Mabon & the autumn equinox
What is the autumn equinox?
The date in September where day & night are equal in length marks a very significant turning point in Earth’s cycles: the first day of Fall, the Autumn equinox, and the second harvest of the season!
The celebration of this turning point goes by many names, several of which are ancient. Call it the equinox, harvest festival, the harvest moon, Mabon, Witch’s Thanksgiving… all link back to the same themes. The warm, long days of Summer are over, and it’s time to really give thanks & soak in their abundance one last time. From tomorrow on, the nights will be longer than the days, and keep getting longer as we enter the dark half of the year in the northern hemisphere.
In the agricultural calendar, which most humans lived in alignment with until recently, the end of September is the ‘fruit’ harvest. This is typically the main harvest, coming after the ‘grain’ harvest in August ( Lammas) and before the ‘root’ harvest in October (Samhain). The fruit harvest includes berries, nuts, peppers, cucumbers, watermelon, pumpkin, squash, corn, tomatoes, apples, grapes, and anything else that may need to come indoors before the first frost hits.
Historically, most cultures have believed the abundance of fresh Fall food is cause to celebrate, and so is the hard work of harvesting being done. It takes many hands to get the ripe plants from the fields, to safely stored & preserved for the approaching Winter. Now we can go to the grocery store & buy processed, imported food in any season… but even less than a few hundred years ago families across America were joining with their neighbors to share the work of picking & preserving a year’s worth food, and then dancing, and relaxing under the last warm, bright Full Moon of the year, the September Harvest Moon.
Autumn Equinox Symbolism
Celebrations around this time are even much more ancient, and rich with interconnected symbolism. The Mayan pyramids mark the day with a light/shadow image of a snake ascending the stairs, visible only around the equinoxes. In Greek mythology this time of year is associated with the end of Virgo season, which follows the story of earth goddess Persephone & underworld god Hades- the tale responsible for causing fall/winter to start & the harvest season to end- as it soon will in our reality today. Wicca associates this time with the Crone aspect of the triple goddess- the aging but wise divine feminine figure representing a turning point in life (including & especially the end of it).
Additional symbolism associated with this festival is that of balance, given the equinox. An equinox happens twice a year, the Autumnal & Vernal (Spring), and are the only dates in which the hours of daylight is just about exactly equal to the hours of darkness. This brings up themes of balance at this time of year, not only in terms of daylight to darkness, but also as the polarities between masculine and feminine, life and death, earth & spirit realm, yin and yang, giving and receiving, etc. For example, its a historically common belief that this is a safe time to do ancestor work or visit graveyards, as any dangerous spirits or entities won’t have power over you- you’ll be equal.
At the equinox the earth and universe at large is supporting us to feel balanced and whole too- this is why now is a good time to revise goals and intentions. The next sabbat/ festival in October (Samhain) is the end of the year for witches, farmers, and many others who live in alignment with earth’s cycles. So from now until then is the perfect time to review the past year & make new goals for the coming one. Don’t wait until January when seasonal depression is already hitting hard! Take some time while you’re still riding the high of Summer to reflect on what you’re proud of since this time last year, how you’ve grown & changed.
If you had any goals or expectations that didn’t quite pan out, this is a time of acceptance and moving forward. Make peace about what happened in the past, make peace about what could have been, and celebrate the wins you did reach. It’s also common for many to have fears coming up around this time about new endeavors in the Fall- be it back to school season, signing a new lease, or a dislike of the cold- and the time to face them has finally arrived. It’s the time to embrace Autumn & cold weather coming, be like the leaves in Fall and just let go- or whatever that corny Pinterest quote says lol.
Modern ways to celebrate:
have a feast or make a seasonal recipe, this day has come to be known as the Witches’ Thanksgiving!
harvest from your garden (even better if you can use these in your feast!) and plant any seeds that need the Winter to germinate for growth in the Spring
protection and banishing magick become the main ‘types’ of spells and rituals that the universe is supporting us in during the colder months. Now that the sun is waning, getting smaller and going away for the winter, we utilize that energy for intentions & spells that take things away or make them smaller (vs the abundance spells in the brighter months that are aiming to add or increase something)
apple magick & crafts! Apples are another food that are in abundance at this time of the year, and they have a lot of traditional magickal and crafty uses. You can make some fresh home decor and enchant it with protection, research & complete a specific spell that uses apples as some sort of medium (there are a lot!), or simply read about the ancient folklore surrounding apples. You could also similarly use pomegranates, as they symbolize Persephone & other themes of Fall
decorate your house or altar with a little bit of Fall colors! Maybe using whatever wildflowers are still growing around you, or any leaves that are already turning, maybe even getting fancy & making a cornucopia! I used to wait until a little closer to Halloween to decorate for the Fall and only go for the whole spooky vibe; now that I celebrate Mabon it gives an excuse to decorate earlier and connect to nature as I make my house feel home-y and cozy before the ghost figurines come out hehe
spend time in nature noticing the Fall colors and other changes that are arriving with the new season! Maybe take a daily walk and notice what changes each day, gathering the nature decorations mentioned above. I know I say this almost every sabbat but that’s because its always one of the simplest/cheapest yet most meaningful way to more deeply understand the energy of the season
journal on your accomplishments so far this year & set new goals for next year (see below for prompts!)
Journal Prompts:
looking back on the past year, what am I most grateful for?
what are some things I’m proud of bringing into fruition?
what has been working in helping me achieve my goals and live in my highest alignment? (thought patterns, beliefs, habits, behaviors, relationships etc.)
what hasn’t been working? what shadows am I still being fearful and avoidant of?
How I’m Celebrating (2024)
Kayaking
On the day of the equinox I watched the sunrise and set, the latter from the Susquehanna river, looking at the fall colors begin to change along the ancient bedrock. It still felt like summer in the air and we soaked in that feeling as long as we could.
Apple orchards & Offerings
Heading to the local apple orchard and farm to pick some fresh apples, get some cider, and leave a wassail offering for the apple tree man. Definitely grabbed some pumpkins too for the start of fall decorating!
Pumpkin faery house
Speaking of fall decorating, it’s finally time to make a new home for the fae. This has become one of my favorite traditions, using the fanciest pumpkin and a bunch of other natural materials to make a little home as an alternative to carving it.
How I’m Celebrating (2023)
Casacade Equinox festival
This year we traveled to the Oregon high desert to take part in the first ever Cascade Equinox music festival, happening right on the weekend of the equinox! We watched the half moon set over the Cascade range each evening as we danced into the sunset. It was a super intentional event and the energy of the community was amazing.
Preserving seasonal blooms
This year I had the honor of helping my dear friends with their wedding flowers a week before the equinox and am now working on drying, pressing, and preserving them into art! I'm also cleaning out a lot of my plant/ flower collection in the process. It’s important for me at this time of year to size down and keep only what’s necessary to winter- otherwise things end up going to waste.
Cider Mills & Camping
The equinox marks the start of cider mill season and the end of camping season here. We usually take these weeks leading up to Samhain to soak in both of them as much as we can!
How I’m Celebrating (2022)
Connecting with Community
I’ve been traveling a lot this summer, almost every single weekend! Its been amazing but its also meant missing out on connecting with my local community, which is a huge theme of the Harvest Festival. It feels good to be home, going to the farmers market, and getting involved in local events. I’m teaching several classes and workshops in my neighborhood Sept-Nov, and a bunch of local gigs coming up for spooky season too!
Eating Seasonally at the Cider Mill
We went to a cute cider mill over the weekend, and got some locally made donuts, apple cider, and apple & pumpkin butter. This weekend we’ll probably bake some bread too!
Wintering the garden
The garden was wayyy more abundant & successful than last year, which means there’s a lot of work to be done if you don’t want it all to go to waste, especially in a household of 2 with a small freezer/fridge. We’ve been using the insane amount of tomatoes & peppers to make salsa, pizza, and even a few rounds of chili already. The rest still need to be made into sauce to freeze. There’s seeds to be collected from flowers- some that I scattered right back into the soil, some that I planted in pots, and some that I labeled & stored inside until Spring. On top of all that we’re moving, and need to think of how we’re going to transport and winterize everything else!
How I’m Celebrating (2021)
Goal setting & spell work
I’ll be revising my goals and banishing anything that does not align with achieving them. Truthfully, I’ve been doing this since the new moon in Virgo at the beginning of the month and will continue to through Samhain, which is definitely much more of a New Years to me! A lot of my home blessing & protection spells also need reworking since I moved in last September.
Movement Medicine under the harvest moon
I’ll be hosting my monthly yoga class on the full moon as usual, but this month also aligning with the sabbat! All of the sabbats really feel like Christmas to me and they’ve brought so much joy into my life so I’m excited to be able to join with my community on this day and share my energy!
Decorating my home and altar
In the Fall I like to deep clean & declutter my house, and then I definitely break out some of my fall decor in time for Mabon. I think of this as the final step in preparing my home for the cold months- after doing the physical & energetic home cleansing. I use similar natural decorations in my home decor and my altar: leaves, acorns, pinecones, flowers like zinnias & sunflowers & yellow and green candles.
