Mabon Thoughts

Mabon, the Moon Festival, however you want to call it, the Autumn Equinox is here.

There are lots of traditions surrounding the equinox and the last harvest. San Francisco is currently holding the Autumn Moon Festival in Chinatown as a way of celebrating the Chinese observance of the last harvest of the summer. In more European traditions people are observing Persephone's transition from this world to the Underworld. Those who follow more Celtic ways see this as a time related to Mabon and Madron. Now matter what you believe, there is something to celebrate and observe at this time of year.

Fall has always been one of my favorite times of the year. I love the weather starting to turn and the ground fog that it brings here to California. (Ironically here in the Bay Area ,where I now live, Fall means the fog goes away until Winter brings it back.) The leaves start to turn and if you go for a bike ride you can enjoy aiming for the biggest ones and making them crunch under your tire. (This is a pleasure I got to indulge in from childhood through college.)

As I'vee been exploring Paganism and Witchcraft I have been trying to make and effort to more actively observe each Sabbat in the Wheel of the Year. And the Equinox today was no exception. Mabon is a time to focus on the home and balance within yourself. This is a reflection of the balance between day and night that is achieved today. It's also the signal that the seasons are changing, as we welcome Fall and say goodbye to summer.

My efforts this year to observe Mabon have been fairly interesting. I spent a fair amount of time over the last two weeks researching the Sabbat and figuring out how I can easily observe it while living with 4 other people at my boyfriend's house. I don't know how all of the feel about Pagan beliefs and rituals,  so I wanted to find something I could do that was symbolic of the change as well as giving myself a way to show my thanks and appreciation for the bounty of summer. What I came up with was making an Autumn lantern, which incorporates leaves and allows me to channel my energy into the work.

Autumn Lantern using leaves and wax paper.

As an Aries I have a strong connection to the element of fire. I've always enjoyed burning candles and my favorite childhood memories come from sitting in front of the wood burning stove in my parent's living room. Plus, with the onset of the dark time of the year, we will often find ourselves turning to the Lord and Lady for guidance in these dark times. Thus using fire and candles to honor the season made sense to me.

I'm constantly trying to find balance between my spiritual life and my mundane one, so when the two come closer together it's a beautiful thing. Last night while I was reading about Mabon lore, my boyfriend asked me about what I was reading and then commented that he wished he knew more about Pagan holidays and the Wheel of the Year. I don't expect him to become Pagan just because I am, but it makes me incredibly happy that I don't have to hide my beliefs from him and that he's actually supportive of my beliefs.

I know I've rambled on and I've tried to keep it flowing. For me part of the balance of Mabon is the reflection on my life and this entry is my way of doing just that. And with that Happy Mabon and blessed be!