Mabon: Autumnal Equinox
Pronounced: MA-bon
Agricultural
The land has been working hard, producing gifts of abundance. But Mabon reminds us that the earth will soon require time to rest. Leaves turn color and fall to the ground, blanketing the earth as she gets ready to tuck in for her long winter sleep.
Autumnal Equinox
The autumnal equinox brings balance in day and night, as well as life and death. Now we begin the move toward the winter extreme, making the equinox and important transition of power from the summertime Oak King to the snowy Holly King. It also takes us to the restful winter sleep after our productive and happy summer.
The Horned God
The horned god is called Cernunnos in Celtic mythology. Often depicted with heavy antlers and wild and shaggy hair, he is both the lord of the forest and the master of the hunt. The autumnal equinox is the time for the rut when bucks are both more active and less cautious than usual. For the buck has only one thing on his mind, to find as many mates as he can. He will battle others for the chance to chase after the does for weeks, readily ignoring his safety or wellbeing. Cernunnos shows his strength and endurance most profoundly at this time.
The Magic of Mabon
Correspondences
Herbs: Marigold, Milkweed, Myrrh
Totems: Dogs, Wolves, Birds of Prey
Stones: Yellow Topaz, Lapis Lazuli, and Yellow Agates
Colors: Brown, Orange, Red
Offerings: Leaves, Pinecones, Apples
Spellwork
Protect
Prosper
Balance
Release
Rest
Mabon Oil
4 drops Rosemary
4 drops Frankincense
1 drop Cinnamon
Symbols of Mabon
Stew
Stews have been made since ancient times and just about every culture has one. Classically speaking, a stew is a dish of meat and vegetables immersed in a liquid that is cooked slowly and at a lower temperature in a closed or covered dish. Stewing is excellent for the least tender cuts of meats as they have lots of tough connective tissue. When cooked low and slow, the fats melt and the tough tissue softens to a mouthwatering degree. Mabon stew is an excellent way to celebrate the holiday.
Acorn
The acorn is a symbol of growth and unlimited potential. As a representative of the oak tree in its dormant state, the acorn reminds us that the strength, endurance, and longevity of the oak is actualized after its winter retreat. This makes the acorn is a powerful symbol for Mabon. Indeed, the oak tree will have a root system as large as its canopy and may live for a thousand years. All this will begin from the humble acorn.
Sangria
Sangria is perfect for this time of year, as it is a harvest cocktail. A Spanish drink, it is made with red wine (traditionally a Spanish Rioja wine), fresh fruit, fruit juice, and brandy or Grand Marnier. The name ‘sangria’ is derived from the Spanish word sangre meaning blood as the color of the drink is a deep, rich red. For Mabon, use autumnal fruits like apples or pears.
Milkweed Babies
Dainty milkweed babies, wrapped in cradles green,
Rocked by Mother Nature, fed by hands unseen.
Brown coats have the darlings, slips of milky white,
And wings – but that’s a secret, – they’re folded out of sight.
The cradles grow so narrow, what will the babies do?
They’ll only grow the faster, and look up toward the blue.
And now they’ve found the secret, they’re flying through the air,
They’ve left the cradles empty, – do milkweed babies care?
By Unknown
Mabon Poem
In the lazy, hazy days of Summer,
The bumblebee took flight,
He buzzed around the flowers
And took nectar for his delight
The squirrels all went hunting,
For nuts and berries bright
To keep them in mid-winter
When the larder shelves are light
Now Autumn falls upon us
The days are drawing in
We must make preparation
Before the winter rain sets in
This is a time for harvest
Of colours, red, orange, brown and gold
A time to gather and reap
The fruit from seeds we sowed
Take time to honour the Goddess
For the abundance in your life
Take time to give thanks now
For your health, wealth, husband and wife
We make the bread, then break it
To taste the wheat within
We make the mead, then drink
For the honey we put in
Goddess bless the bees and their busy hive
Goddess bless the squirrels hiding in the dray
Goddess bless each one of us and
Let us thank the Goddess for this blessed day
If the Divine is Love, and all is Divine,
the range of opposites entwined; then,
they are all that is light, and all that is shadow,
the incubator, and the gallows;
all that is beautiful, and all that is heinous,
your rosebud lips, and puckered anus.
All that is tender, and all that is brutal,
It is justice and the loophole.
They are all that is pleasure, and all that is pain,
they are the rescued, and the slain;
light kiss of breeze, and ripping cyclone;
the earthquake, and the stepping stone;
a gentle rain, and tidal wave;
the master and the slave;
both the beating and the caress,
sigh of delight, scream of duress;
soft candlelight, and conflagration,
they are the challenge and the explanation.
They are all that is safety, all that is menace,
crimes committed and the penance;
both giving and deprivation;
the effect, and causation;
the feast of plenty and the famine,
pink of health, and foaming rabid.
They are the splitting zygote, the rotting corpse,
wedding vows, pen stroke of divorce,
the giggling toddler, and old age doddering,
love that is futile, and love that is conquering.
If the Divine is Love, and all is Divine,
they are the dove, and the swine;
they are blessings and admonition,
the victory in the war of attrition.
Then love is diversity and adversity,
the Universe is our University,
both the classroom and the trap
Mama’s hug, and Papa’s strap.