The Wheel of the Year: Mabon

Mabon

is the Autumn Equinox.

(pronounced MAY-bun, MAY-bawn)

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.

Date

September 21-24 in the Northern Hemisphere

March 21-24 in the Southern Hemisphere

Zodiac

The Autumn Equinox is celebrated when the Sun Transits 0* Libra

Mabon Correspondences

Themes of Mabon

SPIRITUAL FOCUS: accomplishment, balance, death, equality, equilibrium, goals, gratitude, grief, healing, love, preparation, sharing, success

MAGICAL FOCUS: agriculture, community, family harmony, grounding, honor, planning, public safety, wisdom

SUGGESTED WORKINGS: concentration and study, preparation, transition

Symbols of Mabon

Acorns, animal bones, apples, autumn leaves, balance scales, burial cairns, Indian corn, cornucopia (horn of plenty), gourds, grapes and grapevines, hazelnuts, grains especially wheat stalk, pentacles, pine & cypress cones, oak sprigs, Mabon wreath, marigolds, pomegranates, poppies, rattles, root vegetables, seeds, sunflowers, sunwheels, red wine

Leaves – Colorful leaves from trees and bushes such as: maple, oak, magnolia, viburnum, burning bush, grape leaves

Colors of Mabon

Maroon, Red, Orange, Gold, Yellow, Dark Green, Indigo, Eggplant, Russet, and Brown,

Herbs, Incense, and Oils of Mabon

Almond, Angria, Apple Blossom, Myrrh, Thistles, Tobacco, Oak Leaves, Hazel, Hops, Sage, Milkweed, Solomon’s Seal, Benzoin, Oakmoss, Rosemary, Rue, Safflower, Saffron, Sage, Sandalwood, Thyme, Vetiver, Aloes Wood, Cinnamon, Cloves, Frankincense

Autumn Blend-benzoin, myrrh, and sage

Plants & Trees of Mabon

Apple, Birch, Hazel, Oak, Pine, Rowan, Hazel, Cedar, Vines, Garlands (made of these various plants), Gourds, Pine Cones, Acorns, Wheat, Ferns, Dried Leaves, Indian Corn, Ivy, Hazel, Hops. and Tobacco.

Flowers

Sunflowers, Chrysanthemum, Honeysuckle, Marigolds, Asters, Dahlias, Roses, Jasmine, Zinnias, Hydrangeas, Passionflower, September flower

Crystals of Mabon

Yellow Topaz, Carnelian, Sapphire, Yellow Agate, Lapis Lazuli, and Amethyst. Also, river or stream stones which have been submerged for the Summer may be used.

Animals

Birds of Prey (especially the Blackbird, Owl, and Eagle), Coyote, Crow, Duck, Goat, Goose, Owl, Raven, Stag, Squirrel, Turkey, Dogs, Wolves, Stag, Salmon.

Mythical Creatures

Gnomes, Sphinx, Minotaurs, Cyclops, Andamans, & Gulons.

Element

Water

Threshold

Evening

Tarot Card(s)

Judgement & The World

Foods of Mabon

Recipes: Mabon Stew, Mabon Bread

Foodstuffs: Grapes, Acorns, Wheat Bread, Goat cheese, Indian Corn, Cornbread, Corn, Root Crops (ie Onions, Carrots, Potatoes, etc.), Nuts, Dried Fruits, Apples, Beans, Squash, Pumpkins, winter squash, gourds, peppers, winter wheat, cranberries, beautyberries, baneberries, porcelain berries, crabapples, blue cohosh berries, pomegranates, mandarin oranges

Drinks: Wine, Ale, Mead, and Cider.

Deities of Mabon

Goddesses: Triple Goddess in Mother form, Modron(Welsh), Bona Dea, Harvest Dieties, Persephone, Demeter/Ceres, Morgan(Welsh- Cornish), Snake Woman(Aboriginal), Epona (Celtic-Gaulish), Pamona(Roman), the Muses(Greek).

Gods: Mabon, Modron(Welsh), Sky Father, John Barleycorn, the Wicker Man, the Corn Man, The Green Man, Thoth(Egyptian), Hermes, Hotei(Japanese), Thor, Dionysus(Roman), Bacchus(Greek) and all wine Deities.

Spellwork of Mabon

Rituals and magick should focus on ancestors and past lives, prosperity and abundance, protection and security, self-confidence and power, harmony and balance.

Divination with Runes

Mabon Tarot Card Spreads

History

Mabon (May-bawn) is also known as the Feast of Avalon and the festival of the Wine Harvest. To the Celts, Avalon is the mysterious place for the land of the dead. and literally means the “land of apples”. Thus this is a holiday for celebrating the bounty of the harvest and the desire for the living to be reunited with their deceased loved ones.

But the holiday is also named for the Welsh God Mabon. Mabon means the “great son”. He was the son of Modred, kidnapped at the age of 3 and later rescued by King Arthur. His life represents the innocence of youth, the strength of survival and the growing wisdom of the elderly. Perhaps it is this view of the cycle of life that brings Mabon to his most popular role, the King of the Otherworld and the God of Darkness. His myths overlap with other Gods such as the Welsh God Gwyn Ap Nuad, which means “white son of darkness”. He is seen as the God of war and death, the patron God of fallen warriors. Once again this is a representation or connection to the Land of Avalon.

September 25th is a medieval holiday which the Church Christianized under the label of “Michaelmas,” a feast in honor of the Archangel Michael. It is thought that the Roman Catholic Church at some point considered assigning the quarter dates to the four Archangels, since they had assigned the cross quarters to the four gospel-writers. Making the Vernal Equinox a holiday called “Gabrielmas” was taken into consideration in honor of the angel Gabriel’s announcement to Mary on Lady Day.

The Druids call this celebration, Mea’n Fo’mhair, and honor the 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.

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.

Mythology — Celtic/Welsh

The tale of Mabon ap Modron, the Welsh God, (the “great son of the great mother”), also known as the Son of Light, the Young Son, or Divine Youth, is celebrated. The Equinox is also the birth of Mabon, from his mother Modron, the Guardian of the Outerworld, the Healer, the Protector, the Earth. Mabon was taken after he is a mere three nights old (some variations of the legend say he is taken after three years). Through the wisdom of the living animals — the Stag, Blackbird, Owl, Eagle and Salmon — Mabon is freed from his mysterious captivity. All the while Mabon had rested within his mother’s womb; a place of nurturing and challenge. With strength and lessons gained within the magickal Outerworld (Modron’s womb), Mabon is soon reborn as his mother’s Champion, the Son of Light, wielding the strength and wisdom acquired during his captivity.

Also, (from a variation in legend) the Equinox is the day of the year when the god of light, Lugh, is defeated by the god of darkness, Lugh’s twin and alter-ego, Tanist. The night conquers day. The tales state that the Equinox is the only day which Lugh is vulnerable and the possibility of his defeat exists. Lugh stands on the balance (Autumn Equinox-Libra) with one foot on the goat (Winter Solstice-Capricorn) and the other on the cauldron (Summer Solstice-Cancer). He is betrayed by Blodeuwedd, the Virgin (Virgo) and transformed into an Eagle (Scorpio).

Two events occur rapidly with Lugh’s defeat. Tanist, having beaten Lugh, now takes over Lugh’s place both as King of our world and lover to the Goddess Tailltiu. Although Tanist now sits on Lugh’s throne, his official induction does not take place for another six weeks at Samhain, the beginning of Winter, when he becomes the Dark King, the Winter Lord, the Lord of Misrule. He mates with Tailltiu, who conceives, and will give birth nine months later (at the Summer Solstice) to her son, another incarnation of Tanist himself, the Dark Child.

Lugh’s sacrifice represents not only the sun’s dying power, but also the cycle of rebirth, his energy remaining within the corn we have since harvested. A incarnate (of Lugh) corn spirit was thought to specifically reside within the last stalk (or stock), which was traditionally dressed in fine clothes and decorations, or woven into a wicker man-shaped form. This symbolic decoration was then harvested and carried from the field to be burned with rejoicing for the spirits release and Lugh’s upcoming rebirth.

Mythology — Greek

In Greek mythology, Autumn begins as Persephone returns to the Underworld to live with Hades, her husband. The myth says that Demeter’s daughter, Kore, had taken a day to pick flowers in a meadow when the Earth opened up, and Hades pulled the girl into the Underworld to become his bride. Kore’s name became Persephone when she married Hades. For nine straight days, Demeter searched for Kore, with no success. In misery and despiration, Demeter questioned Helios, the Sun God, who informed her that her brother, Zeus, had given the girl to Hades. Furious, Demeter left Olympus to roam the Earth disguised as an old woman, ending up settled in her temple at Eleusis. Soon after, she cursed the Earth so it would yield no crops. Zues sent her a frantic message inquiring as to why she had prevented growth on the planet. She replied that there would be no regeneration of vegetation on the Earth until her daughter, Kore, was safely returned.

Zeus immediately dispatched Hermes into the Underworld to retrieve the girl. Hades, not wanting to relinquish his bride permanently, convinced Persephone to eat some pomegranate seeds before she returned to her mother, Demeter. Demeter was yet again distraught when she learned of this trickery! Finally, Zeus declared that Kore-Persephone would live with her mother during one half of the year and return to her husband, Hades, during the other half. In thanks, Demeter lifted the curse on the Earth, creating Spring. Every year hence, during her time of greatest sorrow, Demeter renews the curse, as her daughter returns to Hades and the Underworld.

Mythology — Wiccan

Day and night are equal and the God prepares to depart and begin the journey back to the strength and development within his mother’s, the Goddess’, womb. Both sad and joyful, the Goddess lovingly awaits her God’s rebirth.