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Autumn – The Equinox, Mabon, Fall and the Season of the Witch!
- Sam Lacey
- 1 day ago
- 13 min read
Welcome to the second harvest – the harvest of fruits and vegetables.
The Autumn Equinox, also known as Mabon, or Fall, is the second of the three Pagan harvest festivals. Some may also call this time Harvest Home Festival, which is more often celebrated near the end of September, aligning with the changing of the light.
🍂 September – Season of Mists, Magic & the Witch
Ahh, September, the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, that famous line, taken from the poem "To Autumn," which was written by one of our most famous English Romantic poets, John Keats. It's one of his most celebrated works, known for its rich imagery and depiction of the autumn season, and highlights how deeply this season resonates within us.
– and of course, it's also the season of the witch!
We love it - Autumn colours, pumpkin spice everything, longer nights, candles!
It's early September as I write this, and I, as always, am welcoming these cooler Autumn days. Already we can see the mornings and evenings getting darker. For many this is a melancholy time, many people don’t like the nights drawing in, but if we learn to develop a strong personal spiritual practice, we can fully step into this magically charged time with a feeling of excitement. This new season gives us the opportunity for fresh starts, a blank page, the ability to go within and create new practices, and definitely to count our blessings and gratitudes, which always makes us feel better.
When is the Autumn Equinox
In the UK, the Autumn Equinox falls ( see what I did there?!) on the 21st, 22nd or 23rd of September. Mabon refers to the period around this time. But if you're like me and my witchy friends, September 1st means we're in the season – and sometimes even before that!
Mabon, Fall, or Autumn Equinox – Are They the Same, What's in a Name?
Mabon, Fall, the Autumn Equinox…are they the same? It can get confusing when and what to celebrate. Lets delve into a little bit of info about the differences.
Mabon and the Autumn Equinox are connected but not identical.
The equinox is a natural astronomical event.
Mabon is a modern Pagan and Wiccan celebration aligned with the equinox.
In the traditional farming calendar that our Ancestors would have followed we celebrated three harvests:
Lammas / Lughnasadh ( around the1st August) = grain harvest
Autumn Equinox (Mabon) = fruit & vegetable harvest
Samhain (31st October) = harvest of nuts, berries, and meat
This whole time of the harvest covered the three festivals, and was simply called Harvest , Harvest Home or Ingathering. You can read some info on that here in this Britannica article.
Did You Know? The Word “Fall” Originated in England
Yes – "Fall" is originally British!
First used in the 1500s to describe "the fall of the leaf"
Its opposing season, "Spring", comes from "spring of the leaf"
"Autumn" entered English from French and Latin roots, appearing in literature from Chaucer to Shakespeare
By the late 1600s, Autumn replaced Fall in Britain
But Fall remained across the Atlantic with early colonists. There is a belief that the word fall was continued as the colonists moved across the Americas, whereas here in Britain it was dropped in favour of the word Autumn as the aristocracy associated it with the common people!
Personally, I love the word Fall – it feels rich with symbolism – and I try to use it over Mabon… though old habits die hard, and like Lughnasadh / Lammas, I tend to use both, so it becomes the Autumn Equinox / Mabon!
What is the Autumn Equinox?
The Autumn Equinox (aka the September or Fall Equinox) is an astrological event when the sun crosses the celestial equator, and day and night are nearly equal.
It marks the end of summer and beginning of autumn
Celebrated around 21st–22nd September
A global event observed by many cultures
It’s not spiritual by default – but becomes so when we imbue it with meaning
What is (or Rather Who) is Mabon?
Mabon is:
A modern Pagan and Wiccan holiday
Part of the eight Sabbats on the Wheel of the Year
Named after Mabon ap Modron, the Child of Light in Welsh mythology
*"Mabon (MAH-bon), otherwise known as Mabon ap Modron, is a character in Welsh mythology. His name literally translates to ‘the divine son of a divine mother.’ This Mabon is scarcely mentioned beyond a singular tale in the Mabinogi (often called the Mabinogion), a medieval collection of Welsh prose from the 11th and 14th centuries.
The Mabinogi primarily features tales about mothers or goddesses who are separated from their sons, and their sons, who are destined for great leadership as heroes or kings.
Mabon ap Modron may be related to a Gaulish Celtic deity called Maponos, as both the names Mabon and Maponos mean ‘divine son,’ ‘divine youth,’ or ‘great son,’ where Modron simply means mother, or ‘divine mother.’
Much of what we know about Gaulish Celtic deities comes from the accounts of Julius Caesar. As such, the deities are reliably conflated with Roman gods that he saw as fit equivalents. Caesar equated the Gaulish Maponos with the Greco-Roman Apollo, a god of medicine, music, and poetry, among many other things.
This Mabon appears only in the Mabinogi’s tale of Culhwch and Olwen."*Taken from an article by Sea Witch Botanicals. Click here to read the full article.
However, there is little evidence that Mabon was celebrated in Celtic countries and the term Mabon was given to the festival as recently as the 1970’s. All part of our reconstructed Paganism. This does not make it wrong, as all things evolve, and as we know, where we place our intention and energy we create new ways of being – but it is important to understand and acknowledge the root of things.
The Equinox is the scientific seasonal shift. Mabon is the spiritual celebration of that shift – but the naming has stirred debate.
Some say:
Mabon wasn’t historically celebrated in Celtic traditions.
Many don't know who Mabon was, even in Wales.
Alban Elfed is the Druid name for the Autumn Equinox, meaning “Light of the Water” - This festival marks the balance of day and night before the darkness takes over, and is a time to thank the Earth for the harvest.
In Norse traditions, it’s Haustblót or Winter Finding. This feast celebrates the beginning of Autumn.
All of this reflects the diverse ancestral roots that inform our modern practices, and how nothing is really wrong, especially when we just work with the feeling and energy of the season. Notice what you see happening in the world around you and your home, out in nature - the crops being harvested, the berries ripe for plucking in the hedgerows, the nights drawing in, the leaves falling from the trees. what do you feel and sense energetically?
This is a time when our senses come alive - the calls of the melodic song birds of Spring give way to the calls of the crows at Autumn.
Tune into these things, honour and celebrate the rhythm of the Seasons, to what is going on around you and you can't go wrong.
The Season of Letting Go & the Element of Metal - A Daoist Perspective
In Summer we are in full Yang, Masculine, energy, but as we move through into Late Summer (the 5th season in Daoist tradition) and into Autumn, the Yin, Feminine, energy is rising and needs to be balanced.
In the Daoist Five Elements Tradition, Autumn is connected with the Metal element. Just as the trees shed their leaves, Metal teaches us about letting go of what no longer serves us, and refining what is essential. It is the element of clarity, discernment, and purity, the alchemy of distilling life down to what truly matters.
Metal relates to the lungs and the large intestine in the body. Both organs teach us the balance between taking in and releasing. The lungs are about taking in the breath that nourishes us, and the letting go of that breath to create space - the large intestines take in water and nourishment from absorbed food and release it as waste. In Qigong and breath practices, Autumn invites us to slow down, deepen the breath, and release any old grief or stagnant energy we may be holding in our chest and in our bodies.
The emotions of Metal are grief and inspiration. Grief comes as we release, honouring what has passed, but Metal also gives us the spark of new inspiration and inner strength that comes from clarity.
Autumn invites us to:
Let go – of clutter, relationships, emotions
Do breathwork - open the lungs to release stagnant emotions
Do shadow work – examine what's no longer serving us
Reflect and integrate lessons
Embrace balance: “There is no light without darkness.”
A Time of Balance and Gratitude
For me, as well as letting go, the Autumn is a time of aiming for balance, and gratitude. The Harvest Mother offers her bounty. The God has sacrificed himself with the final grain cut. But he will return. The eternal cycle of life, death and rebirth.
This is a time to:
Celebrate the harvest
Rest and reflect
Share food and gratitude with loved ones
Acknowledge your achievements
Recognise the balance of light and dark
By applying the action of the seasonal shift of Autumn, letting go, to those things that no longer serve us well, such as unhappy emotions or relationships, old physical and energetic clutter, we can look at the things that cause us pain, that hold us back, and really begin to let it go – and do it with gratitude! Yes it feels uncomfortable at first – and you may need support from friends, family or a therapist as you bring awareness to the action, but it is a really healthy thing to be able to do for yourself. As we move into the more reflective energies of Autumn, we can begin to bring attention to our own healings, how we can be grateful for the teachings and let things flow freely.
Moving into the Dark Half of the Year
This shift is also known as the dark half of the year, and is associated with the Crone, the Wise Woman, Feminine (the Yin) energy. She, like the darkness is often feared and shunned, but I welcome this time to embrace that aspect of myself. It is time to reclaim our connection with that wild untamed element of darkness that is within us. There can be no light without darkness, and that is the message of the Autumn Equinox, all things must be in balance.
Persephone & the Autumn Equinox
One of the Myths that resonate for us witches at this time is the story of Persephone.
In Greek mythology, the Autumn Equinox is deeply connected to the story of Persephone’s descent into the Underworld. This ancient myth explains the turning of the seasons and the dance between light and dark.
The story goes like this; Persephone was the beloved daughter of Demeter, goddess of the harvest. She was taken by Hades, god of the Underworld. In her grief, Demeter let the earth grow barren, and crops failed. Nothing would grow until her daughter was returned.
When Zeus intervened, Hades agreed to Persephone's return, but not without a twist. Persephone had eaten pomegranate seeds, whilest in the Underworld, binding her to the Underworld for part of each year. And so the rhythm of the seasons was born.
However, as the patriarchy falls and we, the Feminine, reclaim our stories, just as we did with the story of Blodeuwedd, we know that all is not as it seems - Persephone was not a helpless victim in her tale. What if she willingly went to the Underworld, as part of her growth from childhood to womanhood, and chose to be with Hades as her lover, deliberately eating the pomegranate seeds, to rule as Queen of the Underworld by his side?
This puts a whole different perspective on the story. Yes, Demeter still mourns the loss of her daughter, as a mother does grieve when her children leave home, but for Persephone, the journey into the Underworld gives her the chance to step into her power as a sensual woman in her own right, to leave the trappings of her childhood (and possibly over bearing mother?) behind.
When Persephone is below, from the Autumn Equinox through winter, the earth lies in stillness and darkness. We enter the time of descent, dormancy, and deep reflection. When she returns in spring, the world bursts back into life, growth, and renewal.
This myth is more than a story, it is a sacred allegory. Persephone’s descent mirrors our own cycles of life, death, and rebirth. It reminds us that just as the leaves fall and the earth quiets, we too can release, rest, and trust that light and growth will return, and that we have sovereignty and power over how we do this - we can use this time to explore our darker natures', to heal, and grow, in the dark.
"The greatest growth happens in the darkness"
The Autumn Equinox is her threshold moment, the balance point before she journeys below. It’s a powerful time to honour what we are ready to let go of, to sit with our shadows, and to prepare for the darker half of the year.
Ways to Celebrate the Autumn Equinox or Mabon
As I always say, there are no 'rules' - you don’t need to celebrate on a specific date. That's the beauty of following the seasons.
Between September 1st and Samhain (October 31st), you can honour the seasonal shift in simple or elaborate ways. And just do what feels right, honouring the season can just be as simple as enjoying a quiet pumpkin spiced latte while you read your book!
If you fancy doing something a bit more (or as well as) that, here are some things you can do to celebrate the season;
Create an Altar (or two!): Set up an altar with symbols of the season, such as colourful leaves, acorns, pinecones, and apples. You can also include candles in autumnal colours – red, orange, and brown. You can also create an outside altar, by way of honouring the spirits and elementals that live on your land and have helped in bringing the harvest and bounty to fruition. A small area where you can place a small candle lantern, a crystal maybe, a stone where you can lay an offering, a token of your appreciation, as that is the focus of this time, gratitude and appreciation.
Have a Feast: Prepare a special meal using the fruits and vegetables of the season. Apples, squash, pumpkins, and root vegetables are all excellent choices. Consider making dishes like apple pie, roasted root vegetables, or a hearty soup.
Go Apple Picking: Visit a local orchard or park and pick your own apples. It’s a fun way to connect with nature and gather fresh produce for your equinox feast. Apples have long been associated with witches and magic, and are one of the many fruits that are coming into abundance this time of year. If you cut an apple around the middle you will see the 5 pointed star that we pagans and witches honour as the pentagram, or pentacle if within a circle, (the circle of the apple!) that represent the Elements of Nature that make up the world around us, Air, Fire, Water, Earth and Spirit.
Take a Walk in Nature: Take a leisurely walk in the woods or a nearby park to appreciate the changing colours of the leaves and the fresher autumn air. Collect fallen leaves or pinecones to use in your altar.
Make Mulled Apple Cider: Using cider and or apple juice, add spices like cinnamon and cloves and gently warm.
Bake Bread and cake: Baking bread is a great way to connect with the harvest season and honouring the grain that has been gathered in, even though we may not do these things ourselves anymore, it is still done by someone! One of my favourite things to see at this time are the tractors and combines gathering in the harvest. Try making a loaf of hearty, whole-grain bread to enjoy with your meal, or a delicious apple cake or blackberry crumble!
Crafts and DIY: Get creative with autumn-themed crafts. You can make wreaths, decorate pumpkins, or create your own autumn-inspired artwork.
Give Thanks: Take a moment to express gratitude for the harvest and the abundance in your life. Reflect on the things you’re thankful for and consider ways to give back to your community or nature (I pick litter whenever I go out for a walk)
Share with Others: Share your harvest with friends, family, or neighbours. You can give away some of the apples you picked or share a portion of your feast with loved ones.
Light a Bonfire or Candles: Fire is a traditional element of many equinox celebrations. Light a bonfire in a safe location or simply light some candles on your altar to symbolise the warmth and light of the season.
Meditation and Reflection: Spend some quiet time in meditation or reflection. Consider your goals for the upcoming season and how you can align yourself with the changing energies of autumn. Ask where you can bring more balance into your life. Start a shadow work journal.
Rituals and Ceremonies: Connect with like minded friends and meet in nature to honour the elements and seasons – share food, drum, sing, do card readings. Come to one of my nurturing events or retreats.
Attend a Festival: Check if there are any local autumn festivals or events happening in your area. These can be a fun way to celebrate with the community.
Make Medicine for Winter: The hedgerows are bursting with berries, blackberries, sloes, rowan, hawthorn berries, and rose hips, all of which are filled with immune boosting vitamins and antioxidents. It’s easy to make a heart healing tea or tincture with hawthorn berries, or a delicious syrup with elderberries and rose hips, or a healing healthful vinegar with blackberries. If you sign up to my email you will join The Green Witchery community, where I share lots of my favourite seasonal recipes and practices, plus you will get special discounts on products in the shop that aren't available to everyone else.
Final Thoughts
The Autumn Equinox is a time of balance, reflection and gratitude. It’s an opportunity to connect with the natural world and celebrate the changing of the seasons and the fullness you have in your life in a way that resonates with you.
You can tangibly feel the evenings drawing in, the mornings have the smell of damp autumn leaves, and nature prepares for her greatest show before settling down for winter.
One of my favourite sayings at this time of year is
“As the leaves turn from green to red and gold, Nature shows us how beautiful it is to let go.”
However you choose to celebrate, I wish you much abundance, good health, peace and blessings of the season,
With love and green, orange, and Pumpkin Spiced blessings,
Sam AuroraStar Green Witch XXX
© 2024 Sam AuroraStar, The Green Witchery. All rights reserved.
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