As the first chill is felt in the air, those in tune with the Cycles of Gaia know the Wheel is about to turn once again. Mabon (pronounced May or Mah – bon) is celebrated somewhere between March 20th – 22nd. This is the time of the Autumn Equinox where day and night, light and dark are in perfect balance.
It is a great time to start new projects to last you through the colder months and also a time for meditation on new directions in career/education/work.
In the Pagan tradition, the second harvest was a celebration known as “Harvest Home”, “Wine Harvest” or “Cornucopia”. Remembering the Autumn Equinox in the Northern part of the World is in September it became known as Michaelmas in Christian Calendars and Thanksgiving in America!
Mabon is named after the Welsh God Mabon ap Modron – stolen three days after his birth and imprisoned. He was rescued by King Arthur and became one of his companions. His story symbolises hope, faith and loyalty.
Deities of Mabon: Goddesses- Demeter, Persphone,Modron, Aphrodite, Hecate, Yemaya, Morgan, Epona, Persephone, Pomona, Kali and the Muses. Gods- Helios, Mabon, Thoth, Thor, Bacchus, Dionysus, Hermes, and The Green Man
Here in Australia, The season of Mabon brings cool mornings and warm, still days. By some Aboriginal groups or mobs, it is called The Eel Season as they are fat and ready to harvest as they head out to sea for breeding. The birds begin their migration patterns, the possums begin to breed. The skinks and tortoises begin their hibernation.
To add to the confusion, many celebrate the Christian Tradition of Easter at this time. If you are in the Southern Hemisphere, you can still incorporate both the mass consciousness and also your own feelings towards the turning of the seasons.
The Manna or White or Ribbon Gum begins its flowering season. You know these Eucalypts with their blazing white bark. At the base of their trunk, the bark seems to fall away in ribbons – hanging like the petals of a flower and the branches shooting straight into the air like a 40 metre tall stamen.
If the weather conditions are right, rainfall is a high possibility. Autumn is known as the season of Fall – where the leaves fall from the trees. Here in Sout-East Queensland, very few trees lose their leaves. In my own garden, the Banksia Bushes are flowering, as are the Easter May (a non-native tree). The mulberry and gooseberry bushes are fruiting and will be ready to harvest in the coming weeks. The pumpkins are going crazy spreading their vines over the yard.
You may wish to choose to go with the Nothern Hemisphere traditions of decorating with Fall Symbols – leaves, pumpkins, apples and acorns or choose eucalyptyus, camomile and fruits of the harvest locally.
Candles may either be those of autumn, gold and browns or you may wish to choose the colours of Eucalypt – silver, blue, pale green and pink.
Feast with wine, bread and meals based on potatoes
Oils to burn include: cinnamon, ginger and orange.
Incense of Mabon: Autumn Blend-benzoin, myrrh, and sage.
Traditional stones are Sapphire, lapis lazuli, and yellow agates although in Australia, with the focus on Aphrodite, you may wish to chose pearls, lapis lazuli or aquarmarine.
Spellworkings of Mabon: Protection, prosperity, security, and self-confidence, harmony and balance.
Activities to celebrate Mabon:
* Initiate a food drive or assist a charity with theirs
* Participate in Clean Up Australia Day on March 7th
* Pick apples in an orchard
* Complete a Gratitude List for your Reflective Journal
* Write poetry
* Turn off the TV and tell stories!
* Complete an Autumn Clean in preparation for Winter
* Make apple candleholders and apple garlands
* Weave a God’s Eye (remember weaving wool around paddle pop sticks???)
* Make a scarecrow for your garden
* Make pickles, jams and preserves.
For myself, this is a season for getting out into the garden. The sun is not as hot and there is still some daylight in the early evening to weed, prune and sing to my plants. It is a time to prepare some of the vegetable beds for their fallow time and prepare to plant the Winter Seeds. This year, it is also a time of nurturing the land of our home – the soil and plants are so water-logged we need to help support, stake and even remove some of the plants from our garden.
This year, on the Equinox, there is a gathering of lightworkers at the Studio for a Reiju Blessing and Healing Ceremony. If you wish to have your name or the names of family and friends put forward, please send me an email or make contact through my website – www.celtcai.com.au
Tune into Reflect Radio to listen to a free Healing Event.
