Spiritual Focus and Key Words
Accomplishment
balance
death
equality
equilibrium
goals
gratitude
grief
healing
love
preparation
sharing
success
Magickal Focus
Agriculture
community
family harmony
grounding
honor
planning
public safety
wisdom
Suggested Workings
Concentration and study
preparation
transition
Astrological Timing and Associated Planets
Astronomical equinox marking the waning point of the sun; Sun enters 0 degrees of Libra in the Northern Hemisphere, Sun at 0 degrees of Libra in the Southern Hemisphere. The alignment of planets changes from year to year.
Archetypes
female
The Grieving Widow
Harvest Lady
Harvest Queen
Kern Baby
the Warrior Woman
male
The Divine King
the Dying God
the Harvest Lord
the Warrior Man
Deities and Heroes
goddesses
Demeter (Greek)
Epona (Celtic)
Ereshkigal (Sumerian)
Inanna (Sumerian)
Juno (Roman)
Minerva (Roman)
Modron (Celtic)
the Muses (Greek)
Persephone (Greek)
Osun (Yoruba)
Yemaya (Yoruba)
Oya (Yoruba)
gods
Apollo (Greek)
Dionysus (Greek)
Green Man (Celtic)
Hermes (Greek)
Jupiter (Roman)
Mabon (Celtic)
Thor (Norse)
Thoth (Egyptian)
Vulcan (Roman)
Colors
Brown: Balance, family, grounding, hearth, home, stability
Green: Fertility, generosity, growth, harmony, healing, love, rebirth
Orange: Action, balance, kindness, luck, optimism, warmth
Red: Action, changes, fertility, passion, protection, wisdom
Yellow: Creativity, happiness, light, optimism
Herbs
Acorns: Fertility, health, luck, money, protection
Bay: Courage, dedication to Apollo, valor, victory
Benzoin resin: Balance, concentration, the Mysteries of Autumn Equinox, prosperity, purification
Echinacea: Healing, strengthening
Hyssop: Healing, purification
Ivy: Attachment, attraction, love, omens, protection
Myrrh: Healing, purification
Sage: Protection, purification, spirituality
Solomon’s seal: Exorcism, protection, purification
Tobacco: Connecting to ancestors, connecting to land, healing, purification
Yarrow: Friendship, healing, marriage
Trees
Ash: Health, prosperity, protection
Elder: Healing, prosperity, sleep
Maple: Abundance, balance, love, prosperity
Oak: Fertility, health, luck, money, protection
Flowers
Carnation: Calm, healing, well-being
Chrysanthemum: Cheerfulness
Marigold: Healing, protection
Sunflower: Spirituality, wisdom
Crystals and Stones
Amber: Eternal love, protection, spirituality
Golden topaz: Health, protection, wisdom
Hematite: Grounding, healing
Metals
Antimony: Protection
Gold: Prosperity, the sun
Iron: Protection from fairies
Animals, Totems, and Mythical Creatures
The Blackbird: One of the guiding animals in the Mabinogion that helped lead Arthur’s men to Mabon; brings messages from other worlds to those in this one
the Eagle: One of the guiding animals in the Mabinogion that helped lead Arthur’s men to Mabon; associated with wisdom, insight, and knowledge
the Goose: Geese were often raised and then served at the harvest meal; associated with transition
horses: the Scottish had riding competitions around the Autumn Equinox
the Owl: One of the guiding animals in the Mabinogion that helped lead Arthur’s men to Mabon; associated with Athena, hunting, and wisdom
the Salmon: One of the guiding animals in the Mabinogion that helped lead Arthur’s men to Mabon; wisdom and knowledge of past and future
squirrels: Behavior of the animals represents the preparation for harvest; also harvest nuts, making them competition at Roodmas
the Stag: One of the guiding animals in the Mabinogion that helped lead Arthur’s men to Mabon; represents assistance/presence of the ancestors/spirit world
Scents for Oils, Incense, Potpourri,
or Just Floating in the Air
Aloe
benzoin
burning leaves
cinnamon
cedar
clove
frankincense
myrrh
pine
Tarot keys
The Empress
the Hanged Man
Wheel of Fortune
the World
Symbols and Tools
Cornucopias and baskets: Symbolizing the abundant harvest
Effigies and scarecrows: Symbolizing the dying god and also the protector of the fields
Garlands and wreaths: Symbolizing the Lord and Lady at Autumnal Equinox
Scythes, bolines, and sickles: Symbolizing death and the work of the harvest
Foods
Apples
barley
bread
carrots
corn
gourds
grapes
melons
nuts
oats
onions
potatoes
rye
wheat
Drinks
Beer
cider
mead
water
wine
Activities and Traditions of Practice
Communal feasting (corn roasts, barbecues, shared dinners)
effigy burning
dancing
dunk tank games
music
parades/processionals
target games
Acts of Service
Food drives
nursing home and hospice visits
park and highway cleanups
public school service and booster projects
veterans’ care
Alternate Names for Mabon in Other Pagan Traditions
Aequinoctium Auctumnale (Hellenic, celebrates agriculture and end of military campaign season)
Alban Elfed (Druid, celebrates final harvest and balance of light and dark)
Equinozio di Autunno (Stregha)
Feast of Avalon (Welsh Celtic)
Meán Fómhair (Gaelic, “middle of autumn” and modern Irish word for September)
Holidays or Traditions Occurring During Mabon in the Northern Hemisphere:
religious
Ampelia (Hellenic, honoring harvest and sacrifice, August 19)
Vinalia (Nova Romans, celebrating wine harvest, August 19)
Eleusinian Mysteries (Hellenic, approximately September 11–20)
Feast of Jupiter, Juno, Minerva (Nova Romans, September 13)
Boedromion (Hellenic festival honoring the dead, September 19)
Harvest Home (Scottish Celts, celebrating final harvest around the end of autumn)
Michaelmas (Catholic Christian, honoring archangel Michael, strength of will, September 29)
Mimneskia (Hellenic, Roman suppression of the Bacchanalia, October 7)
Winter Finding (Heathen/Norse, from equinox to October 15)
secular
Second Harvest Festival (Autumn Equinox in mid-September)
Thanksgiving (Last Thursday in November in United States)
Holidays or Traditions Occurring During Mabon in the Southern Hemisphere:
religious
Dionysus or Bacchus Day (Greco Roman, March 16–17)
Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary or Lady Day (Catholic, March 25)
Palm Sunday (Christian, the Sunday before Easter)
Good Friday (Christian, the Friday before Easter)
Easter (Christian, the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox)
Passover (Jewish, fifteenth day of Nisan, which begins on the night of the full moon after the northern Vernal Equinox)
secular
St. Patrick’s Day (while originally the Catholic Feast Day of a Saint, it is celebrated more as a secular holiday of Irish culture around the world, March 17)