Mabon is the most wonderful time of the year. For me. Some might hear the phrase “most wonderful time of the year” and think of Christmas or October. Those are wonderful times too. But everyone has their favorite and for some reason, mine has always been Mabon. But I’m not quite sure why.
Why Do People Love Autumn?
I love autumn. I blame that being born in the fall made me partial to autumn, but that can’t be the entire reason. Living in the South, the summer is generally not my favorite time of the year, and most Southerners impatiently wait for the autumn coolness after the heat and humidity of Summer. Perhaps my love of autumn comes from the fact that school started in September when I was a kid. And I generally enjoyed going to school when I was younger.
Autumn also brings on warm and fuzzy feelings for many people. The changing of the leaves from green to the warmer autumn colors triggers feelings of comfort in our brains. For us witches and Pagans, autumn means we are even closer to Samhain and Halloween, which typically makes us very excited.
The Witch’s Thanksgiving
The idea of Mabon being the witch’s thanksgiving has always appealed to me. The Thanksgiving Americans culturally celebrate in late November always feels like a fraud to me. I am not interesting in celebrating an occasion based on false pretenses. According to an article published in The New York Times by Maya Salam in 2017, “Thanksgiving facts and Thanksgiving myths have blended together for years like so much gravy and mashed potatoes, and separating them is just as complicated.” This is a great article that I highly recommend if you have a NY Times account.
I am not going to attempt to explain the true origins behind Thanksgiving, I would not do it justice. I think many people have learned that the stories we were taught as children are not always the truth. Spending time with loved ones and showing appreciation for the bounties and gifts provided is a positive aspect of the national holiday. But teaching a false narrative of its beginnings perpetuates colonialism and ignores more than 400 years of atrocities committed against Native Americans and First Nations’ people.
The formation of Thanksgiving as an official, United States’ holiday, did not begin until November 1863 during the Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln officially established the holiday as a way to improve relations between northern and southern states as well as the U.S. and tribal nations. Just a year prior, a mass execution took place of Dakota tribal members. Corrupt federal agents kept the Dakota-Sioux from receiving food and provisions. Finally at the brink of death from starvation, members of the tribe fought back, resulting in the Dakota War of 1862. In the end, President Lincoln ordered 38 Dakota men to be hanged, and he felt that Thanksgiving offered an opportunity to bridge the hard feelings amongst Native Americans and the federal government.
While the Thanksgiving celebrated today may not have complete, factual roots, Native Americans, Europeans and other cultures across the world have held festivals and special meals in gratitude for bountiful harvests and to reflect on the past year. And this concept of giving thanks IS something I can get behind. And if I can tie this season of thanksgiving to something more meaningful, such as Mabon, even better.
Mabon is the Season of Gratitude
I feel that in some ways, I have always had a streak of gratitude running through my life. That’s not to say that I always speak or act from a place of gratitude, that is a something I aspire to. But even as a child, I knew that some things, some people were special and my time with them or my experience was not something to take for granted.
As I get older, I find myself more caught up in the daily problems and bigger picture sometimes. I forget to be grateful for things in the moment. 2024 has been a lesson in gratitude. As a small business owner, it has been a difficult year. And I know many other small business owners across the country who will agree. It’s been a hard year for everyone. I have spent most of the year vibrating at a low level of constant panic and fear around things like our business, money, and the state of the world.
This is not a state you want to live in, and I do my best to not focus on the problems and instead look for solutions. Which can be difficult if all you can do is worry. Certain parts of my life, and your life, are not ideal right now. I would like to believe that overall, some aspects of my life are improving and I’m willing to believe that the light at the end of the tunnel is actually light and not a train. But this has brought the concept of gratitude to the forefront once more.
If you’ve read some of my latest writings about money and prosperity, you’ve probably seen me write about gratitude as a way to abundance. It is not a magical, shoe-in for hitting the lottery, but gratitude can certainly grease the road ahead, if you are truly grateful.
Yesterday was Mabon proper, and my church held our Mabon celebration last night. As part of our ritual, we passed the Goddess’ chalice around the circle, filled with ale (we use apple juice). Each person held the chalice and named some of the things they are grateful for. We then used the “ale” to bless everyone with.
We each have so much to be grateful for, even if they feel like little things. And with the dark half of the year fully in swing now, many of us may feel like we are slowing down. I am grateful for electricity, air conditioning and heating, but things take us away from being as in-tune with the cycles of the world as our ancestors were. Most of us have jobs and responsibilities that don’t change or slow down just because it’s getting darker earlier.
Yet there is something about the fall and winter that speaks to our collective unconsciousness. It calls for us to stay home more, where its warm and dry and comfortable. Many of us feel like we have more time to delve into our hobbies or even our to-do list. I encourage you, as you feel the pull of the dark part of the year keeping you closer to home, find ways to express your gratitude about the good things in your life. Give your home a deep cleaning as the weather cools off. Try to do it intentionally, and show your home your appreciation for it protecting you, sheltering you and being a safe space for you.
Drag out your half-finished crafts and honey do lists, and spend a little time each night working on them. Be grateful that you have these things to do, and the time, space, and need to do them. We take so much for granted that others do not have, we don’t even realize it. I want to spend this winter honing my gratitude practice, and I highly encourage you all to join me in this endeavor.
Perhaps these concepts of gratitude, thanksgiving, warmth and comfort are reasons why I love Mabon so much. Maybe the reason doesn’t matter so much. But if you look at some of the major milestones in my life, they center around Mabon.
Visiting San Gervasio
Sometimes we don’t know that something is going to be a milestone in our lives until long after the fact. In September 2013 I took my first real vacation with my partner-now-husband. He took me on a cruise, my first, and we sailed down to the Caribbean and stopped in Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel, Mexico. While in Cozumel, we took a shore excursion to a Mayan ruin called San Gervasio. San Gervasio is to this day a pilgrimage site where locals travel to worship and receive the blessings of the Mayan Goddess Ixchel.
San Gervasio is one of the few historic places I have visited and immediately felt the sacredness of the site. On my first visit there 11 years ago, I did not know people still came to the site for religious celebrations. I just knew it felt holy and in my mind, I could envision the ancient Maya walking the sacbeob that run through the site. Sacbeob are raised, paved roads built by the Maya civilization in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. The word “sacbé” comes from the Mayan words sac (white) and be (road). Sacbés were considered sacred and special by the Mayans. They were built to connect important cities, temples, and plazas.
Last year, my church and the archpriesthood of our organization, The Aquarian Tabernacle Church (ATC), began planning a cruise. That dream came to fruition a couple of weeks ago when 50 witches from all over America and Canada met in New Orleans for our Witches on the Water cruise. In Cozumel, Mexico, a popular cruise destination, we planned a private excursion to San Gervasio. There, myself and the Archpriestess of the ATC performed a ritual of gratitude to Ixchel at her altar.
I had no idea in 2013 that I would not only be going on my first, adult vacation but I would also be setting something in motion that would bring me back to San Gervasio 11 years later. Ixchel and the gods must have had their own plans, and we never even knew.
The Broom Closet is Born
Ten years ago today, my husband and I (although we were not married at the time) opened The Broom Closet, our metaphysical store. It has been an amazing decade of learning, growing, teaching and serving our local community. Our store has been the foundation that allowed us to grow into having a 501©3 Wiccan church, and expand our community and network beyond the Mid-South.
I never wanted children, and The Broom Closet has always been “my baby.” One of my psychic advisors once told me that I am a mother to everyone who comes in the store, and serving our customers helps fulfill my nurturing side.
We had intended on opening the store in October, but the Universe had other plans. We ended up getting set up early and opening our doors on September 23, 2014.
Mabon Wedding
Perhaps even more important than the opening of the store, my wedding took place near Mabon. This time the date was more intentional. After my husband and I decided we wanted to get married, I knew I wanted a fall wedding. Getting married in the autumn can give a couple more options for their ceremony. The weather is supposed to be cooler and more predictable than summer weather. Couples can work around the weather and comfortably have indoor or outdoor ceremonies. The fall leaves and flowers bring a warmer, different aesthetic to wedding décor. Fall weddings can be more affordable than June weddings, although I think the fall wedding trend that I’ve seen for the last few years may have killed the budget difference. Is autumn the new June where weddings are concerned?
Even though I wanted a fall wedding, I also know that September in Memphis is generally not any cooler than August. An outdoor wedding was out of the question, especially taking into consideration the dress I bought (two skirts and a giant petticoat underneath). Tomorrow, September 24, my husband and I will celebrate 8 years of marriage.
Light Your Path is Born
This Mabon anniversary was also not planned, it was just Divine Timing. After going through the startup process, my blog Light Your Path went live in September 2023 and my very first blog post was published on September 21, 2023. It has been a year of learning and joy being able to share my path with the greater Pagan community through Patheos. I have learned a lot about myself and I have learned a lot about my path in this process, which was one of the goals I stated in my first blog.
This Mabon
This Mabon, I am grateful. I am grateful for the wonderful things in my life; my business, my church, my husband, my community, and my experiences. As the wheel turns, life changes. Friends move away, priorities change, ideas change. I don’t know what the next turning of the wheel will bring. But I am grateful to have made it this far and I am grateful for the blessings, gifts and lessons.
Blessed Mabon to you! May your harvest season be amazing and bring you all the blessings you could ask for.
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