Mabon
by
Morgaine Silver Oak
Mabon is often referred to as the Witches? Thanksgiving,
and is the second harvest on the Celtic wheel of the
year, between Lughnassadh and Samhain. Although it was
not unnoticed by the early Celts, it was not recognized
as a Sabbat until after the invasion of the Norse. Mabon
is one of the oldest harvest celebrations in Europe
Mabon
is the Celtic Sabbat named after the Welsh god Mabon,
the fertilizing principle in Welsh myths, and believed
by many to be the Welsh counterpart of Persephone.
Other
harvest festivals that take or took place about the
time of the autumnal equinox include Chung Ch?iu in
China (the end of the rice harvest); Succoth in Judaism
a festival associated with pagan roots during which
a temporary dwelling is built and decorated with vegetables
of the harvest and in which all meals are eaten during
the celebration; the Roman Festival of Dionysus, the
God of Wine, which lasted as many days as the elders
could remain upright; Harvest Home, an Anglo-Saxon celebration
of the harvest and a respite from work. The Celebration
of Thanksgiving developed out of the need for the Pilgrims
to connect to the festivals of their homelands.
Original
Harvest home celebrations feature many of the activities
that characterize Mabon: cider pressing, grain threshing,
dancing, singing, crowning of a Harvest King and Queen
which is still done in pagan circles. You may want to
add prayers and songs of thanksgiving to your Mabon
celebrations. Make a list prior to your celebration
for the things you wish to give thanks for, but it is
best to avoid asking the God and Goddess for favors
at this time
To
hold with pagan feasting traditions at this time, offer
part of your meal as a sacrifice. This can be done by
putting food out for the wild animals, or by donating
time, money or food to a local charitable organization.
An
interesting custom in ancient Scotland on Mabon was
to visit burial mounds and cemeteries to honour the
dead. It is believed that the balance of light at this
time of the year would protect one from any evil spirits
that dwelt there. Also, it is believed that these visits
would appease the spirits of the ancestors prior to
their ?visits? at Samhain. Another interesting note:
in ancient Ireland there was a cult that believed that
when a person died, they returned to the womb?therefore
only women inhabited the Irish Land of the Dead, also
known as the ?Land of Women.? Women would therefore
decorate and adorn the gravesites on this day while
the men prepared the feast.
On
Mabon, the God and Goddess will hold equal power on
this night, as well as will the forces of good and evil.
The ancient Norse people believed that your fate for
the coming year was sealed on this night. The Norse
spent the night before Mabon fasting and praying for
forgiveness. Divination took place on this day to see
if one?s life during the prior year had been pleasing
to the dieties.
Just
prior to Mabon, The Druids would cut Willow for wands.
The willow tree was associated with death as well as
sacred to the Goddess and the wands were powerful tools
for the magick associated with conjuring spirits to
be consulted for divinatory purposes.
There
was often the association of death with Mabon, which
is questioned by some pagans. However, as this is the
equinox, and at this point in the year, things begin
to die in preparation for the winter months to come.
At this point most of the crops have been harvested.
There was even a taboo in some areas against eating
autumn berries after Mabon, unless consumed in the form
of wine. There were celebrations throughout Europe which
used wine to honour the harvest goddesses. In some instances
wine was poured onto the earth to honour the Goddess
in her crone aspect; in others there were orgiastic
celebrations with wines flowing freely. One example
was the Oktoberfest in Bavaria, now more associated
with beer and ale.
Mabon
Crafts
Native
American Corn Necklaces
These are great projects for kids, and quite symbolic.
You will need to purchase several ears of ?Indian Corn?
from the grocery store or roadside stand. Take the ears
home and remove the kernels from the cob. Place the
kernels in a large bowl and cover then for at least
15 minutes with boiling water. This will soften the
kernels. String the kernels on heavy thread or fishing
line with a large needle?.get creative with the patterns
and colors. When you have made the string long enough,
tie the ends and lay the necklaces outside on the earth
in the sun to dry. Make several of these in various
color patterns and lengths. After Mabon, these can be
used to adorn the altars, wreaths, etc
Dream
Pillows
Dream
pillows are also fun things for the younger members
of the family to make, and they use up the dried herbs
from the garden. A woodsy variation of an herbal blend
follows:
1
Cup dried Mugwort
1
Cup dried hops (traditional for restful sleep
1
Cup dried, crushed rosemary (for good dream recall
Other
herbs you may wish to include: Agrimony (for help with
sleep if you have emotional problems); anise (to prevent
nightmares); Bay Leaves (for good dreams); chamomile,
clove, lemon balm, and peppermint (for restful sleep);
purslane and thyme (to ease depression); and yarrow.
You
may add some tiny gemstones to the pillow?but not big
enough to interfere with sleep?you might want to use
the chips like in the gemstone bracelets: amethyst and
azurite are associated with pleasant, healing or even
prophetic dreams; moonstone makes a connection with
your Lunar self; and, topaz will bring sweet and refreshing
sleep.
Cut
small rectangular or square pieces of cloth (Approximately
7?X 7?) , preferably from a natural fabric such as cotton,
linen or silk and sew them together, leaving one side
open. Decorate with sewing notions, embroidery, appliqu?,
or fabric paints. Turn the pouch right side out and
fill with the blend. Then hand stitch the open side
closed
Door
Blessing
A
Door Blessing is a visual statement of the connection
to the Earth Mother. A good idea is to start with a
grapevine wreath as a base. Then add dried colorful
leaves, gourds, tiny ears of Indian corn, or even wrap
with the Indian corn necklaces you made. Add dried apple
slices, feathers, seeds, pods, dried herbs. Be sure
to include a symbol of some personal harvest you have
for the year: A tiny house to represent a new home,
other symbols of your accomplishments; or, purchase
or cut tiny disks of wood and on them paint your personal
symbols of the harvest and then attach them to the wreath.
This wreath can be changed and decorated on a year-round
basis to reflect the current season or Sabbat
Talking
Stick
Making
a talking stick is a family activity. This is of Native
American origins, and assures that everyone in the group
has an equal chance to say something. You will make
one talking stick for the entire family, but all will
have a hand in its formation. Find and choose a stick
of wood from the yard, preferably one that has fallen
already. It should be at least one-inch in diameter,
about 12-18 inches long, and fairly straight. The type
of wood used is not important.
Making
sure each family member has a chance, remove the bark.
Then, take a good look at the stick; does it remind
you of anything? Can you see faces or animal shapes
in its texture?
Next,
take sandpaper and make the stick as smooth as possible
until it feels silky to the touch. Now you are ready
to decorate the stick. Allow each family member to add
something to the talking stick that has a special significance
to them. Items may include a leather thong, feathers,
and crystals; or even paint a design on the wood, such
as sigils. When finished, you may wish to coat the stick
with a beeswax-based polish to protect the stick from
moisture and give it a mellow glow.
To
use the stick, each person holds the stick and speaks
until they have spoken their mind; no one may interrupt.
When each person finishes speaking, they pass their
stick to the next person, and continue around the circle
until all have spoken. These may prove quite effective
for family meetings, especially where a decision needs
to be made. If there is a decision to be made, the stick
continues to be passed around the circle until a decision
that is satisfactory to all has been reached.
I
hope you all enjoyed the things I researched for you
in this article. The Credits and sources follow
The Mabon Altar
Many
pagans change their altar decorations to reflect the
season or the Sabbat. The colors of the fall season
both inspire ands encourage us, so bringing them inside
is a matter of course. The Mabon altar traditionally
should face the West, where the sun sinks
Change
your altar cloth to reflect the colors of the seasons:
Brown, cream, yellow, orange, or green. Place a wooden
bowl on your altar piled high with the fruits of the
season, such as apples, squash, gourds, dried grains,
and Indian Corn. Sprinkle seeds and pods on the altar.
Be sure to include a pomegranate or two to symbolize
Persephone.
Burn
black and white candles on both sides of the altar,
in addition to the gold or yellow pillar on the left
side of the altar representing the Goddess and the brown
or red-orange pillar candle on the right side of the
altar representing the God.
Have
two chalices of water with a dish of salt between them
to represent the tears of the Goddess. Also, if you
can, have a golden or bronze sickle (representing the
harvest), Mabon Oil (recipe follows), Prosperity Incense
(recipe follows), matches (wooden that have no advertising
on the box), and charcoal on which to burn the incense
Additional
altar decorations could include your talking stick,
and your Indian Corn necklaces.
Prosperity
Incense
Use
three tablespoons of each of the following in a bowl
that will only be used to hold this blend: marigold,
dried oak leaves, fern, passionflower, frankincense,
myrrh, dried apple, yarrow, rosemary, bittersweet and
wheat. Blend these all together and add 1dram (60 drops)
Mabon Oil (recipe follows), and a teaspoon of shiny
gold glitter., visualizing the bounty of the season,
and the harvest in your personal life, Burn on a charcoal
in a censer during ritual
Mabon
Oil
Combine
equal parts of hazelnut and almond oil. Add a pinch
of marigold leaves, some broken or crushed walnut shells,
a pinch of oak leaves, 1 acorn, and one stone ruled
by the sun (such as yellow topaz, citrine, cat?s eye,
or amber.
Additionally
you may wish to add a bouquet of dried flowers and seed
pods to your altar, include any of the following: dried
ferns, marigold, milkweed, wheat, ash leaf, laurel leaf,
cat-o-nine-tails, or thistle.
Sources
used for this article include:
