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Demeter
Title
- Greek Goddess of the harvest and agriculture
Description
- Usually a lovely looking middle-aged woman with a veil on her head often holding wheat or her horn of plenty
Duties
- Presides over crops, grains, food, the fertility of the Earth, harvesters of the crops,
Lineage
- Cronus and Rhea are her parents
- Sister to Hestia, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, Zeus, Chiron
- Mother to Persephone, Despoina, Eubuleus, Arian, Plutus, Philomelus, Iacchus, Hecate, and sometimes Dionysus
Stories
- While she was searching for Pershephone, which is a whole other story, she came upon the kingdom of Eleusis in Attica. There she turned herself into an old woman and asked Celeus, the king, for shelter. He took her in and she nursed his sons, Demophon and Triptolemus by Metanira. In return Demeter thought to turn Demophon immortal. She covered him in ambrosia and put him in the fire to burn away his mortality, but Metanira walked in and freaked out, and so Demeter abandoned that idea. Instead she taught Triptolemus the secrets of agriculture, and in turn, he taught any and all that wanted to know about planting, growing, and harvesting grain. Thus humanity learned agriculture.
Interesting Facts
- Has lots of names associated with her, but two main ones are Sito and Thesmophoros.
- Has two festivals; Thesmophoria ( which was a woman only celebration) and the Eleusinian Mysteries (which was open to all).
Symbols
- Cornucopia, wheat, bread, torch, and poppy
Mabon History
Mabon is the time of year like Ostara (March 21st or thereabouts) when the sun and moon are equal in the sky. The Sun hits the equator at just the right angle in order for this to happen. Light and dark rule the skies together in harmony and balance. This is true for both hemispheres. The Latin word equinox means “equal night”. From here on out, in the Northern Hemisphere, the days will be getting darker and the second portion of the harvest season has begun (the 1st portion being Lughnasdha August 1st).
This holiday celebrates the dying of the sun god and his time of entering the Underworld to gather up the souls of the dead to be brought forth on Samhain. Some believe it is when the sun god is defeated by the god of darkness and therefore darkness takes hold and rules the later half of the year thus creating longer nights. Another belief is that Mabon is Modron’s son, the great Earth goddess, and was kidnapped after his being born leaving the world in darkness. For this reason it is associated with life, death and rebirth.
The autumn equinox has been celebrated around the world over the ages. The Welsh and Druids are believed to have honored the sun god Mabon at this time. In Britain, Mabon celebrates the god Herne who is known as the great Hunter and it is often the beginning of deer hunting season in several places worldwide, potentially for this reason (in its beginnings anyway). Greeks, Bavarians (Germans), Native Americans, Chinese and more have celebrated this holiday over the ages as well. The Christian peasants in the Medieval times celebrated the Archangel Michael (Michaelmas or Feast of St. Michael) on September 29th as a part of this time of year. Here goose and St. Michael’s bannocks were used as part of the traditional celebration.
It is the time when people discovered how their harvests for the year had fared and it was a time of giving thanks for that harvest. People of the villages would come together to celebrate the harvest, enjoying the fruits of their labor. Traditional items shared or represented would be apples, squashes, gourds, sickles, wine, seeds, nuts, and pumpkins for example. Baskets were woven to symbolize abundance and were often filled with these items. The cattle were brought down from the summer pastures for the winter season and safety.
In American history the holiday was moved several times by a couple of presidents and then later Congress. It began with Lincoln in 1863, proclaiming it as a holiday of giving thanks, it was celebrated Oct 3rd, which still made sense in the pagan sense of the tradition. Then it was moved by Roosevelt in 1939 to the 2nd to last Thursday in November in order to boost pre-holiday sales during the Great Depression. Finally Congress moved it to the 4th Thursday in November and declared it to be so every year from that point forward.
Modern Day
Mabon is a celebration of the second harvest and the autumnal equinox, also known as the Witches Thanksgiving. Mabon, as far as the name goes, is fairly modern. It was coined by the New Reformed Orthodox Order of the Golden Dawn founder, Aiden Kelly around 1970. It is named after Mabon ap Modron, a Welsh mythological figure.
It is now a celebration of thanks, balance, warmth in the face of coming cold, helping others, and shedding what is no longer needed. Corn dollies are one staple of the holiday as well as decorating the altar with fall colors and produce appropriate to the season; apples are a big one as well as pomegranates.
Activities include feasts with friends and family; spells for banishing, balance, and/or gratitude; crafts like making corn dollies; decorating; and going outside and appreciating nature.
Here are a few Autumnal Equinox celebrations from around the world:
- Ohigan, Higan, or Higan-e, is the Japanese holiday to remember the dead. It’s on the equinox because the sun sets directly in the west and, at least in Buddhist thought, the west is where the land of the dead is. On this day families will go out and clean or tidy up the gravestones of the family and then leave fresh flowers.
- The Moon Festival is held in China and Vietnam and celebrates the summer harvest along with the moon’s birthday. People give mooncakes which are rice cakes filled with different things, lotus and/or sesame seeds, duck egg, or dried fruit. They do this to honor the moon and it is thought that the moon blesses them with abundance in return. It is also a time to view and appreciate the moon.
- A common gathering place during the Autumnal Equinox is the Mayan pyramid in Chichen Itza in Mexico. The pyramid was purposefully built at such an angle so that on the equinoxes it looks like the shadow of a giant serpent is slithering down the pyramid. Viewing this serpent is a treat for many travelers.
- In the United Kingdom druids will celebrate the equinox in Stonehenge. Druids have Alban Elfed as the name of their holiday and celebrate the balance of night and day.
Tarot
The Queen of Swords. She is compassionate in how she doles out her wisdom. Being self aware raises her confidence in such a way as to overcome any insecurities she may have once had. She has no need to make showy gestures of grandeur because she knows and relies on herself almost entirely and doesn’t feel the need to prove herself to anyone. Because of this she is able to be compassionate with others in a sympathetic manner. Her wisdom gives solace to those in need and to others she can be supportive by offering optimism.
She is encouraging us today to believe in ourselves. The feminine power is waxing at this time of year and although there is a kind of sadness at this point there is also strength. Now is a great time to connect on a deeper level with your feminine side. Pull on the wisdom of it and connect with yourself in a more intimate way. How confident do you feel in yourself? What do you need to do to become more self-empowered? What might you have to offer others who come to you for support? Here is an opportunity to test yourself and your abilities. It’s a perfect time to tap into your higher self, trusting in what you know and feel.
Share your experiences with those looking for advice.
https://www.learnreligions.com/mabon-history-the-second-harvest-2562060
<ahref=”https://kidskonnect.com/holidays-seasons/mabon/”>Mabon Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com</a> – KidsKonnect, July 23, 2019
https://witchcraftedlife.com/15-free-and-low-cost-ways-to-celebrate-mabon-fall-equinox/
https://eclecticwitchcraft.com/mabon/
https://spacetourismguide.com/september-equinox-celebrations/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demeter
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