MYTH*ING LINKS
An Annotated & Illustrated Collection of Worldwide Links to Mythologies,
Fairy Tales & Folklore, Sacred Arts & Sacred Traditions
by Kathleen Jenks, Ph.D.

AUTUMN greetings,
CUSTOMS & LORE

21 September 2007:

This eloquent little essay by Lance bounced around for years and finally disappeared. But my trusty links-Elf, Michaela, enjoyed it so much that she saved it several years ago.  Thus, I am able to reproduce it here for Myth*ing Links:

Hail to the Sabbat
by Lance

Wild Poppies
[Source unknown]

The turning of the wheel now brings us to Mabon, the second of the three harvest Sabbats. Mabon is also the Autumn Equinox, that time of the year when night and day are of equal length, from which point the dark begins to dominate the light. The month of September also marks the "Wine Moon," the lunar cycle when grapes are harvested from the arbors, pressed and put away to become wine...a favorite drink of Pagans everywhere. Wine and grapevines were considered sacred by early Pagans as well. Reaching its height of popularity in the eighth century BCE, the following of Dionysus, a God of Resurrection, honored wine and the grapes as symbols of rebirth and transformation. Generally, wine is associated with the God, and the Goddess with bread created from the crops.

The full moon closest to the Autumn Equinox is known as the "Harvest Moon," since farmers would also harvest their crops during the night with the light of the full moon to aid them. With the waning sun still observed in the sky and crops continuing to be gathered for the coming bleakness of winter, the farmer's life was harried and rough. The struggle to reap the crops and store everything for the oncoming months of cold dominated his daily life. In those days, people lived by the harvest, which was quite literally life itself. Folks were also deeply concerned with the slaughtering of herd animals and gathering of other provisions.

In addition to the crops, there were other items to be prepared as well, for it is not the crops alone that are of such high value, although they feed us through the barren times. It is the ability of the seeds to renew themselves in the coming year that we honor and cherish as well (see "Planting the Seeds of Destruction," PagaNet News Lughnasadh '98). So, along with the crops, we gather the seeds that hold the promise of new life in the spring. Seeds of all kinds are collected and stored away 'til winter's end. Contained within them is the mystery of Life in Death, the spirit of nature, the "Corn Man" or "Wicker Man" whose sacrifice has provided the harvest.

As we leave summer behind us and begin to look forward to the first stirrings of a coming winter, several things usually come to mind. How cold will it get? Do I have enough warm clothes this year? Do I need to replace that aging furnace now before it's too late? Should I change the oil in my car? Today, our lives can present problems far different from those with which our ancestors struggled. Still, we turn and face the first cool whispers of wind that herald the coming of winter and begin the transition to a period of rest - a turning inward to things closer to the hearth.

Some suggestions for celebration of Mabon would include:

  Go through your garden, tending it, thanking the plants and flowers for their abundance, harvesting whatever is ready, collecting seeds;

  Make a mandala of seeds and grains on the ground, an offering of the Mother's gifts to the animals and birds; infuse it with specific magick that will be released as the seeds are consumed or scattered;

  Honor the elders in your circle or your life in some special way;

  Have a pot-luck feast of thanksgiving and invite all your friends and loved ones to celebrate abundance;

  Bake a loaf of bread for your Sabbat cakes and ale in the shape of a sun or with a sun design cut into the dough before it is baked;

  Share your abundance...collect a basket of goodies from your garden to share with a neighbor who has no garden, or who has had a rough year; gather donations of food and/or clothing for a favorite charity;

  Go on a Nature walk with your family or circle members; spend time discussing things you've done together in the last year; gather wild seeds and seed pods to decorate your circle for ritual.
 

Traditional colors for this sabbat are gold, russet, scarlet, yellow, and brown. Traditional foods include breads, grains, seeds, dried fruits, vegetables, nuts, wine.

While we say our goodbyes to Summer, focusing for now on the darkness ahead, our hearts stray longingly to the light that will follow, bringing renewed vigor, as the Wheel continues to turn...