Musings From the Mossy Trail

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.