Samhain Yule Imbolc
Ostara Beltane
Litha Lammas Mabon
Crystals
As the Wheel Turns
Associations
Deities:
Branwen, Modron,
Morgan, Morrighan, Epona, Persephone, Pamona, The Muses.
Dionysus, Mabon,
Thoth, Thor, Hermes, the Green Man
Traditional
Colours:
Red, Orange
Symbols:
Wine, Gourds,
Pine Cones, Acorns, Grains, Corn, Apples, Pomegranates, Vines, Dried Seeds and
Horns of Plenty
Botanicals
Acorn,
Benzoin, Ferns, Grains, Honeysuckle, Marigold, Milkweed, Myrrh, Passionflower,
Rose, Sage, Solomon’s Seal, Tobacco, Thistle, Vegetables
Sapphire,
Lapis Lazuli and Yellow Agates
As the Wheel Turns
During the Equinox, the sun passes our planet’s
equator, making night and day of equal length all over the world. It is the
time when light and dark are balanced; summer heat has faded away but winter’s
icy grip is approaching. Equality in all opposites should be respected now as
the Universe is practically screaming at us to notice its harmony. The quiet of
the trees with no leaves to rustle in the wind makes these autumn days a
perfect time to sit outside in quiet reverence of the golden season.
Mabon is a Thanksgiving, a
time to appreciate and give thanks to the Goddess for her bounty and to share
in the joys of the harvest. Mabon is ruled by the Wine Moon and brings with it
the completion of the fruit harvest. While the fields are practically bare from
the harvest of Lammas, the grains of summer are now dry and ready to be stored.
The fruit, herbs and vegetables which have been lovingly picked are not eaten
just now but preserved for later use during the winter. The introduction of
supermarkets and 24-hour shopping has made the old hardships and traditions
less prominent but Mabon is the time to appreciate them all the more.
Bottoms up!
It is a wonderful tradition to consume the
gifts of the season; wine and cider are my favourite part of Mabon traditions.
The history of their association with this Sabbat is based in the grape vines,
apples and other fruits being harvested during this time of year. A fun and
interesting way to honour this is to brew your own wine each Mabon and consume
it the following year.
Festival of Dionysus
Dionysus is the Greek God of Wine; in his honour,
men would carry grape vines throughout the town in a procession, followed by
drinking, singing, dancing a general merriment – a real festival. This
celebration was known as Oschophoria – The Grape Harvest Festival
The Croning Mother
She is our Lady of Wise Council, the Grandmother of
Witchcraft, my divine Grandmother… She is within me as a constant fountain of
wisdom, inspiration and mystery.
As darkness comes and the cold fingers of winter
begin to grip the earth the Goddess unveils her cronehood boldly during Mabon. The
youthful maiden of Spring, the nurturing Mother of Summer now shows age, wisdom
and experience in her long flowing white hair and the lines on her face. A
sickle and scythe in hand, She is in the Autumn of Her life and her presence is
felt in the cool breezes, falling leaves and relentless rains.
Our Departing Lord
With the wilting of the leaves comes the wilting of
the Lord; mirroring the Goddess in Her cronehood, the God is now the wise Sage,
his strength and dominance waning with the Sun’s power. He is by no means
powerless at this time – day and night are equal at Mabon and so His energy is
not gone, merely lessened; it shall be further diminished at Samhain before His
death and rebirth at Yule (the shortest day) when the Sun’s power shall once
more begin to ascend.
During Mabon and the remainder of Autumn, the God
can be felt in the diminishing heat of the Sun’s rays and the evergreens which
His power still feeds. A long tree walk will immerse you in His power – the sight
of holly berries, the scent of the cooling air, perhaps the sight of a stag if
you are lucky enough to live in areas where they dwell. Remember, He is always
visible in the outside world, all one need do is look up.
Persephone
Persephone is a goddess of
the Greek pantheon and traditions. She is strongly connected with the Autumn
Equinox because it marks when she was abducted by Hades (God of the Underworld)
and made to be his bride. She is also representative of the oncoming darkness
of winter. The time before she was abducted was spent very innocently – she was
a maiden of virtue; virginal and prone to frolicking in fields collecting
flowers. However, when Persephone is abducted by her uncle Hades, at Mabon, her
mother, Demeter (Goddess of Agriculture, of Grain and Growth) is outraged and
wields her power so no crops or plant life may grow on Earth while her daughter
remained captive – and so the life of the earth began to fade and wither.
Over time, Persephone grew
accustomed to Hades and the Underworld. She became not only his wife but also
his Queen – Persephone, Queen of the Underworld. Though she missed the middle
realm of Earth and the life she had known as a young Goddess with her mother, she
grew to love her life with Hades and her responsibilities as Queen.
Meanwhile, on Earth,
Demeter’s search for her daughter had uncovered the truth that it was Zeus’s
plan for Persephone to be taken to the Underworld and become his brother’s
bride. On discovering this news, Demeter vehemently demanded Persephone’s
release until Zeus agreed and the messenger, Hermes was sent to retrieve her.
This chain of events led to the discovery of Persephone’s new life as Queen of
the Underworld and after much discussion, an agreement was made. Each spring,
Persephone would return to Earth with the flowers, spending the spring and
summer enjoying the company and love of her mother, the warmth of the Sun and beauty
of Earth’s growth. Every autumn, she would return to Hades and her life as
Queen; the pain of her mother’s loss each year would cause growth to cease and
life to wither until her return the following spring – hence, the separation of
the seasons.
Traditions
Feasting
All Sabbats have the tradition of a feast but there are several
associated with Mabon. I have listed the well publicised menus of the more
prominent ones to the right.
Winter Squash
Curried Split Pea and
Potato Soup
Snow Moon Mexican Hot
Chocolate
Cider with Spices
Pumpkin Bread
Tofu Soup with Pumpkin
Shells
Rosemary and Mint Salad
Oven Roasted Red Potatoes
and Apples
Mabon Wine Moon Cider
Tofu w/Sage, Basil and
Thyme
Acorn Squash
Apple Bread
Charges
While there are many charges to choose from for this Sabbat I
have chosen my favourite three to list here:
Charge of the
Dark Goddess
Orange
Altar Decorations
Representations of the
Croned Goddess & Saging God
Harvested Goods
Corn Dollies
Holly & Autumn Leaves
Autumnal Charms
Activities
Tree
Walk
I mention tree walk’s quite
often as a Sabbat activity; I doubt it would be classed as a traditional thing
to do but I consider it the simplest way to connect to the surrounding season.
The scent of the woods
during Autumn is, I believe, the most magickal and intoxicating experience available.
Take a note book to record any thoughts or feelings that the trees give you,
some crystals or plant feed as offerings to nature spirits and a small basket
or bag to collect any gifts the forest offers you.
Make a New Besom
You will need:
A four-foot length of ash or oak for the handle
Thin branches of birch for bristle (this can be substituted with a woody herb such as mugwort or thyme)
Lengths of willow or heavy cord to bind everything together
Scissors
Bucket of warm water
What to do:
What to do:
1. No matter what you choose for your bristles, it will need to be soaked in the bucket of warm water overnight to make it pliable. This includes the willow binding.
2. Lay the handle on a flat surface; place the bristles alongside it; lined up approximately 4” from the bottom. Point the bottom of the bristles toward the top of the broom as you will be flipping the bristles next.
3. Use the willow branches or cording to wrap the bristles around the broom. Add as many as you want to make the broom full. Ensure you tie the cording off securely so the bristles don’t pop out later.
4. Take the bristles and fold them down over the binding so they’re pointing toward the bottom of the broom. Ties them down again at the base of the broomstick to secure them. As you wrap the cord in place, visualise your intent for this besom – is it strictly decorative? Will it be hung in place over a door? Is it for ceremonial use? Is it for cleaning? Focus on what you will use it for and charge it with energy.
5. Let your broom dry for a couple of days and once it has, consecrate it as part of your magickal tool collection.
Instructions resourced from: http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/shoppingandsupplies/ss/Besom.htm
Hazelnut Protection Charm
Hazelnut is a very
versatile nut; in my humble opinion, a very lovely coffee flavouring but it’s
properties of protection can be well implemented at Mabon. The website where I
discovered this charm did not give many details of how to make the charm,
listing only 2 required items and one instruction: hazelnuts and a red cord;
this was followed by the instruction to thread the hazelnuts onto the cord.
Charm made?
I have exercised my
imagination to expand this charm’s charm a little. This charm will be a
bracelet using 8 hazelnuts/filberts as Mabon is the 8th Sabbat on
the Wheel of the Year. I have also added jewellry-making spacers and leaf
charms as decoration; these will make the bracelet more personal to the
maker/wearer.
Balance
Meditation
This is not a Mabon idea I
found on a website or in a book; I do this every year at Mabon to observe the
equal length of day and night. The specifics of the meditation change each time
but the focus is always centred around the opposites of the natural world.
This years specific
meditation will be explained in another post but I like to enter this
meditation holding two items (in some way opposite) in each hand, a moonstone
in one and a sunstone in the other, for example. Crystals
Other Ideas
Enchant Pine Cones
I found this suggestion when
searching for Mabon activities. The website in question has actually given me
several ideas for this post, most of which I have changed a little to add my
own flair but this particular idea I am not altering at all and so I have
simply included the link:
Make a Mabon Incense
As scent is one of the most
evocative senses, incense brings to the imagination an endless array of
thoughts, inspirations and memories. I’m sure practiced pagans and witches are
aware that the power of intent is equal to the strength of magickal energy (another
balance which must be kept aligned). Therefore, herbs and resins for an incense
should be chosen to evoke the memories and thoughts you wish to conjure for the
purposes of your working/celebration. I have listed below a few herbs associated
with autumn and mabon which may help with your blend:
MYRRH - PINE – SAGE – SWEETGRASS
MARIGOLD – PASSIONFLOWER - FERN
At Mabon, because it is my
favourite sabbat, I choose to make two incense blends:
My Mabon Blend 1 - Seasonal
Pine
– Fern – Cedar - Copal resin
- Dried
autumn leaves
This is for during
meditation as it always brings me directly into the forest which is where my
Mabon meditations tend to be located. The ‘dried autumn leaves’ also make each
blend a little different.
My Mabon Blend 2 - Aromatic
Myrrh
resin – Sandalwood – Cinnamon –
Cloves
- Sweetgrass
From the ingredients, it
may be obvious that this is the spicier
blend and is used more for atmospheric
enhancement than ritual. I have however, occasionally used it to call the
elements of Air and Fire to my Mabon circle.
Honour Cronehood
I have dual feelings about cronehood; whilst in
some ways I look forward to my own hair greying, the lines on my face
deepening, the wisdom of more years blessing my mind; however, the flip side of
this is the thought of getting closer to the end of this life. At Mabon I
embrace these feelings, the good and the bad, I honour the maturity and wisdom
I’ve gained. The simplest way I do this is to light a black candle and whilst I
focus on its flame, I visualise on the life force of the Croned Goddess and
recite the Charge of the Crone.
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