Happy Mabon. The Fall Equinox and Second Harvest holiday happens on Wednesday September 22nd this year. With the arrival of Autumn comes the falling of leaves, in their red and golden hues, the bright harvest moon, the slight cooling of the evening air, and the beginning of the gradual shift towards home, hearth, and rituals of sharing whatever abundance we have cultivated. Mabon is a time to take stock of what we’ve accomplished in the busy months of growth and activity, and to look towards slowing down and receiving the nourishment that our efforts have wielded, as we stand in the balance of light and darkness.
In the second harvest, we collect all that will sustain us, as we move away from Summer and witness the dying of the evening light and the vegetation around us. If we feel prepared, this can be a welcome transition, as our internal systems acknowledge the need for rest and integration. Celebration is an appropriate way to mark this passage. Whatever you planted in the previous cycles, whatever you have flowered, both inside and outside, will become more tangible and more deeply integrated by taking this moment to acknowledge it. It will serve both the aspect of ourselves that we are in the light of day (our tonal, our ego, our waking mind) and the aspect of ourselves that we are in the dark of night (our nahual, our unconscious, our dreaming mind) to count our blessings, see our growth, and regard ourselves as we are now, at this moment. This can allow us to stop operating from outdated self concepts that may limit us, and to appreciate the true abundance that is before us at this time. What have you worked for in these past months of activity? What dreams planted in late Winter and early Spring have come to fullness? What did you grow that can nourish you? What gifts did you receive? How have you become stronger, wiser, more whole, more like yourself? Can you articulate to yourself, and maybe to someone close to you, that which you are now harvesting? This tracking of the inner and outer life is the true essence of following the passages of the Wheel of the Year. More than holidays, these moments help us to slow down and notice what might otherwise happen unconsciously. When we engage in ritual, we see ourselves and our lives more deeply and intentionally. We solemnize and seal in the magic and growth that we are constantly engaging, beyond our conscious awareness. If self criticism and pessimism are held in check, there is often much more to be grateful for and proud of than we think. What is your true harvest this year?
On the Equinox, the day is equally balanced with the night. It happens only at the thresholds of Autumn and Spring. This is a liminal moment that invites us to step outside of our fixed perceptions and embrace the relationship between dark and light within ourselves and in our world. Even as we celebrate the abundance we have harvested, the fertility of the earth wanes and the plants wither. Life and death, expansion and decay, play out their dance all around us. This moment in the year asks us to cultivate balance, something which requires us to acknowledge all levels of ourselves and our lives, that which we shine the light of awareness on and that which we keep hidden from our sight. What losses or inner shadows need to be addressed, so that this balance is possible? Are there parts of yourself or your life that have been ignored, that need their voices heard at this time?
Mabon begins the season belonging to the Dark Mother. This Divine Feminine force has many ancient names and attributes, Ereshkigal, Tiamat, Kali, Tlazolteotl. She is the darkness from which all is born and to which all returns, is held, and transforms. The darkness is not something to fear. It is the richly magical space of possibility and power between that which appears fixed. Between our words, between our thoughts, between waking and dreaming realities, is the Sacred Black Light that is her domain. Even as we count the blessings of harvest, we walk towards her. She takes our hand. We begin to dream, to see what is hidden, to shed what needs shedding, to create in a more subtle way. In what ways will you acknowledge this liminal space, honoring dark and light, the inner and outer harvests? How can you stretch to hold more liminality? What do you need to do to claim more balance? What gifts are waiting for you there, beyond the harvest you can see and touch? Take a moment for divination, drawing a card, using a pendulum, or journeying into second sight. Carve the answers to these questions on a newly harvested apple. Eat it fresh, or bake it with butter, cinnamon and honey inside, for sweetness on the journey.
May your harvest be abundant.
May your balance be deeply embodied.
With gratitude,
the eleventh house
-This blog was written by Melusina Gomez. You can learn more about her work and healing practices at www.metzmecatl.com