Autumn Equinox / Mabon / Harvest Home: On or around September 21st. MAY-bon, MAY-bun, MAY-bone, MAH-boon or MAH-bawn, – Lesser Sabbat
This year Mabon is on Monday, September 23
Other Names: Second Harvest Festival, Witches’ Thanksgiving, Harvest Home (Anglo-Celtic), Feast of Avalon, Wine Harvest, Festival of Dionysus, Cornucopia, Equinozio di Autunno (Strega), Chung Chiu (China), Night of the Hunter, Alban Elfed “The Light of the Water”(Caledonii/ Druidic-celebrates Lord of the Mysteries), Winter Finding (Teutonic, from Equinox ’til Winter Night or Nordic New Year, Oct 15th.)
Mabon is the second harvest festival and like the Vernal Equinox night and day are once again equal. It is the Pagan day of Thanksgiving and is a time to honor the changing season and to give thanks for the bounty and abundance in our lives. It celebrates the wine/grape harvest and when our ancestors began the final preparations for the coming winter. The essence and energy is mellow and filled with gratitude and feelings of security. Mabon also honors aging deities and the spirit world. Considered a time of balance, it is when we stop and relax and enjoy the fruits of our personal harvests, whether they be from toiling in our gardens, working at our jobs, raising our families, or just coping with the hustle-bustle of everyday life. May your Mabon be memorable, and your hearts and spirits are filled to overflowing!
MABON CORRESPONDENCES
Symbols and Decorations: Fall leaves, apples, gourds, vines, flowers, acorns grapes, berries, Indian corn, and grains.
Colors: Wine/Maroon/Scarlet/Red, Rust, Brown, Autumn Orange, Dark Green and Gold
Goddesses: Modron (Welsh), Bona Dea, Land Mother, Aging & Harvest Deities: the Triple Goddess-Mother aspect, Persephone, Demeter/Ceres, Morgan (Welsh- Cornish), Snake Woman (aboriginal), Epona (Celtic-Gaulish), Pamona (roman), the Muses (greek)
Gods: Mabon ap Modron (Welsh), Sky Father, The Green Man, Wine Gods, Aging Gods, John Barley Corn, the Wicker-Man, the Corn Man, Thoth (Egyptian), Hermes, Hotei (Japanese), Thor, Dionysus (Roman), Bacchus (Greek) & all wine Deities
Herbs/Flowers/Plants: Marigold, Milkweed, Fern, Benzoin, Honeysuckle, Passionflower, Rose Sage, Solomon’s Seal, Thistle (A Druid’s Herbal) Acorn and Oak leaves, Aster, Cedar, Ferns, Grains, Hazel, Honeysuckle, Hops, Ivy, Marigold, Milkweed, Chrysanthemums, Myrrh, Pine, Tobacco, and vegetables.
Incense & Oils of Mabon: Pine, sweetgrass, apple blossom, benzoin, myrrh, frankincense, jasmine, sage, wood aloes, black pepper, patchouli, cinnamon, clove, oakmoss, sage and sweetgrass.
Trees: Maple, Magnolia, Locust, Hickory, Hackberry, Aspen. (Whispers from the Woods)
Sacred Stones: Green Aventurine, Dendritic Agate, Chrysoprase for goal setting and planning /Sunstone, Moonstone for balance. (Hibiscus Moon) Sapphire, Lapis Lazuli, Yellow Agates, Carnelian, Yellow Topaz, & Amethyst.
Symbols: Wine, gourds, pine cones, acorns, grains, grapes, Indian corn, apples, pomegranates and all red fruits, vines such as ivy, dried seeds, and horns of plenty, wheat stalks and gourds.
Foods of Mabon: Breads, nuts, apples, pomegranates, cornbread, wheat products, grains, berries, grapes, acorns, seeds, dried fruits, corn, beans, squash, roots (ie onions, carrots, potatoes, etc), hops, sassafras, roast goose or mutton, wine, ale, & cider.
Activities: Making wine, gathering dried herbs, plants, seeds, and seed pods, walking in the woods, scattering offerings in harvested fields, offering libations to trees, adorning burial sites with leaves, acorns, and pine cones to honor those who have passed over.
Spellwork and Rituals: Protection, security, and self-confidence. Also those of harmony and balance. Celtic Festival of the Vine, prosperity rituals, introspection, rituals which enact the elderly aspects of both Goddess & God, past life recall.
Animals/Mythical Beings: Dogs, wolves, stag, blackbird, owl, eagle, birds of prey, salmon & goat, Gnomes, Sphinx, Minotaur, Cyclops, Andamans, and Gulons.
Autumn blessings to you and yours! ~Cat
Sources include: Flower and Tree Magic by Richard Webster / A Druids Herbal by Ellen Evert Hopman / Grimoire For The Green Witch by Ann Moura / Whispers From The Woods by Sandra Kynes and various internet resources.
I invite you to check out my websites!
The Desert Path: The dusty ramblings of a desert pagan. https://thedesertpath.com/
Sacred Spirals (the place where all paths meet)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SacredSpirals/
The Desert Path 
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