Simple Mabon Celebrations
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Mabon, celebrated around September 21st, marks the Autumn Equinox, a time when day and night are perfectly balanced. As the Earth shifts from the warmth of summer to the cooler embrace of autumn, Mabon invites us to reflect on balance, gratitude, and the abundance of the harvest. For those following a nature-based spiritual path, Mabon is a meaningful time to connect with the cycles of nature and honor the fruits of our labor. Here are some ways to celebrate Mabon in a modern, nature-based way.
Creating a Balance Altar
To honor the theme of balance, set up an altar that reflects the equilibrium of light and dark. Use items like candles in contrasting colors (black and white, gold and silver) to symbolize this balance. Add elements of the harvest, such as apples, pumpkins, and grains, along with crystals that promote harmony, like amethyst or clear quartz. Spend time at your altar in quiet reflection, focusing on areas in your life where you seek more balance.
Harvest Gratitude Ritual
Mabon is a time of thanksgiving for the abundance we have received throughout the year. Create a gratitude ritual by writing down the things you’re grateful for on small pieces of paper. Place these in a decorative jar or bowl on your altar. You can also write your blessings on leaves or stones and place them in a garden or natural space as an offering. This ritual not only honors the harvest but also helps you cultivate an attitude of gratitude.
Seasonal Cooking and Feasting
Prepare a Mabon feast using seasonal foods like squash, apples, root vegetables, and grains. Consider making dishes that highlight the rich, earthy flavors of autumn—think roasted vegetables, apple pie, and hearty soups. Share this meal with family and friends, either in person or virtually, and take a moment before eating to express gratitude for the food and the hands that prepared it.
Nature Walks and Foraging
Taking a walk in nature is a wonderful way to celebrate Mabon and connect with the changing season. As you walk, observe the shifting colors of the leaves, the crispness in the air, and the animals preparing for winter. Forage for natural items like acorns, pinecones, and colorful leaves, which you can use to decorate your home or add to your altar. This practice deepens your connection to the Earth and the cycles of nature.
Crafting with Nature
Engage in seasonal crafts that bring the spirit of Mabon into your home. Create a wreath using leaves, flowers, and other natural items you’ve gathered. Make a cornucopia, a symbol of abundance, using fruits, vegetables, and grains. Crafting can be a meditative practice, allowing you to focus your intentions for the coming months while creating something beautiful.
Meditation and Reflection
Mabon is an ideal time for meditation and personal reflection. Find a quiet spot, either indoors or outdoors, where you can sit comfortably. Focus on your breath and allow your mind to settle. Reflect on the past year—what you’ve accomplished, what you’ve learned, and what you’re letting go of. Consider what balance means to you and how you can cultivate it in your life. This practice can help you align with the energies of the season and set positive intentions for the future.
Sharing and Community
Mabon is a celebration of community and sharing the abundance of the harvest. If possible, gather with loved ones for a Mabon celebration. Share a meal, exchange stories, and enjoy each other’s company. If an in-person gathering isn’t feasible, consider hosting a virtual gathering where everyone can share what they’re grateful for and how they’re celebrating the season. Community connection is a powerful way to honor the spirit of Mabon.
Books About Mabon & the Wheel of the Year
The Modern Witchcraft Guide to the Wheel of the Year
Year of the Witch: Connecting with Nature's Seasons through Intuitive Magick
The Spirited Kitchen: Recipes and Rituals for the Wheel of the Year
Mabon is a time of balance, reflection, and gratitude, deeply connected to the cycles of nature. By incorporating these modern practices, you can create a meaningful and personal Mabon celebration that honors the old traditions while embracing the new. Whether you are alone or with loved ones, these rituals and activities can help you connect deeply with the spirit of Mabon and the changing season.
More About Mabon
The content provided above was developed in collaboration with ChatGPT, an AI language model by OpenAI. The initial ideas and concepts for the piece were provided by me, and ChatGPT assisted in organizing, formatting, and refining these ideas into the final written post. While the AI contributed to the structure and clarity of the content, the core ideas and creative direction remain my own.
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Embracing Mabon: Celebrating the Autumn Equinox
This post may include affiliate links* and I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. Mabon House only features products that I believe in and use myself or that I believe my readers would enjoy. Thank you!
Mabon and the Autumn Equinox, is a time of balance and gratitude. Celebrated around September 21st, Mabon marks the moment when day and night are equal, signaling the transition from the light of summer to the darkness of winter. For those following a nature-based spiritual path, Mabon is an opportunity to give thanks for the harvest and reflect on the cycles of nature. Here are some ways to honor this ancient festival in a modern, nature-based way.
Creating a Gratitude Altar
A gratitude altar can be a central element of your Mabon celebration. Find a special spot in your home where you can set up a small table or shelf. Decorate it with symbols of the harvest such as apples, pumpkins, corn, and colorful leaves. Add candles, crystals, and items that represent balance and harmony. Spend time each day leading up to and following the equinox expressing gratitude for the abundance in your life, both tangible and intangible. Here is an inexpensive wooden altar, if you don’t have the right sized table or shelf on hand.
Harvesting and Preserving
Mabon is traditionally a time of harvest. If you have a garden, now is the time to gather the fruits and vegetables you've grown. Even if you don't garden, visiting a local farmers' market can connect you to the season's bounty. Consider preserving some of this harvest through canning, drying, or freezing. This practice not only honors the season but also prepares you for the winter months ahead.
Recommended Reading: The Kitchen Witch: Your Complete Guide to Creating a Magickal Kitchen
Balance Rituals
As Mabon is a time of balance, incorporate rituals that reflect this theme. You might meditate on the concept of balance in your life, identifying areas where you feel unbalanced and setting intentions to address these. Simple yoga or tai chi routines that emphasize balance and grounding can also be beneficial. Creating a mandala with natural objects like leaves, stones, and flowers can be a meditative way to symbolize harmony and balance.
Feasting and Sharing
Gathering for a meal with loved ones is a wonderful way to celebrate Mabon. Prepare a feast with seasonal foods such as root vegetables, grains, apples, and squash. As you share this meal, take time to express gratitude for the food and for the company of those around you. Sharing stories, memories, and expressions of thankfulness can deepen your connection to each other and to the season.
Nature Walks and Outdoor Activities
Spending time outdoors during the Autumn Equinox can help you connect with nature's cycles. Go for a walk in the woods or a local park, paying attention to the changes in the environment. Collect natural items like acorns, pinecones, and colorful leaves to bring back and incorporate into your home decorations or crafts. Outdoor activities like hiking, apple picking, or visiting a pumpkin patch can also be meaningful ways to celebrate Mabon.
Crafting and Creativity
Engage in seasonal crafts that celebrate the harvest and the beauty of autumn. Make a wreath with gathered leaves and flowers, create a cornucopia as a centerpiece, or carve pumpkins and gourds. These creative activities can be meditative and joyful, allowing you to bring the essence of the season into your home.
Reflective Journaling
Take time for personal reflection and journaling during Mabon. Write about the past season, noting your accomplishments, challenges, and what you are grateful for. Reflect on the balance in your life and set intentions for the coming months. This practice can help you gain clarity and focus as you transition into the darker half of the year. This is my favorite style of journal.
Mabon is a time of balance, gratitude, and reflection, deeply rooted in the cycles of nature. By incorporating these modern practices, you can create a meaningful and personal Mabon celebration that honors the old traditions while embracing the new. Whether you are alone or with loved ones, these rituals and activities can help you connect deeply with the spirit of Mabon and the changing seasons.
How are you celebrating Mabon?
More About Mabon
The content provided above was developed in collaboration with ChatGPT, an AI language model by OpenAI. The initial ideas and concepts for the piece were provided by me, and ChatGPT assisted in organizing, formatting, and refining these ideas into the final written post. While the AI contributed to the structure and clarity of the content, the core ideas and creative direction remain my own.
The Season of Mabon : Six Things I am Ready to Release
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Mabon marked the last turn in the Wheel of the Year. The days are growing shorter, as we head toward the winter months. Just as with the moon phases and the waning light of the full moon, the waning daylight of autumn is a good time to release that which isn’t serving you anymore. This could be habits, things, or even people. As we move more fully into Autumn and the leaves fall from the trees here in Western Maine, I am taking this time to actively work on releasing these six things:
Screen time. During the Pandemic I found myself watching A LOT of Youtube. I follow a variety of content creators from around the world and I found myself enchanted by the lives of various vloggers. And it became really easy to just spend more and more time watching other people’s lives and less time working on my own. So now, when I have some downtime on the weeknights and weekends, I am more conscious about screen time and I don’t just automatically turn to youtube or other streaming services out of habit. I may opt to listen to music or a book on Audible instead. Or if my eyes aren’t too tired from work (hello middle age) I’ll do a few sudoku puzzles. I find sudoku enormously comforting, as it reminds me of my late grandmother, who I adored. Do you have any screen-free activities you like to do?
Doomscrolling. Popularized during the pandemic, doomscrolling has become second nature during my work day. At the peak of my doomscrolling, I was checking various news sites at least 5-6 times a day, despite the fact that there is literally never any good news in the headlines. So rather than go looking for the latest political gossip or confirmation that the world is still on fire, I opt to look through Pinterest or read some of my favorite blogs instead. I keep a bookmark folder on my browser, to make it easy to look at these sites rather than the news, if I have a few minutes of downtime at work. I still check headlines once in the morning, but after that I let it go for the rest of the day.
Anti-Aging. A few weeks ago I wrote about moving from Mother to Crone. Part of that transition has been embracing growing and looking older. As women we are taught that aging is akin to letting yourself go. Society tells us that age spots and wrinkles are things to be feared, rather than celebrated. I’m over the barrage of messaging that tells me I need to maintain the same face and body I had 10-20 years ago. So, while I still wear makeup and color my hair (for now) I do these things because I enjoy doing them, not because I am trying to look younger. Basically my mantra these days is This is my face, deal with it.
Body Commenting. Growing up in the toxic diet culture of the 80s and 90s, it is second nature for me to pay compliments to someone who has lost weight. It comes out of my mouth before I can stop it. “Wow you look soooo good!” Ugh, Lorri, really? I am just now realizing, this can be a really harmful habit and, unless the person brings it up first, it is just better to not comment on someone’s body. Period. Instead of body size, I’d rather focus on all the wonderful qualities of my friends, family and colleagues.
Retail Therapy. Back in January I shared I was on a no spend challenge, which has more or less continued through this year. It’s not that I haven’t bought anything new, but rather, I have become much more aware of why I want to purchase certain items. Often it is out of stress or boredom, rather than need. Retail therapy has always been an easy way to get out of dealing with my emotions. Letting go of the capitalist hold on my behavior has been one of the most liberating experiences of my life, so far. Opting to wait and see, rather than impulse buy has saved me a ton of money and allowed me to have much more space, both literally and figuratively. I am no longer bringing items into my home pell-mell, which I have to then find room for, or take care of and/or eventually get rid of. As someone who is deliberately trying to simplify her life, buying nothing is the easiest thing of all.
Worry. I am a worrier by nature. And depending on what’s happening at the time, my worry can grow exponentially, until it is interfering in my day-to-day life. I know that it’s impossible to eradicate worry completely from my life. But being able to recognize normal worry, versus unhelpful catastrophizing (which I can do in a split second - mad skills) means that I can process my emotions and get on with my day, rather than sitting in my own head being miserable*. One tool I like to use to help me manage my worry and anxiety is my Let It Go List.
*Gentle reminder that I am not a licensed-clinical-anything. These are just my experiences. If you feel like anxiety is getting the best of you, please consult with your primary healthcare provider.
So that’s what I ‘m doing, or continuing to do, for this last turn in the Wheel of the Year. Are you letting anything go of anything during this season of Mabon? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below or connect with me over at Instagram.
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