MABON

MABON

With the summer heat coming to a slow end here in Michigan, and many of us prep ourselves and children for school, we begin to rejoice for fall. Across the globe, it has been tradition to celebrate that second harvest and begin to prepare for the cold winter months.

Mabon is named after the Welsh God, who we will talk about later. The Sabbath is a Fire Festival and one of three typical harvests, it is celebrated around the third week of September, depending on when the Autumn Equinox falls. Even though it is not a very large celebration, it is one of my favorites, so it only makes sense to begin our wheel of the year information dump here! Here where I can update and change as I also learn and grow! This is a point in the year where day and night, light and dark, sun and moon, masculine and feminine, inner and outer, are all in balance. After this point, the light begins to fall to darkness until the spring equinox. In other words, from this point on the night will slowly begin to get longer as the days get shorter. The leaves will change to golden bronze and yellow shades, the trees will fill with sap, and the air will begin to chill. Oh, what a wonderful time of year!

The birth of Mabon ap Modron (which means: Great Son of the Great Mother) is celebrated at the Equinox. He is born from his mother Modron (Great Mother), who is seen as the Guardian of the Otherworld, the Earth and the Protector. Mabon was stolen from his mother, Modron, when he was three nights old. In different versions of the story he was three years old. In one version of the myth the Eagle, the Owl, the Blackbird, the Stag and the Salmon rescued him, while in another King Arthur was the one who saved him during the point in which the veils between different realms was at it's thinnest point-the Autumn Equinox. During his captivity, Mabon was in the magical Otherworld, which as mentioned prior, was known to be Modron’s Womb. Modron’s womb was a place of challenge, insight, and even nurturing at time, and while the Great Son was there, Mabon grew in strength and wisdom before being reborn as the Son of Light, his mother’s Champion. Later in his life he was the only man able to track the Drudwyn dog, who in turn could track the Twrch Trwyth. Which was the final task for the great knight Culhwch who was trying to save his daughter from the grips of Ysbaddaden.

Another story shared during this time, is that of Persephone, Hades, and Demeter and how when Autumn begins Persephone returns to Hades and the Underworld to live. The myth begins as Demeter’s daughter Kore, goes out to pick some flowers in a field one afternoon when the earth opened up and Hades stole her away to become his wife. While in the Underworld, Kore refused to eat anything until Hades finally convinced her to eat six pomegranate seeds. Kore did not know at the time that the seeds she had eaten would make her have to stay in the Underworld. (In some stories, he searches for the most delicious fruit to entice her to fall in love with both himself and the underworld.) Finally Hades persuaded her to marry him; thus her named changed from Kore to Persephone. For nine days Demeter searched for Kore and in desperation she asked Helios, the Sun God, if he knew anything. Helios told Demeter that Zeus had given Kore to Hades. Enraged, Demeter cursed the earth so that is wouldn’t yield any crops. Zeus frantically asked her why she had stopped the growth on earth. Demeter replied that until her daughter was safely home nothing would grow. Zeus came to the conclusion that Kore/Persephone would live with Hades for six months, the same amount of months as the seeds she had eaten, and would then return to her mother to live the rest of the year. Thankful, Demeter lifted her curse creating Spring. In Autumn her curse renews as she grieves her daughter’s return to Hades and the Underworld.

This sabbath marks the second harvest. During the first you harvest simple herbs and flowers, with the occasional grain. During this harvest grain is full, fruits and vegetables are ready to munch, and spices are bold! As the summer season comes to an end, crops are harvested and the world is in balance, rituals usually allow us to be in touch with the natural transformations of life; life, death, love, and balance. Mabon is relatively the “Witch’s Thanksgiving” and a great time to look back on the previous year and feel gratitude towards your blessings.

The story and traditions of Mabon co-exist with many religious stories around the world. Especially the fact that this is a time to be intune with the cycles. The natural cycles of the Earth, and flow of living beings is all connected interwordly. Now is a time to focus on healing with the Earth, and a time when the wall between realms is thin enough to communicate. This time of year has many similarities to both Samhain and Yule.

Typical Associations

HERBS:

Rue, Yarrow, Rosemary, Marigold, Sage, Walnut-leaves and husks, Mistletoe, Saffron, Chamomile, Almond leaves, Passionflower, Frankincense, Rose Hips, Wheat & Grains, Bittersweet, Sunflower, Oak leaves, and Dried apple or Apple seeds.

COLORS:

Green, Red, Yellow, Gold, Orange, Browns, and Copper

STONES AND CRYSTALS:

Clear Quartz, Amber, Peridot, Diamond, Gold, Citrine, Hematite, Bloodstone, Yellow Topaz, Cat’s Eye, Aventurine, Aquamarine, and Opal

ANIMALS:

The Stag, Owl, Salmon, Blackbird, and the Eagle.

INCENSE AND OILS:

Mabon Oil:

Hazelnut or Almond Base Oil, pinch of Marigold leaves, Walnut shells, pinch of Oak leaves, 1 Acorn, 1 Stone ruled by the Sun

Mabon Philtre:

Marigold, Dried Oak Leaves, Fern, Passionflower, Frankincense, Myrrh, Dried Apple, Yarrow, Rosemary, Bittersweet, Wheat

SYMBOLS AND DECORATIONS:

Apples, Acorns, Leaves, Fall Decor, Balance, Prosperity, Cornucopia, Harvest, and Witch Brooms.

HOLIDAY FARE:

Fall harvest foods like Squash, Pumpkins, Root veggies, Breads, Oats, Corn, Ginger, Cinnamon, Ciders, and Grains.