Mabon is the first sabbat that we celebrate after the beginning of the school year. With that said, sometimes it's best to coordinate your activity plans before the last school year is out, during the summer, or scramble at the beginning of the new school year.

At this point, you may have just had an Activities Faire to recruit new members. A lot of people who sign up for your group will probably never be seen again, but my group usually had a lot of interest at this point if we held a ritual. It showed we were active in our religion, we were open, and that there was diversity on our campus. The tough part of holding a ritual at this point is that if the majority of your upperclass group members are Wiccan, but many of the new signups are Asatru, you should alter your ritual to be a lot more generic if you want to keep those members interested. Remember, a Pagan group on campus is a great thing to have to educate the public and provide a refuge for other members of "alternative religions," but you don't want to alienate your new members by acting like a clique and ignoring their beliefs, too.

Use your first meeting to meet your new members, ask their beliefs, and have them help you write a ritual if you choose to hold one. You can then use this generic ritual for the rest of the year if you make it basic enough for all your needs. It will let people know that their voice counts in your group.

But rituals are not the only thing to do for this season! The main theme is the Fall Equinox, the Second Harvest, and lots of food! This is a good time to visit farmer's markets if you want to have an outing, and pick up the fresh bounty that your local area provides. Buy some apple cider and foods that will be useful for your rituals. Bake goodies and feast on them...you can also hold a bake sale to raise group money, plus you can donate to your local soup kitchens. Make sure you know the rules regarding food donations, though...some places will only accept non-perishable goods or canned goods. Just because your parents probably won't let you starve while you're at college, there are those who cannot afford to enjoy this season as much as you can.

Spend as much time outside with your group as long as weather is permissable. Have your group pick a tree on campus and "adopt" it for a year. You can hold your rituals around it, make it your site for giving libations, or just make it a comfortable place to relax and re-connect with the earth.

This is a time that should be celebrated with happiness, but don't forget that soon the weather will begin to turn, days will become visibly shorter, and Samhain will be approaching. Enjoy the bright colors of Fall, the foods that the land has provided, and the last of the sun's warmth while you can!