A Small Guide to Mabon
Mabon (MAY-bun, MAH-bun, MAY-vhon, or MAH-bawn) is a pagan holiday. It is also known as the Pagan Thanksgiving. It was named in the 1970s by Aidan Kelly and is one of the eight Wiccan sabbats celebrated during the year. This year, the autumnal equinox takes place on September 23rd in the Northern Hemisphere.
Mabon celebrates the autumnal equinox, when day and night are equal, making it a time of balance, equality, and harmony. Many cultures see it as the second harvest (after the first harvest Lammas) and equinox as a time for giving thanks. It is when farmers gathered hearty foods like gourds, pumpkins, grapes, and apples. This is the time of year when farmers know how well their summer crops did, and how well fed their animals have become. This determines whether you and your family will have enough food for the winter. It’s also a good time to reflect on the Wheel of the Year, recognizing your successes and letting go of the things that did not serve you during the past twelve months, such as ending bad relationships, unhealthy habits, or self-destructive beliefs.
Symbols: Cornucopia (horn of plenty), pinecones, seeds
Colors: Orange, red, yellow, brown, copper, dark yellow, dark green
Foods: Corn, beans, squash, apples, pumpkins, cider, root vegetables,
pomegranate, wine
Herbs and flowers: Yarrow, rosemary, sage, mugwort, rosehips, sunflowers,
thistle, marigolds
Deities: Mabon, Green Man, Demeter, Persephone, Morgan, Pomona, Inanna
Animals: Owl, stag, blackbird, salmon
Stones: Amber, citrine, cat’s eye, Lapis Lazuli, yellow agate, yellow jasper, carnelian, and tangerine quartz.
Things you can do during Mabon:
1. Set up your Mabon Altar: You can use acorns, pine cones, seasonal fruits and nuts, and/or a few of the first colored leaves that drop from the trees.2. Gather from your Garden: Mabon is a celebration of the second harvest season. It's a time when we're gathering the bounty of the fields, the orchards, and the gardens, and bringing it in for storage.
3. Mabon Apple Harvest Rite: Have an apple ritual. It will allow you time to thank the gods for their bounty and blessings and to enjoy the magic of the earth before the winds of winter blow through.
4. Hearth & Home Protection Ritual: Have a ritual to bring harmony and security around your property.
5. Hold a Gratitude Ritual: You might want to consider doing a short gratitude ritual as a way of expressing thankfulness at Mabon. Giving thanks every day during the Fall by using a journal.
6. Mabon Balance Meditation: If you're feeling a bit spiritually lopsided, a simple meditation can restore a little balance in your life.
7. Have a Mabon feast: Include seasonal vegetables like onions, potatoes, carrots, and other root vegetables. It is considered Pagan Thanksgiving, so take this time to have a feast with family or friends. You can also have a solo feast full of your favorite fall meals!
8. If you are one who struggles with seasonal depression during the fall and winter months, use this time to set an intention for inner peace and strength. You might make and charge a talisman for this purpose, to accompany you through the next two seasons.
9. You can also set up a Mabon crystal grid to invite in all the fall vibes you can! You need one (1) acorn, six (6) tangerine quartz, and one (1) wand to activate it. The acorn is used for new beginnings and rebirth. Tangerine Quartz is used for creativity, abundance, inspiration, imagination, and manifesting new ideas. Use this grid to invite prosperity and abundance into your life.
10. You can enjoy fall activities, such as corn mazes, apple picking, fall hikes, and pumpkin patches.
11. This is also a great time to cleanse your space, yourself, and your divination items.