Mabon: Everything You Need To Know About The High Holiday
So many different history stories are told about Mabon. How it became and what it symbolizes. My favorite story about how Mabon began is the ancient Greek history story of Persephone and Hades. The story mirrors what the time of year is all about; your shadow and light self, seeking equilibrium between the two. Mabon (aka the second harvest and the autumn equiox) is the day that the northern and the southern hemisphere have the exact same amount of sunlight because of the tilt that the earth is at. It is at a right angle to the sun.
So why else is Mabon such a big deal to Pagans, Wiccans, Mystics, and anyone who considers themselves witches? Because it's a time which marks the beginning of some serious shadow work. It is a time to harvest light. Light, if you think about it, is the key to life. You need light to see through the shadows, your shadows. (For information on shadow work, watch this video: Shadow Work Video )
At this time we say good bye to our father, The Sun, say good bye to the South as we turn the wheel once again to the West, (the west holds Fall in the wheel), and it's time to bid farewell for all we learned about ourselves because of the spirits which hold the fiery Southern gateway for us, who helped us understand the lighter part of ourselves, all the lessons we learned within the light. It's a time to give thanks to them. " South represents Summer and is a time of great abundance. The summer holds fertility, passion, growth, joy and peace. The color is white. The animals of the South hold the lesson of strength, courage and pride. The eagle with her keen sight and the wolf, proud to be part of the tribe." - https://www.gaia.com/article/four-directions-ceremony
We thank all who hold and host the south as we begin to turn to the west.
The western gateway, "to the winds of the west, Mother Jaguar, protects our medicine space, teaches us the way of peace, to live impeccably, and shows us the way beyond death." - Sacred-Wisdom.co.uk
The harvest is coming to an end. The crops have been picked and gathered to be stored for the winter. We take this time to honor the changing of the seasons and celebrate the second harvest on September 21st. We give thanks for what we have in abundance and blessings. We turn to mother ocean when we turn to the west too. This is the time where the work you did has come to an end for now, and now is the time for celebrating your souls harvest. A time to allow mother ocean to wash away your burdens and worries you no longer need to carry. You need to take this time to rest, release, receive messages from through the veil as the veil thins. A time to prepare for a rebirth, a time for manifestation and creation, with the help of mother ocean.
Here's what I want you to understand about Mabon that, as you rest and release, you need to know. Like I said before, this is shadow season so, this is the time to understand that part of yourself. To get into your shadow self, you want to allow yourself permission to BE YOUR TRUE AUTHENTIC SELF. This is a time for stillness, creating equilibrium between your light and shadow, and acceptance. We have been anxious and tense as if we have been waiting for something to come a long that may have made something better for you. Let that go. Surrender that to mother ocean.
This is where my favorite Mabon story comes in. The day that marked the beginning of Mabon, the wedding and union of Hades and Persephone. Here's a short version which I will just get to the point so, will not tell the entire story, just the main points. These amazing vows written in the book of Handfasting and Wedding Rituals: The Story of Hades and Persephone (115-119), by Raven Kaldera, Tannin Schwartzstein. I want you to read this for a detailed look at this history.
So Demeter had only one daughter, Persephone, and Persephone was a curious creature. She would wonder out in the meadows and explore. She would play with the flowers and wonder about mother earth and her creations. She, however, could feel an intense vibration from underneath the grass and dirt. She wondered what lay beneath. Something within her wanted to learn and explore the underworld. A natural attraction. One day as she played in the meadows, she stumbled upon a man. This man was the God of the Underworld; Hades. Hades had been watching her and thought that she was just the most light and beautiful woman she had ever seen. He felt her light, something he knew he needed, something he was drawn to. So, he lured her into his arms and took her into the underworld. Hades is one of three sons to the great God of the Greek Pantheon. The great God, who when he died, divided this earth into three realms amongst his three sons. The oceans belong to Poseidon, Neptune got the skies, and Hades got the underworld. None is better than the other. Here's what I need you all to understand about the underworld, IT IS NOT AN EVIL PLACE, THIS IS NOT HELL. Everyone goes there because we all have a shadow, a dark yet deep and egotistical place within ourselves. There is no way we can skip this realm. Here's the thing, if you did good things, you're going to a good place, if you did evil things, you're going to an evil place, however, Hades, the underworld is not an evil place, this is not hell. You need to delete this made up story that hades is bad. It (unfortunately) has become Christianized and as myself having Christian roots, I do not appreciate this. They have attempted to rewrite history. A history that was written in stone since before the "good book". And this rewritten work doesn't even make sense. No, Hades, the underworld is not a bad place, it is not hell. delete that right now everyone!
On to the story, So Persephone says to Hades, that she is afraid and wants to leave, but Hades gifts her 6 pomegranate seeds and it seals her in the underworld. One for each month she has to be with him. So, she is afraid because Hades stirs things up in her that are dark and deep. Hades explains that he too is afraid because Persephone stirs things up within him that show him the light, that she brings light where there is darkness and he feels he needs that. They balance each other out and they create this destined union. They fell in love.
They didn't know it, but those desires that made them curious about what lay above and beneath, they unknowingly summoned and manifested each other. Their hearts desires lead them to their souls path, their destiny, their union created Mabon because it is the day that light and shadow reunite as one.
We honor the union between Hades and Persephone.
So the 6 pomegranet seeds represent that 6 months that Persephone stays with Hades. September 21st, she returns to the Underworld to rule with Hades and then when March comes along, her mother Demeter calls her home and she returns to the surface.
In the story, Demeter worries about her daughter and alerts all the other God's and Goddesses of her disappearance and they go on a search for her. When they locate her, they see her in the underworld but, she cannot come up until March. So when march comes around, her mother is always there waiting for her return. Funny thing, when she returns, it happens to be the time of rebirth, the spring equinox! Talk about a very cool history story.
It's a sweet story and one we can learn from. Mabon is a time to learn about our shadow self. What about our shadow do we need to face? The shadow is the typically the things that shame us. What we are afraid for others to see. It's our ego. Again for more on shadow work watch this video here: Shadow Work Video This is the time to sit there but not live there as Persephone couldn't not live there herself. It is not a place to live, but to visit from time to time to learn about the aspects of us that are authentic. To come to terms with out true authenticity. And each time we come up for air in March, we are a lot happier, we are more balanced, we are more free, and more accepting of ourselves. I ask this Mabon, you go visit Hades in the underworld. Allow him to teach some things about yourself. To release what needs to be released. What needs to come up. What needs to be given a voice and be heard.
So I am sure your wondering how you can begin your shadow work this shadow season. Well watching the video can give you a good head start and also, having tools to help. Here are tools you will need this Mabon, Samhain, and for Dea De Los Muertos (when the veil is completely open to receive guidance and messages from your loved ones who have passed, your ancestors).
1- Smudging kit which consists of a sage bundle, feather, and a shell for safe burning of the sage
2- Get into the mood select a calming space in your home and make it your shadow season altar. Decorate it with fall colors.
3- 1 Light blue candle to represent your light
4- 1 black candle to represent your shadow self
5- Shadow work blend available here:Blend
6- Veil Crossing blend available here:Blend
7- Herbs/Oils - cinnamon, clove, blood orange, dragons blood, sandalwood, basil, bergamot, amber, pumpkin seed, rosehip, passionfruit, safflower, rose, grapefruit, marigold, and mandarin. Place them and decorate your altar with them.
8- Gemstones - black, sheen, or snowflake obsidian (for shadow work), and labradorite (for the light). To get the set, it is available here: www.etsy.com/shop/TheDivineCrown Use discount code SHADOW5 for 10% off your set.
Please, if you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask away in the comment area below this blog or on in my etsy shop. Many blessings to you all! Good luck on your journey into your shadow self and look to a video showing how to use the set hopefully this week. Although Mabon passed, you still have to practice. The shadow season only just began and it ends in march. So let's get you set up.
Blessings,
Jennifer J Barlow
