September 2017 -
Honouring your dark side
On the 22nd September we celebrate
the Wiccan Festival of Mabon, also known as Autumn Equinox. At 21.01 on this
date the sun enters the sign of Libra; there is perfect equilibrium between
daylight and night. It is no accident that
likewise Libra is known as the sign of balance, symbolised by the scales. Mabon or ‘Autumn Equinox’ is also known as
the second harvest. The first harvest
was celebrated in August (Lammas), notably a time of plenty when the sun was
high in the sky and we were rewarded for all our hard work, and encouraged to
bask in its glory and enjoy our harvest.
This festival has a darker element to it; we are on the cusp of the
earth’s descent into winter. Plants are
beginning to suck themselves back into the earth to regenerate, trees are about
to start losing their leaves, animals are preparing for hibernation or the
journey to sunnier climes. The natural
world cannot help but affect us, however much we resist it, we too are part of the
push and pull of the earth. We are 90%
water and thus we are affected by the moon, like the ocean is, only our tides are more recognizable as moods and
feelings. You know some days when you
wake up and feel deflated or flat and you can’t find a reason why? Or other times when you have so much energy
and feel happy and content? Well the moon has more to do with this than you
think! Some people are more in tune with
this and others have just learnt to ignore the basic instinct we have inside of
us.
Mabon is named after the welsh god, son of
Celtic mother and goddess Modron. It is
told in the Welsh mythological tale ‘Culhwch and Olwen’ that Mabon was
kidnapped when he was 3 days old and imprisoned. He was later freed and transformed into a
young god. His kidnapping symbolises the
Autumn Equinox; as Mabon disappeared into the darkness, a tiny seed of a being,
only to return fully grown, so the sun and nature’s energy disappears over
winter and regenerates in the spring.
Interestingly the naming of this Pagan festival ‘Mabon’ seems to be a fairly
recent addition, as researching the story of Mabon there is no mention of his
connection to ‘Mabon’ the festival in the old tales.
Practical
Magic
One of the many rituals to perform at ‘Mabon’
is a ritual to honour the dark Mother.
Literally translated in my mind this means meditating on the darker
aspects of your own soul. Do you have pain you need to bring to the surface and
deal with? Do you have anger or frustration that you need to find an outlet
for? Do you have thoughts and feelings
about yourself or others that you are ashamed or embarrassed of? We all have negative traits, parts of
ourselves we dislike. That is quite
normal, the key is not to dwell so much on these so that we lose sight of our
gifts, our attributes and our unique magic.
Because Autumn Equinox is a time of perfect balance between dark and
light it is fitting that we in turn acknowledge the darkness within us all,
give it respect and then banish it, whilst releasing and focusing on the light
within us.
Take a piece of black paper and draw a
pentacle on it, (a five sided star) make sure the two points are facing
downwards, (see pentacle below) otherwise it is a sign of the devil!! Write on this your faults, the things you
dislike about yourself or even negative situations that you feel you are in
right now. Burn it. Take a white piece of paper and draw a
pentacle on this too, write your attributes, your gifts all the positive things
you have to offer. Take an apple, (a symbol
of Mabon) cut it across the fruit so you can see the pips formation
inside. You will see that they make the
shape of a pentacle which is why this fruit is so closely associated with
Wicca. There is also a little circle
around the pentacle of pips, this symbolizes the magic circle of protection
that one draws around oneself when performing a spell or ritual. Bury the pentacle of pips along with your
white star of your positive attributes.
This beautiful stone has for many years been
used as a talisman against evil. Its
protective qualities are still known to this day and it can be used to ward off
evil as well as protect its owner from negative energy. You can use this stone as part of a cleansing
ritual to rid your house or office from negative vibes, or just keep it with
you as a good luck charm. It is both
calming and balancing and can be used to support you during times of over work
and exhaustion. The colours vary
depending on where the stone has originated, but whatever the variations I feel
it is such a vibrant positive stone to behold.
Archangel
Michael Card of the Month – Take your time Making This Decision
This card suggests that there is a situation
which you are confused or indecisive about.
Don’t feel bullied into rushing a decision, take as much time as you
need. More information will be available
to you in the coming days and weeks so don’t jump in with both feet! Slow down and take your time. In terms of specific meanings this could be
read as ‘Don’t sign the contract just yet/negotiate a better deal/don’t rush a
new relationship/don’t be pressurised by other people’.
Moody
Moon
This month’s full moon falls on September 6th
at 8.02 in the sign of Pisces. Pisces is
a very dreamy sign, and a water sign, so full of emotion. Expect emotions to be running high especially
in the lead up to this full moon. Your
hopes and dreams could be the focus, are you really doing what makes you
happy? Perhaps it’s time to seize the
day and make some changes.
The New moon falls on 20th
September at 06.29 in the sign of Virgo.
This is a great day to start a new diet plan or health regime! Virgo is all about health, food, cooking and
being precise.
Planets visible in the evening are Saturn in
the south, mercury and mars in the morning from mid-month, and Venus in the
west. There is a Piscid meteor shower on
9th September which will produce about 10 meteors per hour at its
peak and can be seen throughout September into October. They will radiate from the constellation
Pisces in the south.
Eat:
Apples, plums, figs, grapes, pears, kale, squash, leeks, pumpkin, mussels.
Play:
Invite some people round and celebrate Mabon with food, wine and merry making.
Love:
Picking your own fruit. (Blackberries are around early September and
damsons/apples/pears)
