Mabon, or the Autumn Equinox is one of the times of year when day and night are equal length (The spring equinox is the other). It is a time to pause and appreciate the coming winter and know it is a time to take a breath and relax from the labors of the summer and the harvest. It is a time to give thanks for the bounty that has been stored against the coming cold and dark.
The Druids call this celebration, Mea'n Fo'mhair, and honor the The Green Man, the God of the Forest, by offering libations of ciders, wines, herbs and fertilizer to the trees. Various other names for this celebration are The Second Harvest Festival, Wine Harvest, Feast of Avalon, Equinozio di Autunno (Strega), Alben Elfed (Caledonii), or Cornucopia.
This Sabbat is a time for huge feasts, for wearing rich clothing and jewelry and for celebrating wealth and abundance. It's time to bring your family and tribe closer and begin to prepare for the silence and inward looking period of the winter. It's time to finish up old business as we get ready for the rest and reflection that the shorter days of winter bring with them.
Mabon is a time of giving thanks for the things we have, whether it is abundant crops or other blessings. It's a time of plenty, of gratitude, and of sharing our abundance with those less fortunate.
This time of year is perfect for celebrating balance and for thankfulness. It is a time of abundance and plenty. It's a time to celebrate the gifts of the earth and to acknowledge that everything needs to rest from its labors, humans and the earth both.
Mabon is the perfect time to do a gratitude ritual to simply say thank you for all that you have been blessed with in the preceding year.
Decorate your altar, or any flat surface with symbols of the season. Items that represent abundance like gold or green candles, cornucopia, gold coins, baskets of fruit.
Add in symbols of things you are thankful for, like your job your home, your friends and family.
Light the candles and spend time simply reflecting on the richness of your life and all the things you have that you are thankful for. Riches are not always money, remember the things that are priceless.
Light the candles and start to name the things you are thankful for. Take your time with this. Write things down if you want to be able to review this list later on. You can include why you are thankful for these things, or not, that is up to you. What is important is that you not only recite the list, but that you let your heart and soul swell with gratitude and thankfulness.
Recognize that gratitude is a gift that never goes away. As long as we are thankful for how truly fortunate we are we will always find blessings in our lives to count.
When you are done, take the time to let the people close to you know that you are thankful they are in your life. Send them a note, or call them on the phone. Tell them you are thinking of them.
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