Mabon The Fall Equinox Mabon is the time when day and night are of equal lengths. Our ancestors used this time to put away the last of the harvests in preparation for the upcoming winter. It was a time of intense labor as the last of the fields were cleared, and food dried and prepared so that it would not rot during the long storage months ahead. Despite the long hours, people still took time to give thanks for the bounty they received.
Today, Mabon is seen as a time of rebalancing when we take stock of what we have and put our houses (and ourselves) in order. You’ve heard of spring cleaning? Well, this is its equivalent six months later. It is a time when magick shifts from the physical plane to the ethereal as the God prepares to leave to the spiritual realm.
The Goddess is heavy with child and the God is beginning to die. The fields are emptying as harvest season is ending. And though the Goddess is clearly in her mother aspect, she is entering into the crone stage. As such, we worship her triple aspects. Goddesses worshipped at this time include Epona, Persephone, the Muses, and Morgan. Gods worshipped at this time include the Green Man, Dionysus, Bacchus, Hermes, and Thoth.
Even though Samhain is traditionally the time when we recognize those who have died, Mabon is also a time for remembering the dead. We give thanks to the God/dess for bringing the person into our life and for the gifts that the person shared with us. Mabon remembrances include adorning the graves of those who have passed on, and burying apples at a place special to the two of you.
Other activities appropriate for this Sabbat include the pressing of apples for cider, baking, hay rides, seed gathering, and wine making. It is a time for canning or other methods of preparing food for storage. If these are too strenuous, why not have a wine and cheese tasting party?
Magick associated with Mabon: balance, crossroads, gathering, harmony, herbal magick, intellect, learning, letting go, prosperity, protection, psychic power, rebalancing, reflection, security, self-confidence, separation, silence, sorrow, spiritual power, weaving magick.
Altar decorations: antlers, apples, berries, bread, cornucopia, cypress and pine cones, gourds, grapes, leaves of autumn, mushrooms, nuts, rose hips, rowan berries, a shield, twigs, vines, and wheat.
Colors: brown, dark red, gold, maroon, orange, red, russet, violet, and yellow.
Foods: apple chutney or sauce, blackberry jam, bread, carrots, cider, corn products, melons, onions, parsnips, potatoes, pomegranates, red meats, and fresh vegetables.
Herbs / Incense / Oils : acorn, apple, aspen, aster, benzoin, calendula, cedar, chrysanthemum, corn, fern, hazel, honeysuckle, hops, ivy, milkweed, morning glory, myrrh, oak, passion flower, patchouly, pine, rose, sage, Solomon’s seal, straw, thistle, tobacco, and wheat.
Stones : amethyst, lapis lazuli, sapphire, yellow agate, yellow topaz.
© 2000 Mother
