Magic Is Reality, Reality Is Magic: Mabon

Magic is Reality, Reality is Magic is a series that highlights aspects of religions, particularly Paganism. We pull things from everyday life to use in our fiction. Magic is one of the key attributes of fantasy. Why not explore the realm of magic that many people already have in their lives?

Picture By Tasnu Arakun Mabon! Most people know this day as the Fall or Autumn Equinox, and it is marked as the first day of Fall on most calendars (at least in the Northern hemisphere). The date this lands on can vary, but it's usually some time between September 20 through September 23 (it was the 23rd this year). It's the second day of the year where day and night is the same length. After Mabon passes, nights will start getting longer while the days get shorter.

This is the second of the harvest festivals. It's also considered a Witch's Thanksgiving. This is usually the wonderful time of year where you start seeing apple cider popping up all over (yum, one of my favorites). So, the main crops of this harvest are nuts, apples, and grapes. Apple pie and wine? Who'd pass that up as part of a feast? I'm most familiar with the U.S. Thanksgiving, so when I think of Mabon, that's what I think of (just a couple months earlier).

All those good foods associated with the harvest at this time of year are of course symbols. What do we get when we stuff all those foods together in a horn? A cornucopia, of course! You also have acorns, gourds, pumpkins, and sunflowers (my daughter's sunflower that she started from a seed finally bloomed on Mabon this year) that represent this sabbat.

Of course I've only touched the tip of the iceberg. These websites might be a good place for you to start if you'd like to learn more about Mabon: Mabon, How to Celebrate Mabon, the Autumn Equinox, and Mabon - Overview by Christina.

Further Reading Suggestions:

Madden, Kristin. Mabon: Celebrating the Autumn Equinox. St. Paul: Llewellyn Publications, 2002.

I hope you found this tidbit interesting! If you would like me to touch on a particular topic that fits in this series, please don't hesitate to contact me with suggestions.

Magic Is Reality, Reality is Magic: Lughnasadh

Magic is Reality, Reality is Magic is a series that highlights aspects of religions, particularly Paganism. We pull things from everyday life to use in our fiction. Magic is one of the key attributes of fantasy. Why not explore the realm of magic that many people already have in their lives?

Picture By David Monniaux Lughnasadh, also called Lammas (which at times I prefer to use simply because I almost always spell the former incorrectly), lands on August 1 and is the first harvest festival of the year. It's also a sabbat that honors the god Lugh. Harvest time has always been important--a representation of fertility and the success of growing food needed to sustain everyone for another year. This is the grain harvest, such as wheat, corn, and barley. Living where I do, I can see the rows upon rows of corn ready to be harvested soon!

It's a time to feast on all the harvest that has been brought in already; grains, fruits, and vegetables. And corn tends to be at the top of the list, since it's found in so many places. Some of the corn can even be used to make a Corn Dolly, to be used as a fertility charm and a ritual centerpiece. Alcohol made from grains, like whiskey, as well as bread, are also used in the festivities. Perhaps bake up a tasty batch of cornbread. Yum!

Aside from what I mentioned above, symbols of Lughnasadh include roosters and many things associated with threshing grains, like threshing houses and even carrying a bride over a threshold. And to keep up with the importance of corn, you can use popcorn to make strings of decorations for the celebration.

Of course I've only touched on information about this sabbat, so I encourage you to explore a bit further if it interests you. And here are some websites to start with: Lughnasadh, All About Lammas (Lughnasadh), and Lughnasadh - Overview.

Further Reading Suggestions:

Franklin, Anna and Paul Mason. Lammas: Celebrating the Fruits of the First Harvest. St. Paul: Llewellyn Publications, 2001.

I hope you found this tidbit interesting! If you would like me to touch on a particular topic that fits in this series, please don't hesitate to contact me with suggestions.

NEXT UP:
Chains of Nect: Obsidian's Obsession - Chapter 2 (Saturday, August 1)
What's In A Name? (Wednesday, August 5)