wheel of the Year.  Within a year I would be student of Joe’s and studying Wicca at Enchantments, going to multiple rituals with people I grew to love deeply.  I have been a practicing witch since that day so long ago. That day the Goddess claimed me.

It was surely my harvest.  I had been on the path unknowingly for all of my life to that point and that day I knew it.

That day I began a path full of blessing and wonder.

I have never lost my wonder and excitement.  May you enjoy yours.

Blessed Mabon.  Blessed Harvest.