Mabon - the 2nd harvest festival
On September 22, 2024, we celebrate the Mabon annual circle festival and the autumnal equinox, also known as the autumnal equinox. It marks the astronomical beginning of autumn. As with Ostara, the vernal equinox, day and night are exactly the same length - light and dark are in harmonious balance.
Mabon is the eighth and last of the Celtic annual festivals. The sun festival of Mabon closes the cycle of the year, which then begins anew with Samhain at the end of October.
We see and feel it, the nature around us is entering a new cycle. The leaves are starting to glow with the warm colors of autumn. Apples, pears, rose hips, berries and plums are ripe and the plants are releasing their seeds for the next season. Summer is coming to an end and autumn is approaching. The power of the sun gradually decreases, and even on warm days, the coolness of the coming autumn can be felt in the evenings. And from now on, the days will be shorter and the nights longer, until we will experience the longest night at the winter solstice on December 21st.
Time for your heart's path & remembering your values
In the previous annual festival, Lughnasadh , we celebrated the fullness in our lives and looked at the fruits of our labor and appreciated them with gratitude.
At Mabon, the last Celtic festival of the year, we would like to remind you once again of your heart's path and your values with the Cacao ritual below. We would also like to encourage you to make a plan for how you can live these values and continue on your heart's path.
Mabon Cacao Ritual "Your heart's path & your values"
Feel free to design a small Mabon altar at your feel-good spot with candles, power objects, the gifts of nature and anything else that feels harmonious and right for you.
Prepare your Ritual Cacao with lots of love and awareness.* Then make yourself comfortable in your feel-good spot with pillows and blankets and get something to write ready.
Incense yourself and your space once and say to yourself: "I am completing this cycle and making room for something new." We recommend our Palo Santo , the "holy wood", for burning incense.
Say an intention to your cacao. This could be something like "Give me clarity for my soul path and show me the next steps." You can also set the intention that Cacao may help you to bring your wishes and goals into a (new) structure.
Close your eyes and feel the cacao spread throughout your body. Breathe calmly into your heart and imagine how with each breath your heart gets bigger and bigger. Ask your heart: "What are my values? How can I live these values on my heart's path?" Let images and feelings arise.
Bathe in these images and feelings. Imagine storing all those moments in a photo album in your heart. Press your flat hand a little harder against your heart and say the following sentence: "All these images and feelings are now stored here."
Remember this gesture for times when you want to revisit those memories.
Stay in these images and feelings for as long as feels good to you.
After that you can open your eyes again and take something to write. Be sure to stay in this meditative state to journal intuitively.
✦ What are my values?
✦ What of what I am currently doing is in line with these values?
✦ What structure or things help me to continue on my heart's path (in harmony with my values)?
Write down everything that comes up and then make a small plan of how you want to pursue your goals and wishes over the next few weeks.
Finally, thank the Cacao Spirit, yourself and life.
I wish you much joy in this ritual. May it be a very special ending to this cycle and open to all that awaits you in the next cycle.
* Here we have a recipe and tips for preparing your cacao for you.
