Mabon

AUTUMN EQUINOX (Mabon)

Natural magic for couples

Apple, apple, red as blood (cut the apple in half)

As two become, two hearts in one

(apples have a five-pointed star in their centres)

I call to each one from afar

A herb for her, a herb for him

(a cut is made and a herb is inserted)

A touch of fire to seal it in

(light a candle from a taper)

Bind with the cord to make them one

(tie around with scarlet cord)

As I will, so be it done (bury the apple in the ground)

Southern Hemisphere: 21 MarchNorthern Hemisphere: 21 September Also known as Michaelmas, Alban Elfed, Harvest Home.Deities: Modron, Herne, Cernunnos, Mannanan Mac Lyr, Ishtar, Isis, Demeter, Persephone, Rhiannon.Colours: Orange, red, yellow, gold, russet.Incense: Clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, myrrh, sage, juniper, pine, cedar.Traditional Motifs: Cornucopia, autumn leaves, pine cones, gourds, corn cobs, mushrooms, apples.

The Equinoxes are times of equilibrium. Day and night are equal and the tide of the year flows steadily, but whilst the Spring Equinox manifests the equilibrium before action, the Autumn Equinox represents the repose after action, the time to take satisfaction in the work of the Summer and reap its benefits. The Autumn Equinox is the second harvest festival, both grain and fruit having been gathered in. This is the time of the Vine. The God, who was Lord of the Greenwood in the Summer, and the Corn King at Lughnasadh, now dances his last dance upon the Earth, as Dionysus, the Greek God of Wine, Music and Dance, before making his descent to the underworld to take up his role as Dread Lord of Shadows.

The God's presence is shadowy. His face is turned towards the Underworld, yet He is heard in each sign of the wind and glimpsed in the shades of early dusk. He leads us to the hidden, inward places of our souls and invites us to explore.

The leaves falling from the trees and rotting into the Earth are a reflection of the Horned God's journey from the Greenwood to the Underworld, deep into the womb of the Mother, here He will reside until He begins to emerge with the new green shoots in the Spring. The Autumn Equinox marks the completion of the harvest, and thanks giving, with the emphasis on the future return of that abundance.

The Eleusinian mysteries took place at this time, during which the initiate was said to have been shown a single ear of grain with the words "In silence is the seed of wisdom gained". Another aspect of these mysteries was "Know thyself" which seems appropriate for the coming months. During the Winter months energy levels drop and the Autumn Equinox is the time to ready ourselves, to look at our "harvest" of accomplishments, to refine and redefine our intentions.