Mabon, the Autumn Equinox

Mabon (pronounced MAY-bun, MAY-bone, MAH-boon, or MAH-bawn) is celebrated September 23rd this year. It marks the second harvest of the season, and is also known as the Pagan Thanksgiving. Now is the time to fully take pleasure in all that you have harvested in the past year, and celebrate with friends and family. Mabon is also called the Fall Equinox or Autumn Equinox, meaning the daytime is equal to the nighttime. This makes it the perfect time for balancing and centering before the dark time comes upon us.

Traditional Earth items and foods to celebrate Mabon include acorns, apples, stalks of wheat, leaves, squash, root vegetables, pine, pomegranate, nuts and corn. Meals can be made with items representing Mabon, and these items can also be added to your altar to further connect with the harvest energies of this sacred day.

Colors: Orange, red, gold, brown and yellow.

Herbs: Rue, yarrow, rosemary, marigold, sage, walnut leaves and husks, mistletoe, saffron, chamomile, almond leaves, passionflower, frankincense, rose hips, bittersweet, sunflower, wheat, oak leaves, dried apple or apple seeds.

Goddesses: Morgan (or Morrigan), Epona, Persephone, Freya, Isis, Ceridwen, Demeter, Pamona and the Muses.

Gods: Mabon, Thoth, Thor, Hermes, Dionysus, Bacchus, Cernunnos, and The Green Man.

Stones : Amber, Amethyst, Citrine, Topaz,Tiger's Eye, Cat's Eye

Animals: Blackbird, Butterfly, Dog, Eagle, Hawk,Owl, Pig, Salmon, Snake, Stag, Swallow, Swan, Turkey Vulture, Wolf

Incense can be made and burned during the celebration, and a familiar incense recipe includes:

2 parts Frankincense
2 parts Pine
1 part Sandalwood
1 part Juniper
1/2 part Patchouli
1 Pinch pulverized Oak Leaf (found in any forest or tree grove with oaks)*

Grind together and burn on a charcoal disc during Mabon.

So, bake some bread or muffins, drink cider and wine, and reap all that you have harvested this year. Make sure to give thanks and spend some time focusing on what seeds you would like to sew for the upcoming year!

Mabon Blessings to you!

)O(

~Morgan

*Recipe is a modified slightly, with proper magickal substitutions taken into account, from Scott Cunningham’s ‘Complete Book of Incense, Oils and Brews’.