The Mysteries of Mabon

Autumn Sunset on Orkney

What is it? Mabon or Second Harvest or Autumn Equinox... 
When is it? 21st? 22nd? 23rd 

For some people it's a 'one sabbat fits all' kind of affair which is completely cool, for others there is a more strict observance of a particular date or an event. This year the 'true' equinox here in the UK was at 2.54 am this morning 23rd September - a huge round of applause for anyone who got up to mark that exact point when the sun crosses the imaginary line of the equator on it's journey from North to South, I for one was sound asleep and probably snoring like a hibernating bear. That said, today is the day that I particularly mark, taking extra time to reflect on the year, to celebrate what I have and to let go of things that no longer serve me. Some extra time communing with my Goddess, preparing a lovely dinner for me and himself to enjoy this evening and we have special drinking ware that we use for Sabbats.

Tonight's Libation...

Just to really add to the fun we have our daughter's birthday on 19th September, this year as some of you may have seen on WWMG's facebook page she was 21 so a very special celebration, our younger child and my very own special second harvest. This means this is a date that we focus on too for our own reasons, I expect many many people before us have done that too. The Autumn Equinox is known as the Second Harvest and the date changes due to the orbit of the earth round the sun which varies between the 21st and the 23rd every year. So despite the ancient people of the world having a far superior knowledge of the turn of the wheel, the alignment of the sun, moon and stars than most of us will ever have (more's the pity) they didn't have google to check and the date may well have been fixed to reflect that. Some beliefs now choose a fixed date, often 21st whilst others prefer to be technically correct. nothing new there...Easter and Mother's day are movable feasts and dependant on the moon believe it or not. Easter is the first Sunday after the full moon that follows the Spring Equinox , unless that coincides with the Jewish feast of the Passover, then it is delayed a week - Phew! Ecclesiastical authorities have  fixed Spring Equinox at 21st March for this purpose.

Autumn Arachnid Activity

Traditionally the Harvest would have been the all important activity around this time and reaping an abundant one would be cause for even more celebration. Mabon itself is a relatively new term. Our ancient ancestors would have been as likely to be nodding heads, hands folded and saying Namaste as they would yelling 'Merry Mabon' to passers by, it's a relatively new title adopted as late as the 1970's. Mabon is the name of an ancient Welsh God -the child of the light and son of the Earth Mother Goddess Modron in Welsh mythology. This means  that among purists it's a contentious issue right up there with Ostara/Easter - but that's a thought for another day. My view is simply that it doesn't matter, celebrate away however you choose. Thanking our divinities for our harvests, our blessings and preparing ourselves for the darker months ahead is a pretty universal, joyous and wonderful thing!

Magic Mushrooms

Interestingly and perhaps unsurprisingly the word Harvest has it's own special roots in Germanic, Anglo Saxon, Dutch and Old Norse etymology, derived from words such as herbst/hervest/herfst/haust used to describe the period between summer and winter. Harvest as a time in the year clearly predates the use of Mabon which was more recently introduced in neo-paganism. Ancient texts and writings suggest that even in Roman times the seasonal shift of the wheel was known merely known as Autumn Equinox, more recent Celtic based traditions offer even more suggestions such as Alban Elved but seeing as no one was around to have a definite opinion - what the hell Merry Mabon!!

Autumn Seeds

I love this photo, it's sheer beauty of death as part of life as the plants yield their fruits, their seeds to come back next year strikes me as a real representation of the time of year as the light and the dark are in perfect harmony. Not surprisingly there are a few dates that  tie in with my Goddess Ker around now; the Feast of Ceres in Ancient Rome on the 18th and the start of the celebration of the Eleusinian Mysteries of Demeter and Persephone around the 23rd all so closely tied in with Ker as I know her. Perfect !

Have Blessed Mabon x x 

Bibliography and Link Sources

https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/autumn-equinox-2018-when-is-the-first-day-of-autumn-how-is-it-celebrated-a3942246.html

http://www.goddessandgreenman.co.uk/mabon

https://www.etymonline.com/word/harvest

http://www.sacredfire.net/festivals.html

Remembering the Winchester Geese

Nestled just a road or two off the main bustling thoroughfare in Southwark,  close to the world famous Borough Market  is Cross Bones Graveyard a place that had escaped my radar until a few years ago when I was shocked to discover it's haunting story and existence so close to the razzmatazz and wealth of the city.

In The Shadow Of The Shard

Forgotten and neglected, it was a sad and forlorn final resting place for the  brothel workers and the unloved destitute of London's post medieval slums until the mid 19th century when it was built over. Ironically the prostitutes who were known as The Winchester Geese, as they were licensed by the Bishop Of Winchester to work the surrounding area which was known as The Liberty of The Clink; full of bear pits, taverns and brothels or 'stews' as they were called, but they were typically and hypocritically abandoned, unloved in unconsecrated and unmarked graves along with the unborn or stillborn proof of their sin. Historically a 1598 text refers to it as the 'single woman's churchyard'. Even in death they weren't allowed to rest peacefully in their mass burial pit of an estimated 15,000 bodies, the nearby Guy's Hospital made them an easy and unremarked upon target for the macabre practice of body snatching for anatomy classes.

No Longer Forgotten

I read the story in mounting horror and disgust, getting angrier and angrier by the minute. The raw hypocrisy of it hit me full pelt like a body blow. Reading on I was relieved to find that finally in 1990, during work on the underground, that the graveyard was rediscovered and the forgotten started their long, slow journey back to remembrance. The veil of history was pulled back and bone by bone, body by body the unloved started to become cherished. A writer called John Constable known as John Crow was amazed to find that the words of a visionary poem he had written rang true and had previously unknown and undreamt of roots planted firmly in Southwark's soil. 

Remembered Geese

Slowly, work began to clear the overgrown scrubby patch of land, to make a memorial garden,  a place of reflection, remembrance and of celebration. Years of work, campaigning, fundraising and devotion have meant that since June 2004, John has held a vigil every 23rd of the month for the forgotten and silenced souls. 

The Shrine, Complete with Gin

A beautiful shrine was created inside, along with a pyramid partially covered in oyster shells and the 'infinity beds' - a lemniscate border - (figure 8 shaped symbol for infinity). There are symbols of the Goddess, from all faiths, cultures and origins. A few months ago in July, a spontaneous suggestion led to an impromptu visit with my wonderful friends Carmel and Mags. This came the week after I'd heard of the sad and sudden passing of one of the homeless guys I'd met over the previous winter. After these two lovely ladies had pointed out  the tourist sites of London to me like a small child and had held my hand to stop me walking in the path of oncoming red buses as I gazed in wonder at my alien surroundings, we waited at the gates and railings which are completely covered in ribbons, flowers, clouties, jewellery, rags - whatever people had to hand or had brought with them to mark their presence as a visitor or pilgrim who refused to turn their backs, while we waited with a growing crowd for the Vigil to commence. 

Decorated Memorial Gates

On the dot of 7, heralded by the bells of Southwark Cathedral, John Crow started the vigil, sharing the history, remembering the forgotten, celebrating the memories. People read poems, played music, sang songs, talked about loved ones that they had lost. It was beautiful, poignant, sad and wonderful at the same time. A simple ritual was carried out, words that have been recited and repeated there every month since June 2004. Gin was splashed as an offering, gin how poignant, 'Mother's ruin' - how many women had walked those streets desperately swigging gin back to procure a miscarriage to relive them of their shame? I thought about lonely, deserted grave of Betty Corrigall  that we had stumbled upon on the Island of Hoy last year, said a quiet prayer for her in a moment of reflection and was rewarded yet a again with a visit from a dragonfly, that soared mystically and knowingly above the railings.

Rosemary For Remembrance

I'd made a simple pentagram and woven rosemary through it, a simple gesture of remembrance and solidarity, and found an inch of railing to attach it to, my token to honour the souls that hopefully rested more peacefully in this tranquil garden, loved, commemorated and remembered once more, maybe more so than in life. We were given ribbons to tie on to the gates, in light of the sad news in the week, it seemed fitting to write the gent's name on there before I tied it, he too was not forgotten nor unloved. He may have slipped out of the focus of polite society, living life precariously on the streets, but he was remembered here and people will see his name and will wonder who he was, his memory nestles safely here, woven into the memories of many, which made me smile, more importantly it would have made him laugh.

R.I.P Dermot

It's a beautiful place to visit, vigils are held at 7 pm sharp on the 23rd of every month, and a warm welcome is extended to all. If you plan on visiting its worth noting that the memorial gardens isn't open for the vigil, visiting times and events are on the Crossbones website with much more detail than I could ever hope to give you.    

Have a Blessed Week