Mabon, apparently, was a Welsh god, son of the Earth Mother Goddess. Why he was selected to be the titular representative of the Autumn Equinox I do not know. Maybe he baked a particularly good apple pie. Or had excellent organisational skills that were called upon by his community when they wanted someone to lead the committee for their annual harvest festival: ‘Get Mabon on board. He’s good with a jam and marrow display.’ There is some evidence that the name wasn’t used as part of the whole Celtic Pagan vibe until the 1970s, but who knows for sure? Indeed, who cares? Except Mabon, if his ego tended towards narcissism.
Anyhoo - for folk like me who enjoy following The Wheel of the Year to keep in touch with what really matters i.e Mother Earth and Mother Nature and the Grand Scheme of the Universe, rather than any organised religious nonsense, the four days from 21st to 24th September is Mabon or the Autumn Equinox. Here’s a nice little poster about ways to celebrate:
It’s a good starting point if you are new to celebrating The Wheel of the Year. Mabon is also a time to make yourself feel safe and comforted, to slow down and give special attention to daily tasks, to check in with family and friends as the days turn darker and to lift their spirits by bringing warmth and brightness to their worlds. The festival is linked to the element of Water, the colour blue, and the compass point West, which is rather pertinent today as it is chucking it down with rain to a background of gusty wind. I wore my blue raincoat whilst out walking Nell this morning. She wore a red one.
I did pick an apple from one of the trees up the garden this morning, but it was a tad on the sharp side so not quite ready for harvesting just yet. However, perfect for making an apple pie or crumble, which I shall do later. I might also make a fruit cake because of all cake it is my most and best favourite. But if I bake it I’ll have to eat it and we all know what happens after that, don’t we? Creaky scales, that’s what. Sigh…🫣
Out on our wet ‘n’ windy walk, Nell and I definitely noticed the changes in leaf colours as they hurtled from the trees and lashed themselves around on the pathways. This also signals the beginning of the Great Garden Leaf Sweep 2024, so I need to dig out the dumpy bags ready to put the sweepings in for leaf mulch. And so the gardening wheel continues to turn.
I have already collected acorns and other seed pods and deposited them on my altar which had its monthly Full Moon clean and rearrange last Wednesday. Did you see the Full Moon? Spectacular! And so that just leaves me to create my gratitude list which I shall write this evening in my reiki diary which I keep every day and always includes at least one daily point of gratitude anyway. Perhaps I’ll make today’s one extra special by drawing some pictures around it.
This week I begin my Diploma. I am so excited to be back in formal education but, in the spirit of the new cosmic season of Libra, I am trying to maintain balanced, as becoming of my almost 59 years. It isn’t working very well! Wheeeeeeeeee!!!!!
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KJ