Happy Fall Equinox 2011! Celebrate Mabon

A time for enjoying the abundance in our lives

for contemplating what you are ready to let go of in your life

for mourning what is gone and going

for making room for what you do want so that it can come to you

for apples, pies, caramel, fruit crisps, crockpot meals, stews

Heather in Winter

For me, it’s a time of all those, plus mourning my loss of intimate Connection with Nature and knowing that it will return —

I love communing with Nature with my whole body, which just isn’t possible when I have to be all wrapped up except for my eyes, and even they hurt. I vastly prefer the warm months.

I am in alignment with the Celtic traditions that pre-date Christianity and which are more connected with the Northern seasons. Their archetypes are found throughout most of the spiritual traditions around the world.

At this time of year when the sun’s strength and presence with us wanes, we mourn his loss and celebrate his eventual return, the core knowledge that even though we are for a time without Him, that the Divine Creatress is bringing him back.

Thank heavens in only a few months! Three, precisely. Which is interesting, since Christ was dead for three days before He rose. Same story, slightly different details. In the Celtic tradition, Mabon is the son of the Great Mother, Earth. When he was three days old, someone stole him from his mother. Ironically, it is discovered that he actually was back in his mother’s womb for three months, until He returns, bringing joy and light. In the Greek pantheon, Mabon aligns with Apollo, and also with Persephone to some extent. Apollo is the god of sun and light, truth and prophecy, medicine and healing, the patron defender of herds and flocks, protector from evil –clear ties to Christ. Persephone is the goddess of grain, Spring, food, and plant growth. For half the year, she resides in the land of the dead, inside the earth/womb, and then returns, bringing fecundity, lightness, and growth in the Spring.

This is a good time to contemplate where you are in your life, to prepare the foundation for what you want to come.

Think about what you like, what you want to change, to give thanks for the good, to release that which isn’t. It’s a good time to get in touch with your ability to change, to bring warmth to cold situations, to bring Light into dark situations and areas of your life. It’s important to remember that even the seasons take time, and to be

understanding with yourself that making such changes, bringing Light and Love and Warmth to difficult areas of your life may time time and hidden effort, but that it can and must be done, and within a reasonable time frame. A balance of push, rest, and letting the Divine do its unseen work.

Have patience with yourself and the Divine.

What Light and Love do you need to draw back to your life? Now is the time to mourn and to call it back, to realize it may take a little time, but that it is happening and will happen reliably again and again. Give thanks for the abundance in your life, for the Life of the Earth, for the blessings that are to come.

apple, fruit of the goddess

Enjoy the fruits of this time — apples, pears, squashes, raspberries, and all the foods being harvested now. Apples are the fruit of the goddess, love built with light from the sun, her five-pointed star at the core (cut an apple in half “across the waist” to see the star). I’ll be sharing recipes soon for caramel to dip apples in, granola, and pies. Food is my favorite way to get through the dark and cold part of the year. What are your favorite fall foods?

apples, caramel, granola

What changes come to mind as you read this? What are you ready to release? What are you ready to nurture and grow? Share in the comments section below. And if you’d like help working on this, email me.