Monday, September 22, 2014, 29 Maimakterion, dedicated to Hekate, the Autumn Eqinox/Mabon, 1st night of the Dark of the Moon, in Virgo, overseen by the 18th Decan, Afut, ruled by Mercury, the last 8 victims of the Salem Witch craze hanged 1692, birth of Physician Galen 130 A.D., of Michael Faraday 1791, death of Nathan Hale 1776, starting in the 13th Mansion of the Moon, Al Awwa/Alahue, good for aid, comfort, assistance, around 14th Mansion, Al Simak/ Azimech, good for promoting love, health; bad for land travel, good for other modes, around midnight Planetary Hours of the Day begin with the Moon at 6:42 A.M., and last 61 minutes. Planetary Hours of the Night commence with Venus at 6:54 P.M., lasting 59 minutes, Sun starts in Virgo, enters Libra 10:29 P.M., Mercury in Libra, Venus in Virgo, Mars in Scorpio, Jupiter in Leo, Saturn in Scorpio. And so, we move into Mabon tonight, carrying the residue of unfulfilled desires generated last night by the Moon being square Mars and in opposition to Neptune. To this is added the Moon being trine Pluto in the morning, which should allow us to express our dissatisfactions. Have a care that the harvest you reap today isn’t one of petty bickering. If you can’t come up with solutions, don’t engage in the argument. At least one’s magicks are strong enough (and supported) to clean things up. Magically, the equipoise of Libra allows you to focus on clear, precise work, the magical equivalent of a fine set of tweezers being under your control; this is a time for measured acts. The Mansions of the Moon contribute to magical acts that deal more with the personal, things closer to home, rather than at Lammas, when the effects are better achieved for larger groups. It’s also the best time to attempt collecting on debts, both financial and otherwise. Ritually, the Waning of the year is now setting in; even if the air temperature hasn’t changed, the quality of light has. These are signals that one should be preparing for a change in direction and attitude; time’s a’ wasting! The Sun, “born” at Yule, goes to ground now. Mabon as a name was first popularized by Aiden Kelly. While referred to as the second harvest, this really is a misnomer, as one’s fields would be producing abundantly since Mid-summer, at least; so thinking of it as the second stage of harvest might be more accurate (particularly if you have been staggering your plantings). This is the proper location to concern oneself with the descent of Persephone into the ground, rather than Samhain; by then, she has already taken on the mantle as Pluto’s consort. Depending on the locality, the main portion of the vineyard would have been brought in by now, not yet turned to wine, but pressed; certainly Dionysus can be honored, as well as Demeter, before she has to go searching for her daughter. If you want to discern a more nuanced distinction between Mabon and Lammas, it could be considered to belong more to the Goddess than the God, who has already been cut down in the grain. The Holly King rules in the stead of the enfeebled Oak. Many of the symbols we associate with Thanksgiving have their more appropriate setting here, if you need some decorating tips. Frankly, by the time the third week of November has rolled around, we’ve passed though Samhain, and you shouldn’t be out on a scavenger hunt for these tokens then, they would lack potency. And so the wheel goes ‘round.