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!!!
Once again I have been absent from blogging here. Not that I wanted to by any means. I am usually an upbeat happy soul who loves life and love blogging about the wonderful things in life, But I really feel the need to vent about something that is by no means wonderful.
About two weeks ago my oldest son’s best friend’s brother, who also was also one of my son’s best friends committed suicide. I find just typing the word suicide brings tears to my eyes and an instant lump in my throat. His name was Kyle and he was 27 years old. This was totally unexpected…for everyone! Kyle pretty much grew up in our household since late middle school early high school days. Any given morning we could wake up to Corey and Kyle sleeping on the couch or on the floor and upon their waking hear them say “Hey Momma W., Hey Old Man(hubby) whats for breakfast?” Kyle had an absolutely wonderful and giving heart. If anyone needed anything he was always there for them. He wasn’t into drugs or alcohol. He always had a smile on his face and this
Mischievous giggle that made you giggle. He was a gentle soul and never was into fist fighting or posturing for others.He had a career in the field that he always wanted to go into he was a sous-chef at a prestigious hotel in a nearby city. He played trumpet in a classical band in a neighboring big city. In high school he was in the band and they won a competition to go to Japan and played for The Emperor.
Things were going along great for him….or so everyone thought.
I am having such a hard time understanding and dealing with this, I can only imagine what his parents must be going through and if I feel this kind of grief over a child that wasn’t my own flesh and blood how could I ever cope if one of my own kids died? I have so many unanswered questions but the one that will remain unanswered for the rest of my life will be WHY?
He did have depression issues,but mostly over having large medical bills and no insurance, I guess that could have played into it. I know all too well how dark depression feels. How you can smile and laugh in a room full of people all the while crying on the inside and feeling an overwhelming sense of being alone in that moment, although its totally unfounded for any reason. I had a friend that was more my best friends friend, but I still knew her well that committed suicide a few years back but everyone knew she had battled with life long serious depression. Doesn’t make it any easier. If Kyle had been depressed in the last few years he didn’t show it or talk to anyone about it at all. This is how awful this disease depression can be because it is so silent and internal sometimes its hard to see it’s warning signs in others if they hide it good. If this is why he in fact took his own life.
Why did he feel like he couldn’t reach out to anybody when he clearly had to know so many people loved him???
What could we have said or done to reach out to him that may have stopped him from doing this?
What drove him to such a desperate state of mind that he viewed this as his only remaining solution???
OMG what were his last moments like? What has he feeling?
People found out later that he did a no call/no show to work and when people called him that day he didn’t return their calls or texts. The police found him in his car early the following morning with a single gunshot to the head.
I feel like I want to throw up. I just can’t grasp this. I need to cry and typing this and sharing this I know is helping me to do just that.
I have these mental movies of seeing him through the back winshield of his car feeling so desperate and alone and crying in mental anguish with the gun to his temple and thinking and thinking and then…pulling.
I want those images to just go away, never return. I know they will eventually, when I can find some semblance of sanity in this horrific ordeal.
To give you an idea how many people loved Kyle, his memorial service was held ina huge church’s auditorium and it was still standing room only. My husband had been the strong, stoic one up until that point where he then cried silent tears through the whole service as they continuously looped pictures of Kyle on the big movie screen and told happy, funny stories of his life. It was a beautiful service but I couldn’t cry, I couldn’t feel anything. I asked myself why can’t I hurt with everyone else at that moment and a little whisper of a voice said to me because nothing hurt as bad as the look on your son’s face when he hung up the phone and
looked at us in shock and simply said “Kyle’s dead”. I suppose that’s true but it felt more like disbelief than anything at that point. I almost broke down when I saw the emptiness on Kyle’s parents faces. No parent should ever have to bury their child.
And especially not under the circumstances of his death. My heart goes out to them so much I can’t even begin to explain it.
Is he in a better place? Happy and no pain? I like to think so. I like to think that there is something more than just here and now. I keep hearing his voice saying “It’s ok momma W. I am so much better now” ending with that mischievous giggle. Perhaps that’s just my way of making peace with this or perhaps he really is telling me he is ok, we used to love to talk about and go ghost hunting from time to time. If anyone can answer these questions for me please do I could use the help. If you should even have the slightest idea that you may be depressed please, please talk to someone about it and ask for help. It’s ok to ask for help its nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed about. The more people you tell the more help you can get.
Any type of death is hard, but a suicide death I think is the hardest because of all the unanswered questions and all that can not be explained remains. Not a lot of closure. Just what you can make for yourself that’s acceptable to you.
Sorry for this long, long post but I just had to put this in writing and share it with someone to try to feel a little better and I actually think it has helped a little. Thanx for listening to my sorrow
Aawwwe, now he done went and did it! I can’t believe he went there. You would think after all the years he would learn….You don’t poke a bear with a stick. Especially a FEIRCE MAMMA BEAR! You don’t talk crap about a mother’s child, even if said child is your’s too, dummy! I don’t care how old your children are they are still you kids. Don’t mess with them or there will be a very angry momma bear coming to her little cubs defense(can I get a Hell-Yeah from all the other mamma bears out there?). All-be-it my little cubs are in their 20’s, IT DOESN’T MATTER! Will my husband ever learn this? I seriously doubt it. Even though he is their father, I have pretty much raised them on my own anyhow. He is of the old school belief that “ok, I made a child by releasing my joy juice now you do the rest”. Does he have any idea the kind of crazed, protective, wild beast he has turned me into? I think not! I soooo want to throw a whammy his way, but, I can’t, he’s still my husband and I love him. I really, really want to though. Ha ha ha, that’s cute hunny, even as I type this he is sending me cute little picture texts. Whatever…not responding(he hates that,hehe)….feel my wrath a little longer, till I feel better. You know, we don’t fight very often, really. But when we do its mostly about the kids. I feel if he would have stepped up to the parental plate a few times and pitched in with a little fathering it might be different and his views on our kids might be more readily excepted by me. Its not easy being both mamma bear and daddy bear. Well, now that I have vented a little I need to find a positive and constructive way to release my anger….on to do some wyckked magic….
