Mabon- The Fall Equinox

One of eight Wiccan sabbats celebrated throughout the year, Mabon (MAY-bun or MAH-bun) is a modern Pagan holiday marking the second harvest and falls during the Fall Equinox, when daylight and darkness are at equal parts. This year, Mabon falls on September 22!

The name Mabon is derived from the Welsh God Mabon/Maponos- the son of Modron the Welsh Divine Goddess of Earth. Although the Holiday was only named in the 1970's by American Poet and Pagan Aidan A. Kelly, similar autumn festivals and holidays such as Germany's Oktoberfest and China's Mid-Autumn Festival have existed for centuries.

Mabon is a time of balance. It is a time to celebrate the seeds of manifestation that were planted during the Spring and Summer months, to harvest what has worked and yielded growth, and to begin reflecting on and releasing what no longer serves us as we prepare for winter. Just as the energy of Mabon holds equal parts light and dark, we hold this same energy within us, and can honor and use it to manifest our highest good.

Common practices to honor Mabon include gratitude journaling, taking a walk in nature, decorating your home and/or altar for the season, picking apples or pumpkins, cooking with or eating seasonal produce, and reading about deities and Gods/Goddesses associated with the Holiday such as Persephone, Inanna, The Green Man, and Hecate.

Symbols: Acorn, Basket, Cornucopias, Pinecones, Seeds

Plants: Goldenrod, Ivy, Oak, Sage, Fern

Crystals: Amethyst, Red Jasper, Citrine, Smokey Quartz, Quartz, Moss Agate,

Deities/Gods/Goddesses: The Green Man, Persephone, Hecate, Hades, Inanna

Colors: Orange, Red, Yellow, Brown, Gold, Deep Purple, Copper

Foods: Apple, Cinnamon, Grapes, Pomegranate, Pumpkin, Corn, Nuts, Mooncakes

Mabon Candle Practice

On the night of the Equinox, light a candle or lantern. Sit with the flame and close your eyes allowing the space of the quiet and night to surround you. Take a few deep breaths. When you focus on the light of the flame and its warmth, what are you grateful for in your life? What has brought warmth and light to you in the past months? Then take another breath. When you focus on the darkness and the quiet of the night around you, what do you dream of? What do you desire? What would you like to call into your life? Then, if you feel called, write your intentions and manifestations down on a piece of paper and do one of the following: (safely) cast them into the flame of your candle, fold them and place them under your pillow, bury them into a plant or the earth, or tie them and place them into a box. And let the universe do the rest~ Happy Mabon!