~ Mabon, The Autumn Equinox ~

Celtic: Alban Elfed

By Alicia Binias

The Fall Equinox on September 21st is the exact
opposite of the Spring Equinox of March 21st. Both of
these are times of equal night and equal day. The Fall
Equinox is a reminder that the Sun light will now
start to grow shorter each day  until Yule, when the
longest time of darkness will come again. This is the
time of equality between the God and Goddess,  the God
represented by the Sun,  the Goddess by the Moon, each
representing half of one whole that is fulfilled by
their joining as one. Fruitfulness of the land being
the end result of their mutualness,  the bounty of the
harvest will be brought in and stored against winter
and the dark times. From here the next festival is
Samhain and the start of a New Year.


Mabon(mah-bawn) is the time of the year when we can
rest after hard work. Crops are gathered and winter is
still a month and a half away. The nights are getting
cooler, though the days are still warm and perhaps
something magickal is in the air. The light seems
almost silver. We pick up our projects of making corn
dollies, and weaving wheat but suddenly we stop
because we hear the sounds of baying hounds passing
through the sky, "The Hounds of Annwn ".

Lines of geese are flying by and a beautiful harvest
moon hangs in the air. We move closer to our fires and
the longer evening hours give us time to catch up on
our reading. We sit and munch popcorn, crunch apples,
sip hot cider and drink home brews. What a wonderful
time of the year Mabon is, the leaves turning colors,
warm days, cool nights. How lucky we are to be alive.

Mabon is a lesser Wiccan Sabbat and is usually
celebrated around Sept. 23, though it sometimes falls
as early as the 20th, depending on the timing of the
actual astrological event. This is the Autumn equinox,
when we see the sun wane and days begin to grow
shorter. Other names for this Sabbat are, the fall
Equinox, Second harvest festival, the feast of Avalon,
Equizio di Autunoo and Alban Elfed.

Some of the symbols associated with this sabbat are
grapes, wine, garlands, pine cones, gourds, acorns,
wheat, dried leaves and horns of plenty (cornucopias).
Actually, Mabon is rather like Thanksgiving for
Pagans. As you decorate your altars, you might want to
use some these symbols, perhaps including a
pomegranate to symbolize Persephone and her descent
into the Underworld - and, of course, a small statue
of the goddess in her triple mother aspect.

Some of the goddesses associated with Mabon are
Morgon, Snake Woman, Epona, the muses and Demeter.
Some of the gods might include, of course, Mabon,
Thoth, Hermes, Thor, Dionysus and Bacchus. You also
might associate Herne with Mabon. This sabbat is named
for Mabon, the Welsh god who symbolizes the male
fertilizing principle in myths. Mabon ap Modron, means
"Great Son of the Great Mother", Young Son, Divine
Youth, or Son of Light. Modron, his mother, is the
Great Goddess, Guardian of the Otherworld, Protector,
and Healer. She is Earth itself.

At the Autumn Equinox, the Sun's strength begins to
diminish, until Winter Solstice in December, when the
Sun grows stronger and the days once again become
longer than the nights. Mabon also disappears, taken
at birth when only three nights old . Modron cries ..
and although his whereabouts are veiled , Mabon is
eventually freed with the wisdom and memory of the
most ancient of living animals - the Blackbird, the
Stag, the Owl, the Eagle, and the Salmon. All along,
Mabon has been quite happy, dwelling in Modron's
magickal Otherworld - Modron's womb. Only in so
powerful a place of renewable strength can Mabon be
reborn as his mother's champion, as the Son of Light.
Mabon's light has been drawn into the Earth, gathering
strength and wisdom enough to become a new seed.

In a Greek myth, Autumn begins when Persephone returns
to the Underworld to live with her husband, Hades.
Demeter's daughter, known as Kore , was out picking
flowers in a meadow when the Earth opened, and the god
Hades dragged the girl into the Underworld Kingdom to
be his wife. Kore's name changed to Persephone when
she became the wife of Hades. For nine days Demeter
looked everywhere for Kore. She finally consulted the
Sun god Helios, who told her that her brother Zeus had
given the girl to Hades. Furious, Demeter left Olympus
and wandered the Earth disguised as an old woman. She
finally settled in her temple at Eleusis. She cursed
the Earth so it yielded no crops. Zeus became frantic
and sent her a message as to why. She responded by
saying to Zeus that there would be no renewing of
crops on Earth until her daughter, Kore, was returned
to her.

Zeus sent Hermes into the Underworld for the girl, but
Hades did not want to give up his wife. He enticed
Persephone to eat pomegranate seeds before she
returned to her mother. When she learned of this
trick, Demeter despaired, until Zeus declared that
Persephone-Kore would live with her husband during
half of the year, and return to live with her mother
during the other half. In gratitude, Demeter lifted
her curse on the Earth, creating Spring as the time of
her great joy for her daughter's return; and Fall as
her time of great sorrow when her daughter must go to
the Underworld to live with her husband, Hades.

The key action at Mabon is giving thanks. Pagan
activities might include the making of wine and the
adorning of graves. A traditional practice is to walk
wild places and forests, gathering seedpods and dried
plants. Some of these can be used to decorate the home
or altar, others saved for future herbal magick. It is
considered taboo to pass burial sites and not honor
the dead.

Spellwork for protection, wealth and prosperity,
security and spells to bring a feeling of
self-confidence are appropriate for Mabon. You might
include spells that will bring into balance and
harmony the energies either in a room, home, or
situation. Ritual actions might include the praising
or honoring of fruit as proof of the love of the
Goddess and God, and a ritual sprinkling of Autumn
leaves.

Appropriate colors for Mabon are red, orange, deep
gold, brown, russet, maroon and violet. Candle colors
are orange, dark red, yellow, indigo, or brown. Altar
cloths made of material with Fall designs are good.
Stones to use during Mabon are amethyst and yellow
topaz, carnelian, lapis lazuli, sapphire, and yellow
agate. River and stream stones gathered over the
Summer can be empowered for various purposes.

Animals associated with the Autumn Equinox are dogs,
wolves and birds of prey. Mythical creatures include
gnomes, minotaurs, sphinx and cyclops. Plants
associated with Mabon are vines, ivy, hazel, cedar,
hops and tobacco. Traditional herbs of the Mabon
sabbat include acorns, asters, benzoin, ferns,
honeysuckle, marigold, milkweed, mums, myrrh, oak
leaves, passionflower, pine, roses, sage, Solomon's
seal, and thistles. Incense for Mabon Rituals might
include any or all of the following: frankincense,
aloes wood, jasmine, cinnamon, musk, cloves, benzoin,
myrrh, and sage.

The foods of Mabon consist of the second harvest's
gleanings,so grains, fruit and vegetables predominate,
especially corn. Corn bread  and cider are traditional
fare, as are beans and baked squash. Others foods and
drinks include wines, grapes, breads, pomegranates,
roots (carrots, onions, potatoes, etc.), nuts and
apples.

A traditional practice is to walk wild places and
forests,
gathering seed pods and dried plants. Some of these
can be used to decorate the home; others saved for
future herbal magick.

May you be blessed with prosperity in the coming year.
May the Lord and Lady look out on you. Good Sabbat


SOURCE(S)
"Katydid"

"EmeraldHarley"
Religion in Greece and Rome by H J Rose

Celtic Myth and Magic by Edain McCoy
(Poor Celtic Info Resource)

The Encarta Encyclopedia, 2000 edition


PRIDUCT(S)

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