Mabon, or the Autumnal Equinox, occurs when the Sun is at zero degrees Libra, and as the name implies, it is the time when day and night are of equal length. Libra is the sign of the zodiac symbolized by the scales in balance, and it is a perfect symbol also for the day and night in balance. Balance is the theme for many of our Mabon rituals, as this is a good time to restore balance to your life. As we see the winter time approaching, it is a time to get your priorities in order. The night conquers day, as we slide into the dark half of the year.
This was the true Thanksgiving, the Harvest Home, the second of the harvest festivals, and the most important one to the agricultural cultures as this is when the majority of the harvest came in. The Harvest Moon is the brightest of all the Moons, and a good thing, because many farmers had to work long into the night under the light of this Moon to get all their harvesting finished in time. Usually the last bit, or a small corner of the harvest was left in the fields and not taken up. It was bound and left to stand until the Harvest Festival, when it would be symbolically sacrificed to represent the Sacrificed God of Vegetation. It was considered unlucky to cut down the very last of the Harvest, and so was also left to stand in the field by some traditions. If wheat or a grain, it was bound tightly, and also could be dressed in men's clothing, and was the fore-runner of the scarecrow. This "man" was often burned in a sacrifice to the Gods, as well as animals, in a large "wicker man". In many fields today, you may see one small area left unharvested, as many farmers still believe it to be unlucky to harvest the last corner.
Animals are also preparing for the winter, storing food, getting fatter, eating more. And as we are also animals, you will find your body tending toward the same trend. It isn't lack of willpower that puts pounds on you at this time of year, it is centuries of the species survival training that tells your body that fat will keep you from starving through the winter! People also get testy, edgy, and more competative at this time, because subconciously we still see this as the beginning of the "lean time". Just as the animals compete, butting heads, so do people, and males will especially be more apt to want to be in control of things. This is not sexist, this is ingrained survival of the species. Men at this time would take stock of their hunting equipment, to repair or replace whatever they need to, in order to provide for their families in the coming winter months. This is the height of the agricultural harvest, and the beginning of the hunting time of year.
As the Goddess is in the Mother stage, bountiful, full and ripe, so we celebrate this aspect, we celebrate what we have harvested in our lives up to this point. We look to see what has grown and matured from the "seeds" we have sown earlier. We take stock now to see what we still need for our own growth, both mentally and spiritually. And we also give thanks for what we have, this is the true Thanksgiving season. The reasons the American Thanksgiving is so late in November are twofold: firstly, the Pilgrim's were ignorant of the growing season and had the Indians not gone and brought in the harvest, they all would have died during that first bitter winter; secondly, the United States government changed the date of Thanksgiving to always be the fourth Thursday of the month, so that more shopping days could be added for Christmas shopping, thus improving our economy at that time. (But that's another story for another holiday!)
This was also the time for replacing your old broom with a new one. As the broom corn is ripe now, besom making is traditional and magickal this time of year. (Unless you live in an extreme southern sub-tropical climate such as south Florida or southern California, when more things are ripe in Feb!)
The Harvest Moon was also referred to as the Wine Moon, because the grapes also ripen now in the wine making countries. The first wine dieties were female, and wine is one of the oldest libations known to us; it symbolizes the blood of the Sacrificed God in many religions.
The apple is also a fruit that comes ripe now, and is a staple of Mabon recipes, such as apple pie and apple cider. Tradionally apples were rubbed before eating to remove all demons or evil spirits that were thought to be within them. Apples are thought to restore health, aid longevity, and restore physical strength. Apples have long been associated with health, as "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" will tell you! Apple cider, or hard cider was often a traditional wassailing drink, appropriate as the term "wassailing" means to wish good health.
Beer is also appropriate at this time of year, as at Lammas, and so also is Mead, which is a lightly alchoholic drink made from fermenting honey and water. As honey is mostly gathered in the fall, mead was made at this time of year. Small mead, which only takes about 12 days to mature, is still a favorite of ours at all the harvest festivals. (See also Baron Sir Riekin's Mead Making Recipe at this website.)
Incidentally, the word Sabbat comes from the Babylonian SA-BAT meaning heart's rest and was when the Goddess Ishtar had her period & rested. This was her period of "tabu" which originally meant "set apart" and had no negative connotations, but instead was a time for women to rest from their normal labors. Only woman had the sacred bleeding, therefore, only women could bless the harvest, or the crops. The word blessing comes from the anglo-saxon word BLES which means blood. Women were the greatest mystery, since only women bled, and did not die, and when they did not bleed, they gave birth, and shed milk. Thus the two colors most associated with the Goddess are red and white.
Colors for Mabon are reds, maroons, oranges, golden yellows, deep greens, russets, browns, and other colors reflective of the autumn season. The incenses are woodsy and musky, such as pine smoke, sage, or animal musk. Your altar decorations could be fall leaves, ears of corn, nuts, acorns, apples, fall colored flowers, or any seasonal thing which is common where you live.
Themes for our Mabon celebration can be the harvest, as an individual and as a community, what have we reaped? What did we sow? Also realizing that we need to share abundance, and that there is abundance for all - one person's good fortune doesn't diminish another's! We are thankful for blessings, especially those we normally take for granted, i.e. good jobs, homes, friends, freedoms, food, etc. There are many who don't have the lifestyle that we enjoy today in this country. This is also a time to reflect on the nature of sacrifice, the God of vegetation, and also the plants and animals who sacrifice themselves so that we may survive. Willing sacrifice must always be honored.
Other themes include the equality of day and night, and also equality among ourselves, sexual equality, racial equality, etc. and what real equality means to us as a community. The ability to draw on one anothers strengths and to honor equally all strengths, not just those of one sex, or age related ones. Balance is another theme, balance in our lives, and in other areas of our culture, as symbolized by the Libran scales, and what we might have to do to achieve that balance.
The legend of Lugh and Goronwy, in some versions, takes place at the Equinox, rather than the Solstice, and can be a theme for Mabon Sabbats. As also can the legend of John Barleycorn, who symbolized the Sacrificed God. You can, if you have outdoor facilities and a fire permit - even make a "wicker man" and fill it with tokens of your harvest, to burn as a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Gods! Your imagination is all you need to create as powerful a ritual as you can wish.
Email to Lady Bridget at ladybrid@bc.seflin.org
Bibliography:
"The Magic In Food" by Scott Cunningham
"Ancient Ways" by Pauline Campanelli
For this ritual you will need the following items:
It is really fun to pop the corn in circle, but if this proves to be too much challenge for you, you can use corn in the basket, and put already popped corn in the cauldron, covered (either with a lid or black cloth) and then have it "magically" appear as transformed.
The symbolism is the improtant part, as long as the lesson can be learned, the props can be as easy or as inventive as you like them to be.
Purify Space with Besom.
Cast the circle as you normally would. Bless the participants, and have them ground and center themselves.
East (water): Hail to thee guardians of the watchtowers of the east, the
powers of water. We call upon the deep oceans' mysteries:
Height of swell, Whiteness of foam
Depth of trough, Torrent of shoal
Eddy os current, Roar of wave
Flood of the tide, Wash of the ebb
Generosity fo flow, Abundance of life
Be about us in beauty and protection this Mabon night. So Mote It Be.
South (air): Hail to thee guardians of the watchtowers of the south, the
powers of air. We call upon the nine encircling breaths:
Ecstasy of energy, Pattern of destiny
Protection of learning, Inspiration of initiation
Challenge of adversary, Liberation of confidence
Transformation of self, Trust of guardianship
Empowerment of wisdom
Be about us in beauty and protection this Mabon night. So Mote It Be.
West (fire): Hail to thee Guardians of the watchtowers of the west, the
pwers of fire. We call upon the bright harvest fires:
Heart's flame, Seal of night
Bright fire, Living light
Flame's own flower, Spirit's web
Leaf light, soul light, Harbinger of Autumn's ebb
Star-gleam dancing in the night
Candle flickering, Holy light
Be about us in beauty and protection this Mabon night. So Mote It Be.
North (earth): Hail to thee guardians of the watchtowers of the norht, the
powers of earth. We call upon the cloak of covering:
Glory of garlands, Fruit of orchards
Fertility of fields, Healing powers of herbs
Plenty of plantations, Nurture of nurseries
Wine of the vineyards, Medley of meadows
Grace of grasslands, Mantle of the earth
Be about us in beauty and protections this Mabon night. So Mote It Be.
Light the Perfect Love and Perfect Trust candles.
(Goddess:) Soverign Lady of the stars, comnpassionate Queen of the night,
We give thanks this night for the fertility of the earth's harvest; There
is more than enough to share with all.
Oh Taillte (tell-tay), You give to us the energy to reap the goodness that
we have sown, and you enhance our strengths at this time, so that we may
share our avundance equally with all. We join together in your presence,
with those we love, to give true thanks for our good fortune. We welcome
you here to share our Mabon celebration. Blessed Be.
(light the Goddess candle.)
(God:) Lugh, Shield of courage and Lord of light, as we begin the journey toward the cavern of the dark, we thank you for the courage to look at ourselves, both our light and our dark sides. For like this equinox, we must balance ourselves between forces, and reap the benefits of both. Continue to challenge us, for through the trials of change, we learn to grow and to weave these lessons into the fabric of our lives. This harvest, may we reap joys of successful endeavors. We welcome you here to share our Mabon celebration. Blessed Be.
(light the God candle.)
(statement of purpose - usually read by the High Priestess, or whoever she may designate)
On this night as the wheel of the year turns to yet another spoke, we gather
together to celebrate the Sabbat of Mabon, our second harvest festival. In
agricultural societies where our lives would have depended on a bountiful
harvest, giving thanks would be heartfelt and gracious. However, we rely on
modern conveniences for our livelihoods, and so tonight we are goin to
reflect on the mundane, taken for granted, little things that allow us to
enjoy the leisure of not have to break our bakcs working the fields!
Things such as: a car that runs, a job that pays our way in this
world, a place to dwell where we feel safe, stores where we can puchchase anything we
need or take a fancy to at almost any hour of the day! How many of these
things do we simply take for granted? Have you thanked the Goddess for your
refrigerator lately? How would you survive in south Florida without it!!
(obviously you may use a different reference if you live in a different area! but I'm sure you get the hint!)
chant: THANK YOU GODDESS EVERYWHERE
FOR THE BLESSINGS THAT WE SHARE
(this is a very simplistic chant but to the point, use this or any other one you feel is appropriate. Form a circle, chant and dance around, at each end of the chant, have people call out something that they are grateful for. Remember, these should be the everyday things that we often don't take time to think about. After each person says something, we respond with, "Blessed Be!" and then chant again. Do this until the energy gets low.)
(pass around the basket of corn kernels)
Now that we have brought to mind many things that we are grateful for having as you take the corn, remember that each kernel represents a blessing in your life. Corn is ruled by the sun, and represents life's energy and vitality, as well as the element of fire, which brings out the corn's ability to expand and become more than just the kernel - which is how we make popcorn! Popcorn is the transformation of what we harvest from seed to food, from the seed of the earth, into the food we depend upon for life itself! Yes, popcorn is the food of the Gods !
Charge your corn kernels with the energy of your thanks for what we reflected on tonight, then place them into the cauldron of rebirth, that they may be transformed into the true blessings of the harvest season.
(Now perform the symbolic Great Rite, using whatever words you normally use. Then the High Priestess asks the High Priest, as representative of Lugh, Lord of the Harvest, to light the Flame of Desire under the Cauldron of Rebirth.)
(Popcorn pops as the cakes and wine are passed around. Then have each person also eat some of the popcorn, thereby sharing each other's blessings as well as their own.)
(do any other dancing and chanting you wish until time to close the circle.)
(Goddess:) Thank you taillte for the powers of the earth's bounty which have been with us throughout this harvest season. May we respect the cycles of growth and the miracle of the food chain. May the gifts we have received ignite the spark of generosity within us so that we are moved to share with others. Let your loving touch be upon us now and always. Blessed Be.
(God:) Thank you Lugh for your generous self-sacrifice in bringing our harvest to fruition. May we never fear failure or let it keep us from attempting what we dream to do. May we always keep our balance and equilibrium during the storms in our lives, which, like the hurricane season, can brew up unexpectedly. Help us all to find the still center of peaceful resolution within. Let your loving touch be upon us now and always. Blessed Be.
East (water): Hail to thee guardians of the watchtower of the east, the powers of water. We thank you for a gentle and easy rainy season this year, and may the ocean and all the life within it be preserved and respected as life's first home. As ye depart to your mighty realms, we bid thee Hail and farewell, and harm ye none on your way. So Mote It Be.
South (air): Hail to thee guardians of the watchtowers of the south, the powers of air. We thank you for a season without a hurricane hitting us - may the remainder of the hurricane season pass by uneventfully. May the ozone layer be rebuilt and respected as the boundary which shields and envelops us in it's protective cushion. As ye depart to your mighty realms, we bid thee hail and farewell, and harm ye none on your way. So Mote It Be.
West (fire): Hail to thee guardians of the watchtowers of the west, the powers of fire. We thank you for the ecstasy of life. May the Mighty Ones bestow the flame of ecstasy upon all inspirers, that creativity may catch and toss the dull hears of those who live without ecstasy, bak into the dancing blaze of life. As ye depart to your mighty realms, we bid thee hail and farewell, and harm ye none on your way. So Mote It Be.
North (earth): Hail to thee guardians of the watchtowers of the north, the powers of earth. Thank you for the abundant gifts of the sweet earth and that there is more than enough to share with all. May all who carry heavy responsibilities be given the strength and commitment to fulfill their duties with lightness, humor, and respect. As ye depart to your mighty realms, we bid thee hail and farewell, and harm ye none on your way. So Mote It Be.
(obviously, if you live in a region without hurricanes, you will substitute whatever is local to your climate.)
Bibliography:
"Celtic Devotional: Daily Prayers & Blessings" by Caitlin Matthews.
"Celtic Myth & Magic" by Edain McCoy
"The Magic in Food" by Scott Cunningham