Celebrating the Seasons: Mabon

Mabon is not a word one hears very often

in everyday conversation. It’s one of those words that evokes a secret; a word that sounds like it should be uttered only in hushed tones and in the company of other words like Samhain and Ostara and only when one is shrouded in candlelight.

But, it’s not as mysterious as all that. Mabon is what pagans refer to as the autumnal equinox; the day in the latter half of the year with an equal division of Night and day. For pagans and those that celebrate, Mabon is a time of feasting and gratitude. Known as the Witch’s New Year, this festival marks the harvest of the summer’s bounty and is a time when the bonfires would be lit to warm the village throughout the winter months. The Autumnal Equinox has been celebrated for centuries by cultures all over the world but calling the festival “Mabon” is relatively new. According to the Boston Library, there is evidence that the name Mabon - referring to the Welsh god who was the son of the Earth Mother Goddess - was adopted in the 1970’s as a way to refer to the second of the pagan harvest festivals and that it may not have been an official, original Celtic celebration.

Today, Mabon is celebrated in the fall in the northern hemisphere (it’s in March in the Southern hemisphere) by pagans, witches, and non-denominational folks as a way to give thanks for the bounty of the summer and as a way to mark the beginning of the colder, slower months. It is a time to evaluate the summer’s harvest, to take stock of what has been cultivated, and to preserve and store the abundance for the coming winter. I love not only the cooler days we get during this season, but also the opportunity to use Mabon as a time to look within myself and take stock of my own growth.

Since it falls on the equinox, Mabon is a time to seek balance as we move from bustling summer days into the more reflective, cozy, home-body months of winter. When folks come into the shop asking about sabbats and ways to celebrate, my instinct is to always go low-key so as not to overwhelm people with the idea of performing big rituals or burden them with a million supplies.

There are myriad ways that Mabon is celebrated around the world - and this is by no means an extensive list, - but a few of my favorite, low-key ways to mark this sabbat are to:

Cleanse and reset my home altar spaces, focusing on seasonal adornments

do a Mabon tarot spread and journal using the cards as prompts

to gather with friends pot-luck style to celebrate our friendships and eat some really tasty food

and to keep a seasonal simmer pot on the stove or a fall-scented candle or incense going in my home and at the shop.

once the weather cools down enough to have the oven on more often, I go into baking mode as frequently as I can. One of my “love languages” is food and I find that the kitchen is where I do most of my magic-making. Soups and stews and homemade bread find their way into our weekly menu plans and I switch from drinking herbal iced tea to my favorite hot cinnamon tea.

I love stirring intentions into my food as I mix ingredients, carving sigils into loaves of rising bread, and nourishing myself and my family with home cooked magical meals. I know the kitchen witchery isn’t for everyone, it just happens to be my most magical gift and I lean into it as much as I can during the winter months. The shop gets pretty busy during the last three months of the year, and by making a concerted effort to cook from scratch at home as often as I can, I am able to slow my roll and be more intentional with my time. It is my favorite form of a mindfulness practice.

I’ve shared recipes here on the blog before, but one of my favorite meals is a simple, hearty chicken and rice soup. This recipe from Half baked Harvest utilizes veggies from the garden (or store), fresh herbs, grains and is delicious with a big chunk of crusty baguette, buttered, of course. I often use a rotisserie chicken instead of the raw chicken (usually to save time.) and I’ve made this on the stove as well as in the slow cooker. This meal is easy to make as a vegan dish by omitting the chicken and substituting a non-dairy milk for the heavy cream, and you can adjust the ingredients as you like to incorporate what is most seasonal.

Erin’s Favorite Creamy Wild Rice Chicken Soup with Roasted Mushrooms from Half Baked Harvest

I hope this post has given you some ideas about how to celebrate the sabbat of Mabon. I would love to hear how you craft your celebrations and I’d love to hear your thoughts or comments on my suggestions! My Autumn wish for you is to find balance as we enter this next phase of the year and I wish for you abundance, nourishment and equilibrium in all you do.

Love,

Rin