Administrator September, 2011

MAY-bon, MAY-bun, MAY-bone, MAH-boon or MAH-bawn, – Lesser Sabbat – Fall/Autumn Equinox, September 21-23

Michaelmas (September 25th, Christian), Second Harvest Festival, Witches’ Thanksgiving, Harvest Home (Anglo-Celtic), Feast of Avalon, Wine Harvest, Festival of Dionysus, Cornucopia, Equinozio di Autunno (Strega), Chung Chiu (China), Night of the Hunter, Alban Elfed “The Light of the Water”(Caledonii/ Druidic-celebrates Lord of the Mysteries), Winter Finding (Teutonic, from Equinox ’til Winter Night or Nordic New Year, Oct 15th.)

Mabon is considered a time of the Mysteries. It is a time to honor Aging Deities and the Spirit World. Considered a time of balance, it is when we stop and relax and enjoy the fruits of our personal harvests, whether they be from toiling in our gardens, working at our jobs, raising our families, or just coping with the hussle-bussle of everyday life. May your Mabon be memorable, and your hearts and spirits be filled to overflowing!

Purpose:
Second harvest festival, new wine pressing/making preparation for winter and Samhain, rest after labor, Pagan day of Thanksgiving, honoring the spirit world, celebration of wine.

Dynamics/Meaning:
death of the God, assumption of the Crone, balance of light and dark; increase of darkness, grape harvest, completion of the harvest.

Essence:
Beauty, joy; fullness of life, harvest of the year’s desires, strength; laughter; power; prosperity, equality, balance, appreciation, harvest, protection, wealth,
security, self-confidence, reincarnation.

Symbolism of Mabon:
Second Harvest, the Mysteries, Equality and Balance.

Symbols of Mabon:
wine, gourds, pine cones, acorns, grains, corn, apples, pomegranates, vines such as ivy, dried seeds, and horns of plenty.

Tools, Symbols & Decorations:
Indian corn, red fruits, autumn flowers, red poppies, hazelnuts, garlands, grains especially wheat stalks, and colorful, fallen leaves, acorns, pine & cypress cones, oak sprigs, pomegranate, statue/or figure to represent the Mother Goddess, mabon wreath, vine, grapes, gourd, cornucopia/horns of plenty, burial cairns, apples, marigolds, harvested crops, burial cairns, rattles, the Mysteries, sun wheel, all harvest symbols.

Herbs & Plants of Maybon:
Acorn, aster, benzoin, cedar, ferns, grains, hazel, honeysuckle, hops, ivy, marigold, milkweed, mums, myrrh, oak leaf, passionflower, pine, rose, sage, solomon’s seal, tobacco, thistle, and vegetables.

Foods of Mabon:
Breads, nuts, apples, pomegranates, cornbread, wheat products, grains, berries, grapes, acorns, seeds, dried fruits, corn, beans, squash, roots (ie onions, carrots, potatoes, etc), hops, sasssafras, roast goose or mutton, wine, ale, & cider.

Incense & Oils of Mabon:
Pine, sweetgrass, apple blossom, benzoin, myrrh, frankincense, jasmine, sage wood aloes, black pepper, patchouly, cinnamon, clove, oak moss, & sage.

Colors/Candles of Mabon:
Red, orange, russet, maroon, brown, gold, deep gold, green, orange, scarlet, all autumn colors, purple, blue, violet, & indigo.

Stones of Mabon:
Sapphire, lapis lazuli, yellow agates, carnelian, yellow topaz, & amethyst.

Customs:
Offerings to land, preparing for cold weather, bringing in harvest, cutting willow wands (Druidic), eating seasonal fruit, leaving apples upon burial cairns & graves as a token of honor, walk wild places & forests, gather seed pods & dried plants, fermenting grapes to make wine,picking ripe produce, stalk bundling; fishing,. on the closest full moon (Harvest Moon) harvesting corps by moonlight.

Activities of Mabon:
Making wine, gathering dried herbs, plants, seeds and seed pods, walking in the woods, scattering offerings in harvested fields, offering libations to trees, adorning burial sites with leaves, acorns, and pine cones to honor those who have passed over.

Spellworkings and Rituals of Mabon:
Protection, security, and self-confidence. Also those of harmony and balance. Celtic Festival of the Vine, prosperity rituals, introspection, rituals which enact the elderly aspects of both Goddess & God, past life recall.

Animals/Mythical beings:
Dogs, wolves, stag, blackbird, owl, eagle, birds of prey, salmon & goat, Gnomes, Sphinx, Minotaur, Cyclops, Andamans and Gulons.

Goddesses:
Modron (Welsh), Bona Dea, Land Mother, Aging & Harvest Dieties: the Triple Goddess-Mother aspect, Persephone, Demeter/Ceres, Morgan (Welsh- Cornish), Snake Woman (aboriginal), Epona (Celtic-Gaulish), Pamona (roman), the Muses (greek)

Gods:
Mabon ap Modron (Welsh), Sky Father, The Green Man, Wine Gods, Aging Gods, John Barley Corn , the Wicker-Man, the Corn Man, Thoth (Egyptian), Hermes, Hotei (Japanese), Thor, Dionysus (Roman), Bacchus (Greek) & all wine Deities

Element/Gender:
Water

Threshold:
Evening

Tags: autum, equinox, fall, holiday, mabon, sabbat

• Correspondences

Mina September, 2011

Welcoming Mabon – The Autumn Equinox

Subtle whispers of the approaching season are everywhere: The night air is cooling, plants are producing seed heads, birds are beginning their migration, animals are storing food and building shelters and leaves are beginning to transform from deep green to richer shades of the autumn harvest. With all this splendor, we welcome in Mabon, the Autumn Equinox, on September 23, 2011, also known as The Witches Thanksgiving.

Being the second of three harvest festivals, Mabon is largely centered around celebrating the unending generosity the earth provides along with the bounty with which you have been blessed.  It is for joining with family and friends to share the wealth of fall crops, tales of the past, plans for the coming months and to remember there are those who struggle and to pass along what you can do without.

The other side of this celebration is balance, being that light and dark are equal on this day.  Balance teaches us that where there is life there is also death. Though we are celebrating our bounty, we are aware that the fields are drying out, the soil losing its nutrients and the crops are going dormant. The wheel of the year turns once again through the seasons. With each coming day, as in the ancient Greek myths of Demeter and Persephone, the sun’s strength will diminish as darkness claims its rightful place within the universe. So continues the harmony of the dance of life.

A traditional Autumn Equinox feast would include fall fruits, grains, nut breads, lots of vegetables and wine or apple cider. Apple cider is magical in itself as apple rules the heart and cider is a self-love potion. Add a stick of cinnamon ruled by the sun, and symbolically you are taking in sunlight.

May your Autumn Equinox be filled with an overflowing bounty as you prepare for the coming winter.

Tags: autumn, equinox, fall, holiday, mabon, sabbat

• Articles

John Conlin September, 2010

Mabon, the Autumnal Equinox

“And now we stand here, within the shadows of the Fall.

Let me hold you just once more, so I can try to remember it all.

Sing to me my love this day. Sing to me as I fade away,

back to the shadows, where I’ll dream of you.”

With my eyes closed I alone stand apart from my coven sisters and brothers and feel the last waning light of the Autumnal Equinox’s setting Sun fade away. I know that the tops of the old conifers I stand beneath still bask in Summer’s last light, as the forest floor begins to hear the shadows awaken. The dance between shadow and light is always present and ever changing as the seasons we recognize ebb and flow around the Wheel. There are fleeting moments though when we are able to witness and truly feel the energies shift. I am sure that each of us has a special and sacred marked time upon the Wheel’s turning, that calls more deeply to the spirit within us. For me, this is that moment and with each passing year I am blessed to glean something more meaningful. It is said that the true journey of the witch is the path walked alone. I think about that as I stand within the forest envisioning the God. I can see the Lord of the Forest holding the Goddess, looking into her eyes, trying to understand how his seemingly endless time with Her has passed. He hears the ravens calling his name, reminding him that all things must change and that the Earth is waiting for him to return. “You can not out run the turning of the Wheel”, she whispers, “for the Wheel, it turns strong.” “The shadows within await your fires return to open the way for their claim upon the land”, she paused staring into his eyes.  “I need your fire to embrace the deep dark of the Earth and re-ignite the energy that lies hidden within all that shall soon fall back.” “It is your light that shall push forth the veil of the Crone I must become to rule the night”, the Goddess continued.  “Remember my consort that the Wheel still strongly turns back toward you and your days will come again. Until those days though, know that I will walk though forest and field cloaked in my dark mantle and set them afire with your colors to honor your sacrifice”, she passionately finished. The Lord of the Forest kissed her one last time as his tears fell to the earth and turned to walk away. The ravens grew silent in the trees that lined the edge of the worn path as the God began walking into the west and listened to the Goddess sing. With each step he faded further from this realm, until like the setting Summer Sun, he was but a memory.

The Goddess now stands alone. As this first night deepens I see her tears wash away the aspect of the Mother and summon forth the dark wisdom of the Crone. In my eyes, Her total transformation will take a while longer, until the heavy grey clouds gather and the smell of damp decay drifts over the forest floor. Until the shadows creep across all those forgotten by the Sun and the trees’ splendor fades to gloom, only then, when Her walks grow evermore long pushing night into the day, will she stand fully as the Crone.

As I slowly make my way out of the forest and back to our Circle, these are the thoughts and visions that stir my spirit. No matter how many times I enact this ritual, I am moved to tears. This is the only ritual of the year where I am not present when our ceremony is closed. After casting the complete Circle, calling to the Quarters and honoring the Goddess and the God we talk about all that has transpired since Imbolc. We talk about our Summer experiences and what we are looking forward to regarding the rest of the harvest. Then we ask to feel what the Goddess and God of Nature experience and do our best to reenact the visions I described earlier. When the moment comes, I ritually open a small door in the Circle and walk away. As I leave I trail a long piece of black cord behind me attached to the altar. When I have disappeared into the dark, my wife pulls back the black cord and opens the small pouch that I secured to my end. I have never seen this next part of our ritual but I have been told by those within our Circle that it is beautiful. My wife then sheds her red shawl as she pulls the dark veil from the pouch and places it over head. She turns back to face the Circle and says,” know you this, the God is dead. Let us keep his fire sacred within each of us until he is reborn at Yule. As it is willed, so mote it be”, she ends. For all that is given, something must be returned. There is always a cycle, a sacred journey of energy that moves through all, entwined with the dance of shadow and light. Mabon, to me, is so truly reflected in the movements of Nature. I see it in the way the Sun’s light now falls more soft and golden within the forest. I see it in the slowly dying Chinook salmon who have kept their long promise and returned home to give back all that remains of them. I see it all around me when I take the time to be still, to breathe, to remember to see with open eyes and to listen……….

“The Wheel turns and I feel my fire has burned away

I feel the Earth holding me tight

I know the Crone will rule through the night

And I know the Wheel still slowly turns,

Back to me to make me burn,

With the love I forever hold for thee.”

Blessed be

Tags: mabon, sabbat

• Spells & Rituals

Administrator September, 2010

MAY-bon, MAY-bun, MAY-bone, MAH-boon or MAH-bawn, – Lesser Sabbat – Fall/Autumn Equinox, September 21-23
Michaelmas (September 25th, Christian), Second Harvest Festival, Witches’ Thanksgiving, Harvest Home (Anglo-Celtic), Feast of Avalon, Wine Harvest, Festival of Dionysus, Cornucopia, Equinozio di Autunno (Strega), Chung Chiu (China), Night of the Hunter, Alban Elfed “The Light of the Water”(Caledonii/ Druidic-celebrates Lord of the Mysteries), Winter Finding (Teutonic, from Equinox ’til Winter Night or Nordic New Year, Oct 15th.)

Mabon is considered a time of the Mysteries. It is a time to honor Aging Deities and the Spirit World. Considered a time of balance, it is when we stop and relax and enjoy the fruits of our personal harvests, whether they be from toiling in our gardens, working at our jobs, raising our families, or just coping with the hussle-bussle of everyday life. May your Mabon be memorable, and your hearts and spirits be filled to overflowing!

Purpose:
Second harvest festival, new wine pressing/making preparation for winter and Samhain, rest after labor, Pagan day of Thanksgiving, honoring the spirit world, celebration of wine.

Dynamics/Meaning:
death of the God, assumption of the Crone, balance of light and dark; increase of darkness, grape harvest, completion of the harvest.

Essence:
Beauty, joy; fullness of life, harvest of the year’s desires, strength; laughter; power; prosperity, equality, balance, appreciation, harvest, protection, wealth,
security, self-confidence, reincarnation.

Symbolism of Mabon:
Second Harvest, the Mysteries, Equality and Balance.

Symbols of Mabon:
wine, gourds, pine cones, acorns, grains, corn, apples, pomegranates, vines such as ivy, dried seeds, and horns of plenty.

Tools, Symbols & Decorations:
Indian corn, red fruits, autumn flowers, red poppies, hazelnuts, garlands, grains especially wheat stalks, and colorful, fallen leaves, acorns, pine & cypress cones, oak sprigs, pomegranate, statue/or figure to represent the Mother Goddess, mabon wreath, vine, grapes, gourd, cornucopia/horns of plenty, burial cairns, apples, marigolds, harvested crops, burial cairns, rattles, the Mysteries, sun wheel, all harvest symbols.

Herbs & Plants of Maybon:
Acorn, aster, benzoin, cedar, ferns, grains, hazel, honeysuckle, hops, ivy, marigold, milkweed, mums, myrrh, oak leaf, passionflower, pine, rose, sage, solomon’s seal, tobacco, thistle, and vegetables.

Foods of Mabon:
Breads, nuts, apples, pomegranates, cornbread, wheat products, grains, berries, grapes, acorns, seeds, dried fruits, corn, beans, squash, roots (ie onions, carrots, potatoes, etc), hops, sasssafras, roast goose or mutton, wine, ale, & cider.

Incense & Oils of Mabon:
Pine, sweetgrass, apple blossom, benzoin, myrrh, frankincense, jasmine, sage wood aloes, black pepper, patchouly, cinnamon, clove, oak moss, & sage.

Colors/Candles of Mabon:
Red, orange, russet, maroon, brown, gold, deep gold, green, orange, scarlet, all autumn colors, purple, blue, violet, & indigo.

Stones of Mabon:
Sapphire, lapis lazuli, yellow agates, carnelian, yellow topaz, & amethyst.

Customs:
Offerings to land, preparing for cold weather, bringing in harvest, cutting willow wands (Druidic), eating seasonal fruit, leaving apples upon burial cairns & graves as a token of honor, walk wild places & forests, gather seed pods & dried plants, fermenting grapes to make wine,picking ripe produce, stalk bundling; fishing,. on the closest full moon (Harvest Moon) harvesting corps by moonlight.

Activities of Mabon:
Making wine, gathering dried herbs, plants, seeds and seed pods, walking in the woods, scattering offerings in harvested fields, offering libations to trees, adorning burial sites with leaves, acorns, and pine cones to honor those who have passed over.

Spellworkings and Rituals of Mabon:
Protection, security, and self-confidence. Also those of harmony and balance. Celtic Festival of the Vine, prosperity rituals, introspection, rituals which enact the elderly aspects of both Goddess & God, past life recall.

Animals/Mythical beings:
Dogs, wolves, stag, blackbird, owl, eagle, birds of prey, salmon & goat, Gnomes, Sphinx, Minotaur, Cyclops, Andamans and Gulons.

Goddesses:
Modron (Welsh), Bona Dea, Land Mother, Aging & Harvest Dieties: the Triple Goddess-Mother aspect, Persephone, Demeter/Ceres, Morgan (Welsh- Cornish), Snake Woman (aboriginal), Epona (Celtic-Gaulish), Pamona (roman), the Muses (greek)

Gods:
Mabon ap Modron (Welsh), Sky Father, The Green Man, Wine Gods, Aging Gods, John Barley Corn , the Wicker-Man, the Corn Man, Thoth (Egyptian), Hermes, Hotei (Japanese), Thor, Dionysus (Roman), Bacchus (Greek) & all wine Deities

Element/Gender:
Water

Threshold:
Evening

Tags: holiday, mabon, sabbat

• Correspondences

Boudicca Andarta September, 2009

Balance Through the Sacred Apple

One of the fruits most associated with the Autumnal Equinox is the apple.  You can use it as an altar decoration or as part of your Sabbat feast.  This versatile yet average-every-day-fruit has some very ancient magickal roots.

The Apple Tree is associated with the goddess, most specifically Ishtar, Aphrodite (Venus), Hera, Athena, Freya, Cerridwen, Pamona and Idunna.  The Greek Pamona and the Norse Idunna are perhaps the best known for their sacred, magickal apples.  Pamona was considered both a Hamadryad (a wood nymph) as well as a goddess while Idunna was a maiden goddess of the earth.  Pamona as the goddess of the apple tree tended a sacred grove of them while Idunna was in charge of the Golden Apples that maintained the immortality of the Norse pantheon.  Due to its magickal correspondences, the apple is also associated with Venus (Aphrodite) as it is a fruit of the element of water and when sliced cross-wise, it reveals to you the pentagram or the Star of Knowledge, the same shape that the planet Venus makes as it travels through the skies.

The pentagram that resides within the apple is called the Star of Knowledge is because according to Druidic lore, the apple tree is the keeper of all knowledge, and since ancient times, the apple has been a symbol of love, fertility, magick and wisdom.  These markings also represent the womb of the Mother Earth Goddess, from whom we come from and to whom we must return.

It is also a Faery Tree, so make sure to plant one in your yard as an invitation to them.  When picking apples for the Autumnal Harvest, make sure to leave a few hanging on the tree to show respect to the Faeries, the spirit of the tree as well as the Mother Earth Goddess.

THE SPELL

This is a very simple spell; you only need an apple (Golden is preferred, but not required) and a knife to cut it.  Make sure to wash your apple before using it magickally!

Either create sacred space or cast a magick circle in the tradition or style of your choice.

Standing at your altar, hold the apple up to the Gods and say:

“Fruit of the Faery Tree;

Keeper of the sacred pentagram.”

Cut the apple cross-ways to expose the Star of Knowledge and then say:

“Fruit of the Tree of the Goddess;

Containing wisdom ancient and old.”

Take a bite of the apple slice, making sure to notice its watery goodness and taking in the sustenance.  Say:

“I take Your wisdom within me,

I am balanced in every way.”

Close your eyes and meditate as to how to be bettered balanced in all aspects of your life. Contemplate as to how to give equal time to the different hats that you wear In both your mundane and spiritual life.  Ask Pamnona, Idunna and Venus to share Their wisdom with you.  When done, say:

“My thanks to the apple Goddess,

So say I, so shall it be done.”

Place the remaining apples outside as an offering to the Faeries!

SOURCE: Autumn Equinox: The Enchantment of Mabon by Ellen Dugan

Tags: apple, autumn, ellen dugan, equinox, mabon, Spell

• Spells & Rituals

Administrator September, 2009

MAY-bon, MAY-bun, MAY-bone, MAH-boon or MAH-bawn, – Lesser Sabbat – Fall/Autumn Equinox, September 21-23
Michaelmas (September 25th, Christian), Second Harvest Festival, Witches’ Thanksgiving, Harvest Home (Anglo-Celtic), Feast of Avalon, Wine Harvest, Festival of Dionysus, Cornucopia, Equinozio di Autunno (Strega), Chung Chiu (China), Night of the Hunter, Alban Elfed “The Light of the Water”(Caledonii/ Druidic-celebrates Lord of the Mysteries), Winter Finding (Teutonic, from Equinox ’til Winter Night or Nordic New Year, Oct 15th.)

Mabon is considered a time of the Mysteries. It is a time to honor Aging Deities and the Spirit World. Considered a time of balance, it is when we stop and relax and enjoy the fruits of our personal harvests, whether they be from toiling in our gardens, working at our jobs, raising our families, or just coping with the hussle-bussle of everyday life. May your Mabon be memorable, and your hearts and spirits be filled to overflowing!

Purpose:
Second harvest festival, new wine pressing/making preparation for winter and Samhain, rest after labor, Pagan day of Thanksgiving, honoring the spirit world, celebration of wine.

Dynamics/Meaning:
death of the God, assumption of the Crone, balance of light and dark; increase of darkness, grape harvest, completion of the harvest.

Essence:
Beauty, joy; fullness of life, harvest of the year’s desires, strength; laughter; power; prosperity, equality, balance, appreciation, harvest, protection, wealth,
security, self-confidence, reincarnation.

Symbolism of Mabon:
Second Harvest, the Mysteries, Equality and Balance.

Symbols of Mabon:
wine, gourds, pine cones, acorns, grains, corn, apples, pomegranates, vines such as ivy, dried seeds, and horns of plenty.

Tools, Symbols & Decorations:
Indian corn, red fruits, autumn flowers, red poppies, hazelnuts, garlands, grains especially wheat stalks, and colorful, fallen leaves, acorns, pine & cypress cones, oak sprigs, pomegranate, statue/or figure to represent the Mother Goddess, mabon wreath, vine, grapes, gourd, cornucopia/horns of plenty, burial cairns, apples, marigolds, harvested crops, burial cairns, rattles, the Mysteries, sun wheel, all harvest symbols.

Herbs & Plants of Maybon:
Acorn, aster, benzoin, cedar, ferns, grains, hazel, honeysuckle, hops, ivy, marigold, milkweed, mums, myrrh, oak leaf, passionflower, pine, rose, sage, solomon’s seal, tobacco, thistle, and vegetables.

Foods of Mabon:
Breads, nuts, apples, pomegranates, cornbread, wheat products, grains, berries, grapes, acorns, seeds, dried fruits, corn, beans, squash, roots (ie onions, carrots, potatoes, etc), hops, sasssafras, roast goose or mutton, wine, ale, & cider.

Incense & Oils of Mabon:
Pine, sweetgrass, apple blossom, benzoin, myrrh, frankincense, jasmine, sage wood aloes, black pepper, patchouly, cinnamon, clove, oak moss, & sage.

Colors/Candles of Mabon:
Red, orange, russet, maroon, brown, gold, deep gold, green, orange, scarlet, all autumn colors, purple, blue, violet, & indigo.

Stones of Mabon:
Sapphire, lapis lazuli, yellow agates, carnelian, yellow topaz, & amethyst.

Customs:
Offerings to land, preparing for cold weather, bringing in harvest, cutting willow wands (Druidic), eating seasonal fruit, leaving apples upon burial cairns & graves as a token of honor, walk wild places & forests, gather seed pods & dried plants, fermenting grapes to make wine,picking ripe produce, stalk bundling; fishing,. on the closest full moon (Harvest Moon) harvesting corps by moonlight.

Activities of Mabon:
Making wine, gathering dried herbs, plants, seeds and seed pods, walking in the woods, scattering offerings in harvested fields, offering libations to trees, adorning burial sites with leaves, acorns, and pine cones to honor those who have passed over.

Spellworkings and Rituals of Mabon:
Protection, security, and self-confidence. Also those of harmony and balance. Celtic Festival of the Vine, prosperity rituals, introspection, rituals which enact the elderly aspects of both Goddess & God, past life recall.

Animals/Mythical beings:
Dogs, wolves, stag, blackbird, owl, eagle, birds of prey, salmon & goat, Gnomes, Sphinx, Minotaur, Cyclops, Andamans and Gulons.

Goddesses:
Modron (Welsh), Bona Dea, Land Mother, Aging & Harvest Dieties: the Triple Goddess-Mother aspect, Persephone, Demeter/Ceres, Morgan (Welsh- Cornish), Snake Woman (aboriginal), Epona (Celtic-Gaulish), Pamona (roman), the Muses (greek)

Gods:
Mabon ap Modron (Welsh), Sky Father, The Green Man, Wine Gods, Aging Gods, John Barley Corn , the Wicker-Man, the Corn Man, Thoth (Egyptian), Hermes, Hotei (Japanese), Thor, Dionysus (Roman), Bacchus (Greek) & all wine Deities

Element/Gender:
Water

Threshold:
Evening

Tags: autumn, equinox, holiday, mabon, sabbat

• Correspondences

Administrator March, 2009

MAY-bon, MAY-bun, MAY-bone, MAH-boon or MAH-bawn, – Lesser Sabbat – Fall/Autumn Equinox, September 21-23

Other Names: Michaelmas (September 25th, Christian), Second Harvest Festival, Witches’ Thanksgiving, Harvest Home(Anglo-Celtic), Feast of Avalon, Wine Harvest, Festival of Dionysus, Cornucopia, Equinozio di Autunno (Strega), Chung Ch’iu (China), Night of the Hunter, Alban Elfed “The Light of the Water”(Caledonii/ Druidic-celebrates Lord of the Mysteries), Winter Finding (Teutonic, from Equinox ‘til Winter Night or Nordic New Year, Oct 15th.)

Animals/Mythical Beings: Dogs, wolves, stag, blackbird, owl, eagle, birds of prey, salmon & goat, Gnomes, Sphinx, Minotaur, Cyclops, Andamans and Gulons

Gemstones: Yellow agate, carnelian, yellow topaz, sapphire, lapis lazuli & amethyst

Incense/Oil: Pine, sweetgrass, apple blossom, benzoin, myrrh, frankincense, jasmine, sage wood aloes, black pepper, patchouly, cinnamon, clove, oak moss

Colors: Brown, green, orange, red, deep gold, scarlet, yellow, russet, maroon, all autumn colors, purple, blue violet & indigo

Tools, Symbols, & Decorations: Indian corn, red fruits, autumn flowers, red poppies, hazelnuts, garlands, grains especially wheat stalks, and colorful, fallen leaves, acorns, pine & cypress cones, oak sprigs, pomegranate, statue/or figure to represent the Mother Goddess, mabon wreath, vine, grapes, gourd, cornucopia/horns of plenty, burial cairns, apples, marigolds, harvested crops, burial cairns, rattles, the Mysteries, sun wheel, all harvest symbols

Goddesses: Modron(Welsj), Bona Dea, Land Mother, Aging & Harvest Dieties: the Triple Goddess-Mother aspect, Persephone, Demeter/Ceres, Morgan(Welsh- Cornish), Snake Woman(aboriginal), Epona(Celtic-Gaulish), Pamona(roman), the Muses(greek)

Gods: Mabon ap Modron(Welsh), Sky Father, Wine Gods, Aging Gods, John Barleycorn , the Wicker-Man,the Corn Man, Thoth(Egyptian), Hermes, Hotei(Japanese), Thor, Dionysus(Roman), Bacchus(Greek) & all wine Deities

Essence: Beauty, joy; fullness of life, harvest of the year’s desires, strength; laughter; power; prosperity, equality, balance, appreciation, harvest, protection, wealth, security, self-confidence, reincarnation

Meaning: Death of the God, assumption of the Crone, balance of light and dark; increase of darkness, grape harvest, completion of the harvest

Purpose: Second harvest festival, new wine pressing/making preparation for winter and Samhain, rest after labor, Pagan day of Thanksgiving, honoring the spirit world,celebration of wine

Rituals/Magick: Celtic Festival of the Vine, prosperity rituals, introspection, rituals which enact the elderly aspects of both Goddess & God, past life recall

Customs: Offerings to land, preparing for cold weather, bringing in harvest, cutting willow wands( Druidic), eating seasonal fruit, leaving apples upon burial cairns & graves as a token of honor, walk wild places & forests, gather seed pods & dried plants, fermenting grapes to make wine,picking ripe produce, stalk bundling; fishing,. on the closest full moon (Harvest Moon) harvesting corps by moonlight.

Foods:Cornbread, wheat products, bread, grains, berries, nuts, grapes, acorns, seeds, dried fruits, corn, beans, squash, roots (ie onions, carrots, potatoes, etc), hops, sasssafras, apples, pomegranates, carrots, onions, potatoes, roast goose or mutton, wine, ale, & cider

Herbs: Myrrh, thistle, tobacco, oak leaf, hazel, mums, hops, acorns, marigold, rose, sage, milkweed, solomon’s seal, aster, fern, honeysuckle, benzoin, myrrh, passionflower, pine & cedar, ivy, hazel, hops, cedar

Element: Water

Threshold: Evening

Tags: corresspondence, holiday, mabon, sabbat

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