Ah, so Mabon isn't until tomorrow, but I doubt that I will be online this weekend really. My Autumn wreath is ready to be made tomorrow, my mabon cookies are ready to be made, and I've just taken down my altar to prepare it to be set up for the equinox. Quite excited. Autumn, I think, is my favourite season! I'm so glad that it's finally here!
Happy Mabon to you also! Unfortunately I'm passing on ceremony tonight because of work committments. I hate deadlines
yes! i plan to celebrate the fall of corporations which hurt the planet and cause suffering, rise of spiritual awareness and end of mass hypnotism, also let us all join hands around the tetraskelion (swastika) once more in healing, jews and gentiles, pagans and muslims, hindus and wantist, buddhists and christians, gypsies, and nomads, followers of all kinds of magick and science, spiritualism, and philosophy, people, animals, plants, elements from all over the world all spirits with a deep yearning in peace love harmony, bliss, ahimsa, and reflection, all or nothing, it'll only work if we're all together on this! The tetraskelion appears in art and design from pre-history symbolizing, in various contexts: luck, the sun, Brahma, or the Hindu concept of samsara. In antiquity, the tetraskelion was used extensively by Hittites, Celts and Greeks, among others. It occurs in other Asian, European, African and Native American cultures * sometimes as a geometrical motif, sometimes as a religious symbol. Today, the tetraskelion is a common symbol in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, among others. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44yiTg7cOVI"]YouTube - The Sacred Balance - Gaia Hypothesis
Mother of the Sun, Whose Body is White with the Milk of the Stars, bend upon Thy servant and impart unto her Thy Secret Kiss! Enkindle within her the Holy Ecstasy Thou hast promised unto them that love Thee; the Ecstasy which redeemeth from all pain. Hast thou not proclaimed: All the sorrows are but shadows, they pass and are done, but there is that which remains? That the Universe is Pure Joy-that Thou givest unimaginable Joys on Earth--that Thou demandest naught in sacrifice? Let me then rejoice, for therein may I serve Thee most fully. Let it be Thy Joy to see my joy; even as Thou hast promised in Thy Holy Book! Now, therefore, am I Joyful in Thy Love.
The Druids call this celebration, Mea'n Fo'mhair, and honor the The Green Man, the God of the Forest, by offering libations to trees. Offerings of ciders, wines, herbs and fertilizer are appropriate at this time. Wiccans celebrate the aging Goddess as she passes from Mother to Crone, and her consort the God as he prepares for death and re-birth.
Firinne; Herbs of Maybon: Acorn, benzoin, ferns, grains, honeysuckle, marigold, milkweed, myrrh, passionflower, rose, sage, solomon's seal, tobacco, thistle, and vegetables. http://www.myspace.com/mabonband
Mabon The Time of Change is upon us again - the Equinox comes, the Wheel turns… The Goddess and the God prepare for Their journey to the Otherworld, as the Earth and all of Her children prepare for the Time of Quiet and Reflection that lies ahead… May we use this Autumnal period to seek for the strength and power within to assist us on our own quests for vision, feeling, and peace… May we see and feel the presence of the Goddess and the God within, though without, the Earth begins Her slumber… Keep us in Your light… Who Was Mabon? by Dana Corby
Mabon History Mabon (May-bawn) is also known as the Feast of Avalon and the festival of the Wine Harvest. To the Celts, Avalon is the mysterious place for the land of the dead. and literally means the “land of apples”. Thus this is a holiday for celebrating the bounty of the harvest and the desire for the living to be reunited with their deceased loved ones. But the holiday is also named for the Welsh God Mabon. Mabon means the “great son”. He was the son of Modred, kidnapped at the age of 3 and later rescued by King Arthur. His life represents the innocence of youth, the strength of survival and the growing wisdom of the elderly. Perhaps it is this view of the cycle of life that brings Mabon to his most popular role, the King of the Otherworld and the God of Darkness. His myths overlap with other Gods such as the Welsh God Gwyn Ap Nuad, which means “white son of darkness”. He is seen as the God of war and death, the patron God of fallen warriors. Once again this is a representation or connection to the Land of Avalon. Mabon History Mabon (May-bawn) is also known as the Feast of Avalon and the festival of the Wine Harvest. To the Celts, Avalon is the mysterious place for the land of the dead. and literally means the “land of apples”. Thus this is a holiday for celebrating the bounty of the harvest and the desire for the living to be reunited with their deceased loved ones. But the holiday is also named for the Welsh God Mabon. Mabon means the “great son”. He was the son of Modred, kidnapped at the age of 3 and later rescued by King Arthur. His life represents the innocence of youth, the strength of survival and the growing wisdom of the elderly. Perhaps it is this view of the cycle of life that brings Mabon to his most popular role, the King of the Otherworld and the God of Darkness. His myths overlap with other Gods such as the Welsh God Gwyn Ap Nuad, which means “white son of darkness”. He is seen as the God of war and death, the patron God of fallen warriors. Once again this is a representation or connection to the Land of Avalon. The Purpose of Mabon As a holiday, Mabon represents the time of honoring the dead, visiting burial sites, giving thankfulness for the end of the harvest season and the bounty it provides. These are the themes of closing, letting go and remembering. For the year, the harvest and for those who were lost to land of Avalon during the year. Although many view the Harvest season as a celebration of life, it is also a celebration of death. The bounty you gather from your garden provides nourishment for you, family and friends. But it is also the death of those plants and vegetables which have been harvested from that garden. Thus Mabon is a celebration of the cycle of life. Mabon Celebration There are many ways to give honor during this 2nd harvest festival. One old traditional way is to visit the burial sites of your loved ones, placing an apple on their marker. This represents the promise of the Great Spirits for renewed life (a new incarnation). This is a Celtic festival of thanksgiving, so what a better way to give thanks than to prepare a meal with the harvest of your garden. Those that indulge in wine can brew a new batch of this home made nectar of the Gods. Those that do not indulge, can brew preserves and jellies from grapes, raspberries and blackberries. Don’t forget an apple pie for dessert. A main course can consist of meats, most often red meats. But this is just a suggestion. In this day and age of healthy eating, you should prepare a meal that fits your personal lifestyle. However, your side dishes should consist of late summer and early fall vegetables. During your meal, share tales and happy stories about those you lost during the year. Or share your experiences and review the lessons you feel you have learned during this past season. Reflect on your deeds and actions and give thanks for the gifts you were given. After your meal, share the chore of cleaning up. This is a way of showing honor and respect to your host and hostess. Think of it as a physical action to show that you understand the interconnection of all life and the desire to respect what you have been given and thanks for receiving those gifts. During the evening hours you can continue the festival with a formal holiday ritual. There are as many ways and suggestions for conducting such a ceremony as there are people on this planet. But if you need a detailed example you have two places on our network to look. For a simple Celtic Ritual or Ceremony Outline or I invite you to visit our Wiccan Star site and review the Mabon Sabbat Ritual. End your evening in private reflection. It is important for anyone practicing a spiritual life to reflect on his or her actions. Record your thoughts, your emotions and your experiences. This is the true value of your book of shadows. And there is no better time to take stock of yourself and your life than during a High Holy Day. Mabon The Wheel of the Year holds several purposes, both theological and practical. Theologically, the story of the Wheel often varies depending on the Tradition. The Wheel gives the accounts of the mythological events that repeat throughout the year as well as a vague “history” of the Gods and Goddesses involved within the pantheon. For the newbies, by “Tradition” we mean “denomination”; for example Wiccan, Celtic, Druid, Native American, etc. On the more practical side, the Wheel trains us to be able to deal with death and the inevitability of re-birth that follows. Paganism teaches that death, a natural function of the universe, is a part of life; a dramatic change that is the beginning of a new experience, and something to be celebrated at the proper time not feared (not condoning Suicide!) Through the ideas of Heaven and Hell, Christianity teaches a deep fear of death, and this spurs our society’s horror of death. We are always trying to find new and improved ways to beat death, but we will never succeed. It is sad our society portrays death as such a terrifying experience; we would certainly have less emotional pain and suffering in the world if death could be seen as what it is: a transformation, nothing more. In this section you will find a rendition of the upcoming quarter of the Wheel of the Year. Included will be the mythological lore and some traditional practices for the celebration, along with some ideas for activities and decorations. - http://www.magickalwinds.com/info/2009/09/03/mabon-all-you-need-to-know/
Autumn Equinox The Story of Mabon ap Modron CELEBRATING AUTUMN EQUINOX Festival of Mabon ap Modron This story is to celebrate the festival of Autumn Equinox. Some call it the festival of Mabon ap Modron, though others say this is merely a twentieth century fancy. Either way, on this night, the metaphor will serve us well enough. The metaphor is this, the Autumn Equinox, the festival of Mabon ap Modron, is a celebration of balance, when night is equal to day. So, I invite you to give praise to the goddess for the gift of balance: the day with the night, light with dark, man with woman, masculine with feminine, height with depth, joy with sorrow, sweet with sour, summer with winter, spring with autumn, youth with age. Balance with imbalance. Yes, with balance there is also imbalance, for this is a time of transition, as light, from this time forward, is stolen away into the dark. Mabon ap Modron simply means the son of the mother. Yet, Mabon is at one level child and, at a higher level, solar deity, son and sun. Modron is at one level mother and, at a higher level, triple goddess – maiden, mother and crone – in her mother aspect. The birth of the son at this festival time is the transition of the goddess from maiden to mother, from fertility to fecundity, from sowing to gathered harvest, from young shoots to mellow fruitfulness. The story of Mabon ap Modron This is the story of Mabon ap Modron. When her Mabon is born, he is the light of his Modron’s life. She sleeps with him at her breast, betwixt herself and the wall. When he is but three nights old he is stolen away, and in the morning he is gone. The light of Modron’s life is stolen away into the dark. Only when the dark turns again to light is Mabon discovered and brought forth from the womb of the earth. THE RESTORATION OF MABON AP MODRON The search begins This is how the story continues. To win the hand of Olwen, daughter of Chief Giant Ysbaddaden, Culhwch has to fulfil impossible tasks, for which it seems he needs the help of Mabon. Yet, noone knows where Mabon is gone or whether he is alive or dead. Culhwch must search for him. His chief guide is his cousin Arthur. His friend Gwrhyr also travels with him, Gwrhyr who understands the tongues of animals and birds. Also in the party are his friends Kei and Bedwyr. Ouzel of Kilgrwri First they seek out the ancient and wise Ouzel of Kilgrwri. He has a crescent moon gleaming bright upon his breast. Yet, the feathers on his wings are fringed white with age. He keeps his wits sharp. And he keeps his beak sharp by sharpening it upon an iron anvil, an anvil which, over long years, he has reduced to the size of a nut. Gwrhyr calls to the Ouzel of Kilgrwri in his own tongue, “Kilgrooree, Kilgrooree, O wise one, know you anything of Mabon ap Modron, who when three nights old was stolen away from betwixt his mother and the wall?” Alas, in all his long years the wise Ouzel of Kilgrwri had heard nothing of Mabon ap Modron. With his tick tock voice he replies to Gwrhyr, “Ki Ki Ki Kilgrooree, Kilgrooree, I will guide you, this way and that way, to a creature even older and wiser than I, the Stag of Rhendevre.” Stag of Rhendevre They find the Stag of Rhendevre in an ancient forest. He is of massive size, eight feet to the shoulder. His giant antlers branch to no less than thirty two points. His red coat is shaggy with age. He is even older than the very forest in which he roams. The Stag of Rhendevre gazes down on them with imperious disdain for their temerity in entering his domain. Gwrhyr comes forward with trembling steps and addresses the Stag of Rhendevre in his own tongue, “Rrrrrrhendevre, Rrrrrrhendevre, O wise one, know you anything of Mabon ap Modron, who when three nights old was stolen away from betwixt his mother and the wall?” Alas, in all his long years the wise Stag of Rhendevre had heard nothing of Mabon ap Modron. With his deep, throaty voice the Stag of Rhendevre replies to Gwrhyr, “Rrrrrrhendevre, Rrrrrrhendevre, I will guide you, this way and that way, to a creature even older and wiser than I, the Owl of Cwn Cawlwyd.” Owl of Cwn Cawlwyd They find the Owl of Cwn Cawlwyd in a deep valley, riven by precipices of towering rock, between craggy hills. He is older than the hills, older than the rocks. He watches them from his perch on a rocky outcrop. He stares at them, unblinking, impassive, through shrewd yellow eyes beneath black crested brows. The little party climbs the rocks towards his perch. Gwrhyr stumbles forward, calling to Cwn Cawlwyd in his own tongue, “C-hoon c-hoo, c-hoon c-hoo, cooon Cawlooed, O wise one, know you anything of Mabon ap Modron, who when three nights old was stolen away from betwixt his mother and the wall?” Alas, in all his long years the wise Owl of Cwn Cawlwyd had heard nothing of Mabon ap Modron. With lots of twoo-twooing and hooting the Owl of Cwn Cawlwyd replies to Gwrhyr, “C-hoon c-hoo, c-hoon c-hoo, cooon Cawlooed, I will guide you, this way and that way, to a creature even older and wiser than I, the Eagle of Gwernabwy. Eagle of Gwernabwy They find the Eagle of Gwernabwy in his rocky eyrie above sheer cliffs. His brooding presence dominates this region of sparse woodland and moors of matted gorse and heather, stretching down to misty cliffs above a wild sea. He is of such immense size he can satiate his vast appetite on deer from the land and seals from the sea. Once, there was a tall pillar of rock which stretched from the shore as high as the stars. The Eagle of Gwernabwy has sharpened his claws upon this rock for so many aeons of time it is now no bigger than the stretch of a man’s hand. All day, Gwrhyr climbs the perilous cliffs to reach an overhang below the giant bird’s eyrie. The Eagle of Gwernabwy watches and waits, his eager talons straining with barely contained lust to tear into the young man’s living flesh and the crooked beak to rip out his heart. With a trembling voice, Gwrhyr calls to the great bird high above him in his own tongue, “Gwaarn-abooee, Gwaarn-abooee, O wise one, know you anything of Mabon ap Modron, who when three nights old was stolen away from betwixt his mother and the wall?” Alas, in all his long years the wise Eagle of Gwernabwy had heard nothing of Mabon ap Modron. With a surprisingly high pitched cry for such a massive bird, and almost a gentle cooing tone, the Eagle of Gwernabwy replies to Gwrhyr, “Gwaarn-abooee, Gwaarn-abooee, I will guide you, this way and that way, to a creature even older and wiser than I, the Salmon of Llyn Llyw.” Salmon of Llyn Llyw They find the Salmon of Llyn Llyw in the estuary of Afon Hafren. From the tip of his nose to the end of his tail is a full twelve feet and he is all of 200 lbs, the greatest fish ever to swim these waters. And a vessel of such accumulated wisdom that even there, on the shore, the small band could not forbear to kneel in awe and wonder. Wading deep into the estuary, Gwrhyr spoke to the Salmon of Llyn Llyw in his own tongue, “Ll-Ll-Ll-Llyn Ll-Ll-Ll-Llyw, Ll-Ll-Ll-Llyn Ll-Ll-Ll-Llyw, O wisest one, know you anything of Mabon ap Modron, who when three nights old was stolen away from betwixt his mother and the wall?” The Salmon of Llyn Llyw replies to Gwrhyr. His voice is like gentle waves lapping the shore. It would lift their hearts, save that his message is so grim, “Ll-Ll-Ll-Llyn Ll-Ll-Ll-Llyw, Ll-Ll-Ll-Llyn Ll-Ll-Ll-Llyw, I know of the greatest evil there has ever been throughout all my ages of existence. The one you seek lies in the deepest dungeon of Gloucester Keep and in deeper despair.” The suffering of Mabon ap Modron Then, the Salmon of Llyn Llyw guides Culhwch, Arthur, Gwrhyr, Kei and Bedwyr up the Afon Hafren all the way to Gloucester Keep. From outside the ramparts they hear heartrending moans and wails, “Was ever a man so harshly imprisoned? Was ever a man so cruelly ill-used as I.” For, there lay Mabon ap Modron in close confine, cruelly chained and manacled, deep, deep underground, in a narrow cell devoid of light, crying in his agony, “Was ever man so harshly imprisoned? Was ever man so cruelly ill-used as I?” Those guarding him could not be bribed. Not with silver, nor gold, nor any worldly wealth could Culhwch secure the release of Mabon ap Modron from close confine. The jailors are implacable, for they are not of this world. The battle to rescue Mabon ap Modron Arthur now knows, Mabon ap Modron can not be released without doing battle with sword and axe against the forces of the dark. He summons to his side all the warriors of Britain to storm the citadel of Gloucester Keep. And he sends sappers to undermine the walls. The sappers build deep pits beneath the walls. They fill them with straw and brushwood and set the whole alight, so the intense heat cracks the great stones. Meanwhile, Arthur’s warriors attack the walls with battering rams and the battlements with a hail of arrow. As Arthur’s forces break through the walls, Kei bravely leaps through the gap, fighting his way with sword and axe down to the deepest, darkest dungeon. Kei frees Mabon ap Modron from his chains with a mighty blow from his axe. The man is so weak from his long imprisonment, Kei carries the prisoner to freedom on his back. The end of the story, restoration of Mabon ap Modron And so we reach the end of the story. Mabon ap Modron is able to help Culhwch to win the hand of Olwen, and Mabon is restored to Modron, once again to be the light of her life. - http://www.davidengland.co.uk/Mabon.html
