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ferine(From paganwiccan.about.com):
Mabon is a time to give thanks for the bounty of the earth, and falls on the date of the autumnal equinox, which varies from year to year. Typically, it is between September 20 - 22 in the Northern Hemisphere, and March 20 - 22 in the Southern Hemisphere. In 2010, the autumn equinox falls on September 22 in the Northern Hemisphere. Below the equator, Mabon 2010 is on March 20.
Mabon History: The Second Harvest
By Patti Wigington, About.com Guide
Mabon is the second of three harvest celebrations observed by many Pagans and Wiccans, and is a time of thanksgiving and feasting.
The Science of the Equinox:
Two days a year, the Northern and Southern hemispheres receive the same amount of sunlight. Not only that, each receives the same amount of light as they do dark -- 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.
Global Traditions:
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 the harvesting of 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.
Giving Thanks:
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 on October 3, which makes a lot more sense agriculturally.
Thanksgiving was originally celebrated on October 3. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued his "Thanksgiving Proclamation", which changed the date to the last Thursday in November. In 1939, Franklin Delano Roosevelent adjusted it yet again, making it the second-to-last Thursday, in the hopes of boosting post-Depression holiday sales. Unfortunately, all this did was confuse people. Two years later, Congress finalized it, saying that the fourth Thursday of November would be Thanksgiving, each year.
Symbols of the Season:
The harvest is a time of thanks, and also a time of balance -- after all, there are equal hours of daylight and darkness. 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.
Some symbols of Mabon include:
Mid-autumn vegetables, like squashes and gourds
Apples and anything made from them, such as cider or pies
Seeds and seed pods
Baskets, symbolizing the gathering of crops
Sickles and scythes
Grapes, vines, wine
You can use any of these to decorate your home or your altar at Mabon.
Feasting and Friends:
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 deals of feasting, drinking, and eating. After all, the grain had been made into bread, beer and wine had been made, and the cattle were brought down from the summer pastures for the coming winter. Celebrate Mabon yourself with a feast -- and the bigger, the better!
Magic and Mythology:
Nearly all of the myths and legends popular at this time of the year focus on the 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!
Demeter and Her Daughter
Perhaps the best known of all the harvest mythologies is the story of Demeter and Persephone. Demeter was a goddess of grain and of the harvest in ancient Greece. Her daughter, Persephone, caught the eye of Hades, god of the underworld. When Hades abducted Persephone and took her back to the underworld, Demeter's grief caused the crops on earth to die and go dormant. By the time she finally recovered her daughter, Persephone had eaten six pomegranate seeds, and so was doomed to spend six months of the year in the underworld. These six months are the time when the earth dies, beginning at the time of the autumn equinox.
Inanna Takes on the Underworld
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 -- stripping herself of her clothing and earthly posessions. 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.
Modern Celebrations
For contemporary Druids, this is the celebration of Alban Elfed, which is a time of balance between the light and the dark. Many Asatru groups honor the fall equinox as Winter Nights, a festival sacred to Freyr.
For most Wiccans and NeoPagans, this is a time of community and kinship. It's not uncommon to find a Pagan Pride Day celebration tied in with Mabon. Often, PPD organizers include a food drive as part of the festivities, to celebrate the bounty of the harvest and to share with the less fortunate.
If you choose to celebrate Mabon, give thanks for the things you have, and take time to reflect on the balance within your own life, honoring both the darkness and the light. Invite your friends and family over for a feast, and count the blessings that you have among kin and community.
(From earthwitchery.com):
Mabon Lore
Autumn Equinox, around September 21, is the
time of the descent of the Goddess into the
Underworld. With her departure, we see the
decline of nature and the coming of winter.
This is a classic, ancient mythos, seen the
Sumerian myth of Inanna and in the ancient
Greek and Roman legends of Demeter and
Persephone.
In September, we also 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.
Mabon ("Great Son") is a Welsh god. He was a
great hunter with a swift horse and a wonderful
hound. He may have been a mythologized actual
leader. He was stolen from his mother, Modron
(Great Mother),when he was three nights old,
but was eventually rescued by King Arthur
(other legends say he was rescued by the
Blackbird, the Stag, the Owl, the Eagle, and
the Salmon). All along, however, Mabon has
been dwelling, a happy captive, in Modron's
magickal Otherworld -- Madron's womb. Only in
this way can he be reborn. Mabon's light has
been drawn into the Earth, gathering strength
and wisdom enough to become a new seed. In
this sense, Mabon is the masculine counterpart
of Persephone -- the male fertilizing principle
seasonally withdrawn. Modron corresponds with
Demeter.
From the moment of the September Equinox, the
Sun's strength diminishes, until the moment of
Winter Solstice in December, when the Sun grows
stronger and the days once again become longer
than the nights.
Symbols celebrating the season include various
types of gourd and melons. Stalk can be tied
together symbolizing the Harvest Lord and then
set in a circle of gourds. A besom can be
constructed to symbolize the polarity of male
and female. The Harvest Lord is often
symbolized by a straw man, whose sacrificial
body is burned and its ashes scattered upon the
earth. The Harvest Queen, or Kern Baby, is made
from 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 (a phallic fertility symbol).
In Scotland, the last sheaf of harvest is called
the Maiden, and must be cut by the youngest
female in attendance.
TOP
Altar Dressings
* candles should be brown or cinnamon.
* decorate circle with autumn flowers,
acorns, gourds, corn sheaves and fall
leaves.
TOP
Mabon Magickal Herbs
Rue, yarrow, rosemary, marigold, sage, walnut
leaves and husks, mistletoe, saffron, chamomile,
almond leaves, passionflower, frankincense,
rose hips, bittersweet, sunflower, wheat, oak
leaves, dried apple or apple seeds.
TOP
Incense
Pine, sage, sweetgrass or myrhh. You can also mix
marigold, passionflower, and fern, using
frankincense or myrhh as a resin for Mabon incense
TOP
Mabon Magickal Stones
During Mabon, stones ruled by the Sun will help
bring the Sun's energy to you.clear quartz,
amber, peridot, diamond, gold, citrine, yellow
topaz, cat's-eye, adventurine.
Mabon is a good time to cast spells of balance
and harmony. It's also a time of change.
Protection, wealth and prosperity spells are
appropriate as well.
TOP
Holiday Fare
Mabon is the Witch's Thanksgiving, a time to
appreciate and give thanks to the Goddess for
her bounty and to share in the joys of the
harvest. Fall fruits, squash, gourds, pumpkins,
grains, nut breads, vegetables.
A magickal Mabon beverage: hot apple cider.
Apple rules the heart, cider alone is a self-
love potion. By spicing it with cinnamon, ruled
by Jupiter and the Sun, we are in essence,
ingesting the sunlight.
Sample menu #1: Mabon Wine Moon Cider, Roast
Chicken Rubbed with Sage, Basil, and Thyme,
Acorn Squash made with Sweet Butter, Cinnamon
and Honey, and Apple Bread.
Sample menu #2: Wine from the god and beans and
squashes from the goddess. A hearty multi-bean
soup with smoked meats (optional), including
such as cut-up mild sausage like mild Italian
or Polish.
Mabon Wine Moon Cider
4 cups apple cider 1/2 tsp. whole cloves
4 cups grape juice additional cinnamon sticks
2 cinnamon sticks for cups, 6 inches long
1 tsp allspice
In a 4-quart saucepan, heat cider and grape
juice. Add cinnamon, allspice and cloves.
Bring just to boiling. Lower heat and simmer
for 5 minutes.
Serve with ladle from a cauldron. Makes 8 cups.
TOP
Mabon Activities
* Make grapevine wreaths using dried bitter-
sweet 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.
* Make Magickal Scented Pinecones.
* Make a protection charm of hazelnuts
(filberts) strung on red thread.
* Collect milkweed pods to decorate at Yuletide
and attract the faeries.
* 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.
* Make a witch's broom. Tie dried corn husks or
herbs (broom, cedar, fennel, lavender,
peppermint, rosemary) around a strong,
relatively straight branch of your choice.
* Make magic Apple Dolls: Apples are sacred
symbols of the witch. Our holy land, Avalon,
means Apple-land or Island of Apples. Slice
an apple through the midsection and its seeds
reveal the sacred shape of the pentacle.
You will need two large apples, one for Mabon
and one for Modron, 2 pencils and 2 dowels
about 12 inches long, a paring knife, a glass
or bowl of water to wash your fingers, a plate,
and a towel to wipe your hands. Peel and core
the apples. Carve a face in the apples. Place
apples on a dowel and stand them in a jar
to dry (start now). Then charge in a magick
circle. After 2 or 3 weeks, they should look
like shrunken heads. Make them into dolls. Use
wheat, dried herbs or doll's hair for hair.
Dress them in tiny robes and bring them into
the circle, asking god/dess to charge them with
their light.
Hang these Mabon and Madron heads on a Witch's
cord or a Mabon wreath.
From "Celebrate the Earth" by Laurie Cabot,
Green Witchcraft by Ann Moura, Llewellyn's Witches'
Calendar 1998, and The Witches' God by Janet and
Stewart Farrar.
(From omphalos.org:
Aequinoctium Auctumnale (Fall Equinox, Mabon, c. Sept. 21)
Gk. He Isemeria Phthinoporine.
Apollonius Sophistes
(c) 1995
Many of the Greek and Roman festivals of this season celebrate the end of the
military campaigning season. At the end of September and beginning of
October, however, the emphasis shifts to the Corn Mothers and other
agricultural deities. In many Greek states the month beginning mid-September
was called Demetrion after Demeter (though it was called Boedromion in
Athens). [PFA 53]
Great Mysteries (Grk., c. Sept. 29-Oct. 5)
Ancient: 15-21 Boedromion (the festival begins on the full moon
and continues to the third quarter).
In origin the Great (Eleusinian) Mysteries were a festival for the autumn
sowing. They are, of course, mysteries, so some things about them remain
concealed, in particular, the contents of the Sacred Kistai (boxes) and the
actual initiation of the Mustai (Initiates). Anyone can be initiated,
regardless of age or sex.
The festival is conducted by the Archon Basileus and four assistants. Two of
these, the Hierophantes and Dadoukhos (Torch Bearer) wear the ependutes (a
long-sleeved tunic ornamented at the hem and shoulders), headband and Thracian
knee-boots; they carry one or two long torches. Further, there are Mustagogoi
(Initiate Guides), who guide individual postulants, often their friends,
through the initiation.
Preparatory
Preparations begin two days before the Mysteries proper (13 Boedromion, c.
Sept. 27): on the 13th two mounted Epheboi (Youths) travel to Eleusis and on
the 14th they accompany Ta Hiera (the Holy Things), contained in round Kistai
bound with purple ribbons, which are brought by wagon to Athens, where they
are received at the shrine (Eleusinion). (Mylonas has guessed that Ta Hiera
are Mycenean goddess figures.) An official, the Phaidruntes (Cleaner) of the
Two Goddesses, reports their arrival to Athena's priestess (as at the Skira,
c. June 27, Athena's priestess pays her respects to Demeter's). (The Two
Goddesses are, of course, Demeter and Persephone, but Their names are
considered too sacred to be mentioned in the rites.)
1st day: Agurmos (Gathering)
The would-be Mustai, who must have already been initiated in the Lesser
Mysteries (February), gather in the Agora. The Kerukes (Herald) calls for
them to step forward, and informs them that they must have "a soul conscious
of no evil" and that they "must have lived well and justly." Those afflicted
by blood-guilt or other impurity are warned away. At this time names may be
taken, and it may be ensured that the postulant is already initiated in the
Lesser Mysteries. The postulant spends the remainder of the day in spiritual
exercises recommended by his or her Mustagogos.
2nd day: "Seaward, Initiates"
The second day is for purification. The postulants travel to the sea (or
other place of ritual cleansing). On the order "Seaward Initiates!" they
enter the water with their offering so that both may be purified by salt
water.
In ancient times the offering was a piglet, which was supplied to the
postulant, for the pig is sacred to Demeter. In the evening the piglet was
sacrificed and the postulant was sprinkled with its blood; later there might
be a feast on the pork. Nowadays we might use an ear of corn as an offering
and sprinkle the postulant with water in which the corn has been boiled.
3rd day: "Hither the Victims"
The third day is for the main sacrifice to the Two Goddesses. (See
"Neoclassical Sacrifice" in The Lyre #3 for more details.)
4th day: Epidauria
On this day the postulant secludes him or herself indoors to prepare mentally
for the initiation. There are also celebrations for the god Asclepius, for on
this day in 420 BCE He came, with His daughter Hugieia (Health) and His sacred
snake, and requested the Eleusinian initiation.
5th day: March to Eleusis
The mounted Epheboi, the postulant Mustai, their Mustagogoi, initiated Mustai,
and the officials escort Ta Hiera back to Eleusis. The procession begins at
the shrine of Iakkhos, and His priest, the Iakkhagogos (Iakkhos Guide), leads
the procession with the sacred image of Iakkhos, which depicts Him as a
torch-bearing youth. Iakkhos is the Eleusinian name of Dionysos/Bacchus; in
the procession He is the joyous attendant of the Two Goddesses, and mediates
between Them and the Mustai. The marchers are accompanied by musicians
(flute, harp, voice); all join in the ecstatic cry, "Iakkhe!" (Shout!).
The Mustai wear garlands of myrtle and may carry bakkhoi, which are bundles of
myrtle branches tied with wool; they may also carry a sack of travel
necessities on a pole. Religious observances are made at sacred sites along
the way. At one place the Krokidai tie a yellow woolen thread (kroke) on the
right hand and left leg of each postulant. At another place disguised men
verbally abuse the postulants, which may drive away bad luck. The final part
of the procession is by torchlight, because Demeter is traditionally depicted
seeking Kore by torchlight.
At night the postulant offers to Demeter the Kernos, which is an earthenware
dish with many small cups attached; small offerings of the fruits of the earth
(grain, peas, beans, etc.) are placed in the cups. The postulant shares these
with the Goddess.
6th day: Initiation
On the day of Initiation sacrifices of corn meal are made to the Two
Goddesses. In sympathy with Demeter when She mourned the absent Kore, the
postulants fast and prepare themselves mentally for the sacred rite. Towards
evening, like Demeter when She accepted the drink from Meteneira, the
postulants drink the Kukeon (mixed drink), comprising water, barley meal and
pennyroyal. (There is debate about the ingredients of the Kukeon, but this is
the formula given in the "Homeric Hymn to Demeter," ll. 208-9.)
The initiation, which lasts through the night, takes place in a closed
building called the Telesterion (Initiation Place); in its center is the
Anaktoron (House of the Anax = King), the "Holy of Holies" to which no-one but
the Hierophantes (Revealer) is admitted. The specifics of the initiation are,
of course, secret, and have not been revealed to this day (though a great deal
of conjecture has been published). However, they involve Things Said, Things
Done and Things Revealed. There is music, song and speech; there are ritual
actions; there are revelations by torch light. Thereby the Mustai participate
in the Demeter's joy at the restoration of Persephone. The effect of the
Mysteries on the initiate is profoundly transformative. Even the clothes worn
during the initiation are consecrated thereafter.
The Epoptai (Those Who Have Seen) are the initiates of the highest level (who
must have been Mustai for at least one year), who have beheld the supreme
symbol of Demeter, as Triptolemos, the first Mustes, beheld it, and they have
witnessed the Hieros Gamos (Sacred Marriage) of Demeter and Zeus.
7th day: Plemokhoai
Each Mustes has two water-filled Plemokhoai (Flowing Floodtides), which are
earthenware vessels shaped like a spinning-top; one is tipped out to the east
and the other to the west, while the Mustes pronounces a spell known only to
initiates. [LEM 155; NFR 25; PFA 59-72; SFA 24-35]
Feast of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva (Rom., Sept. 13)
Ancient: Id. Sept. (full moon).
The Ides (full moon) of every month are sacred to Jupiter, as the Kalends (new
moon) are to Juno. This day is an Epulum (feast) for the Capitoline Triad
(Jupiter, Juno and Minerva), so statues of the three deities are present,
dressed in festal robes, and represent Their attendance at the feast. The
face of Jupiter's image is reddened with minium (red lead) and He reclines on
a lectulus (couch); Juno and Minerva sit on sellae (chairs).
The feast begins with a sacrifice to Jove (in ancient times it might have been
a white heifer, since Jupiter and Juno prefer white sacrifices), at which mola
salsa (salt meal) made by the Vestal Virgins is used (see "Neoclassical
Sacrifice" in The Lyre #3 for more on the mola). The Vestals' mola salsa,
which is made from the first ears of the previous harvest, is used at only two
other times (Vestalia, Jun. 9, and Lupercalia, Feb. 15). For the feast
proper, tables of food are set before the images of the Gods and music
accompanies the festivities.
Although September is under the protection of Vulcan, most of the honor goes
to Jupiter. The Ludi (Games) both proceed and follow the Feast for the
Capitoline Triad (in ancient times the Ludi lasted Sept. 5-19). There are
races, wrestling, parades and performances of various sorts. [SFR 23, 183-7]
Lesser Festivals
Genesia (Grk., c. Sept. 19)
Ancient: 5 Boedromion (nominally mid-Sept. - mid-Oct.).
This is the Athenian festival in honor of the dead. (Of course families honor
their own dead on their anniversaries.) There are lamentations and speeches
of praise. In ancient times, the vernal equinox (approximately) ended the
summer campaigning season, so several of these festivals (Genesia, Artemis
Agrotera, Boedromia) relate to the cessation of fighting. [PFA 53-4]
Festival for Artemis Agrotera (Grk., c. Sept 20)
Ancient: 6 Boedromion.
This day is a feast for Artemis Agrotera (Huntress), for the sixth day is Her
birthday. (After the Athenian victory at Marathon this festival became known
as Kharisteria, "Thanksgiving.") [PFA 54-5; SFA 82]
Boedromia (Grk., c. Sept. 21)
Ancient: 7 Boedromion (first quarter).
This is a minor thanksgiving festival for Apollo (since the seventh day is His
birthday), in gratitude to Him as a rescuer in war. [PFA 53]
Festival for Apollo and Latona (Rom., Sept. 23)
Ancient: IX Kal. Oct.
A minor festival for Apollo and His mother, Latona; it corresponds
approximately to the Boedromia. [SFR 188]
Festival for Venus Genetrix (Rom., Sept. 26)
Ancient: VI Kal. Oct.
A minor festival for Venus Genetrix (The Mother who Brings Forth). [SFR 188]
Festival for Fides (Rom., Oct. 1)
Ancient: Kal. Oct. (new moon).
A minor festival in honor of Fides (Good Faith). The priests show their good
faith, and protect the shrine from pollution, by wrapping their hands as far
as their fingers. Similarly, the right hand of the image of the Goddess was
bound in white. [SFR 189-90]
Fast for Ceres (Rom., Oct 4)
Ancient: IV Non. Oct.
This is similar to the fast (Lat., ieiunium) for Demeter on the second day of
the Thesmophoria (c. Oct. 25), on which there was a fast (Grk., nesteia) for
Demeter. The following day (Oct. 5) the Mundus Cereris (World of Ceres), a
vaulted ritual pit, is opened, which occurs on only three days (see Aug. 24).
[SFR 190-1]
Meditrinalia (Rom., Oct. 11)
Ancient: V Id. Oct.
This is a festival of healing (mederi = to be healed). Offerings of new and
old wine are poured and tasted, while repeating:
Of wine that's new and wine that's old I drink;
Of illness new and illness old I'm cured.
[SFR 192]
Fontinalia (Rom., Oct. 13)
Ancient: III Id. Oct.
This is a festival for Fons, the god of springs, and so garlands are thrown
into springs and used to decorate wells. [SFR 192]
Mabon is a time to give thanks for the bounty of the earth, and falls on the date of the autumnal equinox, which varies from year to year. Typically, it is between September 20 - 22 in the Northern Hemisphere, and March 20 - 22 in the Southern Hemisphere. In 2010, the autumn equinox falls on September 22 in the Northern Hemisphere. Below the equator, Mabon 2010 is on March 20.
Mabon History: The Second Harvest
By Patti Wigington, About.com Guide
Mabon is the second of three harvest celebrations observed by many Pagans and Wiccans, and is a time of thanksgiving and feasting.
The Science of the Equinox:
Two days a year, the Northern and Southern hemispheres receive the same amount of sunlight. Not only that, each receives the same amount of light as they do dark -- 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.
Global Traditions:
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 the harvesting of 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.
Giving Thanks:
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 on October 3, which makes a lot more sense agriculturally.
Thanksgiving was originally celebrated on October 3. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued his "Thanksgiving Proclamation", which changed the date to the last Thursday in November. In 1939, Franklin Delano Roosevelent adjusted it yet again, making it the second-to-last Thursday, in the hopes of boosting post-Depression holiday sales. Unfortunately, all this did was confuse people. Two years later, Congress finalized it, saying that the fourth Thursday of November would be Thanksgiving, each year.
Symbols of the Season:
The harvest is a time of thanks, and also a time of balance -- after all, there are equal hours of daylight and darkness. 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.
Some symbols of Mabon include:
Mid-autumn vegetables, like squashes and gourds
Apples and anything made from them, such as cider or pies
Seeds and seed pods
Baskets, symbolizing the gathering of crops
Sickles and scythes
Grapes, vines, wine
You can use any of these to decorate your home or your altar at Mabon.
Feasting and Friends:
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 deals of feasting, drinking, and eating. After all, the grain had been made into bread, beer and wine had been made, and the cattle were brought down from the summer pastures for the coming winter. Celebrate Mabon yourself with a feast -- and the bigger, the better!
Magic and Mythology:
Nearly all of the myths and legends popular at this time of the year focus on the 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!
Demeter and Her Daughter
Perhaps the best known of all the harvest mythologies is the story of Demeter and Persephone. Demeter was a goddess of grain and of the harvest in ancient Greece. Her daughter, Persephone, caught the eye of Hades, god of the underworld. When Hades abducted Persephone and took her back to the underworld, Demeter's grief caused the crops on earth to die and go dormant. By the time she finally recovered her daughter, Persephone had eaten six pomegranate seeds, and so was doomed to spend six months of the year in the underworld. These six months are the time when the earth dies, beginning at the time of the autumn equinox.
Inanna Takes on the Underworld
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 -- stripping herself of her clothing and earthly posessions. 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.
Modern Celebrations
For contemporary Druids, this is the celebration of Alban Elfed, which is a time of balance between the light and the dark. Many Asatru groups honor the fall equinox as Winter Nights, a festival sacred to Freyr.
For most Wiccans and NeoPagans, this is a time of community and kinship. It's not uncommon to find a Pagan Pride Day celebration tied in with Mabon. Often, PPD organizers include a food drive as part of the festivities, to celebrate the bounty of the harvest and to share with the less fortunate.
If you choose to celebrate Mabon, give thanks for the things you have, and take time to reflect on the balance within your own life, honoring both the darkness and the light. Invite your friends and family over for a feast, and count the blessings that you have among kin and community.
(From earthwitchery.com):
Mabon Lore
Autumn Equinox, around September 21, is the
time of the descent of the Goddess into the
Underworld. With her departure, we see the
decline of nature and the coming of winter.
This is a classic, ancient mythos, seen the
Sumerian myth of Inanna and in the ancient
Greek and Roman legends of Demeter and
Persephone.
In September, we also 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.
Mabon ("Great Son") is a Welsh god. He was a
great hunter with a swift horse and a wonderful
hound. He may have been a mythologized actual
leader. He was stolen from his mother, Modron
(Great Mother),when he was three nights old,
but was eventually rescued by King Arthur
(other legends say he was rescued by the
Blackbird, the Stag, the Owl, the Eagle, and
the Salmon). All along, however, Mabon has
been dwelling, a happy captive, in Modron's
magickal Otherworld -- Madron's womb. Only in
this way can he be reborn. Mabon's light has
been drawn into the Earth, gathering strength
and wisdom enough to become a new seed. In
this sense, Mabon is the masculine counterpart
of Persephone -- the male fertilizing principle
seasonally withdrawn. Modron corresponds with
Demeter.
From the moment of the September Equinox, the
Sun's strength diminishes, until the moment of
Winter Solstice in December, when the Sun grows
stronger and the days once again become longer
than the nights.
Symbols celebrating the season include various
types of gourd and melons. Stalk can be tied
together symbolizing the Harvest Lord and then
set in a circle of gourds. A besom can be
constructed to symbolize the polarity of male
and female. The Harvest Lord is often
symbolized by a straw man, whose sacrificial
body is burned and its ashes scattered upon the
earth. The Harvest Queen, or Kern Baby, is made
from 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 (a phallic fertility symbol).
In Scotland, the last sheaf of harvest is called
the Maiden, and must be cut by the youngest
female in attendance.
TOP
Altar Dressings
* candles should be brown or cinnamon.
* decorate circle with autumn flowers,
acorns, gourds, corn sheaves and fall
leaves.
TOP
Mabon Magickal Herbs
Rue, yarrow, rosemary, marigold, sage, walnut
leaves and husks, mistletoe, saffron, chamomile,
almond leaves, passionflower, frankincense,
rose hips, bittersweet, sunflower, wheat, oak
leaves, dried apple or apple seeds.
TOP
Incense
Pine, sage, sweetgrass or myrhh. You can also mix
marigold, passionflower, and fern, using
frankincense or myrhh as a resin for Mabon incense
TOP
Mabon Magickal Stones
During Mabon, stones ruled by the Sun will help
bring the Sun's energy to you.clear quartz,
amber, peridot, diamond, gold, citrine, yellow
topaz, cat's-eye, adventurine.
Mabon is a good time to cast spells of balance
and harmony. It's also a time of change.
Protection, wealth and prosperity spells are
appropriate as well.
TOP
Holiday Fare
Mabon is the Witch's Thanksgiving, a time to
appreciate and give thanks to the Goddess for
her bounty and to share in the joys of the
harvest. Fall fruits, squash, gourds, pumpkins,
grains, nut breads, vegetables.
A magickal Mabon beverage: hot apple cider.
Apple rules the heart, cider alone is a self-
love potion. By spicing it with cinnamon, ruled
by Jupiter and the Sun, we are in essence,
ingesting the sunlight.
Sample menu #1: Mabon Wine Moon Cider, Roast
Chicken Rubbed with Sage, Basil, and Thyme,
Acorn Squash made with Sweet Butter, Cinnamon
and Honey, and Apple Bread.
Sample menu #2: Wine from the god and beans and
squashes from the goddess. A hearty multi-bean
soup with smoked meats (optional), including
such as cut-up mild sausage like mild Italian
or Polish.
Mabon Wine Moon Cider
4 cups apple cider 1/2 tsp. whole cloves
4 cups grape juice additional cinnamon sticks
2 cinnamon sticks for cups, 6 inches long
1 tsp allspice
In a 4-quart saucepan, heat cider and grape
juice. Add cinnamon, allspice and cloves.
Bring just to boiling. Lower heat and simmer
for 5 minutes.
Serve with ladle from a cauldron. Makes 8 cups.
TOP
Mabon Activities
* Make grapevine wreaths using dried bitter-
sweet 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.
* Make Magickal Scented Pinecones.
* Make a protection charm of hazelnuts
(filberts) strung on red thread.
* Collect milkweed pods to decorate at Yuletide
and attract the faeries.
* 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.
* Make a witch's broom. Tie dried corn husks or
herbs (broom, cedar, fennel, lavender,
peppermint, rosemary) around a strong,
relatively straight branch of your choice.
* Make magic Apple Dolls: Apples are sacred
symbols of the witch. Our holy land, Avalon,
means Apple-land or Island of Apples. Slice
an apple through the midsection and its seeds
reveal the sacred shape of the pentacle.
You will need two large apples, one for Mabon
and one for Modron, 2 pencils and 2 dowels
about 12 inches long, a paring knife, a glass
or bowl of water to wash your fingers, a plate,
and a towel to wipe your hands. Peel and core
the apples. Carve a face in the apples. Place
apples on a dowel and stand them in a jar
to dry (start now). Then charge in a magick
circle. After 2 or 3 weeks, they should look
like shrunken heads. Make them into dolls. Use
wheat, dried herbs or doll's hair for hair.
Dress them in tiny robes and bring them into
the circle, asking god/dess to charge them with
their light.
Hang these Mabon and Madron heads on a Witch's
cord or a Mabon wreath.
From "Celebrate the Earth" by Laurie Cabot,
Green Witchcraft by Ann Moura, Llewellyn's Witches'
Calendar 1998, and The Witches' God by Janet and
Stewart Farrar.
(From omphalos.org:
Aequinoctium Auctumnale (Fall Equinox, Mabon, c. Sept. 21)
Gk. He Isemeria Phthinoporine.
Apollonius Sophistes
(c) 1995
Many of the Greek and Roman festivals of this season celebrate the end of the
military campaigning season. At the end of September and beginning of
October, however, the emphasis shifts to the Corn Mothers and other
agricultural deities. In many Greek states the month beginning mid-September
was called Demetrion after Demeter (though it was called Boedromion in
Athens). [PFA 53]
Great Mysteries (Grk., c. Sept. 29-Oct. 5)
Ancient: 15-21 Boedromion (the festival begins on the full moon
and continues to the third quarter).
In origin the Great (Eleusinian) Mysteries were a festival for the autumn
sowing. They are, of course, mysteries, so some things about them remain
concealed, in particular, the contents of the Sacred Kistai (boxes) and the
actual initiation of the Mustai (Initiates). Anyone can be initiated,
regardless of age or sex.
The festival is conducted by the Archon Basileus and four assistants. Two of
these, the Hierophantes and Dadoukhos (Torch Bearer) wear the ependutes (a
long-sleeved tunic ornamented at the hem and shoulders), headband and Thracian
knee-boots; they carry one or two long torches. Further, there are Mustagogoi
(Initiate Guides), who guide individual postulants, often their friends,
through the initiation.
Preparatory
Preparations begin two days before the Mysteries proper (13 Boedromion, c.
Sept. 27): on the 13th two mounted Epheboi (Youths) travel to Eleusis and on
the 14th they accompany Ta Hiera (the Holy Things), contained in round Kistai
bound with purple ribbons, which are brought by wagon to Athens, where they
are received at the shrine (Eleusinion). (Mylonas has guessed that Ta Hiera
are Mycenean goddess figures.) An official, the Phaidruntes (Cleaner) of the
Two Goddesses, reports their arrival to Athena's priestess (as at the Skira,
c. June 27, Athena's priestess pays her respects to Demeter's). (The Two
Goddesses are, of course, Demeter and Persephone, but Their names are
considered too sacred to be mentioned in the rites.)
1st day: Agurmos (Gathering)
The would-be Mustai, who must have already been initiated in the Lesser
Mysteries (February), gather in the Agora. The Kerukes (Herald) calls for
them to step forward, and informs them that they must have "a soul conscious
of no evil" and that they "must have lived well and justly." Those afflicted
by blood-guilt or other impurity are warned away. At this time names may be
taken, and it may be ensured that the postulant is already initiated in the
Lesser Mysteries. The postulant spends the remainder of the day in spiritual
exercises recommended by his or her Mustagogos.
2nd day: "Seaward, Initiates"
The second day is for purification. The postulants travel to the sea (or
other place of ritual cleansing). On the order "Seaward Initiates!" they
enter the water with their offering so that both may be purified by salt
water.
In ancient times the offering was a piglet, which was supplied to the
postulant, for the pig is sacred to Demeter. In the evening the piglet was
sacrificed and the postulant was sprinkled with its blood; later there might
be a feast on the pork. Nowadays we might use an ear of corn as an offering
and sprinkle the postulant with water in which the corn has been boiled.
3rd day: "Hither the Victims"
The third day is for the main sacrifice to the Two Goddesses. (See
"Neoclassical Sacrifice" in The Lyre #3 for more details.)
4th day: Epidauria
On this day the postulant secludes him or herself indoors to prepare mentally
for the initiation. There are also celebrations for the god Asclepius, for on
this day in 420 BCE He came, with His daughter Hugieia (Health) and His sacred
snake, and requested the Eleusinian initiation.
5th day: March to Eleusis
The mounted Epheboi, the postulant Mustai, their Mustagogoi, initiated Mustai,
and the officials escort Ta Hiera back to Eleusis. The procession begins at
the shrine of Iakkhos, and His priest, the Iakkhagogos (Iakkhos Guide), leads
the procession with the sacred image of Iakkhos, which depicts Him as a
torch-bearing youth. Iakkhos is the Eleusinian name of Dionysos/Bacchus; in
the procession He is the joyous attendant of the Two Goddesses, and mediates
between Them and the Mustai. The marchers are accompanied by musicians
(flute, harp, voice); all join in the ecstatic cry, "Iakkhe!" (Shout!).
The Mustai wear garlands of myrtle and may carry bakkhoi, which are bundles of
myrtle branches tied with wool; they may also carry a sack of travel
necessities on a pole. Religious observances are made at sacred sites along
the way. At one place the Krokidai tie a yellow woolen thread (kroke) on the
right hand and left leg of each postulant. At another place disguised men
verbally abuse the postulants, which may drive away bad luck. The final part
of the procession is by torchlight, because Demeter is traditionally depicted
seeking Kore by torchlight.
At night the postulant offers to Demeter the Kernos, which is an earthenware
dish with many small cups attached; small offerings of the fruits of the earth
(grain, peas, beans, etc.) are placed in the cups. The postulant shares these
with the Goddess.
6th day: Initiation
On the day of Initiation sacrifices of corn meal are made to the Two
Goddesses. In sympathy with Demeter when She mourned the absent Kore, the
postulants fast and prepare themselves mentally for the sacred rite. Towards
evening, like Demeter when She accepted the drink from Meteneira, the
postulants drink the Kukeon (mixed drink), comprising water, barley meal and
pennyroyal. (There is debate about the ingredients of the Kukeon, but this is
the formula given in the "Homeric Hymn to Demeter," ll. 208-9.)
The initiation, which lasts through the night, takes place in a closed
building called the Telesterion (Initiation Place); in its center is the
Anaktoron (House of the Anax = King), the "Holy of Holies" to which no-one but
the Hierophantes (Revealer) is admitted. The specifics of the initiation are,
of course, secret, and have not been revealed to this day (though a great deal
of conjecture has been published). However, they involve Things Said, Things
Done and Things Revealed. There is music, song and speech; there are ritual
actions; there are revelations by torch light. Thereby the Mustai participate
in the Demeter's joy at the restoration of Persephone. The effect of the
Mysteries on the initiate is profoundly transformative. Even the clothes worn
during the initiation are consecrated thereafter.
The Epoptai (Those Who Have Seen) are the initiates of the highest level (who
must have been Mustai for at least one year), who have beheld the supreme
symbol of Demeter, as Triptolemos, the first Mustes, beheld it, and they have
witnessed the Hieros Gamos (Sacred Marriage) of Demeter and Zeus.
7th day: Plemokhoai
Each Mustes has two water-filled Plemokhoai (Flowing Floodtides), which are
earthenware vessels shaped like a spinning-top; one is tipped out to the east
and the other to the west, while the Mustes pronounces a spell known only to
initiates. [LEM 155; NFR 25; PFA 59-72; SFA 24-35]
Feast of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva (Rom., Sept. 13)
Ancient: Id. Sept. (full moon).
The Ides (full moon) of every month are sacred to Jupiter, as the Kalends (new
moon) are to Juno. This day is an Epulum (feast) for the Capitoline Triad
(Jupiter, Juno and Minerva), so statues of the three deities are present,
dressed in festal robes, and represent Their attendance at the feast. The
face of Jupiter's image is reddened with minium (red lead) and He reclines on
a lectulus (couch); Juno and Minerva sit on sellae (chairs).
The feast begins with a sacrifice to Jove (in ancient times it might have been
a white heifer, since Jupiter and Juno prefer white sacrifices), at which mola
salsa (salt meal) made by the Vestal Virgins is used (see "Neoclassical
Sacrifice" in The Lyre #3 for more on the mola). The Vestals' mola salsa,
which is made from the first ears of the previous harvest, is used at only two
other times (Vestalia, Jun. 9, and Lupercalia, Feb. 15). For the feast
proper, tables of food are set before the images of the Gods and music
accompanies the festivities.
Although September is under the protection of Vulcan, most of the honor goes
to Jupiter. The Ludi (Games) both proceed and follow the Feast for the
Capitoline Triad (in ancient times the Ludi lasted Sept. 5-19). There are
races, wrestling, parades and performances of various sorts. [SFR 23, 183-7]
Lesser Festivals
Genesia (Grk., c. Sept. 19)
Ancient: 5 Boedromion (nominally mid-Sept. - mid-Oct.).
This is the Athenian festival in honor of the dead. (Of course families honor
their own dead on their anniversaries.) There are lamentations and speeches
of praise. In ancient times, the vernal equinox (approximately) ended the
summer campaigning season, so several of these festivals (Genesia, Artemis
Agrotera, Boedromia) relate to the cessation of fighting. [PFA 53-4]
Festival for Artemis Agrotera (Grk., c. Sept 20)
Ancient: 6 Boedromion.
This day is a feast for Artemis Agrotera (Huntress), for the sixth day is Her
birthday. (After the Athenian victory at Marathon this festival became known
as Kharisteria, "Thanksgiving.") [PFA 54-5; SFA 82]
Boedromia (Grk., c. Sept. 21)
Ancient: 7 Boedromion (first quarter).
This is a minor thanksgiving festival for Apollo (since the seventh day is His
birthday), in gratitude to Him as a rescuer in war. [PFA 53]
Festival for Apollo and Latona (Rom., Sept. 23)
Ancient: IX Kal. Oct.
A minor festival for Apollo and His mother, Latona; it corresponds
approximately to the Boedromia. [SFR 188]
Festival for Venus Genetrix (Rom., Sept. 26)
Ancient: VI Kal. Oct.
A minor festival for Venus Genetrix (The Mother who Brings Forth). [SFR 188]
Festival for Fides (Rom., Oct. 1)
Ancient: Kal. Oct. (new moon).
A minor festival in honor of Fides (Good Faith). The priests show their good
faith, and protect the shrine from pollution, by wrapping their hands as far
as their fingers. Similarly, the right hand of the image of the Goddess was
bound in white. [SFR 189-90]
Fast for Ceres (Rom., Oct 4)
Ancient: IV Non. Oct.
This is similar to the fast (Lat., ieiunium) for Demeter on the second day of
the Thesmophoria (c. Oct. 25), on which there was a fast (Grk., nesteia) for
Demeter. The following day (Oct. 5) the Mundus Cereris (World of Ceres), a
vaulted ritual pit, is opened, which occurs on only three days (see Aug. 24).
[SFR 190-1]
Meditrinalia (Rom., Oct. 11)
Ancient: V Id. Oct.
This is a festival of healing (mederi = to be healed). Offerings of new and
old wine are poured and tasted, while repeating:
Of wine that's new and wine that's old I drink;
Of illness new and illness old I'm cured.
[SFR 192]
Fontinalia (Rom., Oct. 13)
Ancient: III Id. Oct.
This is a festival for Fons, the god of springs, and so garlands are thrown
into springs and used to decorate wells. [SFR 192]
