Mabon

Autumn Equinox

Date: On or near September 21.

Pronunciation: MAY-bun, MAY-bone, MAH-boon, MAH-bawn, May-

Bahn

Science of the Holiday: Two days a year, the Northern and Southern

hemispheres receive the same amount of sunlight. Not only that, each

hemisphere receives the same amount of light as they do dark on

these two days. This is because the earth is tilted at a right angle to

the sun, and the sun is directly over the equator. In Latin, the word

equinox translates to “equal night.” The autumn equinox takes place

on or near September 21, and its spring counterpart falls around

March 21. If you’re in the Northern hemisphere, the days will begin

getting shorter after the autumn equinox and the nights will grow

longer. In the Southern hemisphere, the reverse is true.

Astrological Association: Sun is at 1 degree Libra

Name Meaning: Divine Youth or Great Son

Alternative Names: Maybon, Harvest Home, Alban Elfed (Caledonii),

Mea’n Fo’mhair (Druid), Wine Harvest, Feast of Avalon, Equinozio di

Autunno (Strega),Cornucopia, Second Harvest Festival, Festival of

Dionysus, Winter Finding (Teutonic – this actually spans from the

equinox until Winter Night on October 15).

General Associations: Second harvest, bounty, mysteries, offering of

fruit and vegetable harvest, corn festival, thanksgiving, balance

between light and dark, rest after the year’s labor, salute to the

waning power of the Sun, universal rhythm of rebirth and

reincarnation, community and kinship, valuing, conserving, storing,

Pagan Pride Day celebrations often coincide with this holiday

Associated Deities: Mabon, Modron, Corn Mother, Demeter, Bried,

Cailleach, Maighdean-Bhuana, Lord of Mysteries, Green Man,

Persephone, Inanna, Maponos (the “British Apollo”), Pamona and the

Muses, Thoth, Thor, Dionysus, Bacchus, Morgan, Snake Woman,

Epona, Hermes, Hotei

Direction: West

Season: Autumn

Time: Twilight

Planetary Ruler: Venus

Colors: brown, cinnamon, red, orange, gold, wine, russet, orange-

brown, tan, green, deep gold, scarlet, maroon, purple, blue violet,

indigo

Herbs: pine cones, acorns, wheat, dried leaves, dried statice, rowan,

willow, hazel, gourds, melons, dried sunflowers, apples, walnuts,

almonds, hazelnuts, rue, yarrow, marigold, walnut leaves and husks,

mistletoe, saffron, chamomile, almond leaves, passion flower,

frankincense, rose hips, bittersweet, dried apple or apple seeds, oak

leaves, red poppies, cypress cones, pomegranate, thistle, tobacco,

mums, hops, rose, milkweed, Solomon’s seal, aster, honeysuckle,

benzoin, ivy, cedar, Indian corn

Incense: pine, sweetgrass, myrrh, jasmine, camphor, sage, rosemary,

spice, cinnamon, orange, tangerine, a mixture of marigold,

passionflower, and fern using frankincense or myrrh as a resin for a

Mabon incense, apple blossom, benzoin, jasmine, wood aloes, black

pepper, patchouli, clove, oak moss

Oils: lemon, rose-geranium, jasmine, clove, orange, tangerine,

cinnamon

Stones: gold, citrine, rose quartz, moonstone, stones ruled by the sun

will help bring the sun’s energy to you, clear quartz, amber, peridot,

diamond, yellow topaz, cat’s-eye, aventurine, yellow agate, sapphire,

lapis lazuli, amethyst, carnelian

Associated Animals: dogs, wolves, stag, blackbird, owl, eagle, birds of

prey, salmon, goat, geese, Gnomes, Sphinx, Minotaur, Cyclops

Traditional Foods: nut bread, squash pies, smoked meats, smoked or

roasted poultry, bean soup, wine made of grapes or currants,

cornbread cake, cider, fruit pies, fall fruits, wheat and wheat

products, nuts, berries, beans, squash, roots (onions, potatoes, and

carrots), hops, sassafras, apples, pomegranates, roast goose or

mutton, ale

Traditional Potential Altar Items: autumn flowers, grapes, berries,

vines, acorns, gourds, corn sheaves, fall leaves, some prefer a red

altar cloth others like an altar cloth with fall themes, bowls of fruit

(apples, pears, peaches, etc...), pumpkin shaped candles, baskets

(symbolize gathering of crops), sickles and scythes, seeds and pods,

horn of plenty, rattles

Plants Harvested at This Time of Year: Fruits of the trees, root

vegetables including carrots, potatoes, etc..., apples, corn and grain

harvests are coming to a close

Animals Harvested at This Time of Year: The fall shrimp season

begins in the Gulf of Mexico at this time, geese

My Personal Associations with This Time of Year: Back to school time

for children, temperatures becoming more moderate, office supply

sales, dry and brown fields

Potential Ritual Themes and Magick Good for This Time of the Year:

Harvest; offering of fruit and vegetable harvest; corn festival;

thanksgiving for what you have; balance between light and dark;

reflecting on the balance in your life; celebrating the Crone; honoring

both the darkness and the light; story telling (usually regarding one of

the associated mythologies or themes); fall cleaning and house

smudging; rest after the year’s labor; salute to the waning power of

the Sun; universal rhythm of rebirth and reincarnation; food drives to

celebrate harvest and bounty while helping the needy; a large feast -

the bigger the better; welcoming the Gods of the vine; offerings of

wine, cider, herbs and/or fertilizer to the earth (especially trees) are

appropriate; spells for balance and harmony are good at this time of

the year; wealth and prosperity spells; self-confidence spells;

protection spells

History and Lore: Day and Night are equal for the second time during

the year at the Autumn Equinox, or Mabon. From this point on the

days will be shorter than the nights, with nights continually increasing

until the Winter Solstice. This is the eighth and last Sabbat of the

Wheel of the Year and is the second of three harvest festivals during

the calendar year. It is the fourth of the Lesser Sabbats. It is a

completion of the harvest begun at Lammas. At this point the fruits of

wood and orchard are collected, such as nuts, grapes, and apples.

Pumpkins are saved and all root vegetables are being harvested. The

harvest celebration is associated with corn and other plants harvest at

this time of year. The air is cooler at this time of year, birds are

beginning to migrate. The harvest means that people are busy

bottling, canning, picking, and drying the bounties of orchard and

garden. Nature declines, draws back its bounty, readying for winter

and its time of rest.

The pagans of antiquity didn’t have the ability to determine

astrological positions as we do today. The European peasantry,

therefore, celebrated this Sabbat on September 25th; actually, the

Celts marked their holidays from sundown to sundown, so the Mabon

celebration actually started on the sundown of our September 24th.

Today with the help of our technology, we can calculate the exact date

of the Equinox; the date when the sun enters the sign of Libra, the

Balanced Scales, which appropriately fits the Equinox.

This harvest is of things closer to the wild. The days of tamed

cultivation, tamed green land, are drawing to a close. Soon it will be

the time of the dark, the time of the wild and untamed. We are

drawing away, waning, going toward the inner. The Goddess is

moving into Her Crone phase. She nods in the weakening Sun,

though fire burns within Her womb. She feels the presence of the

God even as he wanes. As this is the Crone phase of the year for the

Goddess, this is a time of honoring the elders within your community.

It is a time to honor those who have devoted so much time and energy

to your growth and development. Something special is in order for

these gracious people.

It is at this time of the year that the God is preparing to leave

His physical body and begin the great adventure into the unseen,

toward renewal and rebirth of the Goddess. His journey is one of

regaining strength and development within his Mother’s, the

Goddess’, womb. Both sad and joyful, the Goddess lovingly awaits her

God’s return. The God is leads us to the hidden, inward places of our

souls and invites us to explore. Since it is the time of the dying sun,

effort is also made to celebrate the dead with joyous remembrance,

though not in the solemn manner seen at Samhain. Some cultures

considered it taboo to pass a burial site at this time of year without

honoring the dead.

During Mabon rituals fruit is praised as proof of the Goddess’

and God’s love. By this time most of the crops for the year will have

been reaped and abundance is more evident than ever. Mabon marks

the end of the corn and grain harvest which was begun at Lammas. It

is the time of the apple harvest. For many in the past, apples were

the fruit that sustained them through the winter. Apples themselves

and the cider that was pressed from them were an important part of

the diet where they were grown.

At this time of the year we reap the fruits of our labors both

crops and experiences. It is a time of balance where we stop and

relax and enjoy the fruits of our personal harvests, whether they be

from toiling in our gardens, working at our jobs, raising our families,

or just coping with the hustle-bustle of our everyday lives. It is a time

of joy, to celebrate that which is passing (for why should we mourn

the beauty of the year or the dwindling sunlight?), looking joyously at

the experience the year has shared with us. It is also a time to gaze

into the bright future. We are reminded again of the cyclic nature of

the universe, and that endings are merely beginnings. At this time we

give pay our respect to the impending dark as well as give thanks to

the waning sunlight, as we take stock of what we’ve harvested

through the year. While we celebrate the gifts of the earth, we also

accept that the soil is dying. We have food to eat, but the crops are

brown and going dormant. Warmth is behind us, cold lies ahead.

This holiday, as well as Lammas, is considered the pagan

Thanksgiving holiday. Traditionally, the final harvest of the year was

marked by displaying produce within churches, village halls,

demonstrating the success or failure of the year’s work. This

celebration was often known as Harvest Home. Although the

traditional American holiday of Thanksgiving falls in November, many

cultures see the second harvest time of the fall equinox as a time of

giving thanks. After all, it’s when you figure out how well your crops

did, how fat your animals have gotten, and whether or not your family

will be able to eat during the coming winter. However, by the end of

November, there’s not a whole lot left to harvest. Originally, the

American Thanksgiving holiday was celebrated October 3rd, which

makes a lot more sense agriculturally. It was later moved by

president Franklin Roosevelt in a bid to help post-Depression holiday

sales.

The full moon closest to the Autumn Equinox is called the

Harvest Moon, and farmers would harvest their crops by this

moonlight as part of the Second Harvest celebration. Early

agricultural societies understood the importance of hospitality. It was

crucial to develop a relationship with your neighbors, because they

might be the ones to help you when your family ran out of food.

Many people, particularly in rural villages, celebrated the

harvest with great feasts, drinking, and eating. After all, the grain

had been made into bread, beer, wine had been made, and the cattle

were brought down from the summer pastures for the coming winter.

At this festival it is appropriate to wear all of your finery and dine and

celebrate in a lavish setting. It is the drawing to and of family as we

prepare for the winding down of the year at Samhain. It is a time to

finish old business as we ready for a period of rest, relaxation, and

reflection.

In modern times, September often means that children are

returning to school. Life seems to slow down. This is often a time of

reflection and re-establishment of routines that may have slipped

during the heat of summer. We pull out the boxes of winter clothing

and realize how much our children have grown when clothing that fit

them just a few months ago is far too short and tight.

The idea of a harvest festival is nothing new. In fact, people

have celebrated it for millennia, all around the world. In ancient

Greece, Oschophoria was a festival held in the fall to celebrate

harvesting the grapes for wine. In the 1700’s, the Bavarians came up

with Oktoberfest, which actually begins in the last week of

September, and it was a time of great feasting and merriment, still in

existence today. China’s Mid-Autumn festival is celebrated on the

night of the Harvest Moon, and is a festival of honoring family unity.

September 25th is a medieval holiday which the Church

Christianized under the label of “Michaelmas,” a feast in honor of the

Archangel Michael. It is thought that the Roman Catholic Church at

some point considered assigning the quarter dates to the four

Archangels, since they had assigned the cross quarters to the four

gospel writers. Making the Vernal Equinox a holiday called

“Gabrielmas,” was taken into consideration in honor of the angel

Gabriel’s announcement to Mary on Lady Day. Geese would have

been fattened by this time. Their feet would then have been dipped in

tar and sand to protect them as they were marched to the market to

be sold for Michaelmas supper.

Nearly all the myths and legends popular at this time of the year

focus on themes of life, death, and rebirth. Not much of a surprise,

when you consider that this is the time at which the earth begins to

die before winter sets in. Popular myths associated with this Holiday

include the that of the Welsh God Mabon, and the decent of the

Goddess into the Underworld – Demeter and Persephone and the

Eleusinian Mysteries, Inanna, the death of Lugh, the death of the

Harvest Lord (though this is sometimes associated with Samhain), and

the King and Queen of Harvest, and the Caledonii celebrates the Lord

of Mysteries.

Activity Ideas:

Give thanks for all that you have received through the year and

project for your ability to maintain for you possess.

Make a gratitude list and post it in your home where you can

see it. Add to it throughout the coming year as you see fit.

Contribute to a food bank (though don’t let this be the only time

of the year that you do). Or, organize a food drive.

Spend the day helping out at a homeless shelter, serving food to

those less fortunate than oneself. Better yet, gather a group of

friends to do this.

Make a protection charm of hazelnuts (filberts) strung on red

thread, or hazelnut divination pendulums

Hang dried ears of corn on the front door, doorposts, or outside

light fixture (hang the corn so it does not come in contact with

the heat of the light bulb)

Prepare a harvest dinner to share with friends to welcome the

season. You might include wine from the God and beans and

squashes from the Goddess.

Create a “harvest wreath” out of dried corn, nuts, dried oak

leaves, acorns, grape vines, and other seasonal bounty. Some

options include but are not limited to: making a grapevine

wreath using dried bittersweet herb for protection. Use ribbons

of gold and yellow to bring in the energy of the Sun, and

decorate with sprigs of dried yarrow or cinnamon sticks.

Make a magickal horn of plenty (check the herbwitchery

website for details).

Make a witch’s broom, besom, to symbolize the polarity of male

and female. Some options include but are not limited to: Tying

dried corn husks or herbs (broom, cedar, fennel, lavender,

peppermint, rosemary) around a strong relatively straight

branch of your choice.

Invite an elderly neighbor over for dinner once a week, or a

young single mother who has too little money and too many

pressures. Or double make an entrée and take it over to them.

Prep your house for the winter.

Eat seasonal fruit.

Walk in wild places and forests.

Making wine.

On the closest Full Moon (Harvest Moon) harvesting crops by

moonlight.

Stalk can be tied together to symbolized the Harvest lord and

then set in a circle of gourds. The Harvest Lord is often

symbolized as a straw man who is burned and its ashes

scattered upon the earth.

One tradition involves the Harvest Queen, or Kern Baby. The

baby is made of the last sheaf of the harvest and bundled by the

reapers who proclaim, “We have the Kern!” The sheaf is

dressed in a white frock decorated with colorful ribbons

depicting spring, and then hung upon a pole (phallic fertility

symbol).

The Scotland, the last sheaf was traditionally called the Maiden,

and must be cut by the youngest female in attendance.

Collect milkweed pods to decorate at Yuletide and attract the

fairies

Call upon the elementals and honor them for their help with (N

– earth) the home and finances, (E – air) school and knowledge,

(S – fire) careers and accomplishments, (W – water) emotional

balance and fruitful relationships.

Dip leaves in paraffin and use in your ritual. They can also be

gently inscribed with a protective sigil and gathered in a jar to

keep in the house all year. Leaves collected at this time could

also be used to burn in the Yule fire.

Perform your ritual in a harvest field.

Visit a local orchard to find deity offerings.

Ask owners of neglected fruit trees if you can harvest the fruit

and either use it yourself or distribute it to friends, neighbors,

and hungry people.

Thank a field for rendering its harvest. You can also scatter

offerings through the field.

Offer libations to trees.

Making a God’s eye talisman

River and stream stones gathered during the summer can be

empowered for various purposes.

The last of the herbs you wish to dry for winter use should be

gathered before the first frost.

Leaving apples on grave sites as a token of honor.

Do a taste-test of different kinds of apples.

Hang apples in a tree near your home. Watch the birds and

other small animals who enjoy your gift.

Make magick Apple Dolls: Apples are sacred symbols of the

witch. Slice an apple through the middle and its seeds reveal

the shape of a pentagram. (Check herbwitchery website for

details.)

Associated Myths:

Mabon –

Mabon is a Welsh God. His mother was the Goddess Modron.

Mabon ap Modron means great son of the great mother. There are

several interpretations on what their names mean. Mabon has also

been called Son of Light, the Young Son, or Divine Youth. He was a

great hunter with a swift horse and a wonderful hound. He was a God

of liberation, harmony, music, and unity. He may have been a

mythologized actual leader.

The Autumn Equinox is when Mabon was born. His mother is

the Guardian of the Outerworld, the Healer, the Protector, and the

Earth. He was stolen from his mother, Modron, when he was three

nights old (some versions of the tale say three years old).

One version of the myth says that he was eventually rescued by

Arthur. Another version has him rescued by Kyllwch, one of King

Arthur’s knights. Finding and freeing Mabon was a step towards

filling one of the conditions for his betrothal to the fair Olwen.

Through the intervention and wisdom of the Stag, Blackbird, Owl,

Eagle, and Salmon – ancient Celtic symbols of wisdom – Mabon is

freed from his mysterious captivity and Kyllwch wins Olwen.

All along, however, Mabon has been dwelling, a happy captive,

in Modron’s magickal Otherworld – Madron’s womb. Only in this was

can he be reborn. Mabon’s light has been drawn into the Earth,

gathering strength and wisdom enough to become a new seed. His

mother’s womb is a place both of nurturing and challenge. He is

reborn as his mother’s Champion, the Son of Light, wielding the

strength and wisdom acquired during his captivity.

He is the masculine counterpart of Persephone – the male

fertilizing principle seasonally withdrawn. Modron corresponds with

Demeter.

Green Man –

In September we bid farewell to the Harvest Lord who was slain

at Lammas. He is the Green Man, seen as the cycle of nature in the

plant kingdom. He is harvested and his seeds are planted into the

Earth so that life may continue and be more abundant. The Druids

called this celebration Mea’n Fo’mhair, honoring the Green Man, the

Forest God, by offering libations to trees. Appropriate offerings

include ciders, wines, herbs, and fertilizer.

Demeter and Persephone –

In Greek mythology, Autumn begins when Persephone returns

to the Underworld to live with Hades, her husband. Demeter is the

goddess of grains and of the harvest. The myth says that Demeter’s

daughter, Kore, had taken a day to pick flowers in a meadow when the

Earth opened up, and Hades pulled the girl into the Underworld to

become his bride. Kore’s name became Persephone when she

married Hades. For nine straight days, Demeter searched for Kore,

with no success. In misery and desperation, Demeter questioned

Helios (in some variations it is Hecate who tells Demeter where Her

daughter is), the Sun God, who informed her that her brother, Zeus,

had given the girl to Hades. Furious, Demeter left Olympus to roam

the Earth disguised as an old woman, ending up settled at the temple

at Eleusis. Soon after, she cursed the Earth so it would yield no

crops. Zeus sent her a frantic message inquiring as to why she

prevented growth on the planet. She replied there would be no

regeneration of vegetation on the Earth until her daughter, Kore, was

safely returned.

Zeus immediately dispatched Hermes into the Underworld to

retrieve the girl. Hades, not wanting to relinquish his bride

permanently, convinced Persephone to eat some pomegranate seeds

before she returned to her mother. Demeter was yet again distraught

when she learned of this trickery. Finally, Zeus declared that Kore-

Persephone would live with her mother during one half of the year

and return to her husband, Hades, during the other half. In thanks,

Demeter lifted the curse on the Earth, creating Spring. Every year

hence, during her time of greatest sorrow, Demeter renews the curse

as her daughter returns to Hades and the Underworld.

Inanna –

The Sumerian goddess Inanna is the incarnation of fertility and

abundance. Inanna descended into the underworld where her sister,

Ereshkigal, ruled. Erishkigal decreed that Inanna could only enter

her world in the traditional ways, by stripping herself of her clothing

and earthly possessions. By the time Inanna got there, Erishkigal had

unleashed a series of plagues upon her sister, killing Inanna. While

Inanna was visiting the underworld, the earth ceased to grow and

produce. A vizier restored Inanna to life, and sent her back to earth.

As she journeyed home, the earth was restored to its former glory.

Other People’s Rituals:

(This should just be a listing with book name, author, and page

number, or website address – other people’s material will not be going

in my BoS as much as possible. However, in the computer BoS these

things could be included in a separate folder.)

Poetry/Meditations Inspired by the Holiday:

(This should just be a listing with book name, author, and page

number, or website address – other people’s material will not be going

in my BoS as much as possible. However, in the computer BoS these

things could be included in a separate folder.)

Recipes:

(These should be in their own folder within the Mabon folder.)

Bibliography:

Aquarian Tabernacle Church. “Wheel of the Year.” http://www.aquariantabernaclechurch.org/sabbats-the-wheel-of-the-year

Aquarian Tabernacle Church. “Seeker’s Packet.” http://www.aquatabch.org/pdf/SeekerPacket2008.pdf

Buckland, Raymond. Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft. 2nd ed. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 2003. Print.

“Blessed Mabon.” Mystical Realms. 12 Aug. 2009. http://twopagans.com/holiday/Mabon.html

Cunningham, Scott. Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner. 1st ed.. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1988. Print.

Emrys, Akasha Ap. “Mabon.” Wiccan, Pagan, and Witchcraft Holidays, Mabon Lore. 12 Aug. 2009. http://www.wicca.com/celtic/akasha/mabon.htm

Farrar, Janet and Stewart. A Witch’s Bible Complete – Combined Volumes. USA: Magickal Childe Publishing, Inc, 1984. Print.

Galenorn, Yasmin. Trancing the Witch’s Wheel. 1st ed. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1997. Print.

“Historical Mabon.” Historic Mabon. 12 Aug. 2009. http://www.fortunecity.com/millenium/sherwood/504/mabhist.html

Livingstone, Glenys. Ph.D. PaGaian Cosmology, Re-inventing Earth-based Goddess Religion. Lincoln, ME: iUniverse, 2005. Print.

Moura, Ann. Green Witchcraft. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 2001. Print.

Moura, Ann. Grimoire for the Green Witch. 1st ed. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 2005. Print.

“Mabon.” Wikipedia. (need to get the date I did this)

“Mabon (Autumn Equinox).” 12 Aug. 2009. http://www.earthwitchery.com/mabon.html

“Mabon.” Joyous Mabon! 12 Aug. 2009. http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/4885/mabon.html?200912

Ravenwolf, Silver. Teen Witch. 1st ed. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1998. Print.

Ravenwolf, Silver. The Ultimate Book of Shadows for the New Generation: Solitary Witch. 1st ed. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 2003. Print.

Wigington, Patti. “Mabon History: The Second Harvest.” About.com 12 Aug. 2009. http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/holidaysandcelebrations/pMabon_History.htm

Yearly Notes on How the Family Celebrated:

(This will be a yearly updated journal like entry. This is one of the reasons I should keep the paper templates handy)