Y’all I can’t believe it- I’m approaching 5000 followers. I’m so honored and humbled that so many of y’all have enjoyed my art and want to see more from me. So to celebrate all of you, I am hosting my very first giveaway!
Reblog this post and be sure you’re following me for a chance to win a signed giclée print of my piece “Gravesite.”
A winner will be selected at random once I hit 5000 followers. If you’re already following me, all you have to do is reblog the post to be eligible! There is also a bonus prize that will be sent to my actual 5000th follower, but it’s a secret!
Thank you all again. It’s truly been a pleasure sharing my work with you.
EDIT:Giveaway has ended, and winners have been contacted! Thank you so much to everyone who participated!
The second of three harvesting Sabbats; Mabon is a time to give thanks to the Earth, and to celebrate the harvest and abundance. It’s a time when the night and day are equal, crops are harvested, and food is stored away. Days following become darker which starts a time of reflection and letting go. Making and drinking wine is common practice around this time.
Popular Symbols for this holiday are Apples, Pinecones, Gourds, Oak Leaves, Acorns, Berries, Pies, Bread, Grains, Grapes, Carrots, Onions, Potatoes, and Corn.
Color Associations - Brown, Red, Orange, Yellow, Indigo, and Gold
Tarot Cards associated with Mabon are Judgement, and The World.
Crystals to use on your altar or for spells on this holiday could be Amber, Aventurine, Cat’s Eye, Clear Quartz, Citrine, Diamond, Lapis Lazuli, Peridot, Sapphire, Yellow Agat
Animal energies to channel could include Blackbirds, Eagles, Wild Goose, Owl, Salmon, Wolf
Herbs and Plants - Cinnamon, Chamomile, Frankincense, Marigold, Oak Leaves, Myrrh, Pine, Rue, Rosemary, Sage, Thistle, Yarrow
Spells good to perform on this holiday are those for Balance and Harmony, Blessings, Divination, Prosperity, Protection and Security, and Self Confidence
Activities to help get in the Mabon spirit and celebrate are baking, decorating, donating to a local charity. Going for a walk,burning bad habits, lighting candles, having a bonfire, making and enjoying a stew or a soup… Meditation, harvesting from your garden or a friend’s… Starting a week or so before the Sabbat, try throwing spare change into a jar steadily. Use that on your altar to help encourage prosperity to come. Donate that money (or some food and other goods) to a charity or cause you believe in. Put good energy out, receive good energy in turn
Hello everyone! I began this little series withLithaback in June, so it’s now time to continue my last minute sabbats series! As always, before we get started, I just want to note that not all Pagans celebrate the Sabbats, and not all witches celebrate the Sabbats either. I by no means am telling anyone that they need to celebrate the sabbats to have a full or valid practice. If you do celebrate the sabbats, however, here is some information about Mabon, including a prayer that I wrote in honor of the Sabbat and a little summary of my personal Mabon plans:
Mabon
When: Around September 21st (fall equinox)
Other names: Autumn/fall equinox
What:Mabon is the celebration of the Fall Equinox and the second harvest. Falling near American Thanksgiving, it is also seen as a time to give thanks for the bounties of the first harvest. For many Wiccans and Pagans who follow the Hellenic pantheon, this is seen as the time when Persephone leaves Demeter to descend to the Underworld with Hades.
God/desses:Persephone, Demeter, Hades, Pomona, Morrigan, Freyr, Thor, Innana (not sure if Innana is from a closed culture or not? can someone please verify?)
Ideas for celebration: Big feasts or meals with family and friends are great for Mabon. Celebrations of balance or thanksgiving, nature walks/meditation, giving food or help to animals or people in need. Apple-picking, gardening, cooking.
My Mabon Prayer:
Oh many deities of the autumn equinox, who have been known as Persephone, Demeter, Hades, Pomona, Morrigan, Freyr, Thor– I offer you this prayer of thanks, lifting up my heart in gratitude for your many blessings. Thank you for the harvest, which brings food to those who are hungry. Your rains purify me. Your bounty nourishes me. Your skies surround me and watch over me in times of fear. For these blessings, I thank you. In this Mabon season, please bless those who are less fortunate than I. Bless the fallen animals, who have died that I may eat– I thank them for their beauty, strength, and sacrifice. To the animals who are hungry, forgotten, or abused by their owners– send your loving protection that they may be blessed and lead to safety. Bless all of the people who will spend this Mabon season hungry or cold– lead them also to safety and splendor. In your name, I pray that those who are less fortunate may be blessed and protected on this day. With much gratefulness, so mote it be.
My Mabon Plans:
I will not be celebrating Mabon this year, in all truthfulness. I’m recently having troubles with my faith and am looking into various religions. I don’t think that it’s fitting for me to celebrate Mabon when I don’t feel solid with my faith. I’ll still be continuing this series, nonetheless, since I know that it is very informational for some people.
I hope you have a happy Mabon and that you found this post helpful! Look out for more last minute sabbat posts in the future :) If you have any questions, feel free to send me an ask! To see the previous last minute sabbat post on Lammas, click here.
Other names: Mabon (Wicca), Alban Elfed (neo-druidry), Second Harvest
Traditional Date: Late March (21-23ish) (NH: late September) 2022 Astronomical Date: March 21 (NH: September 23)*
Themes: Harvest, end of bushfire season.
Moon Phase: Third Quarter Colours: Dark pink, purple, yellow Botanicals: Niaouli/paperbark, black pepper, cinnamon, clove, rosehip Incense: Cinnamon, clove, myrrh, rose Crystals:Amethyst
Foods: Grapes, apples, wine, hot cross buns, chocolate, late-summer fruits/vegetables
In a lot of Australia, the autumnal equinox falls at the end of our hottest summer period and heralds the start of a shift towards cooler weather. The flowering of the niaouli/paperbark trees tells me that this is getting close, so they’re most representative of this time of year for me.
While the ‘harvest festivals’ (Lammas/Lughnasadh, Autumn Equinox/Mabon, Samhain) usually centre ideas of grain harvests, these are long over in most of Australia (in fact, farmers will start sowing the new year’s crops fairly soon). That said, you’ll still find plenty of late summer fruits/vegetables being harvested in the places that grow them!
Due to the chaos of being a Christian country in the Southern Hemisphere, the Autumnal Equinox also precedes spring-themed Easter celebrations, so I find that some of these things overlap a little. I realised last year that hot cross buns are weirdly appropriate for this time of year, and chocolate usually makes some level of an appearance. Likewise, many Noongar people (the traditional custodians of the land I live on) traditionally lived coastal at this time of year, so the Christian tradition of eating fish (& often other seafood) on Good Friday lines up with the seasonal vibes as well.
Connect with Autumn Equinox Energy
Mark the solar event by watching the sunrise and sunset.
Eat seasonal foods! One of my favourite things to make at this time of year is a cider & red wine cocktail - wonderful iced or mulled!
Revisit and review any goals you set for the solar year - how are they going?
*Southern Hemisphere dates based on Perth, WA (GMT+8); Northern Hemisphere dates based on GMT. Find the date/time based on your location here.
Mabon is the holiday of The Great Harvest, and it’s the Autumn Equinox.
Colours - orange, brown, ochre, all colours of the season
Altar/Home Decorations - orange candles, fallen leaves, pine cones, acorns, chestnuts, wheat, nuts, hazelnuts, apples and anything that’s in season where you live (in Italy we have figs, peaches, plums and grapes)
Something to eat - apples, apple pie, hazelnut pie, almond cookies, anything listed above that is in season, honey, milk, coffee and hot tea
Things to do - set new goals, forgive someone who did you wrong, meditate, cook something, try to be kinder and nicer (the season for anger and revenge will come, but this time of the year it’s easier to find peace)
During September, collect some fallen tree leaves and write them down your wishes for the rest of the year.
Do you promise yourself to study harder?
Do you want to start exercising?
Do you want to sign up to new courses?
Maybe develop some skills?
(Use a black-ink pen to write on your leaves, you can also write sigils) Keep your leaves on your altar or on your bedside table, if you are a secret witch.
Then, during the Mabon night, burn your leaves to release the energy of your wish. If the leaves can’t be burn, then bury them outside.
Mabon is the second harvest festival in the Wheel of the Year that is celebrated on the autumnal equinox.
Make apples into bowls! Carve out an apple so that the filling is gone and all that is left is a thick bowl-shaped apple shell. You can put small plants in these, offerings to spirits or deities, or you can place a candle inside. Put it on an altar or windowsill and it’s complete! Donate food! If you have food to spare, donate some to a local food pantry. Also, if you have pet food or toys to spare, donate to those to a local animal shelter! Mabon is a great holiday to give back and donating what you can is a wonderful way to celebrate the equinox! Burn bad habits! Literally. If you have a fireplace or somewhere where you can safely burn things, write down your bad habits and throw them in the fire. Then write down good habits you wish to have and hang it near the fireplace or on the fridge if you don’t have a fireplace. This season is all about change, so burn away the bad and work towards positive change! Spend time with friends and family! Surround yourself with good company and have a fun time! You can visit an apple orchard, watch a movie and eat sweet treats, spend time in the living room together, enjoy a meal with each other, and more. Bake and share! Apples are an ideal ingredient for homemade goods this time of year. Share your homemade treats with friends, family, or share them with a deity or spirit as an offering. Not only will you get to enjoy your goodies, but your loved ones will, too! Visit the deceased. Gather some fallen leaves (or flowers if you prefer), acorns, and pine cones and adorn the deceased’s grave with them. You can also light a candle for them and pray or talk to them. Take time to remember them on this holiday. Harvest and take care of your plants! Gather your herbs or take extra special care of your plants. You can use your harvested materials right away, dry them out, and/or store them away for later use! If your plant is not ready to be harvested, treat it to some new soil or fresh water! Make or buy wine! Unless you’re underage or an alcoholic. Otherwise, get or make some wine and celebrate! Who doesn’t like to get a little drunk on holidays? Take time to bask in nature! Winter is coming soon and those walks in the park won’t be as pleasant. Spend some time in the woods, an apple orchard, a lake, or just in your backyard and embrace what nature has to offer! Meditate or do some spells for balance! Mabon is an ideal time to perform spells that help balance your life. You can also meditate to relieve stress or whatever it is you like to do to relieve stress. Take time to relax and take care of yourself this holiday!
Seasons change as a matter of course. Winter turns to spring. Spring turns to summer. Summer inevitably turns to autumn. This latest change in season is felt through the swift change of warm to cold, sunny to rainy. But what exactly is a “season”?
By definition, a “season” is a part of the year marked by the weather exhibited as a result of the position the Earth has in regard to the Sun. We recently experienced the yearly September equinox where the Sun appears to cross the celestial equator, heading southward. In the Northern Hemisphere, this has marked the beginning of autumn, a change borne witness to by leaves floating to the ground. There is much to look forward to: apple and blackberry harvests, big piles of leaves, and of course, pumpkin spiced lattes.
Image credit: Leaf piles by Hans. Public domain via Pixabay.
First, if you aren’t familiar with what a blog hop is, here’s the TL/DR version. Bloggers all write about the same theme at the same time on the same day. We have been doing this every year since 2012.
For this Ostara (or Mabon for those in the more southern regions), we were given two themes by our wranglers. For this blog, I chose theme 1 which asked us, “What card or cards would you say represent you either professionally or personally?”
Today,September 21st is the beginning of the Pagan and witch holiday, Mabon. I’m going to link my mabon post here : https://greekwitchchild.tumblr.com/post/187553769933/mabon so anyone who wants ideas on what to do can do learn what i plan on doing.
Throughout Mabon i’m going to be documenting what i’m doing to celebrate and will make an overall post of my mabon 2019 on the 29th, when mabon officially ends.
I pray you all have a blessed and happy mabon and that you take some time to honour your gods.
NH: 21st-29th sepetember with the autumn equinox on the 23rd.
SH: 21st-29th march with the autumn equinox on the 23rd.
What is it?
Mabon is the autumn celebration of balance. It’s the day equal day and equal night. Mabon is the time to pay respect to the darker days coming, but also give thanks to the summer and harvest that we’re leaving behind. It’s the time for rest, rejuvenation, letting go and showing thanks.
What is associated with it?
Mabon is associated with earthy colours such as red,brown and green, apples,berries, ground vegetables, spices, leaves that have fallen and acorns. The crystals that are associated with the sabbat are quartz, amber and anything in those yellows and reds.
Activities to do :
give thanks and offerings to summer related deities such as Apollo
complete any unfinished projects and resolve any issues
harvest the final batch of herbs to dry
decorate your alter or shrines
burn incense (apple,sage, ginger etc)
wear mabon coloured clothes
meditate
now is the sabbat to perform protection and balance spells
honour spirits and ancestors, and leave offerings to nature and in graveyards for the spirits still walking
have a meal with loved ones (it’s our thanksgiving basically)
FOOD!! : breads, meats, any comfort food
relax and clean your room for the upcoming winter
remove any negative energies from summer
Hellenic Mabon:
This is the start of autumn and so this is when I celebrate Persephone being reunited with Hades. You can use this sabbat to learn more about them, contact them, give offerings etc. Use this day to celebrate their reunion and pay your respects and show they how happy you are for them.
Enjoy today’s Autumn Equinox! These pics are from my favorite fall bike trail last weekend—the Mineral Belt Trail (it’s 12 miles long & climbs to 2 miles high). The first photo is of Mt. Elbert, Colorado’s tallest mountain at 14,439 feet, peeking through the golden aspens
