The Wicker Man...

The Welch call it Gwyl canol Hydref, the other Celts refer to it as Mabon, the Harvest Home, or Harvest Tide. This celebration runs from September 21 through September 23, coinciding with the annual astronomical phenomenon that gives us nearly equal hours of daylight and night. (Okay...okay... the Autumn Equinox). During this phase, the sun enters the sign of Libra, and brings balance to the earth. The vivid colors of fall, oranges, reds, and browns are associated with this festival.

Also on this day, the god of darkness, known as Goronwy the Horned King, defeats his twin brother Llew, the mythical god of light. Llew transforms into an Eagle or Scorpio. Goronwy then sits on Llew’s throne as King of our world and as a lover to Blodeuwedd, the Goddess who betrays Llew. (Aren’t myths fascinating?) Goronwy now functions as the King even though he has to wait six weeks for his coronation at Samhain (Halloween)—or the beginning of Winter. He mates with Blodeuwedd, and sires his own incarnation, the Dark Child. Eventually, Gwydion, Llew’s uncle, hears this news. He sets out to find and cure his nephew. He finds the wounded eagle perched on the branch of an oak tree and restores him to human form.

Moving right along...

Glorious Autumn... A Time to Give Thanks... Part Two

~ Mabon ~

In continuation of Harvest celebrations and the autumn equinox...

Emilie Preyer

Mabon is an old Celtic mid-harvest celebration, which occurs during the Autumn Equinox. This particular celebration, one of three Pagan Harvest Festivals, honors Mabon, the Welsh God of male fertility. This is a time designated to give thanks, and to celebrate the ‘second-harvest.’ The Druids refer to this celebration as Mea'n Fo'mhair, in honor of the God of the Forest or The Green Man. They offer gifts of wine, cider, and herbs to the trees. They also celebrate Alban Elfed, a time of balance between the light and the dark.

Thomas Moran - Under the Trees

The autumn season is a time to gather and store crops—and marks the beginning of the hunt. Traditionally, men hunt game animals, such as deer, elk, and other wild animals to provide food for the winter table. Symbols of Mabon include mid-autumn vegetables, like squash, gourds, apples, pies, and cider. Seeds, pods, sickles, scythes and baskets all symbolize harvest gathering.

Other worldwide myths and legends emphasize these themes of life, death, and rebirth, as the earth enters her death-like sleep of winter. As we discussed last week, Demeter and her daughter Persephone, kidnapped by Hades has to return to the Underworld once a year, which brings on winter. 

The Autumnal Equinox and the Harvest Moon... A Time of Balance

Our pagan ancestors, by necessity, immersed themselves in the rhythms of nature. We see the proof for that in ancient archeological sites all over the world. Within agricultural societies, seasonal or astronomical occurrences were critical to their survival. Over the centuries, some of these events have become Christian holidays, while others remain routed in our pagan past. For many, the Autumn Equinox is a period of feasting, thanksgiving, and contemplating the approach of winter.

An equinox, by definition indicates equal periods of light and darkness, suggesting balance. After the day passes, the northern latitudes slips day by day, into the long night of winter. The Autumn Equinox stands opposite the Vernal Equinox, also known as the spring equinox. In the spring, we celebrate rebirth as the earth awakens from the winter, sheds her drab winter coat, and adorns herself with vivid, beautiful colors. But I digress. We were talking about the equinox of autumn, were we not... And did I mention the pomegranates?

By Simone Pignoni

As one version goes, the Greeks labeled this delightful, delicious fruit as the “food of the dead,” and it’s all because of Persephone. Persephone is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, the Greek goddess of the harvest. According to the myth, the beautiful Persephone captured the attention of Hades, ruler of the Underworld and he wanted her for his own.

With the help of mighty Zeus, Hades kidnapped Persephone and without a backward glance, carried her off to his gloomy realm. When Demeter discovered her daughter missing, she sunk into despair. While she mourned, all green things ceased to grow and earth fell into perpetual winter. Zeus had no choice but to order her release.

BUT...