At the autumn equinox, or Mabon, light and darkness are, once again, in balance - equal hours of day and night, with the darkness gaining each day as we approach winter.
It is a time of abundance and the bounty from the earth is gathered in preparation for winter and the bleak times ahead.
The most active time of the year is over and it is a time to turn inwards. The sun's power is waning and we're being deprived of external light, making this a time of inner illumination..
Mabon is considered a time of mystery, a time to honour aging deities, and the spirit world.
Purpose: Second harvest festival, new wine pressing/making preparation for winter and Samhain, rest after labour, Pagan day of Thanksgiving, honouring the spirit world, celebration of wine.
Dynamics/Meaning: Death of the God, assumption of the Crone, balance of light and dark; increase of darkness, grape harvest, completion of the harvest.
Essence: Beauty, joy; fullness of life, harvest of the year’s desires, strength; laughter; power; prosperity, equality, balance, appreciation, harvest, protection, wealth, security, self-confidence, reincarnation.
Symbolism of Mabon: Second Harvest, the Mysteries, Equality and Balance.
Symbols of Mabon: wine, gourds, pine cones, acorns, grains, corn, apples, pomegranates, vines such as ivy, dried seeds, and horns of plenty.
Tools, Symbols & Decorations: Indian corn, red fruits, autumn flowers, red poppies, hazelnuts, garlands, grains especially wheat stalks, and colourful, fallen leaves, acorns, pine & cypress cones, oak sprigs, pomegranate, statue/or figure to represent the Mother Goddess, Mabon wreath, vine, grapes, gourd, cornucopia/horns of plenty, burial cairns, apples, marigolds, harvested crops, burial cairns, rattles, the Mysteries, sun wheel, all harvest symbols.
Herbs & Plants: Acorn, aster, benzoin, cedar, ferns, grains, hazel, honeysuckle, hops, ivy, marigold, milkweed, mums, myrrh, oak leaf, passionflower, pine, rose, sage, Solomon’s seal, tobacco, thistle, and vegetables.
Foods of Mabon: Breads, nuts, apples, pomegranates, cornbread, wheat products, grains, berries, grapes, acorns, seeds, dried fruits, corn, beans, squash, roots (onions, carrots, potatoes, etc), hops, sassafras (a plant whose root is used for making medicine), roast goose or mutton, wine, ale, & cider.
Incense & Oils of Mabon: Pine, sweetgrass, apple blossom, benzoin, myrrh, frankincense, jasmine, sage wood aloes, black pepper, patchouli, cinnamon, clove, oak moss, & sage.
Colours/Candles of Mabon: Red, orange, russet, maroon, brown, gold, deep gold, green, orange, scarlet, all autumn colours, purple, blue, violet, & indigo.
Stones of Mabon: Sapphire, lapis lazuli, yellow agates, carnelian, yellow topaz, & amethyst.
Customs: Offerings to land, preparing for cold weather, bringing in harvest, cutting willow wands (Druidic), eating seasonal fruit, leaving apples upon burial cairns & graves as a token of honour, walk wild places & forests, gather seed pods & dried plants, fermenting grapes to make wine, picking ripe produce, stalk bundling; fishing, on the closest full moon (Harvest Moon) harvesting corps by moonlight.
Activities of Mabon: Making wine, gathering dried herbs, plants, seeds and seed pods, walking in the woods, scattering offerings in harvested fields, offering libations to trees, adorning burial sites with leaves, acorns, and pine cones to honour those who have passed over.
Spell Workings and Rituals of Mabon: Protection, security, and self-confidence. Also those of harmony and balance. Celtic Festival of the Vine, prosperity rituals, introspection, rituals which enact the elderly aspects of both Goddess & God, past life recall.
Animals/Mythical beings: Dogs, wolves, stag, blackbird, owl, eagle, birds of prey, salmon & goat, Gnomes, Sphinx, Minotaur, Cyclops, Andamans and Gulons.
Goddesses: Modron (Welsh), Bona Dea, Land Mother, Aging & Harvest
Deities: The Triple Goddess-Mother aspect, Persephone, Demeter/Ceres, Morgan (Welsh- Cornish), Snake Woman (aboriginal), Epona (Celtic-Gaulish), Pamona (roman), the Muses (Greek)
Gods: Modron (Welsh), Sky Father, The Green Man, Wine Gods, Aging Gods, John Barley Corn, the Wicker-Man, the Corn Man, Thoth (Egyptian), Hermes, Hotei (Japanese), Thor, Dionysus (Roman), Bacchus (Greek) & all wine Deities
Element: Water
Threshold: Evening
Below are a couple of recipes associated with Mabon...
Harvest Loaf
Ingredients:
3lbs wholemeal (whole wheat) flour
1 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons butter
1 ounce fresh yeast
1.5 pints warm water
Method:
Mix together the flour and salt and rub in butter. Put the yeast into a cup with a teaspoon of sugar and a tablespoon of lukewarm water. Add to the flour mixture and stir in the water to make a dough. Knead well and return to the bowl. Cover with a clean cloth, leave in a warm place for 2 hours, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead again. Divide into 4 pieces and place in greased 1 pound loaf tins. Cover again and prove for 30 minutes. Bake at 220°/gas mark 7 for 30-40 minutes.
Share with family and friends during Mabon feast!
Apple Pudding
The apple represents immortality. Legendary isles of apples are common and always lie in the west. The western point of the circle marks the festival of Herfest, the setting of the sun at the autumn equinox, when the Lord dies and the dark days of winter begin.
Ingredients:
12 ounces self-raising flour
6 ounces butter
5 ounces sugar
milk to bind
1lb of cooking apples, peeled, sliced, and cored
Method:
Rub the flour and butter together. Add 4 ounces of sugar and mix in enough milk to form a soft dough. Lightly roll out to slightly more than 1/2 inch thick in a circular shape. Place on a greased baking tray. Pile the apples in the centre and sprinkle the remaining sugar over them, then bring up the sides of the dough and seal the edges together with a little water. Bake in a moderate oven at 180°/gas mark 4 until risen and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Can be eaten hot or cold.
.Other recipes used for celebrating Mabon include: Herfest cakes, carrot soup, stuffed marrow, hazelnut tart, mushroom and walnut tart, apple and blackberry fool, mushroom pate, apple wine, and rosehip wine
However you choose to celebrate Mabon...
Information from paganpages.com
Recipes from The Hearth Witch's Compendium by Anna Franklin
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