Mabon, or the Autumn Equinox, marks the shift from the abundance of Summer to the quieter energies of Autumn, the Sabbat honours the fruits of the Earth and is a time of balance, gratitude, and release. Day and night are of equal length, and we pause in this moment just before the hush of Winter to share the harvest and realign with the turning Wheel.
Join us as we reveal our favourite, powerful ways to honour Mabon.
‘The Autumnal Equinox was celebrated with the oak, then big with acorns; a tree, from all antiquity thought most sacred.’
William Stukeley, Palæographia sacra. Or discourses on sacred subjects,1763
Ways to Celebrate Mabon
Falling around September 21st–23rd, Mabon is the second harvest of the year, sitting between Lammas and Samhain. September is when Mother Nature graces us with an abundant cornucopia of the natural world’s bounty and, in our Wyrd corner of the world, this means ripening apples, plums, blackberries, courgettes, elderberries, pears, tomatoes, leeks, squash, and so, so much more.
Apple Magic
If you were to choose one symbol for Mabon, apples would be the perfect choice. Appearing in a delicious abundance of tasty recipe ideas as well as folkloric symbolism and history, apples should be a very heavy feature of your Autumnal Equinox celebrations.
Here are a few ideas of how to incorporate the wonderful fruit into your rituals this season…
Apple Blessing for Home
Cut an apple crosswise to reveal the magical, star-like pentagram hidden within.
Sprinkle with just a pinch of cinnamon and recite a few lines of gratitude in praise of the harvest. Place slices of the apple at the threshold of your home and give thanks to the harvest deities or land spirits of your choice.
In the Orchard
O the apples rosy-red,
O the gnarled trunks grey and brown,
Heavy branched overhead;
O the apples rosy-red,
O the merry laughter sped,
As the fruit is showered down!
O the apples rosy-red,
O the gnarled trunks grey and brown.
Skinner and Skinner, The Topaz Story Book, 1928
Apple Love Charm
Use this spell to call love into your life or to strengthen your relationship…
‘An apple pricked with pinholes and then put under the left arm is given to the person whose love one wishes to secure.’
F. D. Bergen, Animal and Plant Lore, 1899
Harvesting Apples by the Moon
It is well known we should harvest our apples at the wane of the Moon, because during the Moon’s increase, the apples are full and won’t keep.
‘Pick apples in the dark of the Moon to keep them from rotting.’
American Folklore Society, The Journal of American Folk-lore, 1888
Pomona’s Orchard Walk
Take a slow walk among the fruit trees, or even just market stalls if this is more accessible to you, and whisper a thanks to Pomona, the guardian of red and gold, repeating the following incantation…
A silver dew lies on the Autumn grasses,
Autumnal sunshine habits every tree;
From each bejewelled bough there slowly passes
Immeasured scent and sweetness up to thee,
Pomorum Patrona! Pomorum Patrona!
O give, as thou wert wont to give of old,
Though guardian goddess of red and gold.
With ample stores abundantly she blesses
Each nesting hamlet of the hills and plains,
Shaking within their thirsty cider-presses
The glory garnered from her woodland fanes.
Pomorun Patrona! Pomorum Patrona!
We praise thy name with voices of young and old,
Though guardian goddess of red and gold.
Eden Phillpotts, A Song to Pomona, 1921
Discover more apple magic in our gathering of old botanical lore. Discover a collection of knowledge passed from hand to hand through generations of healers and magical practitioners with detailed A—Zs of magical plants and their powers.
Autumn Equinox Kitchen Witchery
Mabon is perfect for cosy, hearty dishes that celebrate the harvest’s fruit and veggies. To celebrate the Sabbat, we recommend a feast with your friends, family, or coven that celebrates the bright, contrasting colours of the season: bright green salads and oven-warm bakes, sweet red apples and yellow squash soups.
Try out the following vintage recipes to ring tradition into your celebrations…
Apple Crumble
Another ode to the fruit of Mabon, apple crumble has ever been the ultimate Autumnal comfort.
Apple Crumble
8 good-sized apples
1 cupful flour
1/2 cupful sugar
1/2 cupful butter
Pare and slice apples into a deep pie dish; sprinkle with sugar. Mix flour, butter, and sugar, rubbing together till like crumbs; sprinkle on top of apples, and bake till brown in moderate oven.
Hodges and Harding, Gleanings from Gloucestershire Housewives, 1935
Squash Cake
Baked into a scrumptious cake, all kinds of squash can become an indulgent dessert for Mabon.
Squash Cake
700g squash
250ml milk
250ml water
115g flour
285ml hot water
100g sugar
40g butter, melted
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites, beaten stiff
Caramel sugar (for lining the mould)
Cook rather over a pound and a half of squash in a large glass of milk diluted with the same quantity of water. Cover the pan closely. As soon as the vegetable is tender drain it and put it through a sieve, setting aside the liquid in which it boiled for use as stock.
Mix four ounces of flour with half a pint of hot water, three and a half ounces of sugar, and an ounce and a half of melted butter. Add this to the purée, and cook the mixture very gently, stirring continually, until you get a very thick paste which adheres to the spoon. Take off the fire, and let the mixture cool. Then add two yolks of eggs and their stiffly beaten whites. Pour into a mould lined with caramel sugar, and bake in a slow oven for about twenty minutes.
Paul Carton, Simple Vegetarian Cookery, 1931
Elderberry Drinks
Elder has long been a hedge-witch ally. Traditional recipes call for elderberries simmered or steeped with spices, then fermented with sugar and a splash of brandy.
English Elder Brandy
Squeeze the juice of a large quantity of elderberries through a cloth; boil up with sugar and some cloves; let it get cool; add to each twenty quarts of juice two quarts of cognac, and keep it in the cellar.
William Schmidt, The Flowing Bowl: When and What to Drink, 1892
Creating a Mabon Altar
Your altar is a mirror of the season, an intentional space where Mabon’s symbols of balance, harvest, and gratitude come alive. It doesn’t need to be elaborate, even a small windowsill can become a sacred place of honouring.
Build your altar slowly, adding a little more each day as the Equinox approaches. Start with a cloth base, perhaps something as simple as a scarf or tea towel, or maybe something more ceremonial like velvet. Choose this base in colours of the season: deep red, gold, russet, and earthy brown.
Prioritise balance and light by setting up two candles of contrasting colours. Perhaps one is white or pale yellow, and the other is deep purple or green. Light them together to honour the equilibrium of the season.
Include natural offerings like a bowl of acorns or scatter oak leaves as symbols of strength and endurance. Perhaps a small jar of oats, barley, or wheat to represent the sustenance of the Sabbat’s harvest. You might also add a small pumpkin, squash, plums, or pears. If you’re including apples, be sure to cut it so the secret star is revealed.
A copy of an autumn poem, prayer, or charm can be laid on the altar to be read aloud during your rituals.
A Balance Ritual for the Equinox
Threshold
At sundown or sunrise, stand between two candles, one white to symbolise the day, one black or deep blue for the night.
Ground
Breathe in for four counts, out for four, and repeat eight times to honour each spoke on the Wheel.
Offer
Place an oak leaf or acorn on the altar and name one thing you’re releasing and one thing you’re keeping.
Incantation
Raise a cup (tea, cordial, or wine). Recite your own Mabon incantation. Here’s some inspiration:
Between light and dark, I choose harmony. Between old and new, I choose what is needed.
Close
Snuff both candles together so their smoke mingles.
Our Wyrd Sabbat Guides series is steadily growing, and very soon you will be able to read all about the origins, history, spells, crafts, and recipes of Mabon in our upcoming book, Mabon: Traditional Magic, Recipes, and Tales for the Autumn Equinox.
Check out our first instalment of the Wyrd Sabbat Guides here:
Traditional Magic, Recipes, and Tales for Halloween
Honour the Witches’ New Year with this magical guide to Samhain. In a collection of age-old traditions, powerful spells, and seasonal crafts and recipes, celebrate the mystical traditions of the Halloween Sabbat.
The beautiful image featured in this blog is a William Morris tapestry, featuring the Goddess Pomona.
Figure design 1882, background design 1898, made 1906.
