Definition: Mabon is a solar festival honoring the Autumn Equinox.
(I know it's a little early to think about Mabon, but as you'll read below, I'm trying to plan ahead this year!)
The Solar Festivals
The four festivals comprised by the solstices and equinoxes are defined by the apparent motion of the sun, and are therefore solar in nature. The solstice festivals celebrate the longest and shortest days of the year, and the equinoxes the two days when day and night are of equal length. As pivotal points of change, these four days are the most important in the cycle of light and dark during the year, and in dividing the year into quarters, they are sometimes referred to as quarter days. These festivals are tied to natural events, and so they do not fall on exactly the same day every year, and their solar nature means that they are considered the more masculine of the festivals.
Autumn Equinox is a reminder that the Sun will now start to grow shorter each day from this point on until again at YULE the longest time of darkness will come again. This is again a time of equality between the God and Goddess, the God represented by the Sun, the Goddess by the Moon. Each represents half of one whole that is fulfilled by their joining as one. Fruitfulness of the land being the end result of their mutuality, the bounty of the harvest will be brought in and stored against winter, and the dark times. From here the next festival is again SAMHAIN and the start of a NEW YEAR.
So, since the wheel of the year represents a continuous cycle which has no beginning or end, the usual habit of starting the calendar year with the winter solstice is purely arbitrary. Many earth-honoring folk start the year at Samhain, but even this is not entirely neccessary.
Right now, summer is in her glory (and we are definately LOVING it). This year I want to make more of an effort to plan ahead a little better in regards to upcoming celebrations. We just enjoyed a truly wonderful Lammas with a local circle, but we had to leave the kids at home (with the exception of the new baby, who was allowed to be present as a "babe in arms").
Our earth-centered community here in Maine has a tendency to isolate themselves a bit by small group, so if you aren't a member of that small group, you often do not know about any activities they're doing. Another dilemna I have found is that many like-minded folk that attend covens or groups around my area do not have families (of children).
I definately understand that adults want to have time to continue with their own studies and celebrations without the distraction of children underfoot.
I contend that there can be activities with and without children!
Why not have an adult ritual one day, and a gathering of families with children the next day? It has been my experience that kids LOVE ritual. They love to add their own elements. If adults can be flexible enough to allow the children to bring to the celebration their own individuality, the celebrations end up being very special and wonderful. What seems like "chaos" in comparison to an "official, structured ritual", is a very fun-loving, light-hearted, child-focused honoring. I'd really love to find some families who feel this same way and who would love to get together for such things and create a community of pagan families.
I am putting this desire out into the universe. I am allowing the energy to draw to me the people who will find these ideas fun. So mote it be!
I hope you find families to celebrate and gather with, have you checked out spiral scouts? maybe there's a chapter nearby?
ReplyDeleteMy kids are still a bit too young, but when they're older, I definately plan to get involved with it! My oldest never got into scouting, she was more of a band girl.
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