What is Mabon?
Mabon is the Autumn Equinox, the balance point between the Light and Dark Halves of the Year and the second of the three harvest holidays.
Bring to your mind all the traditional aesthetics of fall, harvest, and the meal of Thanksgiving, and you’ll have a good start to understanding Mabon. Positioned right at the midpoint between the summer and winter solstices on September 22, 2020, the Autumnal Equinox is a time for sharing the earth’s bounty, expressing our gratitude and providing for others as we slide into the Dark Half of the Year.
The name Mabon, much like the holiday itself, is a more modern creation, coined in 1970 after Mabon ap Modron from Welsh folklore. Even though it is a rather new official holiday in neo-paganism, it's become one of the 8 spokes in the Wheel of the Year and it has a beautiful function as the threshold between the Light and Dark Halves of the Year. The days grow shorter, the nights longer, and now they meet in perfect balance for the first time since Ostara. Light and dark, masculine and feminine, they come into balance for this brief time, before the inevitable dominance of winter. Typically pagans come together for a big meal, as this is the time for sharing our bounty with each other. Reflect and find balance, both in yourself and with those around you. Finish tasks you’ve put off, repay debts, and begin to prepare for the end of the year. Here are some ideas for how to get into the Mabon spirit.
Playlist for Mabon
Decorations
Gathered leaves, seed pods, and dried plants found on a nature walk
Wreath or crown of autumn leaves to wear during your celebration
Basket or cornucopia full of freshly harvested produce
Tie yellow or golden ribbon (sun symbolism) around sprigs of dried yarrow or cinnamon sticks to hold onto the last rays of the sun.
Activities
Share a Meal
Prepare a meal of Thanksgiving, using the food of the harvest. One of the easiest meals is to make a seasonal Stone Soup with everyone bringing one type of vegetable that came from a local farm. As each person adds their cut up veggies into the pot, they offer a blessing to be stirred into the soup finishing with:
“Surrounded by good company and good cheer,
May our abundance flow into the dark half of the year”
Make sure you stir it clock-wise or deosil to infuse that intention in (as counter-clockwise is used to release). Make sure you go around the table and share what you're most grateful for this year before you dive into your meal.
Give Back
Make offerings to the land as thanks for the bounty she provides. Save some of your Mabon meal to return to the Earth in gratitude. As you put your plate out, take a moment to place your hands on the Earth and thank her for all the bounty and beauty she shares with you.
Go apple picking or harvest fresh produce from your garden, and leave some of the bounty outside so our animal friends can also enjoy the harvest too.
This is a great time to donate our time or money to a charity we hold close to our heart. You can also create homeless kits with hand warmers, tea, lip balm, chocolate, and your favorite snack to keep in your car so you have something ready if you encounter someone needing warmth in the cold months.
If you want to super charge your abundance through some magical giving, check out the Abundance Model. Implement the Magic Money aspect for Mabon and send out waves of gratitude!
Prepare for Winter
Take the time to prepare for winter, both physically and mentally. As this is the end of Virgo season, it's a good time to finish up any lingering projects that need to be settled before winter. Tidy the garden and the yard, organize the garage and shed, open all the windows and air out the house as you do a deep clean.
If you tend to suffer from seasonal depression, stock up on Vitamin D or look into purchasing a sun lamp. Planning a mid-winter trip somewhere warm can also help.
You can prepare mentally by choosing a class or activity to keep you occupied through the winter. Look into starting a dance class or martial arts, learning a new craft, or signing up for an online course.
As this is the beginning of Libra season, lean into your nourishing friendships and strengthen them while the weather is still good for reliable travel. Plan some seasonal fall fun with your ride or die crew.
Practice Gratitude
Give yourself space to meditate on all the things you learned during the Light Half of the Year since March. This is a great time to explore radical gratitude and think on the things that originally were painful, but now that you’re on the other side, you’re actually thankful you experienced.
Make a gratitude list, post it on your social media, and tag friends as a gratitude challenge. Do candle magic to send blessings to those who have helped you through this time. Celebrate the people that matter most in your life. Write heart felt Thank You cards for all the blessings they bring. Even write them to people you no longer speak to and burn them if sending isn’t an option. Sometimes our most challenging relationships are where we learn the most.
Find Balance
Get real with your time and energy and if you're feeling a bit out of wack, find ways to come back to center. This can be physically like getting a planner or using to do lists or spiritually by meditating on and working with a deity that has the qualities you wish to bring into your life for more balance. Over worked? Work with the sensual feminine like Venus. Unmotivated? Call in some action oriented masculine like Mars or Mercury.
If you’re into yoga, use this day to practice balance poses, such as tree, dancer, crow, flying lizard and headstand.
Mabon Food and Drink
Apple Bread
This delightfully seasonal bread is allergy friendly being both gluten-free and vegan. If you’re staying away from carbs a Butternut Squash Soup would make a lovely alternative dish.
Cinnamon Swirl:
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Apple Bread:
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
6 tablespoons water
2 cups gluten-free flour blend
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup plain, unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chopped apples
For Topping (Optional)
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C).
Grease a 5″ x 9″ (1.5 quart) loaf pan.
Prepare cinnamon swirl by mixing brown sugar and cinnamon together. Set aside.
If using, prepare the topping by mixing the turbinado sugar and cinnamon together. Set aside.
Prepare your flax eggs by whisking together ground flax seeds and water. Set aside to thicken.
In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together.
In a small bowl, mix the sugar, applesauce, melted coconut oil, vanilla, and flax mixture together.
Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix well to combine.
Fold in the chopped apples.
Pour half of the batter into greased loaf pan.
Sprinkle cinnamon swirl mixture evenly on top of batter.
Pour the remaining batter on top of the cinnamon swirl layer.
If using, sprinkle topping evenly on top of batter.
Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
Allow the loaf to fully cool before slicing.
Source: Delightful Adventures
Pomegranate Apple Cider Spritzer
The most classic drink for Mabon is red wine in honor of Dionysis or Bacchus, the Gods of Wine and Grapes, who is celebrated this day. For those of us not indulging in alcohol, pomegranate juice is a fun alternative to commemorate Persephone’s decent into the Underworld at this time of the year. And apple cider, hot and spice or cold and refreshing, is always a safe bet. Can’t decide? Have some fun with it and combine the two into this tasty spritzer.
Ingredients
1/2 cup (120ml) pomegranate juice (fresh or bottled)
1/4 cup (60 ml) unsweetened apple cider
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
Optional: 3 ounces (90ml) vodka
ice cubes
1/3 cup (155ml) club soda
sprigs of rosemary for garnish (optional)
Place a few ice cubes in a shaker. Pour in pomegranate juice, apple cider, lime juice, and vodka. Shake vigorously.
Strain into two glasses and top each drink with half of the club soda. Garnish with fresh sprigs of rosemary.
Source: Healthy Nibbles and Bits
Want to go deeper?
Join Spiral Within: The Dark Half of the Year
If you’re craving a deeper, longer connection, a supportive community of other Pagan seekers, and a safe space to dive into your subconscious this Dark Half of the Year, my virtual community Spiral Within might just be the perfect fit! This self-guided exploration on a private app is a beautiful container for personal growth and deeper spiritual connection on your time. For all the details, click here. But hurry! Enrollment to Spiral Within ends September 23rd.
Things you’ll receive in Spiral Within:
Full Moon virtual circles
Guided Meditations
Thoroughly researched Correspondence Lists of herbs, foods, stones, oils, deities, activities and more for each holiday
Journal Worksheets to explore the themes deeper
Abundance through Gratitude Article and more for each holiday
Offerings 101 Lesson to help you magically express your gratitude and more magical teachings each holiday/month
Virtual Community hosted on Heartbeat.Chat to connect with other members anytime
Lifetime access to Spiral Within at no additional cost after the first 6 months (meaning its not a membership site you have to pay for indefinitely, I want you here!)
Want even more guidance?
You may be a perfect fit for Shadow Journey: An Autumn Guided Exploration
Do you struggle with completing programs?
Know you have some Shadow Work or subconscious patterns to explore, but having trouble teasing it out?
Or maybe you’re an external processor and benefit from talking things out more than writing in a journal.
Then Shadow Journey may be right for you!
You get access to everything in Spiral Within, plus:
One-on-one Tarot Readings every other week
Private New Moon Circle just for Shadow Journey
Astrology Chart Reading
Text and voice memo support from me throughout
While Spiral Within is for 6 months, this additional support only lasts two months. This is to prevent burn-out and to create a potent but well-defined container for transformation.
Want to learn more? Click the link below for all the details and to book an Exploration Call.