Blessings of Autumn to all. Energy is shifting on all levels today. It’s the second New Moon in Virgo. It’s the Autumnal Equinox. The Earth is experiencing a solar eclipse. Wiccans are celebrating Mabon.
Mabon is celebrated at the Autumnal Equinox, or when the Sun reaches zero degrees of Libra.
Also called: Harvestide, Harvest Home, Autumn Equinox, The Witches’ Thanksgiving. Festival of Dionysus, the Wine Harvest, Harvest of First Fruits, Cornucopia, the Feast of Avalon, Equinozio di Autunno (Strega), and Alban Elfed (Caledonii). The Teutonic name for this season is Winter Finding. Another name for the Autumnal Equinox is Fogharadh - which is a Gaelic word meaning "hospitality and abundance".
Moon phase equivalent: Third Quarter Moon
Direction: West Time of Day: Dusk
Colors: Red, Brown, Orange, Russet, Gold, Indigo, Purple
Herbs: Apples, Chrysanthemum, Goldenrod, Marigold, Milkweed, Myrrh, Passionflower, Solomon’s Seal, Thistle, Wheat
Gemstones: Yellow Jasper, Lapis Lazuli, Sapphire, Yellow Topaz
Themes: Autumn begins as Persephone returns to the Underworld; Root harvesting; Celebration of the Apple Harvest; Feasting on the harvest; sharing the harvest with others, especially those in need; Wine deities are honored; The full moon closest to the Equinox is know as the Harvest Moon; We celebrate the story of Mabon ap Modron, " the son of the mother", the Divine Youth, the Son of Light.
And so, today, there has already been sacred time at the altar, connecting to the energies of the day, acknowledging the balance of light and dark, and giving thanks for all the harvests thus far completed. The corn hangs by the doorway. Infused oils and herbal tinctures are stored away. The flower essences of Summer 2006 are waiting in amber bottles for further meditative analysis over the winter months.
At Lichenwood, we celebrate this holiday in the context of the Witches’ Thanksgiving. To that end there will be a festive dinner created with the fruits of the Lichenwood garden and local farm stand: cube steak with tomatoes, peppers, and onions, mashed potatoes, rosemary bread, and apple crisp. The latest problems with bagged spinach highlight the importance of eating local, seasonal crops as much as is possible.
Today is also marks the time when I will change the display on my stepback cupboard. This piece was built by my father, at my mother’s direction. My mother’s crow figures stand guard at the top. In the light half of the year, from Spring Equinox until its Fall counterpart, there is a display of Stangl dishware from the 1940’s and 50’s featuring flowers and fruit. My mother selected the Terra Rose pattern as an 18 year old bride in 1947. By the time I left high school twenty years later, almost all were broken, lost, or discarded, but I always had a nostalgic yearning for the flowered dishes of my early childhood. I began collecting Stangl after the death of my parents when the stepback cupboard came to live at my house.
In the Fall, I shift the display to a more seasonally correct dish pattern, Lenox’s Winter Greetings Everyday. This pattern features native birds and botanicals in their winter aspect. So that will be my mundane ritual for today, the change of dishware display. No more tea from the Sunflower teapot, or spoons of sugar from the Morning Glory sugar bowl. Instead, it will be tea from the Cardinal teapot in mugs featuring the Goldfinch, Chickadee, and Nuthatch sitting on bare-limbed berried branches.
I’m wishing all who read this the joys of the season. May all your harvests be bountiful and nourishing. May you find joy in celebrations both sacred and mundane.
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