Mabon Blessings

When fall comes, the festival of Mabon or the Autumnal Equinox also arrives; it is the second harvest festival of the year, a special time of the year for many cultures around the world and  a major part of the Wheel of the Year in all of them. This is the time that day and night are divided  equally, a time for us to take a moment to pay our respects to the impending dark and a time to give thanks to the waning sunlight as we store our harvest of this year's crops.
 

The goldenrod is yellow

The corn is turning brown

The trees in apple orchards

With fruit are bending down."

--Children's Song--

 

The Druids call this celebration Mea'n Fo'mhair and honor The Green Man, or the God of the Forest, by offering libations to trees. Other offerings at this time include ciders, wines, herbs and fertilizer. The Lady is now mourning for the loss of her Lord who must lay down his life, as the grain is cut, to insure the fertility of the Spring. In ancient times a straw man was burned to honour the fallen Horned God of the harvest. In other traditions the Oak King, resplendent ruler of the light and Summer, is defeated in battle by his brother the Holly King who rules in the dark and cold of Winter.

Mabon is a time  for giving thanks and for sharing what we have with others. Perhaps this may be some extra food or simply volunteering your time to someone in need. Considered a time of the mysteries, it is the perfect time to honor the ancient deities that have frequented the world since the dawn of time and continue to do so as the eternal seasons wax and wane in synchronicity with the Moon. and to those who have passed over to the Otherworldly realms. 

Today represents the passage from the light half of the year to the dark. The equinoxes are times of balance...between light and dark, between birth and death, and between the sowing of seed and the harvest. From this time on the darkness increases each day. The warmth of the Sun decreases as he drops lower in the sky.  This time of balance can affect people in different ways.  For some, it may be the season to honor the darker aspects of the goddess, while for others, it is a time of thankfulness, a time of gratitude for the abundance we have received at the time of harvest. For many of us, this is a time of high energy, and from reading your blogs, I see that many of you have already been feeling this energy for awhile now. Hence, we need to stop and take some time to enjoy the fruits of our own personal harvests. These can be  working in our gardens, at our jobs, raising our families, or just coping with our everyday lives.

"Harvest home, harvest home!
We've plowed, we've sowed
We've reaped, we've mowed
And brought safe home
Every load."

 

Spend some time contemplating all of the positive aspects of your existence, both spiritual and material. Allow a feeling of gratitude to overtake you as you examine all of the good around you, light a candle and stare into the flickering flame and thank the gods for your continuing good fortune.

May your Mabon be memorable and your hearts and spirits filled to overflowing.