Or on a clear night, soak in the glow of the Harvest Moon, the last full moon before the fall equinox. Take an early evening walk in the brisk fall air. Or better yet, says Fox, go out into nature itself. Fashion a fall wreath out of autumn leaves and dried flowers. Place a basket of fresh red and yellow apples on the kitchen table. Probably the simplest way to celebrate Mabon is by bringing the colors of fall into the home. Are we working too much? Are we procrastinating too much and not accomplishing enough? There's an opportunity at Mabon to evaluate and reset." "Whether you're Pagan or not, this time of year can be a really good opportunity to take a look at what kind of balance to bring to our personal lives. You can also set aside time to meditate on the idea of "balance," says Fox, since the fall equinox is when the light and dark are in balance. Fox even has a call-and-response Thanksgiving rite that you can perform as a group. If you want to make it more of a Pagan Thanksgiving, ask everyone to reflect on the past year and share something that they're thankful for. The cornucopia could be the centerpiece for a potluck Mabon picnic with family and friends, where everyone brings a homemade dish featuring the fruits of the fall. "I appreciate the fact that some long-standing harvest traditions are continuing to be kept alive by individuals and families and communities, by whatever name," says Fox. Whether you call it Mabon, fall equinox or Pagan Thanksgiving, Fox says that the name of the holiday isn't as important as the traditions and meaning behind it. "There seems to be a complex of myths associating the fall equinox with the rescue of a young person from death, datable back to about 1500 B.C.E." He referred to the biblical story of Abraham and Isaac which is read at Rosh Hashanah, a Jewish holiday that also happens in late September. "It was not an arbitrary choice," Kelly wrote. When he couldn't find a suitable Gaelic or Germanic name for the fall equinox, Kelly chose Mabon, because the Welsh god's story has some elements in common with Greek goddess Demeter, whose ancient cult was associated with the fall equinox. As Kelly wrote on Patheos, he went looking for Gaelic or Germanic names for a Pagan calendar based on the solstices, equinoxes and other dates that would become the eight sabbats. When contemporary Paganism was emerging in the 1960s and 1970s, an academic and poet named Aiden Kelly was trying to create a vocabulary for this new/old religion. The hero of one of the stories is a handsome young god named Mabon ap Modron ("Son of the Mother") who was held hostage in the underworld as a baby. There's a medieval Welsh text called the Mabinogion that includes some of the earliest tales of Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. The word ‘equinox’ itself actually mean ‘equal’ (equi) and ‘night’ (nox).Mabon was a name borrowed from Welsh mythology and lore. It is the time when night and day stand equal in duration thus is it a time to express gratitude, complete projects and honor a moment of balance. Mabon is a harvest festival, the second of three, that encourages pagans to “reap what they sow,” both literally and figuratively. It’s a time of plenty, of gratitude, and of sharing our abundance with those less fortunate. On or around September 21st, for many Pagan and Wiccan traditions it is a time of giving thanks for the things we have, whether it is abundant crops or other blessings. Mabon is the mid-harvest festival, and it is when we take a few moments to honor the changing seasons, and celebrate the second harvest. The fields are nearly empty, because the crops have been plucked and stored for the coming winter. It is the time of the autumn equinox, and the harvest is winding down. The 2016 Autumn Equonox is September 22nd at 14:21 GMTĮnglish Heritage are expected to offer short period of access, from first light or safe enough to enter the monument field (approximately 06.30am) until 08:30am.
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