Mabon Musings

Happy Autumn Equinox (aka the first day of Autumn)! Also called Mabon in the Pagan Tradition! The Autumn Equinox is a time when the length of day and night are equal. This is a time when we stop and allow ourselves to contemplate what has happened over the year, what we've done and where we've been. The harvest is winding down, the seasons are changing, and we're looking around wondering what's going to sustain us through the cold of winter. What things have we learned this year, what do we have dwelling inside of us to carry us through?

Mabon is a time when there is a balance between day and night. We say goodbye to the Sun and we welcome the coming Darkness. This allows us to really focus on seeing both sides of everything going on within us right now. It is a time of celebration and a time of mourning. A time of joy and sorrow. A time of sleep and awakening. I know that a lot of my friends and readers here aren't of a witchy persuasion so I really wanted to give you non-denominational ways to observe the start of the season.

Bless and cleanse your hearth and home.

There are so many ways to bless your home and make it sacred. You sleep there, you love there, you live there, it deserves to be shiny and sparkly on a metaphysical level. Energies build up in our homes. Have you ever been around someone who is angry and you can just feel it radiating off of them before they even say anything? That kind of energy can linger. You can use a bundle of sage and herbs (or incense), allowing it to burn, and the smoke to enter your space, cleansing away the negative juju. You can also use salt, or salt water, (salt is uber purifying) and sprinkle it around the edges of your rooms. When this is done, offer up a prayer to whomever you wish, asking them to watch over your space and protect you.

Do charity work.

This is a great time to give back. Start a canned food drive, offer to give your time or energy to those in need. Autumn going into Winter, is a tough time for a lot of people, physically and emotionally. You might be surprised to see what you have to offer to someone in need. There is so much that you can do for other people that has nothing to do with money. You can give your company, you can provide healing, and you can give nourishment (spiritual, emotional, and otherwise) to those that need it.

Make a hearty meal.

Autumn Equinox is also considered the Witch's Thanksgiving. It marks the end of the year and naturally our thoughts are drawn to the bounty we have received throughout the months. Make a hearty meal. This is a great time for soups and stews so pull out your crock pot and experiment with being a Culinary Goddess. You can also make a Thanksgiving feast, you can never have too much giving of thanks.

Let go.

Look back on the year and think about all of the yucky stuff that happened. Are you still holding on to anything? I don't know about you, but I still haven't mastered the art of letting go and often times it takes me awhile to really let go of the bad stuff. One thing that has helped me is taking a piece of paper and writing it all down, all of the suck, and then burning it (in a fireproof container of course). Me and you, we gotta work on this together. (Well maybe not you, but me.)

Give thanks.

When you let go, you make more space in your life for the good things. Acknowledge those good things! Thank the Universe for all of the wonderful and beautiful things in your life. They are there, they might take a little bit of digging, but they are there. Tell the people that you love that they are loved. ((p.s. I love you))

Embrace darkness.

What is your dark side? What aspects of yourself are considered "dark"? Do you accept them? There is nothing wrong with that side of you. We all possess it. The difference is whether or not you shun that. Ignoring that side of yourself is not accepting who you really are. Learn to love it.

I'd love to hear how you are celebrating the Autumn Equinox! What things are you going to do? Have you ever celebrated it before? What's your favorite thing about Autumn? Let me know!