Mabon: More Harvesting?

Last updated on: September 21, 2018 at 9:24 am by Lisa Wagoner

Mabon: More Harvesting? 2018-09-21T09:24:37-04:00 Lisa Wagoner

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

As the Wheel of the Year moves ever onward, we celebrate the second of three harvest festivals. More harvesting? It can give you pause, but our ancestors knew what they were doing.

Courtesy of Coulourbox

This time of year can be challenging for me, as I drag myself further away from the sunny brightness of summer. There is a grudging acceptance I feel as the days get darker sooner, and the air grows cooler. Change can be hard to accept, and Fall is certainly a time of change. The trees show us how beautiful it is to let things go, as the popular meme states.

The season since Lammas has been one of change, of letting things go that no longer serve me. The layers of myself that have been shed have led to a well-honed core of what is important to me: family, friendships, work, writing, poetry, words, community. All these things are my mantra as I move through the busy hum of this time of year.

Compared to last year, when I was in a giddy swirl of manifesting and reaping, this has been a more somber year. My youngest has faced health issues that has brought me to the brink of despair, inspired me with the grace in which he deals with it, and strengthened my resolves in many areas. Magic and the Wheel of the Year has served me well in these areas, focusing, resetting, providing me with things to do so I don’t feel quite so helpless. My body feels in tune with the season, and there is less fear of the colder and darker days ahead. Following the seasons feels right, and I feel a certain hum underneath the daily grind of life that soothes me.

So what am I harvesting? Harvesting was always the giddy anticipation of gaining something. The fruits of my labor. Like the ripe, luscious tomato that is harvested from the garden, the fragrant herbs or the spicy peppers that would fill my bowl. Now it feels more that I am digging deep in the ground, unearthing treasures that I find. I dig deep, and it a satisfying sensation. I have harvested a renewed commitment to my magical practice, and I have returned once again to honoring and communing with my ancestors. Not that my ancestors have given me much choice, as they were lamenting all summer in a dusty corner that I seemingly abandoned them. They surround me and my sons with love and guidance, and it is comforting to know that we still have that attachment. Darker and less welcome ancestors have shown up as well, but in facing them, a strength has been derived that this too can be overcome.

My harvest has been facing the darkness that is within myself, as I silently wail, again?! Does this ever end? And I have learned: no, it does not. Like the potato that is harvested, I dig deep in the loamy soil to find that stubborn stone that has hindered growth, examine it, work with it, and move it away, so the growth can continue. I have faced things in myself that I thought was long put to rest, to only discover that it was still there, lurking. It’s not an easy harvest this year. My face has been streaked with tears and grime from the hard work, but there is a satisfying ache in my bones from work well done.

So here we are, at the second harvest festival. Heading towards the zenith of our year, Samhain. I am weary, and battered, but ultimately a stronger person for it. It has been a year of learning and harvesting. Grudgingly, for I was never a farmer. Or so I thought. Yet with my little plot, I have reaped some interesting and fruitful crops. I will celebrate with friends, partake in ritual, and feel fully present in the moment. I know I can face the coming darkness more solid as a person than I have ever been. It is a harvest I am proud of, and one that will serve me well in the coming months.

Previous Post

September 9, 2018

The Magic of Language

Next Post

September 24, 2018 Does This Stuff Really Work?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which letter encourages believers to "rejoice in the Lord always"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Colossians 1 Peter Philippians 2 Thessalonians