SECTION I - HOLIDAY LORE
Obituary in honor of Doreen Valiente
Mabon and Its Lore and Its Lore - StormWing
Mabon - Baboo Kyra Finch
In Honor Of Doreen
Valiente
On Wednesday 1st September 1999 at 06.55 am,
Doreen Valiente passed into the Summer Lands in her home town of
Brighton. There are few who had met her who did not find her
unassuming, modest, and unpretentious. There were many reasons
for her to be the opposite though. She was (and still is) the
mother of one of the fastest growing religions of the later 20th
Century - Wicca.
Her books have introduced thousands to the concept of the Goddess
for the first time, as well as the joys of a fresh spirituality.
While many who had done far less had donned titles, her humility
prevented her from ever using a title such as 'Queen of the
Witches'; but she more than anyone was responsible for it's
growth, it's poetry and beauty in it's ritual.
And in her own words (From the Charge of the Goddess): "I am
the gracious Goddess, who gives the gift of joy unto the heart of
man. Upon earth, I give the knowledge of the spirit eternal; and beyonddeath, I give peace and freedom and reunion with those who
have gone before."
May the Great Goddess Indeed welcome her with open arms. May she
be re-united with those she has loved. She will be sadly missed
by all who practise the Old Religion.
(Obituary written by : Janet and Stewart Farrar and Gavin Bone.)
Doreen requested that anyone wishing to send flowers should
instead send a donation to the Centre For Pagan Studies of which
she was Patron, and that a list of those kind enough to send
money should have their names published and a book of
commemorative letters should be displayed at the Centre. Please
respect her wish for the privacy of those she has left behind at
this time.
Centre For Pagan Studies,
c/o The Old Oast, Underhill,
Maresfield, East Sussex.
TN22 3AY England.
Cheques and international money orders should be made payable to CFPS.
<View this online at http://www.witchcraft.org/doreen.htm>
Mabon and Its Lore
By StormWing
Mabon (pronounced MAY-bun, MAY-bone, MAH-boon or MAH-bawn) or the
Autumn Equinox is one of the Lesser Wiccan Sabbats and is usually
celebrated around September 23rd, though it can occur as early as
the 20th, depending on the timing of the actual Astrological
event. The Autumn Equinox, like the Spring Equinox divides day
and night equally. However during Autumn, (as opposed to Spring,
when the opposite occurs) we begin to see the waning of the Sun
more obviously now as the days continue to grow shorter until the
Wheel of the Year spins around again to Yule. The various other
names for this Sabbat include the Autumn (or Autumnal) Equinox,
the Fall Equinox, the Second Harvest Festival, Festival of
Dionysus, Wine Harvest, Cornucopia, Feast of Avalon, Equinozio di
Autunno (Strega), and Alban Elfed (Caledonii, or Druidic - which
celebrates the Lord of the Mysteries). The Teutonic name for this
period is Winter Finding, which spans from the Equinox itself
until Winter Night, on October 15. Winter Night is the Norse New
Year.
The symbolism of this Sabbat is that of the Second Harvest, the
Mysteries, Equality and Balance - when day and night are equal.
Symbols to represent the Mabon Sabbat are such things as grapes,
wine, vines, garland, gourds, pine cones, acorns, wheat, dried
leaves, burial cairns, rattles, Indian corn, Sun wheels, and
horns of plenty. Altar decorations might include autumn leaves,
acorns, pine cones, a pomegranate to symbolize Persephone's
descent into the Underworld, and a small statue or figure to
represent the Triple Goddess in Her Mother aspect.
Deities associated with Mabon include all Wine Deities -
particularly Dionysus and Bacchus, and Aging Deities. Other Gods
and Goddesses may include Mabon, Thor, Hermes, Hotei, Demeter,
Persephone, Modron, Morgan, Snake Woman, Epona, Pamona, and the
Muses. The Sabbat is named for Mabon, the Welsh God who
symbolized the male fertilizing principle in the Welsh myths.
Some mythologists equate him as the male counterpart for
Persephone.
Mabon is considered a time of the Mysteries and marks the end of
the second of three Pagan Harvest Festivals, when the majority of
crops have been gathered. It is considered a time of balance, a
time of darkness overtaking light, a time of celebration of the
Second Harvest. It is a time to honor the Aging Deities and the
Spirit World. The principle key action of Mabon is giving thanks.
Pagan activities may include the making of wine and the adorning
of graves. A traditional practice is to walk wild places and
forests, gathering seed pods and dried plants. Some of these can
be used to decorate the home or altar, others saved for future
herbal magick. It is considered taboo to pass burial sites and
not honor the dead.
Spellwork for protection, wealth and prosperity, security and
spells to bring a feeling of self-confidence are appropriate for Mabon. Since this is a time for balance - you might include
spells that will bring into balance and harmony the energies
either in a room, home, or situation. Ritual actions might
include the praising or honoring of fruit as proof of the love of
the Goddess and God, and a ritual sprinkling of Autumn leaves.
Appropriate colors for this Sabbat are red, orange, deep gold,
brown, russet, maroon and violet. Candle colors might be orange,
dark red, yellow, indigo, or brown. Altar cloths can also be made
of material with Fall designs. Stones to use during Mabon are
amethyst and yellow topaz, carnelian, lapis lazuli, sapphire, and
yellow agate. River and stream stones gathered over the Summer
can be empowered for various purposes. Animals associated with
the Autumn Equinox are dogs, wolves and birds of prey. Mythical
creatures include gnomes, minotaurs, sphinx, cyclopes, andamans
and gulons. Plants associated with Mabon are vines, ivy, hazel,
cedar, hops and tobacco. Traditional herbs of the Mabon Sabbat
include acorns, asters, ferns, honeysuckle, marigold, milkweed,
mums, myrrh, oak leaves, passionflower, pine, roses, sage, and
thistles. Incense for the Mabon Sabbat Ritual might include any
or all of the following: frankincense, aloes wood, jasmine,
cinnamon, musk, cloves, myrrh, and sage.
The foods of Mabon consist of the gleanings of the Second
Harvest, so grains, fruit and vegetables predominate, especially
corn. Corn bread and cider are traditional fare, as are beans and
baked squash. Others foods include wine, grapes, breads,
pomegranates, roots (carrots, onions, potatoes, etc.), nuts and
apples.
May the Lord and Lady bless you all with lots of prosperity, and
a plentiful Second Harvest!
StormWing
Mabon
By Baboo Kyra Finch
This is our thanksgiving holiday. It's the last harvest of plant
foods, and the last big celebration before the beginning of the
Dark Time. It's a joyous time, but also somber. It's a time to
ponder over the year past and examine our harvest. Kids can
remember what their goals were for the year, and evaluate their
own progress. They can then plan their goals for the coming year.
We start to gather stuff for the altar during the camping trips.
Pine cones, nuts, wild seeding grasses, dried corn. I like to use
a basket shaped as a cornucopia. Kids can pretty much do all the
altar decorating. A big old fashioned corn dolly in the center
looks great, but anything is good. It's impossible for the table
to not look great. On the day of the ritual, we all bake breads
and muffins, and those go on the altar too. Yeast bread is great
to make, because you can't ruin it, and you can stuff it full of
nuts, raisins and anything else lying around. The kids can twist
the dough into interesting shapes for the baking and decorate the
buns afterwards with glazes and seeds. Finally, on the table is a
planter with sand.
We cast the circle around the Harvest table. Give each person a
grain of corn. Going round robin, celebrants state what they are
proudest of accomplishing during the past year, and what they
hope to accomplish next year. They take their grain of corn and
symbolically plant it in the sand, sowing the seeds of the next
year's accomplishment and acknowledging Persephone's return to
the Underworld.
Then, again round robin, each person states what they are most
grateful for receiving during the last year. Remind everyone to
KEEP IT SHORT -- no rambling monologues allowed! Finally,
everyone joins hands and thanks the Mother for the harvest table.
There are wonderful chants to raise the energy for this holiday.
My favorite one is the Thanksgiving Chant on the Reclaiming tape,
Second Chants.
The food is the grounding part of the ritual. Don't open the
Circle until everyone has taken something from the table and
eaten it. Open the Circle and begin feasting in earnest.
The buried grains of corn are symbolic. Ritually plant the whole
kit and caboodle at Beltane if you want. Just keep it dry and in
a dark place until spring.
ARTICLE TWO:
Costumes for Wonder Women and Green Men:
With Samhain looming on the horizon, it's time to think about
gathering the materials for costumes. Of course, if your family
is Gardnerian or Alexandrian, just skip this article.
Costumes are really easy to create. Keep them simple and allow
the children to fill in the details with their imaginations.
Dressing like a deity really brings the energy home to roost.
They don't even have to be traditional deities My youngest, Lisa,
was crazy about Wonder Woman when she was five. The television
program was a big hit at the time, and provided a wonderful role
model for young women. We made her a Wonder Woman costume. This
identification still empowers her nearly twenty years later. Xena
is the millenial version of the Wonder Woman archytype.
"More Beautiful than Aphrodite, Wiser than Athena, Stronger
than Hercules, Swifter than Mercury, She was known only as ...
Wonder Woman!"
A red tube top and blue shorts or red leotard and blue bathing
suit Bottoms red boots (galoshes will do), The tiara -- cardboard
and aluminum foil; or plastic head band painted gold,
Bullet-repelling wristbands -- cardboard and aluminum foil, A
golden lasso -- gold curtain tie back, Belt -- any metallic belt
(cinch belts works best), Stick on silver stars, Gold and silver
paint for details.
Greco/Roman pantheons:
For any of the Greek or Roman deities, all you need is a toga and
a head band of leaves painted with metallic paint. . To make the
leaves soft and pliable before painting them, just soak them in
glycerin overnight. Pat dry and paint. Glue to a head band.
If you have anyone in your life who belonged to a fraternity or
sorority, they know how to make a toga; it might be a bit fuzzy
but with encouragement, they will remember. If you don't have
this resource, just take any white sheet or piece of light cloth,
wrap it around the little God or Goddess wannabee, and throw it
over one shoulder. Girls are going to want to be Artemis or
Aphrodite. To make a bow, just cut a long, flexible green branch,
bend it into an arc and tie a string to each end. For Aphrodite,
give them bubble soap and wands.
Boys love Hermes. You can make a helmet out of a colander. Just
attach wings made out of aluminum foil over cardboard. You can
glue these to the sides of an old pair of shoes for the winged
sandals.
Poseidon gets a trident. That's one of those plastic pitchforks
they sell at Samhain painted with silver or gold acrylic paint.
Put your little Kore in a tutu or slip with flowers leaves glued
all over it. (Of course, that makes you Demeter. Keep her away
from bulls and pomegranates.)
Give a young satyr some Pan Pipes and glue those little plastic
horns on his forehead. If you're really ambitious, you can make
him some knickers out of fake fur. Use a pattern for clown
bloomers and leave them at knee length. Mother Nature will
provide the rest of his costume as soon as he reaches puberty.
Celts:
Paint the kids blue with laundry bluing. It's cheap and available
in your local supermarket. It comes off...in a couple of days.
You can get little plaid skirts at the local used clothing stores
to use for kilts. Use longer plaid skirts for the girls. Cut them
up to make the shoulder scarves. Find complicated branches for
headdresses. They are lighter and more humane than antlers. Add
some scraps of fake fur for whiskers and a knobby stick, and you
have a wild little Celt!
If you want to put out the money or effort, the local Renaissance
Faire has tons of stuff; patterns, costumes, and dyed fabrics. I
prefer to find my materials garage sales and swap meets. People
are constantly getting rid of old costumes. You can get hats,
masks, wigs and robes for practically nothing. I keep a closet
full of costumes just in case someone needs something, sometime,
for some event. Just in case...
Sorceress/Sorcerer:
Start with an old choir robe. You can find them at church rummage
sales and used clothing shops. If it's white, use a stencil and
some melted wax and paint stars and moons all over it and dye it.
You can use stick on stars. There is a kind that glows in the
dark, which would be very effective. Paint it with fabric paint.
Stick a fake beard on face for a boy.
Underneath, wear a long sleeve, turtleneck jersey or leotard. Hat
is a cardboard cone with a scarf pinned to the tip. Or you can
belt choir robe with drapery tie-back. Staff is a broom or mop
handle with a decorated, styrofoam ball stuck on the end. Hat is
a cardboard cylender.
Witch:
I always make a Witch's costume beautiful. You can find
pettycoats at garage sales and used clothing stores and dye them
black. Both my daughters wore this costume and won first prizes
in costumer contests. It's very effective for a young girl's
positive self image as a Witch.
Pattern for double, full, skirt, or, a very full long black skirt
and/or Pattern for long tutu or several very full long black pettycoats.
If sewing:
6 yards black acetate satin,
12 yards black tulle black leotard commercial Witch's hat
commercal Dracula cape
2 yards 2" wide black lace
black boots
broom, paint the handle black, and dye the broomstraw orange
3 yards each 2 inch orange and black satin ribbon
2 feet 1/4 inch black velvet ribbon
Attach the black satin ribbin to the waist band of the skirt so
that it will tie into a huge bow in the back, Gather and sew lace
around the brim of the hat Use the velvet ribbon as a choker Tie
the orange ribbon around the base of the broom, in an elaborate
bow. You can probably find most of these things at the local mall
if you've left it until the last minute.
Dionysus:
A really cute costume combination for Dionesian Mysteries, if you
have two kids, is to dress one as Dionesys (toga, laurel wreath,
sandals) and the other as a bunch of grapes. Grapes costume
consists of green or brown leotard and tights. Sew on about 20
purple and green balloons, depending on the size of the clustee.
Make a conical hat out of stiff paper, and glue on several felt
grape leaves.
Beards:
Wigs make great beards. The rattier the wig, the better the
beard. Just slit down the center and put the face through the
slit. The wig will frame the face. Add a hat, and it looks great.
Santa beards are usually pretty easy to come by, and can be dyed.
A rag mop can be used as a beard, but it has a pretty Rasta look
to it.
Fur, fake or real, can be stuck on the face with spirit gum
(available at any costume shop). Taking it off, though, feels
rather like a full face wax.
Hoop Skirts:
You can usually get these inexpensively at places that rent
tuxedoes and wedding gowns.
Shopping:
The week after holidays will bring you treasures at half price at
retail stores. Hit drug stores, department stores and party
shops.
Used clothing stores not only have the obvious weird and
wonderful clothes. Tuxedo shirts give you ruffles for collars and
cuffs. Transform tulle pettycoats into wings with wire clothes
hangers and a glue gun.
Swap meets are full of the most wonderful things -- including
complete costumes and masks. Fabric stores always have bins of
fabric scraps, ribbons and buttons.
Dance supply shops have tons of stuff, but tend to be expensive.
Again, best time to shop is after holidays. This is where to get
dance sandles, though, which are a good investment. Acrobatic
slippers and celtic dance shoes are also terrific. Get tap shoes
and ballet slippers at garage sales. It's much cheaper.
Costume shopping list:
choir robes
ribbon
prom and party dresses
crowns, hats, headbands and wigs
feathers, beads, sequins, and shells
fake and dried flowers and leaves
masks and makeup
tutus
vests
tights
bloomers
boustiers
acrylic paint, sparkle, brushes, stencils
furs (fake and real)
leather (ditto)
interesting belts, especially metal chains
feather boas, shawls, scarves
hoop underskirts
pettycoats
ruffled tuxedo shirts (ruffles to be used as cuffs and collar on
Renaissance period costumes)
jewelry, especially chains and long ropes of beads
weird shoes, boots and mocassins
Fabric:
Satin, acetate, velvet, crepe, silk, tulle, faux fur, anything
else that looks interesting curtains, especially lace. These can
be gathered through the rod fold, and made into fabulous skirts.
They also take dye well. And don't forget animals -- toy owls,
wolves, and cats make terrific accessories. The very best
Elizabethan costume book is Renaissance Faire Costumes by Carolyn
Schultz. It is available at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire. This
book will give you pattern brands and numbers, shortcuts, and
directions. These cover a variety of levels of society, from
peasant to royalty.
I keep a closet just for costumes and costume materials. I have a
chest full of hats and hangers of old pettycoats. I also have
face paint, Body Doodlers <tm> and makeup. Guess who is Ms.
Popular just before Samhain!
