This month on September 23rd we will celebrate Mabon! And though it’s not an original member of the wheel of the year, and isn’t one of the great Celtic Sabbats, it’s the Fall Equinox and a highly vibrational and beautiful time of the year. It marks the midpoint between Lammas and Samhain and helps give balance to the wheel of the year.

With Mabon, we begin to feel the excitement of the changing seasons from Summer to Autumn and it’s a reminder that Samhain and Halloween are right around the corner. Mabon has sort of become known as the Pagan Thanksgiving by modern Pagans, as it’s a time to reflect and give thanks for the prior months’ blessings.

What is the Fall Equinox?

As you might remember from our post about Litha (find that here), the Autumn Equinox (known as Mabon), falls opposite the Spring Equinox (known as Ostara) on the wheel of the year. Both are the points in the Earth’s rotation, when the Sun is just above the equator, making day and night of equal length. From here on out the days will begin to be noticeably shorter until we hit the shortest day of the year in December (known as Yule).

The energies of the Fall equinox help us to finish up projects and prepare for the winter. To soak up the last rays of sunshine and enjoy time out in nature before she is cold and barren. It’s a moment of pause and inner reflection as we pull ourselves inward to our spiritual self in preservation during the darker days of the year. This transitional time invokes deep thoughts and feelings and much nostalgia for days past. It’s a time to be grateful as you reap the rewards of all the seeds you sowed during the spring and summer months.

Since Mabon isn’t an original Sabbat, there isn’t a lot of lore or tradition around celebrating. But if it’s something you’re pulled to do, and it’s a time that resonates with you, here are some symbolic plants, animals, deities and more, to help expand the energy around the Autumn Equinox-

Herbs, plants, and trees:

Bittersweet, Chamomile, Ferns, Marigolds, Milkweed, Oak Leaves, Rue, Sage, Thistle, Yarrow, Benzoin, Cinnamon, Myrrh, Pine, Frankincense, Patchouli, Aspen, Cedar ,Locust, Maple Oak, Pine, and Walnut.

Foods: 

Apples, pumpkins, acorns beans, berries, breads, corn, dried fruits, grains, grapes, hops. Oats, nuts, seeds ,pomegranates, carrots, root veggies, potatoes, squash, wheat, wine, ale, and cider.

Animals:

Wolves, dogs, owls, salmon, blackbirds, stags, geese, and eagles.

Colors:

Brown, Green, Gold, Maroon, Orange, Purple. Red, Scarlet, Yellow, and Violet.

Crystals: 

Amber, Citrine, Cats Eye (Hypersthene), Lapis Lazuli, Sapphire, and Yellow Agates.

Deities:

Pamona, the Muses, Modron, Bona Dea, Land Mother, Triple Goddess, Persephone, Demeter, Ceres, Epona, Morgan, Mabon, Sky Father, Green Man, John Barley Corn, Wicker Man, Thoth, Hermes Hotei, Thor, Dionysus, and Bacchus.

I hope this gives you a little direction on how to honor and celebrate the Autumn Equinox if you should feel called to do so. As for myself, I’ll be decorating for the season and adding some nature-walk treasures to my altar.

Be well! Blessed be! *Rey*