What is Mabon?
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Mabon is named after the Celtic God, Mabon.
It is also known by these other names Harvest Home, Harvest Moon, Winter Finding, Harvest Tide, 2nd Harvest, Fruit Harvest, Foghar, Wine Harvest, Alban Elfed.
Mabon is considered a Lesser Wiccan Sabbat celebrated between the 21st and 23rd of September in the Northern Hemisphere.
Mabon is the Autumn Equinox, Like Ostara (Spring equinox), the day and night are equal and balanced; dark and light, masculine and feminine, inner and outer, in balance. It is the time of the 2nd and largest harvest of the year. This begins the waning half of the year where the days will grow shorter and colder.
The Goddess is celebrated as She changes from Mother to Crone and the God from Father to Sage.
It is a time of balance, a time where the dark half of the year is preparing to take its place, and we remember to give thanks for all that we have been giving and achieved. It is a time to reap what you have sown, of giving thanks for the harvest and the bounty the Earth provides. For finishing up old projects, plans, and planting the seeds for new enterprises or a change in lifestyle. Let go of any regrets, old arguments, and putting mistakes behind you so you can move on.
John Barleycorn is the personification of the grain, and the life of the grain from planting to harvest, transformation into beer, and then sowing. After Barleycorn’s first death he is buried, and laid within the ground. In midsummer he grows a “long golden beard” and “becomes a man”. John Barleycorn go on on to be threshed and harvested. Barleycorn is bailed and taken to the barn. And then the grain is parceled out. Some is taken to the miller to make flour for bread. And some is saved and brewed in a vat to make ale. And some is planted, so that the whole cycle can begin again.
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The symbolism of Mabon:
Acknowledge hard work, agriculture, ancestry, balance, bounty, completion, divination, equality, forgiveness, harvest, honor, hospitality, meditation, mystery, offering, otherworld, planning, preparation, reflection, rest, sacrifice, settle debts, soul, success, Thanksgiving, vision quests.
Symbols of Mabon:
Apples, Gourds, Vines, Horns of Plenty, Pine Cones, Wine, Corn, Dried Seeds, Grains, Acorns, Pomegranates, Vines.
Animals of Mabon:
Blackbird, Butterfly, Dog, Eagle, Hawk, Owl, Pig, Salmon, Snake, Stag, Swallow, Swan, Turkey Vulture, Wolf.
Herbs and Flowers of Mabon:
Yarrow, Marigold, Rue, Passionflower, Nutmeg, Almond Leaves, Sunflower, Rose Hips, Oak, Saffron, Ferns, Milkweed, Honeysuckle, Bittersweet, Wheat, Pepper, Solomon's Seal, Thistle, Rose, Sage, Frankincense, Benzoin, Myrrh, Rosemary, Orris Root, Hazel, Mugwort, Rowan Berries, Elderberry, Balm of Gilead, Hops, Cinnamon, Marigold, Nettle.
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Foods of Mabon:
Apple, corn, grain, nuts, pear, pomegranate, pumpkin, sweet potato, wheat
Incenses and oils of Mabon:
Sage, Pine, Myrrh, Sweet-grass, Marigold, Fern, Passionflower, Frankincense, Jasmine, Cinnamon, Benzoin, Cedar.
Colors of Mabon:
Orange, Russet, Red, Maroon, Brown, Burgundy, Deep Purple.
Stones of Mabon:
Aventurine, Citrine, Lapis Lazuli, Clear Quartz, Amber, Cats-Eye, Gold, Yellow Topaz, Diamond, Peridot, Yellow Agate, Carnelian, Smoky Quartz.
Activities of Mabon:
Making wine, gathering dried herbs, plants, seeds, and seed pods, walking in the woods, scattering offerings in harvested fields, offering libations to trees, adorning burial sites with leaves, acorns, and pine cones to honor those who have passed over.
Spellworkings of Mabon:
Finishing projects, letting go of things, breaking bad habits, balance in all parts of your life
Deities of Mabon:
Goddesses- Arawn, Ashtoreth, Ceridwen, Demeter & Persephone, Epona, Freya, Hathor, Inanna, Ishtar, Isis, Kore, Modrun, Morrigan, Venus,
Gods- Bacchus, Cernunnos, Dagda, Dionysus, Dumuzi, Green Man, Mabon ap Modron, Thoth ​
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