MABON!!!!!

I LOVE,LOVE,LOVE Mabon!! It has to be my favorite Sabbat. There is just something special about the very look and feel and even scent of this time of year. I find myself getting all giddy and full of energy, while typically everything is preparing to wind down for the upcoming winter months and with this Sabbat we honor the balance of darkness as well as light. I have always been super-attuned to this time of year and the turning of the wheel. My incredibly dark summer is now being replaced with peace and a bright comfort as I whole-heartedly welcome Mabon as if it were a best friend who has been away on holiday way too long. I can’t get enough of its company and the warmth that it brings into my life. I know this sounds funny since the time of year here is getting colder and it won’t be long until there is frost on the pumpkins. I love watching the trees honor the Earth Mother before their long winter slumber with a beautiful display of vibrantly changing color of leaves that only they can offer. I love baking this time of year and it is when I do the most of it. There is just something so comforting about the smell of a freshly baked apple cinnamon pie wafting through the house and out the cracked kitchen window and into the neighborhood in the early evening. Its as if it is saying “ If love had a scent this would be it for sure.”

Well in keeping with my love of Mabon I thought I could share a few of my Mabon doings that I will be engaging in this year. I want to keep it rather simple yet spiritual. I always say I am going to do my own rituals and such for the Sabbats and usually I do but I found these ideas a few years back on the internet and for the life of me I can’t remember where but they are really speaking to me so I said what the heck, why not? Hopefully you like them too and have a really beautiful Mabon!!

Mabon, the autumn equinox, is celebrated in many ways around the world. It is a day of balance, with equal amounts of darkness and light, but soon, winter will arrive. In some Wiccan traditions, it marks the time when the Sun King descends into the underworld, from which he will be reborn at Yule.

In many pantheons apple trees are representative of wisdom and guidance. This apple ritual will allow you time to thank the gods for their bounty and blessings, and to enjoy the magic of the earth before the winds of winter blow through.


MABON HARVEST APPLE RITE

What You Need:
A pair of orange candles.
A cup of cider or wine.
An apple and something to cut it with.

Here's How:
Decorate your altar with symbols of the season -- a basket of gourds or small pumpkins, colorful fall leaves, acorns, vines, grapes or blackberries. You'll also need a pair of orange candles to symbolize the harvest, a cup of cider or wine, and an apple.
If your tradition requires you to cast a circle, do so now.

Light your harvest candles. Face the altar and hold the apple in both hands. If you can do this rite outside, raise the apple up to the sky, and feel the wisdom and energy of the gods coming to you.

Say:
The apple is sacred, a symbol of the gods,
and holds the knowledge of the ancients inside.
Tonight I ask the gods to bless me with their wisdom.

Slice the apple in half across the middle. Where the seeds are, you will see a five-pointed star. Place the two halves in the center of your altar.

Say:

Five points in a star, hidden inside.
One for earth, one for air, one for fire,
one for water, and the last for spirit.

Turn to the north, arms raised to the heavens, and say:

The world passes from light into darkness,
and the golden fields of the earth bring the promise
of food and nourishment through the winter.

Face east, and say:

I stand on the threshold of the darkness,
and know that the summer breezes give way to autumn chill, which bring forth the blazes of color in the trees.

Next, turn to the south and say:

I call upon the wise ones, the ancient gods,
as the sun moves away and fire fades,
to be replaced with the chill of the night.

Finally, face west, and say:

I will reflect on the guidance of the gods,
and let the cool autumn rains wash over me,
cleansing my heart and soul.

Raise the cup of wine or cider to the sky, and toast the gods.

Say:

The wild god returns this night to the belly of the Mother.
The mother goddess tonight becomes the Crone.As the Wheel of the Year turns, the earth dies a bit each day.
I willingly follow the old gods into the darkness,
where they will watch over me, protect me, and keep me safe.

Sip from the cup, and as you drink your wine or cider, think about the power and energy of the Divine, in whatever aspect you choose to honor.

Extinguish one of the candles, and say:

The wild god has gone to rest in the Underworld.
I look to the darkness for renewal and rebirth.
Extinguish the other candle, and say:

The mother goddess has entered her most powerful stage.
She is the Crone, the wise one, and I ask for her blessing.

Stand in the darkness for a moment. Reflect upon all the changes that are to come, and those things that will stay constant. Feel the energy of the gods as you connect to them, and understand that even though winter is coming, the light will return again.
When you are ready, end the ritual.

Tips:
Leave the apples on your altar overnight, and the next morning, put them in your garden as an offering to the earth.

Feel free to replace the wild god and mother goddess with the names of deities from your own tradition.

MABON BALANCE PRAYER

Equal hours of light and darknesswe celebrate the balance of Mabon,
and ask the gods to bless us.
For all that is bad, there is good.
For that which is despair, there is hope.
For the moments of pain, there are moments of love.
For all that falls, there is the chance to rise again.
May we find balance in our lives
as we find it in our hearts.

MABON BALANCE MEDITATION
Celebrating the Dark and the Light

Now that fall is here, why not do an autumn version of spring cleaning? Get rid of any emotional baggage you're dragging around with you. Accept that there are darker aspects to life, and embrace them, but don't let them rule you. Understand that a healthy life finds balance in all things.


You can perform this meditation ritual anywhere, but the best place to do it is outside, in the evening as the sun goes down. Decorate your altar (or if you're outside, use a flat stone or tree stump) with colorful autumn leaves, acorns, small pumpkins, and other symbols of the season. You'll need a black candle and a white one of any size, although tea lights probably work best. Make sure you have something safe to put them in, either a candle holder or a bowl of sand.

Light both candles, and say the following:

A balance of night and day, a balance of light and dark
Tonight I seek balance in my life
as it is found in the Universe.
A black candle for darkness and pain
and things I can eliminate from my life.
A white candle for the light, and for joy
and all the abundance I wish to bring forth.
At Mabon, the time of the equinox,
there is harmony and balance in the Universe,
and so there shall be in my life.


Meditate on the things you wish to change. Focus on eliminating the bad, and strengthening the good around you. Put toxic relationships into the past, where they belong, and welcome new positive relationships into your life. Let your baggage go, and take heart in knowing that for every dark night of the soul, there will be a sunrise the next morning.

Have a wonderful Mabon everyone!!!