Mabon or the Autumnal Equinox
(aka The Second Harvest Festival, Wine Harvest, Feast of Avalon)

This day sees light and dark in balance again, before the descent to the dark times, a time of Thanksgiving. At this time, the god and goddess prepare for the sacrifice which ensures continued renewal, birth and growth of the next season. The Autumn Sage sacrifices himself through the final harvest of the land he represents and he offers to carry the community's regrets and sorrows to the underworld with him. Flowers wither, leaves fall, and darkness descends. This is a time to balance light and dark in your own life, releasing sorrows and regrets which no longer serve you.

The growing season and loving oversight of Ceres and Demeter, Goddesses of hearth and grain, is now done. Hecate and Nyx, Goddesses of the cauldron and the night sky come in to reside with us on our earthly plane. This is a good time to take stock of what we would like to manifest during the next months of darkness AND to release what might hinder those things from beginning. And, this is a natural time of year to finally let go of what did not 'grow corn'. Envision plowing those things back down into the earth. We need to make room for the thoughts and desires we would like to see flourish in our next growing season.

Celebrate! Enjoy the fruits of your harvests, both physical and spiritual. Generally I will wear equal parts of black and white, because on this day, for me, there is no gray, things are in perfect balance. Stones to use to wear or decorate with would be: Amber, Sapphires, Lapis Lazuli, Honey Calcite or Garnet. My personal favorite is a lovely Shiva Lingham I have. For me it represents the internal balance of male and female energies, the light and the dark of my world brought into peace and harmony.