Mabon Pomegranates

“I was talking to the shadows of the pomegranate trees. At least they will be here when we are all gone.” – Tariq Ali

The autumn equinox commemorates the Goddess’ journey to the underworld, as we witness nature’s decaying spirit as we approach winter abandoning her light. The word “equinox” is actually derived from the Latin words “equal” and “night,” when the day and the night are perfectly even, associating this time of the years with the concepts of balance and equality, as well as honestly, accountability, respect, and loyalty.

Harvests are times of thanksgiving, as we reflect on the end of the season. A time to ponder the ebb and flow of our lives and celebrate with gratitude for the harvest and the abundance it has brought us.

Crops of harvest at mid-autumn vegetables and fruits like squash, eggplant, gourds and pumpkins, wheat, corn, and also nuts and seeds. Apples are a typical harvest fruit in New England during the time of Mabon, but further towards the equator where I live there are far fewer apple orchards, making way for groves of citrus fruit. So for us Floridians, the pomegranate is our symbol of the goddess’ blessing.

Pomegranates symbolize death, because it is the fruit handed to Persephone by Hades. When Hades had abducted Persephone, it kicked off a chain of events that led to the world falling in to the darkness of a long winter.

The time of the Dark Mother, or the crone aspect of the triple goddess. Nature dies and goes to sleep a little more each day as it descends into darkness until the light returns in a few months. Unlike the maiden goddess of Ostara, adorned in flowers and ferns, the Mabon goddess bears a sickle and scythe to reap what has been sown.

The legend of Persephone, is that she lived in a perpetual summer until one day she felt the ground shake beneath her feet and the earth spilt open revealing Hades, lonely god of the underworld, driving his golden chariot. Hades swiftly abducts Persephone and takes her to the underworld. Demeter searches for her daughter, and her grief becomes so powerful that the earth grows cold and begins to die causing a lack of food and resources resulting in famine.

Over time, Persephone grew to miss her mother and the land above. Resolved of her grief, Hades in sadness allowed her to return to her mother but before she left he gave her a pomegranate.

A trick to get her to stay in the underworld. Persephone ate six pomegranate seeds, which forever ties her to Hades. So for all of eternity, Persephone may spend six months above ground with her mother and the other six months of the year in the underworld with Hades.

You may select to decorate your Mabon altar with pomegranates to symbolize Demeter and her daughter Persephone’s journey. In leu of wine as an offering consider using pomegranate juice. You may also select the chariot tarot card from you deck and place it onto your altar to symbolize Persephone’s journey and the transition of the season.

You may also leave an offering of foods that include pomegranates. Personally, I love making a batch of pomegranate bread!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and grease a loaf pan.

Combine ingredients in a mixing bowl:

• 1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour

• ¼ tsp of salt

• ½ tbsp baking power

• ½ tsp cinnamon

• A pinch of ground clove

• A pinch of ground nutmeg

• A pinch of ground allspice

• ¼ cup of granulated sugar

• 1 tbsp of brown sugar

• 2 tbsp of melted butter

• 2 tbsp of unsweetened applesauce

• ¾ cup of milk

• 1 beaten egg

• ½ of a finely diced apple

• ½ cup of pomegranate arils

Bake your loaf from 40-50 minutes and allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing.

Serve with a side of homemade pomegranate butter:

• Crush some pomegranate seeds with a wooden spoon

• Add your favorite butter

• A dash of orange juice

Blend well.

Our favorite pomegranate tea is just a combination of brewed chamomile and crushed pomegranates with a little sugar. Excellent as either hot tea or served over ice.

Kick it up a notch with a pomegranate gimlet:

• 1 shot of vodka

• 1 shot of pomegranate juice

• A splash of simple syrup to taste

• Garnish with pomegranate seeds and a lime wedge

Drink responsibly.

Light a red candle at your altar for Persephone and say: *

“The land is beginning to die, and the soil grows cold.

The fertile womb of the earth has gone barren.

As Persephone descended into the Underworld,

So the earth continues its descent into night.

As Demeter mourns the loss of her daughter,

So we mourn the days drawing shorter.

The winter will soon be here.”

*Wigington, Patti. Mabon Ritual To Honor the Dark Mother Dec. 30, 2020

You will find that just ONE pomegranate can go a very long way, helping celebrate the passing of time and reflect on the winter to come. Give thanks to your community and fellow witches at large as Pagan Pride Day falls close to astrological Mabon.