Wheel of the Year 101: Mabon

It’s hard to believe that autumn is here already, or that this is my sixth “Wheel of the Year 101” article. Starting at Imbolc, we’ve almost come full circle. After Mabon, only two more holidays remain in our Wheel. Mabon is indeed the sixth holiday, if you start counting with Imbolc. It is also the Autumnal Equinox, and the second of the three harvest festivals. This is a time of homecoming, of joyful thanksgivings and celebrations of the plenty being harvested. It’s also a time of great activity as well. This is the time to start serious preparations for the upcoming winter. Mabon is a holiday of home and hearth, and really represents the whole season between Lammas and Samhain, for me. The young and not-so-young are back in school, and there’s football, state fairs, Renaissance Festivals, homecomings, and other celebrations to keep happy as we watch the light slowly fade from the sky. The God is dead, sacrificed at Lammas to ensure our prosperous harvest. We were not sad then, because his sacrifice was freely given, and we know we will see him again soon. The Goddess begins to assume her role as Crone, reflecting the slow death and hibernation of the land that has already begun. We are not sad now, because we know that within her the God waits, ready to be reborn again at the proper time. Our harvest celebrations may be bittersweet, but there is always the hope of the return of the God and the light to look forward to. Mabon is a time of thanksgiving for all that has been sacrificed to ensure we can prosper. What will you be thankful for this year? What will you be harvesting? What time-honored traditions will you be performing to honor the home and the harvest? I participate in my University’s homecoming celebrations as an alumna of the marching band. Performing at the football game that day, with other alums and current undergraduate band members, I reconnect with my past, as well as contributing to their future. I remember my college years… all the wisdom I learned, all the fun I had. I celebrate these things with my family and friends, for these are among the things I am most thankful for. Ritually speaking, it’s also a time to look back on my goals for the year. What will I be harvesting from those plans made at Imbolc, planted at Ostara, and nurtured through the months that followed? What will I be able to store with me, as lessons learned, through the cold months between Samhain and Yule? How will I apply these lessons to the new seeds I will plant the following Ostara? Although this turn of the wheel may be drawing to a close, the circle never really ends. Even as we celebrate the harvests and the ending of the cycle, we look towards the beginning to come. Decorate altars with newly turned leaves, with acorns, and with apples. Fill chalices with apple cider and mulled wine. Dig out that old wicker cornucopia that you normally use as the Thanksgiving table centerpiece. Use a swath of velvet for your altar cloth, in a deep jewel-toned red. If you’re working with a group, perhaps you’ll want to go around the Circle and talk about what you’re each most thankful for this year. You could write those things on paper leaves and hang them up to decorate your sacred space, if you like. There are a lot of possibilities for creativity. Take time this Mabon to enjoy the last warm days and the fading light. Here are a few websites to help you out if you get stuck planning your Sabbat: Akasha’s Mabon site http://www.wicca.com/celtic/akasha/mabon. has tons of suggestions for foods, activities, symbols, and more. Witchvox has two links for your perusal at http://www.witchvox.com/holidays/xmabon. . Harvest Home (http://pagans.foolmoon.com/holidays/fall. has an article on Mabon by Mike Nichols and a nice guided meditation in the sidebar. There are also several books listed on Amazon with information about Mabon. As I haven’t read any of them I won’t list them here, but I’m sure at least one or two of them will turn out to be a good resource. Happy Mabon!