Mabon

• Animals: Blackbirds, Butterflies, Dogs, Eagles, Hawks, Owls, Pigs, Salmon, Snakes, Stags, Swallows, Swans, Turkey Vultures, and Wolves.

• Colors: Brown, Gold, Maroon, Orange, Red, and Russet.

• Deities: Arawn, Ashtoreth, Bacchus, Ceridwen, Cernunnos, Dagda, Demeter, Dionysus, Dumuzi, Epona, Freya, The Green Man, Hathor, Hermes, Inanna, Ishtar, Isis, Kora, Mabon, Modron, Morgan, The Muses, Pamona, Persephone, Thoth, and Venus.

• Flowers: Chrysanthemum, Ferns, Honeysuckle, Ivy, Marigold, Milkweed, Passionflower, Rose, and Sunflower.

• Food: Apples, Blackberries, Breads, Grains, Nuts, Pomegranates, Pumpkin, and Vegetables such as Potatoes, Carrots, and Onions. Perfect holiday for Curry (my personal favorite!).

• Herbs: Acorn, Benzoin, Ferns, Myrrh, Sage, Solomon's Seal, Tobacco, Thistle, and Yarrow.

• Incense: Autumn Blend-Benzoin, Myrrh, Cedar, and Sage.

• Special Activities: Adorning Burial Sites with Leaves Acorns and Pine Cones to Honor those who have Passed Over, Gathering Dried Herbs Plants Seeds and Seed Pods, Making Wine, Scattering Offerings in Harvested Fields, Offering Libations to Trees, and Walking in the Woods.

• Spell-workings: Balance, Harmony, Prosperity, Protection, Security, and Self-Confidence.

• Stones: Amber, Amethyst, Cat’s Eye, Citrine, Lapis Lazuli, Tiger-Eye, Topaz, and Yellow Agates.

• Symbolism: Balance, Equality, The Mysteries, and Second Harvest.

• Symbols: Acorns, Apples, Corn, Dried Seeds, Grains, Gourds, Horns of Plenty, Ivy, Pinecones, Pomegranates, and Wine.

• Trees: Sacred Hazelnut, Cedar

     Mabon is the Autumn Equinox. The Autumn Equinox divides the day and night equally, and we all take a moment to pay our respects to the impending dark. We also give thanks to the waning sunlight, as we store our harvest of this year's crops. The Druids call this celebration, Mea'n Fo'mhair, and honor The Green Man, the God of the Forest, by offering libations to trees. Offerings of ciders, wines, herbs, and fertilizer are appropriate at this time. Wiccans celebrate the aging Goddess as she passes from Mother to Crone, and her consort the God as he prepares for death and re-birth.

     Various other names for this Lesser Wiccan Sabbat are The Second Harvest Festival, Wine Harvest, Feast of Avalon, Equinozio di Autunno (Strega), Alben Elfed (Caledonii), or Cornucopia. The Teutonic name, Winter Finding, spans a period of time from the Sabbat to Oct. 15th, Winter's Night, which is the Norse New Year.

     At this festival it is appropriate to wear all of your finery and dine and celebrate in a lavish setting. It is the drawing to and of family as we prepare for the winding down of the year at Samhain. It is a time to finish old business as we ready for a period of rest, relaxation, and reflection.

     Mabon is considered a time of the Mysteries. It is a time to honor Aging Deities and the Spirit World. Considered a time of balance, it is when we stop and relax and enjoy the fruits of our personal harvests, whether they be from toiling in our gardens, working at our jobs, raising our families, or just coping with the hussle-bussle of everyday life. May your Mabon be memorable, and your hearts and spirits be filled to overflowing!

     In the Wheel of the Year, the God begins His journey to the Underworld and the Goddess grows older, She misses the God and follows him, as She withdraws Her power, the land begins to turn cold and wither. The Tide of Life is waning, the Tide of Death is growing. Mabon brings forth a flood of decomposition that reaches fullness at Samhain. The symbolism of this Sabbat is that of the Second Harvest, the Mysteries, Equality and Balance - when day and night are equal. It is harvest season and we celebrate with feasts and thanksgiving.

     The Sabbat of Mabon is named for the Child of Light and the son of the Great Mother, Modron. Mabon, the son of Modron, was stolen from his mother only three nights after his birth at the beginning of time. The Great Mother grieved for her son and the world became dark and cold. The plants withered and died and, the animals, fat from the summer fruits, slept in their caves safe from the coming winter. 

     Mabon is eventually found with the help of the wisdom and memory of the Oldest Animals – the Blackbird, the Stag, the Owl, the Eagle, and the Salmon. The battle to release the Child of Light is not an easy one and will take months to complete. Ever since Mabon was stolen, the seasons of cold and darkness prevail paralleling the grief of Mother Earth for the loss of Her child. Because Modron's child is imprisoned deep within the earth, the plants and animals of earth slow down and move inward. Though Mabon is eventually found, he will not be released until Yule, when the days again begin to grow longer. At Yule, Mabon is reborn as the Child of Promise, the Son of Light.