How to Honor and Celebrate Mabon — the Autumn Equinox

The Veils are thinning, my love. The veils. are freaking. thinning. And we are beginning to enter the mystery…

The Earth outside is shifting, and so seem to be our hearts, minds, and spirits. All of nature is beginning to go inward, and a period of change is happening. Welcome to autumn!

When we honor these seasonal transitions, we are aligning with nature and feeling the support around us to continue self-growth. And part of growth means shedding what’s ready to go. A death needs to happen for a rebirth. And today starts a period where we can celebrate and shed what we don’t want to take with us in the winter.

The Autumn equinox happening on September 22nd is a powerful time to honor this process. Known as Mabon in ancient pagan times, this day is when the Sun shines directly on the equator, meaning there will be equal amounts of day and night throughout the world. 

Mabon has been celebrated for centuries all over the world. It was the time when our ancestors had just finished gathering all of their abundance in preparation for the winter, so a large feast followed their hard work. It was gratitude for all the abundance, but also honoring the fact that the shadow time was about to begin, and the soil will turn cold. 

Today kicks the whole “love and light” only culture’s ass.  You know, the one that says that negative emotions are somehow “less spiritual” than being peaceful and pleasant all the time. Mabon is here to tell you that is simply not the case. 

Welcome to being a human being. A deeply rooted, connected, powerful, spiritual, magical human being with divine experiences which lead to divine emotions. These experiences and emotions lead us to our shadow sometimes. Throughout mythology, the “dark mothers” existed for a reason. They were not scary or punishing, they simply guided you through your own underworld. They were gatekeepers, protectresses, and crones. Meaning you are so held through your experience. 

So on this day, honor the balance — within yourself, the world, nature, and anything else in creation. It is not solid and strong unless it is balanced. 

Here are ritual ideas for tonight (and this season) that align you with nature!

Gather and Feast: 

And do so with intention. Cook nourishing foods, gather your loved ones, celebrate life. This is why life is worth living, and these people help support you through the times when you go into your own underworld. Honor them, honor the Earth that provided your food, honor the food for nourishing you, honor everyone who helped harvest that food. 

Have a Fire

Celebrate the light and the light going out. Use it as a blessing to protect your home and your heart. Feel the balance between the chilly air and the warmth of the embers. Balance really is everywhere. 

Make an Altar

Pick one thing to represent all the elements and infuse some personal, sacred items to it. Let this be your anchor through the fall and winter months to ground you and remind you of the magic. Give thanks here often, cry and laugh here often, pray here often. This is your sacred space. 

Reflect on the Cycles of Life and Death

Are you scared of death? That’s pretty normal — it’s the ultimate unknown. But look around you. Look at the leaves falling that turn into fertilizer for the rebirth and reemergence of next spring. Things are born, they grow, and they die. And then, things are reborn again. This means literally and metaphorically. How is your relationship with change and transition in life? When a metaphoric death happens in your life, like a loss of relationship or job, how do you handle it? Is there a way you can make peace with transition and embrace the winds of change? 

Give this a thought today. Embrace the balance between comfortability and transition. 

Journal Your Thoughts
Really reflect on your thoughts, dreams, and intuitions. Now is the time to start to hone in on your intuitive gifts. The veil between the worlds is getting more and more thin from this point to Samhain, or halloween. This is a potent time to start to tune into your psychic gifts, communicate with your ancestors, and with spirit/divinity.

Welcome to being a part of nature, going through the ebbs and flows, highs and lows, of life. Let’s celebrate every part of it. Because even though it can be scary, or it can hurt, or it can be glorious — it is short. And we are here. Let’s honor it. 

Happy Mabon, and may your abundance and connection carry you through the night, always.