Decorations and Activities for Mabon

Activities vary with region and tradition, as well as personal preference. Some ideas include making a Sun Wheel or wreath. Also, one could mirror the Celtic tradition of dressing a corn stalk in cloths and burning it in celebration of the harvest and upcoming rebirth.

Simple altar decorations can be obtained by taking a calm “pilgrimage” through your local woods and collecting leaves, acorns, berries, and other things symbolic of nature’s bounty...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been combined with another and moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar. It can be found here: Mabon - The Second Harvest

Lady Autumn

Lady Autumn, Queen of the Harvest,
I have seen You in the setting Sun
with Your long auburn tresses
blowing in the cool air that surrounds You....

I am so sorry to do this to you but this post has been moved to my new website, Widdershins (hosted at shirleytwofeathers.com) and can be found in it's entirety here: Lady Autumn

The Autumn Equinox

Autumn Equinox refers to a time of the year when day and night are equally balanced. The sun is in the process of crossing the equator and in astrological terms is entering the sign of Libra. The sun is the focal point of energy (along with the moon) and such; its life force pushes us to discover more about ourselves. This movement into the Libra puts a congenial, cooperative outlook on that time of year, just what was needed by the communities, as they all worked together to complete the harvest.

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar, and can be found in its entirety here: The Autumn Equinox

Mabon 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....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been combined with another and moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar. It can be found here: Mabon - The Second Harvest

Poplar and Aspen Tree Lore

The Poplar or Aspen is the sacred Tree of the Fall Equinox - (Aprox. September 22)

Magical History and Associations:

In Gaelic tongue the tree was called Peble and Pophuil in the celtic way. Poplar is generally a plant of Jupiter, Saturn and the Sun and is associated with the element of water. Its color is rufous (red) and the bird associated with Poplar is the Whistling Swan. The stones associated with Poplar are Amber, Citrine Quartz, Sapphire and Swan Fluorite. The Anglo-Saxon rune poem seems to refer to the Poplar as being associated with the rune "berkano"...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Magickal Ingredients, and can be found in its entirety here: Poplar Tree Magick and Lore

Autumn Equinox in Celtic Mythology

In this variation of the legend of the Autumn Equinox, this 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...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been combined with another, and moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar, and can be found here: The Autumn Equinox

Autumn Equinox - the Welsh Mythology

• Color of the day: Yellow
• Incense of the day: Coriander

Once again the Sun’s path crosses the celestial equator, and the day and the night are now again of equal length. On the Gregorian calendar this is the first day of autumn, but on the modern Celtic calendar it is midautumn.

This holiday is more commonly known by its Welsh name Mabon. Mabon means “divine youth.” It is the name of a mythic hunter hero whose story is told at this time of year....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been combined with another, and moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar. It can be found here: The Autumn Equinox

Autumn Equinox in Greek Mythology

In Greek mythology, Autumn begins as Persephone returns to the Underworld to live with Hades, her husband.

We have posted a number of posts about Persephone, to see all of them, here's the link: Persephone.

In short, 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....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been combined with another, and moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar. It can be found here: The Autumn Equinox

Blessings of the Season

Blessings of my first frost on you

Blessings of the goose-stitched sky

Blessings of the trees in sunset glory

And warm hearths at the end of the day.

Blessings of the harvest set before you...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Widdershins, and can be found in its entirety here: Blessings of the Season

To Autumn

O Autumn. Laden with fruit, and stained

With the blood of the grape, pass not, but sit

Beneath my shady roof, there thou may’st rest,

And tune thy jolly voice to my fresh pipe...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this posy has been moved to my new website, Widdershins, and can be found in its entirety here: To Autumn

Harvest Meditation For the Harvest Moon

Please take a seat and clear your mind of what fills it now and hear my words:

As you are sitting, close your eyes and feel the yellow of the sun..Reach up with your arms and let your fingertips touch that yellow..Now, lay back, with your arms extended and become a ray of the sun..As we all lay in a circle, we form the sun – we are all rays of this vivid starburst....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Meditation, and can be found in its entirety here: Harvest Meditation for the Harvest Moon

Mabon - The Second Harvest

Mabon(pronounced MAY-bun, MAY-bone, MAH-boon, or MAH-bawn) marks the Second Harvest, the end of the grain harvest (which begun at Lughnasadh), and rests on the Autumn Equinox. The Equinox mirrors dwindling of life (and eventual progression to rebirth), as well as the struggle for balance; day and night are equal for a single day. Various other names for this Lesser Wiccan Sabbat are The Second Harvest Festival, Wine Harvest, Feast of Avalon, Equinozio di Autunno (Strega), Alben Elfed (Caledonii), or Cornucopia.


... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been combined with another, and moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar. It can be found here: Mabon - The Second Harvest

Happy Moon Festival To All

I stumbled onto this wonderful festival which has been celebrated in China for a very long time. It doesn't qualify as "gypsy" magic, but it is a great way to celebrate the autumn equinox, and gave me lots of ideas of how to honor the fullness of the moon. This year (2010) the Moon festival is celebrated on Sept 22 (which is tomorrow).

The Moon Festival is full of legendary stories. Legend says that Chang Er flew to the moon, where she has lived ever since. You might see her dancing on the moon during the Moon Festival. The Moon Festival is also an occasion for family reunions. When the full moon rises, families get together to watch the full moon, eat moon cakes, and sing moon poems. With the full moon, the legend, the family and the poems, you can't help thinking that this is really a perfect world. That is why the Chinese are so fond of the Moon Festival.

I have gathered a great selection of poems to recite, songs to sing, legends to watch, recipes to prepare, and more. If you're interested, follow the links below and enjoy creating your own "Moon Festival" celebration.

• The Chinese Moon Festival
• Legend of the Moon Festival on video
• Fire Dragon Dance on video

Poems and Quotes:

• Be Like the Moon
• Moonlight
• Defeated by Love
• Sleepyhead
• I see the moon
• O Lady Moon

Songs and Music:

• Moon River
• Moonlight Sonata
• Moonwalk
• Bad Moon Rising

Recipes:

• Mid-Autumn Moon Cake
• Easy Chinese Moon Cakes

Magick:

• Meditating on Moonbeams
• Full Moon Luck and Joy Spell
• Moon Water Tonic
• Moon Mirror Healing
• Pour Out Your Troubles
• Full Moon Meditation
• Make a Moon Water Tonic

Other Stuff:

• First moon landing on video
• What is a pomelo?

The Chinese Moon Festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, is a popular East Asian celebration of abundance and togetherness, dating back over 3,000 years to China's Zhou Dynasty. In Malaysia and Singapore, it is also sometimes referred to as the Lantern Festival or "Mooncake Festival."

The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month of the Chinese calendar (usually around mid- or late-September in the Gregorian calendar), a date that parallels the Autumn Equinox of the solar calendar...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website The Pagan Calendar, and can be found in its entirety here: The Chinese Moon Festival