At the Autumn Equinox, the days and nights are equal. It is a time of
balance, but light gives way to increased darkness. It is the second
harvest, and the Goddess mourns her fallen consort, but the emphasis is
on the message of rebirth that can be found in the harvest seeds. It is a
good time to walk the forests, gathering dried plants for use as altar
decorations or herbal magick. Cornbread and cider are good additions to
festivities and fall leaves make good altar decorations.
Other Names: Autumn Equinox, Fall Equinox, Second Harvest, Festival of Dionysus, Wine Harvest, Alban Elfed, Cornucopia
Meaning:
Celebrating the second harvest, Balance, Honoring the aging deities,
Honoring the spirit world, Darkness overtaking light, Celebration of
wine
Lore: A
traditional practice is to walk in wild places and forests, gathering
seed pods and dried plants. Some of these can be used to decorate the
home; others saved for future herbal magick.
Deities: Wine Deities, Aging Deities
Activities: Wine making, Adorning graves
Taboos: Passing burial sites and not honoring the dead
Associations
Colors: Brown, Orange, Violet, Maroon, Russet, Deep Gold
Symbols: Grapes, Wine, Vines, Garland, Gourds, Burial Cairns, Rattles, Horn of Plenty, Indian Corn, Sun Wheels
Animals: Dogs, Wolves, Birds of Prey
Stones: Amethyst and Yellow Topaz
Plants: Vines, Ivy, Hazel, Cedar, Hops, Tobacco
Food: The
foods of Mabon include grains, fruits, and vegetables, especially corn.
Cornbread is traditional fare, as are beans and baked squash.
Ritual Oils: Apple Blossom, Hay/Straw, Black Pepper, Patchouli
Attunement Teas: (Individually or Blended) All Berries, Grape Drinks, Heather, Hops, Sassafras
Goddesses:
All Grape/Berry Goddesses and All Fruit/Vegetable Deities, such as Epona
(Celtic-Gaulish), Harmonica (Greek), Morgan (Welsh-Cornish), The Muses
(Greek), Pamona (Roman), Rennutet (Egyptian), Sin (Irish), Snake Women
(Aboriginal), Sophia (Greco-Hebraic)
Gods: All
Wine Gods, All Non-Grain Harvest Gods, All Gods of Fruits, and All Gods
of Abandonment, such as Bacchus (Roman), Dionysus (Greek), Hermes
(Greek), The Great Horned God (European), Mabon (Welsh), Thoth
(Egyptian)
SOURCES: Some info was taken from an unknown source; however, most info was found at The Wiccan Garden, as taken from The Sabbats: A New Approach to Living the Old Ways by Edain McCoy and Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham.