Month: September 2015

Mabon Activities


Mabon Comments & Graphics
Mabon Activities

* Make grapevine wreaths using dried bitter- sweet herb for protection. Use ribbons of gold and yellow to bring in the energy of the Sun, and decorate with sprigs of dried yarrow or cinnamon sticks.

* Make a Magickal Horn of Plenty.

* Make Magickal Scented Pinecones.

* Make a protection charm of hazelnuts (filberts) strung on red thread.

* Collect milkweed pods to decorate at Yuletide and attract the faeries.

* Call upon the elementals and honor them for their help with (N-earth) the home and finances, (E-air) school and knowledge, (S-fire) careers and accomplishments, (W-water) emotional balance and fruitful relationships.

* Make a witch’s broom. Tie dried corn husks or herbs (broom, cedar, fennel, lavender, peppermint, rosemary) around a strong, relatively straight branch of your choice.

* Make magic Apple Dolls: Apples are sacred symbols of the witch. Our holy land, Avalon, means Apple-land or Island of Apples. Slice an apple through the midsection and its seeds reveal the sacred shape of the pentacle. You will need two large apples, one for Mabon and one for Modron, 2 pencils and 2 dowels about 12 inches long, a paring knife, a glass or bowl of water to wash your fingers, a plate, and a towel to wipe your hands. Peel and core the apples. Carve a face in the apples. Place apples on a dowel and stand them in a jar to dry (start now). Then charge in a magick circle. After 2 or 3 weeks, they should look like shrunken heads. Make them into dolls. Use wheat, dried herbs or doll’s hair for hair. Dress them in tiny robes and bring them into the circle, asking god/dess to charge them with their light.

Hang these Mabon and Madron heads on a Witch’s cord or a Mabon wreath.

Source:
Earth Witchery

Mabon: The God of Light Is Defeated By His Brother, The God of Darkness


Mabon Comments & Graphics

“Mythically, this is the day of the year when the god of light is defeated by his twin and alter-ego, the god of darkness. It is the time of the year when night conquers day. And as I have recently shown in my seasonal reconstruction of the Welsh myth of Blodeuwedd, the Autumnal Equinox is the only day of the whole year when Llew (light) is vulnerable and it is possible to defeat him. Llew now stands on the balance (Libra/autumnal equinox), with one foot on the cauldron (Cancer/summer solstice) and his other foot on the goat (Capricorn/winter solstice). Thus he is betrayed by Blodeuwedd, the Virgin (Virgo) and transformed into an Eagle (Scorpio).  Two things are now likely to occur mythically, in rapid succession. Having defeated Llew, Goronwy (darkness) now takes over Llew’s functions, both as lover to Blodeuwedd, the Goddess, and as King of our own world. Although Goronwy, the Horned King, now sits on Llew’s throne and begins his rule immediately, his formal coronation will not be for another six weeks, occurring at Samhain (Halloween) or the beginning of Winter, when he becomes the Winter Lord, the Dark King, Lord of Misrule. Goronwy’s other function has more immediate results, however. He mates with the virgin goddess, and Blodeuwedd conceives, and will give birth — nine months later (at the Summer Solstice) — to Goronwy’s son, who is really another incarnation of himself, the Dark Child.  Llew’s sacrificial death at Harvest Home also identifies him with John Barleycorn, spirit of the fields. Thus, Llew represents not only the sun’s power, but also the sun’s life trapped and crystallized in the corn. Often this corn spirit was believed to reside most especially in the last sheaf or shock harvested, which was dressed in fine clothes, or woven into a wicker-like man-shaped form. This effigy was then cut and carried from the field, and usually burned, amidst much rejoicing. So one may see Blodeuwedd and Goronwy in a new guise, not as conspirators who murder their king, but as kindly farmers who harvest the crop which they had planted and so lovingly cared for. And yet, anyone who knows the old ballad of John Barleycorn knows that we have not heard the last of him.”

 

–  Mike Nichols, Harvest Home

Gods of the Vine


Mabon Comments & Graphics
Gods of the Vine

Grapes. They’re everywhere in the fall, so it’s no surprise that the Mabon season is a popular time to celebrate wine-making, and deities connected to the growth of the vine. Whether you see him as Bacchus, Dionysus, the Green Man, or some other vegetative god, the god of the vine is a key archetype in harvest celebrations.

The Greek Dionysus was representative of the grapes in the vineyards, and of course the wine that they created.

As such, he gained a bit of a reputation as a party-hardy kind of god, and his followers were typically seen as a debauched and drunken lot. However, before he was a party god, Dionysus was originally a god of trees and the forest. He was often portrayed with leaves growing out of his face, similar to later depictions of the Green Man. Farmers offered prayers to Dionysus to make their orchards grow, and he is often credited with the invention of the plow.

In Roman legend, Bacchus stepped in for Dionysus, and earned the title of party god. In fact, a drunken orgy is still called a bacchanalia, and for good reason. Devotees of Bacchus whipped themselves into a frenzy of intoxication, and in the spring Roman women attended secret ceremonies in his name. Bacchus was associated with fertility, wine and grapes, as well as sexual free-for-alls. Although Bacchus is often linked with Beltane and the greening of spring, because of his connection to wine and grapes he is also a deity of the harvest.

In medieval times, the image of the Green Man appeared. He is typically a male face peering out from the leaves, surrounded by ivy or grapes. Tales of the Green Man have overlapped through time, so that in his many aspects he is also Puck of the midsummer forest, Herne the Hunter, Cernunnos, the Oak King, John Barleycorn, Jack in the Green, and even Robin Hood. The spirit of the Green Man is everywhere in nature at the time of the harvest — as leaves fall down around you outside, imagine the Green Man laughing at you from his hiding place within the woods!

Gods of wine and the vine are not unique to European societies. In Africa, the Zulu people have been brewing beer for a long time, and Mbaba Mwana Waresa is a goddess who knows all about brewing. Originally a rain goddess, and associated with rainbows, Mbaba Mwana Waresa gave the gift of beer to Africa.

The Aztec peoples honored Tezcatzontecatl, who was the god of a sour, somewhat yeasty brewed drink called pulque. It was considered a sacred drink and was consumed at festivals each fall. Interestingly, it was also give to pregnant women to ensure a good pregnancy and a strong baby – perhaps because of this, Tezcatzontecatl was associated not only with fertility but also with drunkenness.

Beer was one of the many gifts that Osiris gave to the people of Egypt. In addition to all of his other duties, his job is to brew beer for the gods of the Egyptian pantheon. Eventually, Osiris came to be known as a harvest god, as the cutting and dismemberment of his body was associated with the cutting and threshing of grain.

By Patti Wigington,Paganism/Wicca Expert
Article found on and owned by About.com

Understanding Pagan Holidays – Mabon


Mabon Comments & Graphics

“The Fall Equinox, often called Michaelmas, is the last pagan holiday of the year and occurs somewhere around September 21st or so. This is a thanksgiving feast and signals the beginning of the ‘Hunting Season’, for deer and other large game, in many parts of Europe and North America. Thus, it is dedicated to the Hunting and Fishing deities and the deities of Plenty, in thankfulness for benefits received and hoped for. Outdoor picnics in the woods are a popular tradition in those areas where the weather is still good at this time of year. It is, also, known as Mabon, Second Harvest Festival, Wine Harvest, Feast of Avalon, Alben Elfed, and Cornucopia.   This is the time of the year when the god’s power weakens toward his death as the goddess reaches her full maturity as the Crone. It is considered the end of the harvest and a time of gathering in for the forth coming winter. It is a family oriented period during which pagan families draw together and reflect on the value of home and hearth.”

–   Understanding Pagan Holidays

Mabon History: The Second Harvest


Mabon Comments & Graphics

Mabon History: The Second Harvest

The Science of the Equinox:
Two days a year, the Northern and Southern hemispheres receive the same amount of sunlight. Not only that, each receives the same amount of light as they do dark — this is because the earth is tilted at a right angle to the sun, and the sun is directly over the equator. In Latin, the word equinox translates to “equal night.” The autumn equinox, or Mabon, takes place on or near September 21, and its spring counterpart falls around March 21.

If you’re in the Northern hemisphere, the days will begin getting shorter after the autumn equinox and the nights will grow longer — in the Southern hemisphere, the reverse is true.

Global Traditions:
The idea of a harvest festival is nothing new. In fact, people have celebrated it for millennia, all around the world. In ancient Greece, Oschophoria was a festival held in the fall to celebrate the harvesting of grapes for wine. In the 1700’s, the Bavarians came up with Oktoberfest, which actually begins in the last week of September, and it was a time of great feasting and merriment, still in existence today. China’s Mid-Autumn festival is celebrated on the night of the Harvest Moon, and is a festival of honoring family unity.

Giving Thanks:
Although the traditional American holiday of Thanksgiving falls in November, many cultures see the second harvest time of the fall equinox as a time of giving thanks. After all, it’s when you figure out how well your crops did, how fat your animals have gotten, and whether or not your family will be able to eat during the coming winter.

However, by the end of November, there’s not a whole lot left to harvest. Originally, the American Thanksgiving holiday was celebrated on October 3, which makes a lot more sense agriculturally.

In 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued his “Thanksgiving Proclamation”, which changed the date to the last Thursday in November. In 1939, Franklin Delano Roosevelt adjusted it yet again, making it the second-to-last Thursday, in the hopes of boosting post-Depression holiday sales. Unfortunately, all this did was confuse people. Two years later, Congress finalized it, saying that the fourth Thursday of November would be Thanksgiving, each year.

Symbols of the Season:
The harvest is a time of thanks, and also a time of balance — after all, there are equal hours of daylight and darkness. While we celebrate the gifts of the earth, we also accept that the soil is dying. We have food to eat, but the crops are brown and going dormant. Warmth is behind us, cold lies ahead.

Some symbols of Mabon include:
⦁ Mid-autumn vegetables, like squashes and gourds Apples and anything made from them,such as cider or pies
⦁ Seeds,
⦁ nuts and seed pods
⦁ Baskets, symbolizing the gathering of crops
⦁ Sickles and scythes, Grapes, vines, wine

You can use any of these to decorate your home or your altar at Mabon.

Feasting and Friends:
Early agricultural societies understood the importance of hospitality — it was crucial to develop a relationship with your neighbors, because they might be the ones to help you when your family ran out of food. Many people, particularly in rural villages, celebrated the harvest with great deals of feasting, drinking, and eating. After all, the grain had been made into bread, beer and wine had been made, and the cattle were brought down from the summer pastures for the coming winter. Celebrate Mabon yourself with a feast — and the bigger, the better!

Magic and Mythology:
Nearly all of the myths and legends popular at this time of the year focus on the themes of life, death, and rebirth. Not much of a surprise, when you consider that this is the time at which the earth begins to die before winter sets in!

Demeter and Her Daughter
Perhaps the best known of all the harvest mythologies is the story of Demeter and Persephone. Demeter was a goddess of grain and of the harvest in ancient Greece. Her daughter, Persephone, caught the eye of Hades, god of the underworld. When Hades abducted Persephone and took her back to the underworld, Demeter’s grief caused the crops on earth to die and go dormant. By the time she finally recovered her daughter, Persephone had eaten six pomegranate seeds, and so was doomed to spend six months of the year in the underworld. These six months are the time when the earth dies, beginning at the time of the autumn equinox.

Inanna Takes on the Underworld
The Sumerian goddess Inanna is the incarnation of fertility and abundance. Inanna descended into the underworld where her sister, Ereshkigal, ruled. Erishkigal decreed that Inanna could only enter her world in the traditional ways — stripping herself of her clothing and earthly posessions. By the time Inanna got there, Erishkigal had unleashed a series of plagues upon her sister, killing Inanna. While Inanna was visiting the underworld, the earth ceased to grow and produce. A vizier restored Inanna to life, and sent her back to earth. As she journeyed home, the earth was restored to its former glory.

Modern Celebrations
For contemporary Druids, this is the celebration of Alban Elfed, which is a time of balance between the light and the dark. Many Asatru groups honor the fall equinox as Winter Nights, a festival sacred to Freyr.

For most Wiccans and NeoPagans, this is a time of community and kinship. It’s not uncommon to find a Pagan Pride Day celebration tied in with Mabon. Often, PPD organizers include a food drive as part of the festivities, to celebrate the bounty of the harvest and to share with the less fortunate.

If you choose to celebrate Mabon, give thanks for the things you have, and take time to reflect on the balance within your own life, honoring both the darkness and the light. Invite your friends and family over for a feast, and count the blessings that you have among kin and community.

Source:
Author: Patti Wigington
Article Found on & owned by About.com

Ancient Folklore About Mabon


Mabon Comments & Graphics“The ancients celebrated a full barn with crops and that the family and friends were all safe and well. It is also a time of balance, a balance of what we have and what we will have or have not in the future. Honour both the darkness and the light in our lives. A time for focusing on life, death and rebirth, a time to consider where we are and where we need to be.   This is the time of the Crone and her consort as he prepares for death and rebirth. She carries the sickle and scythe and is preparing to reap what has been sown. The earth dies a little each day; we embrace this descent into the darkness before we can truly appreciate the light and warmth when it returns.   The Druids call this celebration Mea’n Fo’mhair and honour the Green Man the god of the forest. The Norse call it the Winter Finding, which runs until October 15th, which is the Norse New Year. The Ancient Mayans observed September 21st as a special time in their calendar. In Japan there is a six day celebration around the Equinox. The Welsh make up Corn Dollies and hang them around their house, hoping for a good month. Other names for Mabon include: The Second Harvest Festival, the Wine Harvest and the Feast of Avalon.  The burning of a large wicker figure around this time was common for the Druids.”


–   Rayvensclaw, Axis Mundi

A Toast to Dionysus


Mabon Comments & Graphics

“Drink a toast to Dionysus,

the God of wine and ecstasy –

The son of the Moon!

Gather with friends to celebrate the vine

with a bottle of good wine and good cheer.

Catch the Moon’s reflection in your cup

and raise it up in salutation.

Now drink in Her essence and feel the

presence of the God and Goddess.”

–  September, The Harvest Moon, Moon Lore

A Little Humor for Your Day – You Might be Giving Pagans a Bad Name If…

You Might be Giving Pagans a Bad Name If…

 

You insist that your boss call you “Rowan Starchild” because otherwise you’d sue for religious harassment. (Score double for this if you don’t let that patronizing dastard call you “Mr. or Ms. Starchild.”)

You request Samhain, Beltaine, and Yule off and then gripe about working Christmas.

You expect your employer to exempt you from the random drug testing because of your religion.

You think the number of Wiccan books you own is far more important than the number you have read, regardless of the fact that most of your books are for beginners.

You’ve won an argument by referencing “Drawing Down the Moon,” knowing darned good and well they haven’t read it either.

You said it was bigotry when they didn’t let you do that ritual in front of city hall. It had nothing to do with the skyclad bit.

You picketed The Craft and Hocus Pocus, but thought that the losers who picketed The Last Temptation of Christ needed to get lives.

You’ve ever had to go along with someone’s ludicrous story because it was twice as likely to be true than most of the nonsense you spout.

You complain about how much the Native Americans copied from Eclectic Wiccan Rites.

You’ve ever referenced the Great Rite in a pick-up line.

Someone has had to point out to you that you do not enter a circle “in perfect love and perfect lust.” (Score double if you argued the point.)

You claim yourself as a witch because how early you were trained by the wise and powerful such-and-such of whom nobody has heard.

You claim to be a famtrad (hereditary), but you’re not. (Score double if you had to tell people you were adopted to pull this off.)

You claim to be a descendant of one of the original Salem Witches. (Score to a lethal degree if you don’t get this one.)

You think it’s perfectly reasonable to insist that, since every tradition is different, and no one tradition is right, there’s no reason not to do things your way.

You’ve ever been psychically attacked by someone who conveniently held a coven position you crave, and suddenly had a glimpse into their mind so you could see how evil they were.

You’ve ever affected an Irish or Scottish accent and insisted that it was real.

You think it’s your Pagan Duty to support the IRA, not because of any political beliefs you might share, but because, dammit, they’re Irish.

You talk to your invisible guardians in public. (Score double if you have met the Vampire Lestat or Dracula, triple if you got into a fight and escaped, or quadruple if it was no contest.)

You’ve ever confused the Prime Directive with the Wiccan Rede.

You’ve ever tried something you saw on “Sabrina, The Teenage Witch”

You’ve suddenly realized in the middle of a ritual that you weren’t playing D&D.

You’ve failed to realize at any point in the ritual that you weren’t playing D&D.

You’ve suddenly realized that you are playing D&D.

You hang out with people who each match at least fifteen of these traits.

You recognize many of these traits in yourself, but this test isn’t about you. But, boy, it’s right about those other folks.

 

by Cather “Catalyst” Steincamp

Website: Ecauldron.com

Astronomy Picture of the Day – Spiral Galaxy M96 from Hubble

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2015 September 21

Spiral Galaxy M96 from Hubble
Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA and the LEGUS Team; Acknowledgement: R. Gendler

 

Explanation: Dust lanes seem to swirl around the core of Messier 96 in this colorful, detailed portrait of the center of a beautiful island universe. Of course M96 is a spiral galaxy, and counting the faint arms extending beyond the brighter central region, it spans 100 thousand light-years or so, making it about the size of our own Milky Way. M96, also known as NGC 3368, is known to be about 35 million light-years distant and a dominant member of the Leo I galaxy group. The featured image was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. The reason for M96’s asymmetry is unclear — it could have arisen from gravitational interactions with other Leo I group galaxies, but the lack of an intra-group diffuse glow seems to indicate few recent interactions. Galaxies far in the background can be found by examining the edges of the picture.

Your Daily Planet Tracker: Moon in Capricorn, Sep 21, 2015 to Sep 23, 2015

Planet Tracker

Moon in Capricorn

Sep 21, 2015 to Sep 23, 2015

Maybe you noticed. Things have gotten more serious with the Moon in Capricorn. No-nonsense suits around the office. Discussions about rules, disciplines, hard work and respect. Virtues that make employees squirm and bosses feel lonely. Structure-everybody hates it until something unruly occurs. Physics says a vast and wild emptiness dances between the molecules in a chair. But we don’t fall in due to the structuring thought in wood, respecting our need for a solid place to sit. That’s Capricorn in your life, structures that support. Its energy inspires your achievements and fears (funny how both can be motivating). Face a fear today. Be the authority in something. Devise a business plan. Recognize that diligence is nothing more than keeping what you want in mind. Strategize with a wise old one. And do something especially nice this Moontime for your skin, bones or knees.

 

Source:
@Tarot.com is a Daily Insight Group Associate

Your Daily Influences for September 21

Your Daily Influences
September 21, 2015 

 

 

The Moon
This card represents serendipity, creativity and the coming to life of psychic powers. It may also signify dangers yet seen, deception and bad luck for someone dear to you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

bw-kenazKenaz
Kenaz foretells the coming of clarity and knowledge. It is time for you to grow by exchanging knowledge with others. Opportunities are upon you.

 

 

 

Conch Shell
This aspect is affected by ill fated finances. Money seems to evaporate before it is received. An unexpected drain of finances is forthcoming–auto repairs, medical bills or a fine of some kind will cost you at a most inopportune time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your Daily Influences represent events and challenges the current day will present for you. They may represent opportunities you should be ready to seize. Or they may forewarn you of problems you may be able to avoid or lessen. Generally it is best to use them as tips to help you manage your day and nothing more.

Your Charm for September 21 is Virgo the Virgin

Your Charm for Today
September 21, 2015

        Virgo the Virgin

 

Today’s Meaning:
This aspect of your life will be strongly influenced by a person who is modest, shy, meticulous, reliable, practical, diligent, intelligent and analytical. This person may be a leader of some kind where you are employed.

General Description:
Sixth sign of the Zodiac, Aug. 24th to Sept. 22nd. Ruled by the planet Mercury; correct metal, Silver. Those born under the influence of Virgo were supposed to be painstaking, efficient, ingenious, methodical, sensitive, studious, restless, rather irritable, but slow to anger. The Virgo gems are the Cornelian and Sardonyx. The Cornelian has always been a favourite talisman in the East. The Chinese had great faith in its supposed medicinal virtues. In Egypt used as a protection from every kind of evil; in Turkey and Arabia engraved with a verse from the Koran, and worn as an amulet for eveil eye, the plague, and every from of sickness; in Spain for courage and eloquence.

Your Animal Spirit for September 21 is The Butterfly

Your Animal Spirit for Today
September 21, 2015 

Butterfly

Beautiful butterfly has fluttered into your reading to remind you of the powerful transformational energies at work in your life. If something important seems to be stagnating, know that transformation is at work just below the surface—and just like the caterpillar, the “cocooned” situation you’re fretting about is about to be freed.

 

Your Ancient Symbols Card for September 21 is The Storm

Your Ancient Symbols Card for Today

The Storm

The Storm represents the trouble and discord that creep into our lives from time to time. The storm is represented by a tornado whirling its way across a fertile plain. Tornados are powerful but relatively small, short lived storms, which means that while the turmoil they indicate may be strong it will at least pass quickly. Like the tornado, The Storm is a force outside yourself and beyond your control. During a stormy period you may lose ground. However, knowing one is upon you can certainly help you keep your losses to a minimum, or even turn what might be a disaster into a windfall.

As a daily card, The Storm denotes a time when you should be prepared to face some large challenges in your life. You may find yourself losing more than you gain for awhile. The key to weathering the storm is preparation. You know its coming, so be ready for it and there is a possibility that you can transform a tumultuous event into something good.

 

Your Daily Witches Rune for September 21 is The Star

f5680-star

f5680-starToday’s Witches Rune

The Star

Meaning: In many cultures, the Star is a symbol of hope, dreams and destiny, and in the Witches Runes this symbol has a similar connotation. When the Star rune appears, it’s green light for you to go after what you want.

Note that the Star does not say you’ll get everything you want without any work. No. This symbol is a not about easy success, but about having faith in what you are doing – and doing it. In fact, the goals suggested by the Star are usually the highest and most significant ones – the ones that are hardest to get. It does not matter what the dream is, but its significance in your life. This symbol also represents ideals, and they can be both individual and collective ones.

In a more down-to-earth way, the Star is related to revolutions, changes, risks, speculation and all things motivated by faith and ideals. It can represent a sudden spark on inspiration, a windfall, a sudden rise to fame or a promotion. Though the sudden changes brought by the Star are usually positive, they are also fast: you can get back to point zero as quickly as you rose. So don’t be afraid to jump forward when the opportunity arises.

The Star urges you to take the risk, to have hope and to trust. After the staleness of Crossroads, the Universe finally begins to move again. If you believe in Higher Powers, this symbol shows that They are guiding you in this moment. The Star is a very positive rune, but in a more negative context it can represent revolution for revolution’s sake and the constant idealization of people and situations. It can also stand for excessive individualism when going after a dream.

In relationship readings, this rune represents hope and an idealistic kind of love. Usually the people involved in the relationship have high expectations about the other. They easily put their partner on a pedestal, only to feel frustrated when reality strikes. The Star can also represent unrequited love, or the love for someone who is unattainable. On the other hand, this rune tells you to not give up love entirely – keep looking, because someone is coming.

 

Additional Information About Today’s Witches Rune courtesy of Your Spiritual Journey Australia

 

Your Crowley Thoth Tarot Card for Sept. 21 is The Universe

Your Crowley Thoth Tarot Card for Today

The Universe



Like The Sun, The Universe brings good blessings. The Universe appears where all is in balance. It allows you to act effectively not only as an individual but as a member of a group too. The Universe promises contentment, fulfillment and completeness to those under its influence. It doesn’t guarantee there will not be moments of strife or discord in your life, but it does indicate that your trials and tribulations will be overcome; that ultimately you will know inner-peace and contentment. The Universe suggests you have found or will find your place in the scheme of things—that place where all is as it should be.