Autumn Equinox (Mabon) Exploration & Experience

You might sometimes hear the autumn equinox referred to as Mabon by those practicing earth-based spiritualities outside mainstream systems (Christianity, Judaism, etc.). In the 1970s, there was an upsurge of interest in restoring the old Celtic earth festivals. While we have good historical sources documenting celebrations like Imbolc, Beltane, and Samhain, who or what was celebrated on the autumn equinox was lost in the mists of time.

To complete the old Celtic Wheel of the Year, a "new, old festival" was created. It's called Mabon. The festival is named after the God of Welsh mythology, Mabon. He is the Child of Light and the son of the Earth Mother Goddess, Modron.

The Myth of Mabon

At three days old, Mabon was stolen from his mother at night. His mother, Modron's cries of anguish and despair were so loud and unrelenting that a great search party was organized, and a quest was embarked upon to find and rescue the child. The knights of the Round Table and even King Arthur himself joined the quest to find the missing child. They searched and searched but to no avail. Finally, Arthur and his knights call a council and consult the five wisest animals: the blackbird, the stag, the owl, the eagle, and the salmon. This council of wise animal elders helps them locate the child.

Mabon is eventually found quite safe, resting in the underworld ( or, in some versions of the story, in an odd twist in his mother's womb). Just as a seed must rest beneath the earth before it can face the challenges of germinating, sprouting, and growing above the ground in the light of the sun, Mabon needed to be prepared until his time had come to rise as "god of light" and be reborn as his mother's champion.

Later on, we see Mabon absorbed in the Arthurian legend. One of the earliest direct references to Mabon can be found in the tenth-century poem Pa Gur, in which Arthur recounts the feats and achievements of his knights to gain entrance to a fortress guarded by Glewlwyd Gafaelfawr. The poem relates that Mabon fab Mydron (a misspelling of Modron) is one of Arthur's followers, and is described as a "servant to Uther Pendragon". In the medieval tale The Dream of Rhonabwy, he fights alongside Arthur at the Battle of Badon and is described as one of the king's chief advisers.

Working with Mabon in Art

Calling in Council

You may sense that you are ready to call in council, as in the Myth of Mabon, to help you find something lost, stolen, or hidden in your life.

• You may have lost your clarity around an issue.

• Has something important in your life, relationships, career, etc., been stolen, either little by little or all at once?

• Is there something that you sense is under the surface still incubating and not quite ready to germinate yet?

You can call in council to help you find what you need.

The idea of wisdom animals may appeal to you. Use the ones mentioned above or find the ones that resonate with you.

Create a series of cards, such as SpiralPath or SoulCollage cards. Use an old deck of playing cards, index cards, or just a series of cardboard rectangles—anything goes!

Intuitively (or intentionally) find the images calling you and create a set of council cards.

Let those cards speak to you by asking them,:

"What wisdom do you have for me?"

You can answer through written journaling, creating more visual art, or simply musing.

You may also want to lay out your Council Cards, bring in related art, Tarot, or oracle cards, and make discoveries through this simple type of pattern play.

Returning to our Wisdom Bodies

The Autumn Equinox and the entire autumn season, including the Great Harvest celebrations, return us to the earth and an awareness of our earthly bodies.

The equinox offers you a unique opportunity to reconnect with the earth, come to equilibrium at your center, and ground your emotional, spiritual, and energetic bodies into the earth's rich, nourishing, stabilizing energies. It is also an important time to return to self-care and nurture and care for your earthly body.

Ritual as Art

You may want to build an altar or small sacred space in your home to mark the Autumnal Equinox with elements you can touch, hold, and feel. This will focus your attention on the balancing forces of the equinox and bring them into greater awareness in your physical space. It will also remind you to take advantage of a pause in the activity of seasonal shifts, a time when day and night, light and dark, are in balance.

You might like to explore stones and crystals that come from within the heart of the earth and hold certain qualities both symbolically and energetically.

Here are some suggestions for stones that work well with the Autumn Equinox:

Hematite : is a very grounding stone. It contains a great deal of iron, and when you hold it in your hand, you will feel its weight as the force of gravity grounds you, pulling you down to earth,

Red Jasper: This beautiful red stone aligns with the Root Chakra and represents safety, security, home, belonging, survival, and ancestors.

Petrified Wood: This stone was once a living tree and has completely transformed. A symbol of longevity, adaptability, and transformation, it holds a deep connection to the trees, the cycles of the seasons, the need to let go, and the earth.

Tiger's Eye : (striped stone towards the front) This is a stone of balance and harmony. It is also a symbolic spiritual compass representing Christ Consciousness, the integration of male and female, and all parts of self.

Yellow Jasper: Another stone of balance and happiness. It represents solar energy and is keyed to the Solar Plexus Chakra, the seat of personal power. It also is a stone of connection to the earth and earth cycles.

The balancing forces of the equinox are Sunstone and Moonstone.

Sunstone - Represents abundance, warmth, mental clarity, physical strength, and outward energy.

Moonstone - represents inner growth and strength, new beginnings, intuition, emotional stability, and calmness.

While examining the properties and characteristics assigned to particular stones is interesting, it is also perfectly fine to collect stones from the beach, your yard, a nearby river, etc., and use them as grounding and centering elements that you can touch and hold.

Persephone's Farewell

The joy of the harvest is the celebratory aspect of the season, which we celebrate through various harvest festivals and feasts like Thanksgiving or Sukkot.

However, the balancing energies of dark and light that are present with the equinox are never far from our sensing,

Now, Persephone must leave the earth and return to her realm in the underworld, revisiting her duties as the shepherd of souls as they enter the underworld and make their passage to the beyond. This is also the moment that her mother, Demeter, begins to grieve and wander.

It is very potent to consider how joy, abundance, security, and success are only part of the reality of life. Other balancing aspects are necessary for experiencing the wholeness of life.

Persephone Themes to Work With

• Abduction and Return

• Letting Go

• Leaving

• Upper World - Lower World

• Family Responsibility

• Care for the Earth

• Physical Needs

• Care for the Soul

• Preparation

• Longing

• Wandering

Releasing Ritual

Persephone’s return to the underworld comes at a time of powerful releasing energy. The earth is letting go and crossing the threshold into a time of repose.

You may also want to release things in your life, and the synergy of doing such work at this time of year is quite potent.

You can download a Releasing Ritual Guide HERE