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Mabon marks the autumn equinox, when day and night are perfectly balanced. As the second harvest festival in the Pagan Wheel of the Year, it’s a time for reflection, gratitude, and preparing for winter. It’s a chance to pause, take stock of what we’ve harvested—both physically and spiritually—and embrace the transformation that the colder months bring.
In this article, we’ll explore the rituals, symbols, and traditions that make Mabon a powerful time for self-reflection and growth.
What is Mabon?

Mabon, celebrated around September 21st or 22nd, marks the autumn equinox when day and night balance perfectly. As one of the eight Sabbats in Pagan traditions, Mabon invites us to pause and reflect.
It offers us a chance to look back on the year and express gratitude for the harvest—both the literal fruits of the season and our personal growth. We celebrate the abundance we’ve received while also preparing for the darker months ahead.
As the days shorten, Mabon encourages us to seek balance, honor nature’s cycles, and make time for self-reflection before winter arrives. Whether through rituals, feasts, or quiet moments outdoors, Mabon reminds us to embrace the changing seasons with gratitude and mindfulness.
Mabon Rituals
Mabon rituals are all about simplicity and connection. They help us pause, reflect, and realign with the natural rhythms of the earth as we welcome the autumn equinox. This season encourages balance, gratitude, and a chance to prepare ourselves for the quiet winter months ahead.
Creating a Harvest Altar
One beautiful way to celebrate Mabon is by setting up a harvest altar. Use seasonal items like apples, pumpkins, corn, and vibrant fallen leaves. These pieces are not just decorations—they’re a reflection of the abundance in your life, from the physical harvest of the earth to the personal growth you’ve experienced throughout the year. Your altar becomes a visual reminder of everything you’ve achieved.
Rituals for Balance and Grounding
With the equinox comes the perfect moment to honor balance. Try lighting a candle at sunset to represent the fading light, then another at sunrise to welcome the dark half of the year. You can pair this with a grounding meditation to reconnect with the earth beneath your feet. It’s a gentle way to check in with yourself: How balanced do you feel? Is there an area of your life that needs a little more harmony?
Releasing What No Longer Serves You
Mabon is also a time to let go of what’s weighing you down—old habits, emotions, or patterns. A simple yet powerful ritual for this involves writing down what you want to release on paper, then safely burning it as a symbolic gesture of letting go. This clears space in your life for the fresh energy and new beginnings that come with winter’s stillness.
These Mabon rituals create a peaceful transition into the season, giving us space for reflection, grounding, and personal transformation.
Gratitude Journaling
Take a few moments to sit quietly with a journal and reflect on the past year. What moments brought you joy? What lessons did you learn? Writing these down helps you shift your focus to the abundance in your life. Mabon is a season for reflection, so consider not only the big wins but also the small, everyday things you’re grateful for. By putting pen to paper, you’ll feel more grounded and appreciative of your journey.
Feasting and Sharing
Mabon is traditionally a time to celebrate the harvest, so why not share a meal with friends or family? Cooking with seasonal ingredients—like root vegetables, apples, and hearty grains—connects you with the earth’s abundance. As you gather around the table, take a moment to express gratitude for the food and the people around you. Even a simple meal shared with loved ones can feel like a feast when you’re mindful of the blessings it represents.
Nature Walk and Foraging
Get outside and immerse yourself in the natural beauty of autumn. As you walk, pay attention to the shifting colors, the cooler air, and the way the earth is preparing for winter. You might collect leaves, acorns, or pinecones as you go—anything that catches your eye and feels meaningful. These treasures can later be added to your altar or used in other rituals. This practice not only connects you with nature but also helps you slow down and become more present.
Equal Day and Night Meditation
Mabon marks the balance between light and dark, making it an ideal time for meditation. Find a quiet space and close your eyes. As you breathe deeply, imagine yourself in perfect balance, just like the equinox. Picture the sunlight and darkness in your life—both are necessary, and both have their time. This meditation can help you reflect on areas in your life that feel out of balance and where you can bring more harmony. It’s a calming way to honor this transitional season.
Apple Blessing Ritual
Apples hold a special place in Mabon rituals. For this one, take a fresh apple, cut it in half horizontally, and you’ll reveal a star-shaped pattern inside. This star symbolizes the magic of the season and the blessings in your life. As you slowly eat the apple, think about the sweetness in your life. Where can you show more appreciation? What sweetness do you want to cultivate going forward? This ritual can be as simple as enjoying the apple with gratitude or as elaborate as incorporating it into a harvest feast.
Candle Magic
As the days grow shorter, candlelight takes on a special significance. For this ritual, choose a candle color that aligns with your intentions. Green for abundance, orange for creativity, or brown for grounding. Light the candle, and as it burns, focus on what you want to bring into your life as the year winds down. You can meditate on your intention or say it out loud. As the flame flickers, visualize it bringing warmth and light to the areas of your life that need it most.
If you’d like to learn more about candle magic, check out this video!
Offerings to Nature
Mabon is all about giving thanks for the earth’s abundance, so a simple way to honor this is by giving back. You can prepare a small offering of fruits, nuts, or bread—something natural and seasonal—and leave it outside as a gift to the earth. Find a special spot, perhaps under a tree or in a quiet corner of your garden, and place your offering there with a word of thanks. This small act connects you to the cycles of nature and reminds you that, just like the earth, you too can give and receive.
Symbols of Mabon
Mabon is a season rich with symbolism, drawing from the harvest and the deeper meanings of nature and mysticism. Let’s explore some of the most meaningful symbols and how they can inspire reflection and transformation during this time.
The Apple and Its Hidden Pentagram
If you cut an apple horizontally, you’ll reveal a hidden pentagram at its core—a five-pointed star symbolizing the elements: earth, air, fire, water, and spirit. It’s a powerful reminder that magic and wisdom are often found in the simplest things.
The apple itself has long been linked to knowledge and mystery, representing the deeper truths we carry within us. As a symbol of Mabon, the apple invites us to reflect on our own inner wisdom and take time to nurture our personal growth.
Sapphire and Lapis Lazuli for Wisdom and Protection
Crystals are essential in many Mabon rituals. The deep blue of sapphire is known to enhance wisdom and insight, making it perfect for meditative practices during this reflective time. It helps you dig deeper into your thoughts and gain clarity.
Similarly, lapis lazuli, another beautiful blue stone, symbolizes protection and inner power. Whether you place these crystals on your altar or wear them as jewelry, they can help you connect with your intuition and protect your energy as you move through the season’s transformative shifts.
The Cornucopia, Acorns, and Grapes
Mabon is filled with other symbols of abundance and strength. The cornucopia, or horn of plenty, represents the fruits of our labor—the physical and emotional abundance we’ve cultivated throughout the year.
Acorns and oak leaves stand for strength and endurance as we prepare for the colder months ahead. And grapes, often turned into wine, symbolize fertility and celebration, reminding us to savor life’s sweetness before winter arrives. Each of these symbols carries a message of both gratitude and preparation, encouraging us to enjoy the present moment while looking forward to the future.
These symbols of Mabon are more than just objects; they carry deep meaning and can inspire us to reflect, grow, and embrace the changing seasons with intention.
The Spiritual Meaning of Mabon
Mabon is all about finding balance and embracing change. As the autumn equinox brings equal hours of day and night, it symbolizes harmony between opposites—light and dark, growth and rest. As summer’s energy slows, Mabon reminds us to pause and reflect on what we’ve accomplished.
On a deeper level, Mabon is about gratitude. It’s a time to acknowledge the harvest in our lives, whether it’s the earth’s bounty or the personal growth we’ve achieved. But it’s also about letting go. As the trees shed their leaves, we’re encouraged to release old habits, patterns, or anything that no longer serves us.
With the days growing shorter, Mabon invites us to turn inward and focus on inner transformation. It’s a perfect time for self-reflection, preparing emotionally and mentally for the slower, darker months ahead. The equinox asks us to find balance in our lives—between productivity and rest, between outward success and inner growth. Just like nature, we need to honor both sides.
As we move toward winter, Mabon helps set the stage for deeper self-awareness and spiritual renewal, reminding us to appreciate the natural cycles of change that guide us through the year.
Wrapping Up
Mabon’s symbols remind us to embrace balance, gratitude, and inner wisdom as we transition into the darker months. By connecting with these powerful representations of abundance and reflection, we honor the season and nurture our personal growth.