Soon Mabon will be upon us and Wiccans everywhere will be taking red altar cloths
Lighting Fall-colored candles
Decorating their altars with faux apples and oranges alike
As well as sapphire and lapis lazuli
As stated in a previous article, most “neo-Pagans'' observe a historically reconstructionist tradition -- that’s the condition of following a postmodern religion. In all of European literature and the oral tradition, never do Modron, Morgan, Epona, Persephone, Pamona, the Muses, Mabon, Thoth, Thor, Hermes and The Green Man set foot in the so-called “Americas.” Yes, it certainly would be historically reconstructionist for people to be praising an old world god in the supposed “new world.”
However, the brain of the modern human is no different than the brain of a human from the last glacial period; and all the stories that seek to explain existence emerged from the same human imagination; and across religions and traditions, there are recurring themes and even recurring imagery; and it would yet be even more revisionist to say that every religion or that every person were the same. We’re not the same, we come in different shades and hues like different autumnal leaves from the same tree.
In the end, it is best to avoid having to do mental gymnastics to attempt to prove without a doubt that your beliefs are the right ones by giving up on knowing truth, because truth is unknowable, and appreciate the many expressions of human spirituality for what they are.
The way the Earth and its seasons are arranged, the Autumn equinox divides the day and night equally.
This is a time to stop and relax and enjoy the fruits of our personal harvests, whether they be from working in our gardens, toiling at our jobs, dealing with family matters or just coping with the hussle-bussle of everyday life.
So if you do not observe “Mabon” per se, it is still an appropriate time to remember to breathe and find comfort in the familiar.
Weave a corn doll, everyone loves corn dolls. Imagine that the corn doll is a manifestation of nature’s generous bounty -- put it in a place of honor.
If you don’t have children to make corn dolls with, bake some bread or a confectionary with
Nuts, Apples, Pomegranates; Possibly Potatoes, Carrots, and/or Onions.
The second harvest is recognized in virtually every culture, so feel free to make it your own and make it meaningful to you. Truth is unknowable except from within. With that being said, darker days are approaching rapidly, so now is the time to wear your best jewelry, splurge in your passions and dazzle in the sun while the weather still permits. The balance of the universe depends on it.
The reason why it is good, at this appropriate time, to engage in debauchery and also do shadow work is because Mabon is also to honor the archetype of the Dark Mother. Besides everything deliciously extravagant about Dark Mother energy, the psychologist Carl Jung is quoted saying, “How can I be substantial if I do not cast a shadow? I must have a dark side also if I am to be whole.”
Carl Jung is responsible for identifying the “shadow” personality, which represents traits in our personality that we repress based on social norms. Shadow work is the process of acknowledging and accepting the hidden parts of your personality as a way to manage our evil ways or antisocial tendencies.
In order to live a balanced life, we have to acknowledge the shadow. You might think you are well-adjusted and righteous, or “whole” and “complete,” and thus you have no need for introspection. But nobody is perfect. This is where Carl Jung’s shadow work is so essential.
It identifies the areas that we are hiding from ourselves. It shines a light of perspective where before there was darkness. It is hard for us to be fully objective when it comes to self-analysis. Particularly when we are talking about our good and dark side.
