Mabon: Harvest Home

 Dear Reader,

Today is the Wiccan high holiday of Mabon. It is the feast of Harvest Home and the second harvest celebration of the year. Mabon is a joyful time where the abundant fruits of the harvest are shared and we take time to reflect on what joys we are harvesting in our lives. It is also the Autumnal Equinox and considered the time to reflect and begin to take stock of what you need to prepare for winter.

Some households, like mine, will do "autumn cleaning" and make a point of putting away all of the summer goods before the weather turns truly questionable as it does later in the season. While some years we have the good fortune of feeling a bit of summer's warmth still during this time, it is wise to prepare for the lean times of winter that will be soon upon us. 

If a coven hasn't celebrated the sacrifice of the Grain Lord at Lammas (which falls around August 1st), it is typically observed at Mabon. Bread figures heavily in celebrations as does wine. (This should not be mistaken for the bread and wine of Christian communion, though there are some superficial commonalities.) A ritual may be practiced where one casts into a bonfire a piece of bread representing some element of themselves that they are giving away to the gods, usually with a petition for growth in an area of corresponding weakness (i.e. I cast into the fire a bit of bread representing my social insecurities and ask the gods to grant me growth in personal confidence.).

At Mabon, we prepare to enter the 'dark' half of the year. Some of this manifests as magical work. Some of this manifests in practical things like preparing the household for winter storms and (if your skilled and fortunate enough) processing the fruits of your garden (or local farmer's markets) so that you will have that fresh goodness in the dead of winter. It is one last great party that celebrates abundance before it is time to kunckle down for the challenge of winter.