[september 21–23
harvest home, harvest end, autumn equinox
fourth spoke on the dark side of the modern wheel of the year]
Autumn is a second spring, when every leaf is a flower.
—Albert Camus
Mabon is the name given to the autumn equinox. The autumn equinox is the second harvest festival of the three harvest festivals in the pagan wheel of the year, and it typically falls between September 21 and September 23. The autumn equinox divides the daytime and nighttime equally, which allows us to take a pause before we are overrun with the darkness of winter.
Mabon is considered one of the lesser observances on the wheel of the year, but it is also one of my favorites. It is the last festival in the light half of the wheel and thought to be named after the Celtic Welsh god Mabon. Mabon is a god of light and was the son of the earth mother goddess Modron (“mother”).
In Lughnasadh, we watched as the God acknowledged his final decline before the cycle of death and rebirth. Mabon is a time when death is upon us. It is not as solemn as it seems, though, because we know he will be reborn during your time. This is the cycle, as it has been and as it always will be.
As the second harvest festival, it's the time for joy and celebrating the fruits of one's labor. Alongside Mabon are the separate celebrations of Harvest End and Harvest Home. Harvest End and Harvest Home were times for the gathering of the last harvest and a celebration of abundance. A traditional English harvest festival, Harvest Home is celebrated today on the last day of September, when towns are decorated and corn dollies are made to represent the spirits of the field.
Mabon is the name of a Celtic god, and the son of Modron, who was the great mother. Similar to Demeter and Persephone, Modron mourned the loss of Mabon after he was abducted three days after his birth. Mabon was imprisoned inside of a stone wall, but was later released.
It's interesting how two separate cultures have created similar stories where a god or goddess was for some reason taken away from the earth against their will. In their absence, winter falls on the earth, freezing everything in its path. This is, of course, the cycle of life—but it is interesting how similar stories persist across various parts of Europe.
The equinox was converted to a feast day in the Catholic Church. Michaelmas, also known as the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels, is celebrated and observed on September 29. This day is considered a “quarter day,” along with the spring equinox and the two solstices.
Saint Michael is not a traditional saint, but an angel. There are many witches who choose to work with Judeo-Christian angels, so for those who do, acknowledging this feast day would be relevant to their spiritual practice. In many folk practices, there are witches who choose to continue working with Abrahamic concepts after they excommunicate themselves from the religion as a whole. To them, being a pagan or witch doesn't necessitate the thought that those concepts of angels, saints, etc., are off limits or in any way no longer valid. For example, according to Jake Richards, author of Backwoods Witchcraft, Appalachian folk magick practitioners often use the Christian Bible as a sort of spellbook.
Saint Michael is the leader of all the angels in the army of God. According to scripture and tradition, Saint Michael has four responsibilities: combating Satan, escorting the faithful to heaven at the time of their death, championing Christians and the Church, and calling men to their judgment.
As the year turns again and again from light to dark, the celebration of Michaelmas took hold throughout the British Isles as a way to encourage protection during the cold and dark winter months. There is a proverb that goes, “Eat a goose on Michaelmas Day, want not for money all the year.” Being as how Mabon doesn't have many traditions directly associated with it, this is a suggestion that could easily be adopted. It is thought that this proverb originated from Queen Elizabeth I. When she heard news of the defeat of the Spanish Armada, she was dining on goose and decided that she would partake in it every Michaelmas Day from that point forward.
When I was fifteen, I was given a lovely vintage book called The Complete Old Wives' Lore for Gardeners by Bridget and Maureen Boland. It was decorated throughout with woodcut prints and covered so many things, from literal garden lore to basic (unintentional) witchcraft practices to actual useful gardening tips. Nothing, however, stuck with me as much as a little paragraph about the protection offered by apple trees:
When an apple [tree] is planted the name of Asmodeus, the devil who tempted Eve (unless you believe it was the she-devil, Lilith), should be written on the earth and cancelled with a cross.
Throughout my life, I've planted quite a few apple trees and have always remembered this basic ritual. Apples have a rich magickal lore, being a major part of the harvest season. Instead of banishing Lilith, as is common in many texts, we will call on her for fertility, protection, and guidance. Apples are an abundant, fertile fruit that will bless you over again with love magick, prosperity magick, baneful magick, and pretty much everything in between.
Due to the incoming weather, the autumn equinox is not the best time to plant an apple tree; however, it is a great time to partake in apple picking or make candied apples. During autumn apples are abundant and can be used anytime to invoke and welcome the intelligence and protection of Lilith.
AN APPLE A DAY
One of my absolute favorite parts about fall (as if I could pick just one) is apple picking. There is something about driving out to an apple orchard, picking apples from old trees, getting cider and fresh apple cinnamon donuts that just automatically bumps the experience up way past what any other season can offer. Stolen from my childhood (we don't have apple orchards in South Florida), apple picking is something I fell dearly in love with when I moved to New England. In terms of witchcraft, apples have a wide range of talents they can lend themselves to. Apples can help bring in prosperity, their seeds can be used for protection, and they can be used as an offering during the harvest months. If cut in half horizontally, the seeds often form a pentacle shape.
The only drawback about apple picking is that I always pick too much! I live for the experience, and I get too excited, honestly. My friends tend to make fun of me, but when you do something for the first time as an adult, you have to make up for lost time. Coming home with all these apples in the fall had me wondering what on earth I could do with them. The obvious answer (to me) was to make a pie. But there were still some left over after the pie.
Enter: apple candle holders! I am not the inventor of this idea, as I'm sure people have been doing it for as long as there have been apples and candles. But what I can say is that these candle holders make the most beautiful Mabon altar decorations and can be used inside and outside.
You will need:
Holding your candle to an apple, take your Sharpie and mark where you want it to go. With your paring knife, carve out the place where the candle will fit. Once the top part has been removed, put some lemon juice on the apple to keep it from browning. If using a taper, let it dry a little bit and then drip some wax in the apple to secure the candle in place. If using a tealight candle, drop it in and enjoy your new candle holder. These candle holders can last up to a few days.