Can you feel it? The ever so faint drop in temperature, autumn storms blowing in, changing leaves, pumpkin everything. Fall has arrived, and that means it’s Mabon time. Maybe you’re wondering, what is Mabon? Fortunately, you’ve come to the right place.
In today’s post, we’ll look at all the basics and correspondences of Mabon. When you’re done reading, you’ll be able to build your own magical Mabon celebration based on the themes that most strongly speak to you.
Early pagans (and also just early humans, really) relied completely on the cycles of the seasons for survival. They had to know when the growing seasons started, peaked, and finished in order to grow enough food to make it through winter. Different cultures observed these cyclical changes in varying ways, but most ancient cultures did observe them in some form.
In modern times, most of us don’t worry about growing food for survival anymore, so we’ve become detached from the cycles of nature. Luckily, all us modern witches and pagans can still tap into these cycles by observing the Wheel of the Year – the eight Sabbats.
What are the origins of the Wheel of the Year?
The Wheel of the Year is Wicca’s answer to modern witches seeking communion with the cycles of nature. These festivals were created by Gerald Gardner, regarded as the founder of modern Wicca. I believe these are modern festivals, but he’ll tell you they’re rooted in ancient tradition. Far be it from me to argue with Gardner. I don’t personally think it matters whether they are ancient or modern.
What does matter to me, though, is knowing the origins of these celebrations. The 4 greater Sabbats (Imbolc, Beltane, Lammas/Lughnasadh, Samhain) are based in Celtic and western European origins, while the other 4 lesser Sabbats (Yule, Ostara, Litha, Mabon) mark the transitional times between the greater Sabbats.
Why is this important? Well, Britain and western Europe have a very specific annual cycle based on their climate. Spring often starts to peek its head out in February, and the growing season is done by the first of November. Winter is cold and snowy, and summer is one big, long growing season.
What If I Don't Live in Europe?
If you live in Texas, Northern Canada, Mexico, the entire Southern Hemisphere, or any number of other places in the world, your annual cycles look different. Your autumn might start late like mine. You might not have a fall season at all. Maybe you have growing dead zones in December and July. You might even need to observe those changes in the opposite order!
While the Wheel of the Year is well established as a tradition, your input as a witch matters. The best way to celebrate the Sabbats is to learn about them and modify them to be specific to your area. Trust your intuition, and trust your environment when determining what traditions are important to you and which ones you will leave behind. The Wheel of the Year, after all, is meant to help you connect to the cycles of nature.
But I'm Not Wiccan. Can I Still Celebrate?
I’ve never met a Wiccan who will tell you no, though I’m sure they exist. Pretty much everyone I’ve ever spoken to or read information from agrees that the Wheel of the Year is accessible to all of us. Even those of us who are not Wiccan. Modern witchcraft is so variable. There’s no rule book, and you get to make it your own. These celebrations bring us all together even when we are so different. What is witchcraft? Learn more here.
The Wheel of the Year includes associated deity, and the history centers on stories about the god and goddess. However, it’s up to you to decide if that speaks to you.
For many of us, myself included, The Wheel of the Year is simply a great way to reconnect with our environment and the natural cycles of all living things. For others, each Sabbat is a piece of the story that tells their faith.
I feel that as long as we all respect each other, the 8 Sabbats can totally serve both purposes!
The Wheel of the Year begins on November first and ends on October 31. The festivals alternate between solar observances and earth centered observances. Each Sabbat comes with its own themes, correspondences, and traditions that infuse your whole year with magic rooted in the shifts of your climate and seasonal patterns.
What is Mabon? The History
Mabon (pronounced may-bin or mah-bahn depending on where you live) is the second of three harvest festivals that will occur between August and October. It also coincides with the date of the autumn equinox, marking the first day of autumn. While the celebration of Mabon is decidedly modern, its roots go back pretty much as far as humankind. Countries across the globe have unearthed megalithic structures that align with the exact times of the equinoxes.
At the autumn equinox, daytime and nighttime hours stand in relative balance. After this point, we will experience increasingly shorter days and longer nights until we hit the longest night of the year at Yule. Many pagans and Wiccans consider Mabon to be like a witch’s Thanksgiving, focused on gratitude and abundant harvests. Others consider Mabon to be more akin to a pagan Easter, centering around death, loss, mourning, and sacrifice.
I like to think about the harvest festivals as parts of a big, three part celebration:
- Lughnasadh – represents potential; what could be. There’s still plenty of time to set things right if your goals, plans, and manifestations aren’t working out.
- Mabon – represents realization; your current circumstances for better or worse and your final opportunity to make a big energetic change, if needed.
- Samhain – represents completion; the cycle is complete, and how you must prepare to rest and survive with what you have harvested.
Mabon is all about seeking balance – light and dark, day and night, life and death, joy and mourning… Both sides rule at this time. The official beginning of fall also brings a sense of seriousness and urgency. The whimsy of summer has come to an end, and the time for hard work is at hand. There are crops to gather, harvests to preserve, herbal concoctions to brew, cabinets to replenish, and a long, cold winter for which we must prepare.
This is also the perfect time for some inner reflection. While there’s not time to start fresh, if there’s something you’ve been working on that isn’t working out the way you want, you still have a few more weeks to make adjustments before the harvest season ends.
Spiritually, the goddess is in her mother stage but is swiftly approaching her crone stage. The god, sacrificed at Yule, lingers in the shadows, awaiting his rebirth at Yule.
If Samhain, which occurs at the end of October, signifies the witch’s new year and the start of the Wheel of the Year, then Mabon marks its ending. This makes Mabon season an ideal time to start wrapping up ongoing projects and hitting the pause button on things that require you to stretch yourself too thin. Begin prioritizing your to-do list, and decide where you really want to focus the majority of your time and energy.
Mabon Themes and Symbols
When I ask myself, “What is Mabon?”, the first place I go for inspiration is the themes of the season. This determines all my altar decor and many of my favorite celebrations. Consider what is going on in nature where you live. Then use these themes to figure out what kind of Mabon celebrations you want to have.
For example, this is the time of year where you’re doing a lot of hunting or freezer stocking, the theme of sacrifice might speak to you. If so, consider what you might sacrifice to help you make the best of your time and energy this season. If you are really feeling the theme of honoring home, family, and ancestors, choose activities and correspondences that help you connect to family, both living and dead.
Themes of Mabon
These are some of the common themes of Mabon, but don’t feel confined by this list. First and foremost, you should always listen to your intuition and defer to the cycle of the seasons in your area to honor these changes. September in England is very different from September in North Texas where I live. For this reason, I pay careful attention to seasonal cycles relevant to North Texas when trying to determine, just what is Mabon?
- abundance – as a harvest festival, abundance and growth are a big focus.
- balance and equality – equal lengths of day and night allow us a moment to connect to the idea of balance.
- death – after the equinox, we officially enter the dark half of the year.
- family and ancestral ties – Connect to your family and ancestors. Honor or heal your generational ties.
- second harvest – but only if you’re in a region that’s wrapping up the growing season. This might not feel right if there’s already snow on the ground or if your climate is tropical year round.
- gratitude – harvest festivals go right along with themes of gratitude and thankfulness.
- home and hearth – We’re about to spend a lot of time indoors. Prepare your home.
- mourning – As we move into the dark half of the year, themes of loss and mourning may begin to emerge.
- preparation and planning – Get ready for the impending winter by making sure your emergency preparations are in place.
- protection – Protect yourself from unwanted energy and the issues that winter brings.
- realized goals – This is our second harvest festival. At this point, there’s not much time to sow new seeds, so we’re starting to get a good idea of what we have to work with.
- self reflection – Look back at your goals from the year, and reflect on what worked and what didn’t; wrapping up unfinished projects.
- sacrifice – What will you sacrifice in order to thrive this winter?
- success – As a harvest festival, we hope success in all that we seek to reap from our hard work.
- wisdom – The dark half of the year brings with it reflection, introspection, and time to begin slowing down and getting in touch with our inner wisdom.
Symbols of the Season
Think about the symbols of Autumn, and you’re on the right track. The symbols of Mabon and fall have a lot in common. Think brightly colored autumn leaves and shifting seasons.
- acorns – symbols of autumn, abundance, and growth.
- autumn leaves – transition, transformation, death.
- brooms and besoms – cleansing, home and hearth.
- cauldrons – feminine energy and transformation.
- coins – abundance, wealth, growth.
- corn husks – harvest, sacrifice.
- cornucopias – abundance, plenty.
- effigies – symbolic of death and the god.
- gourds – protection, growth, abundance, fertility.
- the hearth and fireplaces – inner reflection, protection, home, family.
- mortar and pestle – transformation, kitchen magic, feminine energy.
- owls – wisdom, night, and darkness.
- pinecones – abundance, growth.
- salmon – tenacity, change, wisdom, rebirth, motivation
- scarecrows – protection, banishing,
- scythes and sickles – death and mourning.
- stags – fertility, represented food and life to our ancestors.
- squirrels – preparation, balance, playfulness.
- wheat stalks – harvest, sacrifice.
Mabon Colors, Herbs, and Crystals
You can use these correspondences to bring Mabon flair to your decorations, foods, altar, and spell work.
Mabon Colors
When choosing Samhain colors, look to nature for inspiration. Consider which plants and flowers are in bloom and the color scheme of the world outside your door. Think harvest veggies and autumn leaves! Here are some of the most common colors of the season.
- black and white – balance, equality.
- deep red – blood, ancestral ties.
- orange – optimism, warmth, action.
- gold – gifts for ancestors, success, harvest.
- brown – nature, the Earth, soil, roots, harvest, sacrifice.
Herbs, Plants, and Oils of Mabon
These seasonal herbs, plants, and oils can be infused into your spells, meals, and even decor to add some herbal inspiration to your Mabon season. I am not a master herbalist or doctor. As with all medicines, treat carefully, and do your research. Don’t take unnecessary risks.
- allspice – supports immune health, good luck, money.
- bay – inspires wisdom, manifesting wishes, prosperity, spirit work.
- benzoin – balance, prosperity.
- cinnamon – abundance, prosperity, promotes fertility and good health, shielding.
- clove – fertility, abundance, luck, psychic energy.
- echinacea – strength, healing.
- ginger – protection, success, personal power, abundance, spell enhancement.
- hyssop – healing, purification.
- maple – strength, wisdom, protection.
- marigold – ancestor work, solar energy, protection, vitality, abundance, protection.
- mums – strength.
- myrrh – healing, purification, meditation, offerings.
- nutmeg – psychic visions, protection, dreamwork, brings comfort and peace in trying times.
- oak – passion, defense, protection, binding.
- rosemary – healing, tenacity, solar energy, protection, supports mental and psychic power.
- rue – protection, psychic abilities.
- sage – cleansing, healing, protection, supports meditation.
- sunflower – solar energy, happiness, joy, abundance.
- thistle – protection and healing, courage, healing, deters evil, binding.
- turmeric – healing, happiness.
- vining plants – tenacity, growth.
- yarrow – endurance, healing, protection, divination.
Mabon Crystals and Stones
These crystals and stones are perfect for home and altar decor. They’re also great for infusing your spell work and your day with the energy of Mabon. I don’t recommend putting any crystals directly in water. If you choose to use crystals in baths or elixers, I suggest using an indirect infusion method. Please do your research.
- all fossilized crystals – connect to ancient wisdom.
- amber – balance, connects to past wisdom.
- black tourmaline – protection, absorbs unwanted energy.
- bloodstone – healing, balance, supports ancestral connection.
- carnelian – healing, protection, creative potential, strength, courage.
- citrine – success, luck, solar energy, hope, joy.
- clear quartz – energy amplifier.
- fire opal – passion, vitality, courage.
- gold – wealth, abundance, prosperity, strength, courage.
- hematite – grounding and protective, helps with connection to Earth, balances the nervous system and calms the mind, helps with feelings of safety.
- iolite – balance, motivation, past life connection.
- lapis lazuli – attracts desires, grounding, balancing.
- moonstone – hidden knowledge, the Moon, the Goddess.
- septarian – grounding, balancing, connects to Earth energy.
- smoky quartz – protection, supports transformation, helps you stay open to messages from the universe, associated with the afterlife.
Flavors of Mabon
Any seasonal foods and drinks this time of year make the perfect addition to your Mabon celebration. These are some of the most common suggestions as well as a few of my favorites.
- any meat, but especially pork – representative of sacrifice.
- apple – a symbol of magic, mourning, and autumn.
- cider – a delicious way to utilized freshly harvested apples.
- corn, grain , and breads – represents harvest and sacrifice.
- fermented foods – a great way to preserve food and stay healthy through winter.
- grapes – abundance, fertility.
- jams and jellies – preservation of harvest fruits, corresponds to the energy of the fruits used.
- mulled cider, wine, and mead – great for preservation, but also a popular offering to spirits and ancestors.
- pomegranate – hope, abundance, the afterlife. associated with Persephone.
- pumpkin – becomes more plentiful as we approach the fall season, represents abundance, fertility, strength, and protection.
- mushrooms – immortality and death.
- Winter squash like pumpkins, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, acorn squash, pretty much any hard skinned squash.
What is Mabon? Activities to Bring Magic to Your Samhain Season
Mundane Ways to Celebrate Mabon
Maybe you’re short of time or looking to get skeptical family members involved in Mabon. Perhaps you’re just not super into the witchy aesthetic, or spiritual stuff makes you uncomfortable. These fun activities are just the ticket for helping you reconnect with the cycles of the season without the pressure to include actual spell work.
- Go on a nature walk. If you’ve got kids, let them pick up sticks, leaves, flowers, and acorns. You can bring them home and set up a simple science investigation to help your little witchlings learn about the changing season. Leaf rubbings and acorn crafts are especially fitting for the season.
- Research your ancestry or buy an ancestry kit to learn about who and where you come from. If you’re adopted and don’t have ties to your bio-family, I believe that your adoptive ancestors will still connect with you! They’re totally your family. Want to know if your ancestors were accused of witchcraft? Ancestry.com has a database for that now!
- Wear the colors of the season. Go simple with painted nails or a tie. Alternately, go full out with a head to toe Samhain inspired outfit.
- Reflect on the goals you set for the year. Assess what worked, and release what didn’t. Begin evaluating what you need to let go of and what you need to pause as we approach the season of rest.
- Go apple picking. Apples are one of the most popular symbols of the season because Mabon occurs during apple harvesting season.
- Learn food preservation techniques, and put them into practice.
- Visit the Farmer’s Market, and grab some fresh seasonal produce to honor the harvest season.
- Practice gratitude by spending time each day contemplating what you are thankful for.
- Brew up herbal remedies and medicinal infusions. Back to School season is here, which means winter flue season isn’t far behind.
- Host a feast of thanksgiving with your friends and family to celebrate the peak of fall harvest season. Take off some of the pressure of organizing a feast by making it a potluck!
- Enjoy and equinox sunset. As we enter the dark half of the year, it won’t be long until the sun goes down before you even get home from work.
- Bake all the things. Breads, pies, cakes… Take advantage of grains and autumn produce like grapes, pumpkins, pomegranates, and apples to enjoy some sweet treats.
- Incorporate warming spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, or turmeric into your cooking. This is your permission to grab that Pumpkin Spice Latte.
- Start building your winter preparedness plan. Make a plan to wrap up debts, restock the pantry, start washing the warm blankets, make sure the flashlights have batteries, change out the emergency car kit, whatever you need to prepare your family for all the little surprises that pop up when it gets cold out.
- Perform random acts of kindness, and give that stranger, friend, teacher, or coworker something to be thankful for this time of year.
- Learn about foraging. Add foraged foods to a meal.
Witchy Ways to Celebrate Mabon
If you want to infuse some magic into your season, these activities are perfect for all you witches at heart.
- Set up your Mabon altar. Include the colors, foods and symbols you have learned about here!
- Set up an ancestral altar to honor your dead (pets included). Fill it with photos, family heirlooms, and favorite foods/drinks of your passed loved ones. If you’ve already got an ancestor altar, Mabon is a great time to give your space some TLC and spend time connecting to your ancestors.
- Perform a year at a glance tarot pull to see what the coming year has in store for you.
- Perform shadow work to release what no longer serves you. Tread carefully, as shadow work often brings up old traumas with a vengeance. For some, this is best done with the support of a mental health professional.
- Carry the crystals of the season with you. Choose one stone per week over the 6 or so weeks of the Samhain season. Then, make sure to pay attention to what you notice, and journal about your experience. Perhaps you’ll find a new favorite.
- Connect with dark goddess energy to honor the shift toward the dark half of the year. Working with dark goddesses may feel overwhelming or scary at first, but these connections can be incredibly powerful and fulfilling.
- Make a corn dolly to use in your decor and ritual work.
- Set up or refresh your kitchen altar. With harvest season comes the perfect time to work some kitchen witchery, hearth magic, and green witchcraft into your practice.
- Start a dream journal, and learn to interpretyyour dreams. The dark half of the year tends to open up our intuition and may result in more frequent and vivid dreams with strong messages.
- Practice yoga or meditation to help you seek out balance in the fall and winter months.
- Start planning your Samhain celebrations. Tap into the energy of planning and preparation this time of year to get a head start on how you want to kick of the witch’s new year.
Divination for the Season
Since divination is so personal, feel free to use any methods you love! However, these are some of my favorites that I feel truly embrace the themes of the season.
- Peel an apple skin in one long strand and throw it over your shoulder. The tossed peel is said to show the first initial of your true love.
- Pull out your favorite tarot or oracle deck.
- Interpret your dreams for hidden messages.
- Try your hand at automatic writing. Find a quiet space, try to tap into the same altered state you seek for spell work, and start moving your pen freely. You may be surprised by what comes up.
- Scry with a black mirror during the season of darkness and inner reflection.
Mabon Spell Ideas for Seasonal Magic
Whether you have loads of time for an elaborate ritual, or you’re a busy witch with no spare time, you’ll find spell ideas here to perfectly suit your needs and bring in the themes of Mabon.
- Abundance Magic
- Ancestor Connection
- Balancing and Grounding
- Death,Grief, and Mourning Workings
- Protection Spells
- Bump in the Night Protection Spell
- Protection Working Candle
- Protection Charms
- Home Protection Spells
- Storm Magic
- Self Care Rituals
- Release Rituals
- Spirit Work
Spirits and Deities of Mabon
Mabon is the time for sacrificed gods, dark goddesses, and mother goddesses, especially those who lost children. Here are a few examples to guide your research if deity work interests you. This list is NOT exhaustive and really only scratches the surface.
Mother goddesses
- Cailleach – Irish goddess of winter said to control the weather
- Juno – Roman goddess of women, marriage, and childbirth
- Ma’at – Egyptian goddess of balance and order
- Minerva – Roman goddess of wisdom, war, art, justice, and schools.
- Yemaya – Yoruba goddess of motherhood and the seas
Dark goddesses
- Demeter – Greek goddess of grain, the fields, and harvest. Mother of Persephone. Her grief at losing her daughter was said to explain the cycles of dormancy that occur each year.
- Inanna – ancient Mesopotamian goddess of love, fertility, and war.
- Lilith – goddess of wild freedom, passion, and pleasure. Considered by some the first wife of Adam and a demon of Christianity, but possibly also has roots in ancient Sumerian.
- The Morrigan – Irish Celtic goddess of war and shapeshifting.
- Persephone – Green goddess of Spring and queen of the underworld.
Gods
- Bacchus – Roman god of harvest and wine
- Dionysus – Green god of harvest and wine
- Hades – Greek god of the underworld
- Jupiter – Roman god of the sky and thunder
- Mabon – Welsh god of harvest and youth
- Pan – Greek god of the wild
- Thor – Norse god of thunder, storms, and protection
- Thoth – Egyptian god of the moon and wisdom
- Vulcan – Roman god of fire and the forge
- Modron – mother of Mabon in Arthurian legend
How Do You Celebrate Mabon?
As you can see, Mabon can mean so many different things to each of us. You have a lot of options to make your Mabon magical! It all just depends on what rings true and what lines up with our surroundings.
What is your favorite way to celebrate Mabon? Do you have any traditions I didn’t mention here? I’d love to hear about them!
So, what is Mabon to you?
