"Not of father, or of mother was my blood, was my body. I was spellbound by Gwydion, Prime enchanter of the Britons, when he formed me from nine blossoms."—‘Hanes Blodeuwedd’ R. Graves, Trans.

In Most Pagan cultures, the sun god is seen as split between two rival personalities the god of light and his twin, his 'weird', his 'other self', the god of darkness. They are Gawain and the Green Knight, Gwyn and Gwythyr, Llew and Goronwy, Lugh and Balor, Balan and Balin, the Holly King and the Oak King, etc. Often they are depicted as fighting seasonal battles for the favor of their goddess/lover, such as Creiddylad or Blodeuwedd, who represents Nature. The god of light is always born at the winter solstice, and his strength waxes with the lengthening days, until the moment of his greatest power, the summer solstice, the longest da...
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Preparations:
A wheel symbol stands on the altar; it may be anything that feels suitable a cut out disc painted yellow or gold and decorated with spring flowers, a circular mirror, around brass tray. The High Priest’s robe, if any, and accessories should be symbolic of the Sun; any metal he wears should be gold, gilt,brass or bronze. The altar, if indoors, should be decorated with springflowers particularly the yellow ones such as daffodils, primroses, gorse, or forsythia. One banquet should be ready for handing to the Spring Queen, and a chaplet of flowers for her crowning. The Spring Queen is one of the younger women in the Coven. The cauldron is placed in the center of the circle, with an unlit candle in it. If outside, and conditions permit, a bonfire is made ready to light. A taper is placed ready on the altar for the Ma...
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"There were three men came out of the West, their fortunes for to try, and these three men made a solemn vow, John Barleycorn must die..."

Despite the bad publicity generated by Thomas Tryon's novel, Harvest Home is the pleasantest of holidays. Admittedly, it does involve the concept of sacrifice, but one that is symbolic only. The sacrifice is that of the spirit of vegetation, John Barleycorn. Occurring 1/4 of the year after Midsummer, Harvest Home represents mid-autumn, autumn's height. It is also the Autumnal Equinox, one of the quarter days of the year, a Lesser Sabbat and a Low Holiday in modern Witchcraft. Technically, an equinox is an astronomical point and, due to the fact that the earth wobbles on its axis slightly (rather like a top that's slowing down), the date may vary by a few days depending on the year. The autumnal...
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General Mabon info to start with, set the mood, ect... :

What is Mabon?

Mabon, sometimes known as the Harvest/Thanksgiving Ritual of the Autumn Equinox, is one of the Spokes of the Wheel of the Year. In the many Earth of Pagan Religions, a special kinship with the passing of the seasons is felt... this is usually due to the history of the said Tradition, most of which stem from agrarian culture, where the season marked the way of life. From planting to reaping to winter to summer... the seasons were of great importance to our ancestors, for their very existence depended upon good harvests, mild winters, enough rainfall, and the like.

So... having shown the importance of the seasons, we shall turn to Mabon itself. Autumn.. Harvest time.. the reaping of what was sown and cared thru durin...
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