As the Wheel of the Year turns and the Summer Sun begins to wane, we find ourselves at the threshold of Mabon, a time of profound significance, guided by the wisdom of the Goddess, the allure of Magick, and the enchantment of the Harvest Moon.
The end of Summer can bring a certain melancholy. The time under the sun, the pleasant heat, the light clothes, it all seems to linger very little on our calendar. Now, the days are a little shorter, the cold wind forces us to wrap up a little, the flowers are being replaced by dry leaves and seeds that fall and cover the ground. The trees are dyed golden, red, and bright brown. Little by little, the Summer ends, and the Autumn Equinox marks this period of transition. Extroversion and abundance of heat now become dry air and the seeking of shelter.
The Inner Goddess, that powerful archetype that in Spring and Summer brings life, abundance and joy, now moves away from the solar field, walking in recoil, cooling the Earth, darkening the colours she steps on, changing her skin, peeling, replacing layers. She now distances herself from the celebration of the pulse of life. She changes her trajectory, walking slowly towards her Winter cave.
Nothing can be the same forever. Absolutely everything changes.
This sacred time is charged with magick, for the veil between the worlds is thin. The energies of the universe are palpable, inviting us to harness the power of intention, manifestation, and transformation. We seek to find balance within ourselves, just as the day and night hold equal sway, understanding that darkness and light coexist within the depths of our souls. It is possible that this ending generates insecurity, resistance to change. We were not taught to let die what has to die. We were not taught the art of living the process of death.
However, Nature does not regret it when the bark peels and leaves fall. Trees do not cry when their fruits rot ... after all, they open up and release the seeds from within. Nature knows that this is the beginning of introspection and the possibility of change. Flowers and fruits have had their time. What has been bloomed, ripened and harvested should be enough to go through the cold weather - barren only on the surface, because underneath the dry leaves, there is a lot of life happening.
Ripening. Autumn.
Mabon is deeply connected to the Goddess in her aspect as the Harvest Queen. She bestows upon us her bountiful blessings, nurturing the earth's abundance and showering us with the gifts of the season. As we gather the fruits of our labour during this harvest festival, we honour the Goddess's nurturing and life-giving energies, expressing our gratitude for the sustenance she provides. During Mabon, we reflect upon the duality of life and death, symbolised by the falling leaves and the changing landscape.
The Goddess, in her wise form, teaches us that death is merely a part of the eternal cycle of existence. As we shed the old and release that which no longer serves us, we make way for new beginnings and growth, sowing the seeds of transformation.
One aspect of the Inner Goddess who calls us now is that of the Reaper, who knows now this moment is necessary to start the movement of cuts, deaths, transformation. The one that tells us that our attachment needs to end so that we are worthy of this new movement.
We call her La Que Sabe - The One Who Knows. She knows what our path has in store for us.
The serpent is a symbol of the Goddess, the Divine representative of Women in this world - the shedding of skin and the capacity for cyclical transformation are some of the reasons why she is this symbol. For us, it means that autumn is time to shed. Changes require wavering, letting go, letting the layers of stiffness fall. It requires us being snakes, leaving the dry scales that no longer serve us behind.
Autumn is an immense external representation of what is reflected internally: moving on, change, harvesting, reaping, transformation, growth. The Goddess makes this movement possible for us, walking among the dry leaves and observing, attentively, what we need to let go at this moment.
In the midst of Mabon's embrace, we find unity with nature and the interconnectedness of all living beings. We honour the spirit of the Land, the animals, and the elements, recognising that we are part of a grand tapestry of life.
Ask yourself:
As we celebrate Mabon, let us revel in the embrace of the Goddess's love, embrace the magick within us, and bask in the luminous glow of the Harvest Moon. May this sacred time be a profound reminder of the eternal dance between darkness and light, guiding us towards balance, transformation, and a deeper connection to the rhythms of the universe.
Welcome, beautiful and golden Autumn. May our souls be able to make the movement that the Goddess asks of us this season: Shedding old layers.
Merry Mabon, Happy Equinox!
"Equal hours of light and darkness we celebrate the balance of Mabon, and ask the Gods to bless us.
For all that is bad, there is good.
For that which is despair, there is hope.
For the moments of pain, there are moments of love.
For all that falls, there is the chance to rise again.
May we find balance in our lives as we find it in our hearts."
