Customer Reviews

Mabon: Celebrating the Autumn Equinox

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Mabon the book of honor, giving, celebrations and blessings! Llewellyn has a winner in their Sabbat Series with Mabon. While most of America celebrates thanksgiving, the rest of the world celebrates the Autumn Equinox. The time for celebrations and giving honor as the wheel of the year yet turns again.

Mabon begins with the Origins of Thanksgiving, not only in the United States but also in Canada. As Author Kristin Madden moves forward, the second chapter is Traditions Around the World. She hasn't left out history nor of Modern Themes. Continuing onto Myths and Deities she has chosen several including traditions such as Norse, Egyptian, Middle East, Sumerians, Babylonians, Hindus, Celts and many more. Bringing us now to Symbols of the Season with Colors, Stones, Mythical Creatures, Plants, Burial Cairnes and Sun Wheels.

Learn Rituals of Mabon with Incense, and Altar Decorations for Wicca, Druid, Norse, NeoShamanic and rituals for children. No book on the Autumn Equinox would be complete without recipes and crafts. Mabon has both, from mouth watering delights of food and drink, to wonderful children friendly crafts for celebrations of season, family and earth.

As you are reading Mabon your thought is "Wow! and still so much more!" Learn how to connect to the earth by tending your garden, planting for the new year, the reasons for gourd rattles, nature walks, even how to make your own compass and how to predict the weather. We couldn't forget about our friends outside and Mabon certainly hasn't. Learn how to make gourd birdfeeders and a sunwheel squirrel feeder.

Learn how you can connect with the sky and have an equinox party or making an equinox mask. Perhaps sun stones is more to your taste. As we are so much aware of the spirit of the community, this chapter brings forth just these issues. Honoring the Elders and the young, Letters of Thanksgiving, Honoring the dead, Honoring Family Ancestors, and a wonderful section on harvesting soap!

As Author Kristin Madden winds down her delectable book she concludes with Equinox Science. This last yet unforgettable chapter brings us Weather Folklore, Autumn Ecology, Astrology, Astronomy and Archeoastronomy. No matter your tradition or path, Mabon is an exciting and enticing read, one you will enjoy many many times through the turning of the wheel!

M.L. Benton, Publisher, Echoed Voices.
Copyright © 2002

This was the first book in the Llewelyn Sabbat series that I purchased, and it is still my favorite. Mabon had always been one of those holidays I celebrated the same dull, dreary way year in and year out -- until I got this book.

The whole book is a definite must-read, particularly the sections pertaining to recipies, crafts, etc. As I already have a ritual structure, the sections containing rituals were less than useful.

Overall, a good book to have on hand for both fun and informative reading.

The Mabon book is the final installment in the Llewellyn Sabat series. They chose Kristin Madden to do this book, and a fine job she did. Another book that is well researched and is packed full of Autumn trivia, recipies, customs and lore.
Ms. Madden's credentials are impressive, she has the background and knows her material well. The different paths are explored, from the Hebrew to the American to the Celtic to the Norse. The book is a well rounded presentation of the Harvest season.

Harvest is about celebration, and the book contains ritual celebration, it contains the celebration of food, it discusses symbols and customs and traditions. There is a really good explanation of the Equinox that anyone can understand, and some basic astrological information that did not send me running for a reference book. There is even an Internet resource listing in the back of the book that points out web material on Autumn and the Equinox.
If you have not looked at this series by Llewellyn, it probably is one of the better series Llewellyn has created. It is a series of collected knowledge, research and insights by some wonderful authors, both well known and those who should be well known. Though many may not be familiar with Ms. Madden, with this book we will be looking for other titles from her.
Add this one to your collection or start the collection with this one. I think you will be pleased with the entire series, as I have been.

Well tomorrow is thanksgiving so I pulled out this book to get some ideas and I ended up just sitting here reading chapter after chapter so I thought I'd write a review. Theres such a wealth of information contained in this book - all sorts of interesting things about Thanksgiving and its origins, some wonderful stories from the old myths and oh, just a super section on animals within the chapter on Symbols of the Season. We have Turkey Vultures that migrate in each year within a day or so of the equinox each year and they stay for a bit. There's a wonderful section on the Turkey Vulture and honoring them. (The native americans called them Peace Eagles. There's a super chapter on rituals with poems honoring mother earth, and even a feast (menu and recipes as well as a blessing). I'm vegetarian and I was so pleased to see a recipe for vegetarian chili. There are some fun crafts like making amulets and other fun activities for connecting with the earth. Simply wonderful! My favorite of the Llewellyn series so far!

This is a great book about Mabon. It has unique and fun crafts with step by step instructions. There is a recipe for homemade soap (not the craft store melting cubes) and glycerin leaves. She talks about the season from the perspective of different cultures as well. The readings, the activity ideas, the recipes, the ideas for ritual...all help bring the Sabbat alive. I don't care for the cover, it made me think the book would be flakey, but it is really fun to read and full of great ideas.

OK Kristin, what IS the date of the September Equinox? (a.k.a "Mabon")

I'm sorry but every time I get a chance and have the time in the bookstore I grab this book and scan and scan til my eyes are blurry and my head is spinning... I've probably logged 40 minutes this way over the last couple years and still have not found one place in your whole book about this Pagan holy-day where it states THE DATE of the actual equinox. Perhaps I'm wrong and I've consistently over looked it?

If it's really not in there, why? What about the likelihood a book about Christmas or Independence Day being published which never cites the calendar date of the subject? Initially, the absurdity of this just boggles the mind...

If it's really not in there, I can hardly blame you, Kristin, since virtually NONE of the books on Wicca and Neopaganism or Celtic Spirituality ever published by Llewellyn (or their competitors) -ever- get this date right. As a result there such a towering body of incorrect citations for the date out there that I could easily imagine Llewellyn's editors forcing you to not give the correct information since it would then indicate that the related statements in 99 of 100 of their other books as being wrong.

Well, regardless, here's the deal: for Western Europe, Britain, and North America, the September Equinox occurs usually on September 23rd and on the other years on September 22nd. NEVER on the 25th; NEVER on the 21st, etc...

If you don't believe me, HERE: [...] is where astronomers and calendar makers go for the actual data for such things, rather than Pagan writers eternally cribbing off of other ill-informed Pagan writers as they seem to have done for generations.

Maybe in the next edition?
Otherwise it could have been a charming little book.

Blsessed be,

EARRACH,
Pittsburgh PA