Mabon Fun

Yesterday was the autumn equinox, also known as Mabon. Often pronounced MAY-bawn, it is the Lesser Sabbat which celebrates the transformation of the Goddess from Mother to Crone and the preparation of the Horned God for his death and re-birth. This is a time for reflection on the blessings that we have had throughout the year.

It was an educational day for the kids as we celebrated the second harvest and honored the changing of the seasons.

The Celebration: 

 

Mabon is a time of reflection for the family, and like a mini-thanksgiving; a remembrance of all of the blessings that we are grateful for. The Goddess and God bless us every day and taking time to celebrate these blessings is important.

During the ritual we cut the apples in half, revealing the five-pointed star. With each half of the apple, we called the quarters while remembering our connectedness to all life.

Potatoes, a symbol of the harvest and of fall, decorated the altar. Each of us held a potato and took turns thanking the Lord and Lady for the blessings that we have. At first my son Hermes couldn't think of any blessings, so we suggested some things like love of his family and food to fill his belly. He liked those and then surprised us by thinking of a few good ones of his own (toys, of course being one).

My favorite part of this ritual was giving each child a piece of apple and wishing, "May you never hunger," and then a sip of blackberry juice wishing, "May you never thirst." Thinking about their future and the happiness that you wish for them was an overwhelming feeling in my heart.

After these blessings we joined our hands in a circle and did a vine dance. The vine dance was a little hard for Hermes, since he is only 4, but he thought it was a lot of fun. Going around and around, weaving our feet back and forth, we created an imaginary vine on the ground while raising our energy. We grounded our energies again and bid farewell to the quarters and the Goddess and God.

Afterward, we shared the rest of the apples and juice.

Activities for Mabon:

• Harvest themed coloring sheets
• Apple star stamp painting
• Harvest vegetables or spend some time in the garden. (If you have a garden)
• Plant vegetables such as lettuce, cabbage, radishes (or other veggies that grow in your zone). 
• Make corn dollies
• Make a dinner with your children that includes squash, potatoes, corn bread, and other fall fare. 
• Find a location to go berry or apple picking (if you, like us, aren't lucky enough to have some at your home).
• Collect leaves, seedpods, or other plant materials which have fallen and create rubbings or glue them to paper.

Next Sabbat: Samhain (October 31st)