Mabon... Autumnal Equinox

[RoadRaven]

Well, in an hour or so is the first dawning of this day in our seasonal calendar.

The second harvest celebration in our year, a completion of Lammas. (Of course, being the stupid sheep we are, much of the Southern Hemisphere will be celebrating Easter/Ostara in a week or so.)

Never-the-less, I wish those of you a delightful and blessed Ostara as I watch the sun set this evening and remember my ancestors... knowing that same sun will be rising on a day where my Northern sisters are celebrating the flourishing of new life of the as She covers the Earth in fresh beauty.

And my Southern sisters, although this is a less significant "holiday" in terms of the Wheel of the Year", I join you in this time of contemplation and preparation for the colder, darker months.

[Kimmyt]

Mabon is the word Charles DeLint uses for one of his dream-worlds in his short story books.

Very cool, I like knowing where it comes from!

[RoadRaven]

Hey there Kimmy

As a name, it is Welsh in origin, and literally means 'son'

In Earth-centred belief sysytems (which include amongst many pagan and wiccan), Mabon may be interpreted as 'son of the Great Mother'.

Some Earth-centred beliefs focus on only the Earth as a spiritual entity, some have the Goddess and others have the Goddess and her male consort in a duality of partnership.

Mabon is not celebrated or observed by all... but those that do see it as a time when the male part of the spiritual equation retreats, and prepares for the "rebirth" of the Goddess in spring.

As far as "holy days" go in the pagan calendar, this is a more recent addition, rather than a long standing observance like the other 7 days in the year.

[Kitsune06]

Happy Ostara! Let's all go dye eggs in onion skins and stand them on end around 5 :D

Bunnies! Eggs! Time to start polishing those maypoles in preparation for Beltaine! :D

[alpinerabbit]

Happy Equinox (http://www.knowth.com/loughcrew-equinox-mar05.htm)to both Hemispheres!

http://www.knowth.com/images-loughcrew/loughcrew-equinox-mar05.jpg

[RoadRaven]

Wow, Alpine... thanks for the link - some lovely images there
:)

[mary9761]

Happy Equinox to all my sisters North and South. May you all be safe and healthy.

Kitsune (May Pole indeed :p;) :D)

The local Peregrine falcon pair have already laid their first egg, indeed it is the season of rebirth here in the Northern hemisphere, time to prepare for the recharging of the earth's resources during it's rest down to the Southern Hemisphere.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Love is in the air! :p :p

[margo49]

Great! I'll keep breathing!

[Kitsune06]

Thought our pagan ladies would get a kick out of this (http://www.theblessedbee.com/fieldguide.html)... I love their site... just... have never had the $ to buy anything *from* it...

[RoadRaven]

Great Kit
Well worth the laugh
And, you know, I recognise a few people I know in those descriptions!!!
:p

On an interesting note, Mabon was celebrated here at the Stonehenge of Aotearoa... a High Druid from the Northern Hemisphere came down and led the observance and it was well-covered in local news/papers in a positive way. I haven't yet been over to our "Stonehenge"... but they took alot of care and mathematical equations over getting it aligned "just so" as it is part of our atstronomical observatory.

It is good to finally see a change in perception of the old ways, and that these ways are more about living in harmony with our planet and each other than the sterotyped "wicked witch of the west" nonsense.

[Kitsune06]

I'm thinking people could mistake me for 5,6,8, 13 and maybe 21... :D

[uforgot]

Happy Ostara! Let's all go dye eggs in onion skins and stand them on end around 5 :D

Bunnies! Eggs! Time to start polishing those maypoles in preparation for Beltaine! :D

Hey, you don't need onion skins and it doesn't have to be the vernal or autumnal equinox to stand an egg on its end. Takes patience, but it can be done.

As for the maypole, believe it or not, our local school district still winds the maypole the first week in May. When you are a 4th grader, you practice practice practice and then the parents come watch the other grades sing cute little songs and then the grand finale...winding the maypole. No kidding. The locals won't let it go, and we are all laughing because isn't it actually a fertility dance?

[RoadRaven]

Oh Kit... I am supposed to be working and you have me in fits ... 6 ... yep, we have something in common... but the thought of you running around at orgaisations weilding a mighty battle-axe had me in fits. I have to know - would this be part of the bike-messenger, o childe of Kaos?

LOL... I think if I was younger I'd be 12... but now I'm a little bit 22 (not soooo much jewellery, but it does all have obvious meaning... and identifies me to anyone interested - like my pentacle bracelet and the feathers plaited in my hair - yup, even at work which is a tertiary institute). I'm afraid I also have to admit to leanings towards 17... but that prolly comes about cause of the ammount of feminist stuff I weave into my classes.

Ssssso funny - I know an 11, a 16 and an 18...

[margo49]

Brilliant! And accurate!