Mabon, The Pagan Thanksgiving

The Pagan Thanksgiving, Mabon is the Autumn Equinox, celebrated September 22, 23.

It’s when day and night are equal, making it a time of balance, equality and harmony.  

The autumnal equinox is a time to bid farewell to the Sun. 

It is associated with the end of the harvest, and is a time of thanksgiving.

Traditionally, Mabon is a time to appreciate the fruits of the Earth, and to seek the blessings of the Goddess and God for the difficult winter months ahead.

In addition to the completion of the harvest, the fall equinox is seen by some as a time of rebirth and reincarnation.

Mabon is one of the Lesser Sabbats.

Mabon is celebrated on the fall / autumnal equinox. 

Back in the early times of Mabon it was a celebration of the second harvest (Lughnasadh was the first) when farmers harvested foods like gourds, pumpkins, grapes and apples. 

Mabon celebrations is giving thanks for the abundance of Mother Earth - both literally and spiritually.  It’s also a good time to reflect on the Wheel of the Year, recognizing your successes and letting go of the things that did not serve you over the past year.

Named after the ancient Welsh hero named Mabon ap Modron, which means Son of Mother, Mabon is the second of three harvest festivals that take place in the Wheel of the Year (Lughnasadh is the first and Samhain is the third).  

As the Wheel of the year nears its end, Mabon is a good time to set intentions that involve keeping your circle small, ending bad relationships.

It’s also time to let go of unhealthy habits or self destructive beliefs. 

One of the best ways to celebrate Mabon is decorating your home for autumn.  Using fresh and dried flowers and gourds throughout the house.

If you opt to celebrate Mabon by yourself, look for a quiet space outside to reflect and meditate.

And then treat yourself to a nice harvest meal. 

Mabon is a great time to detach and release the baggage of the past y

Here are some other ideas...

• Host a bonfire (you can even use your BBQ) Gather your close friends and family.
• Decorate your porch or entryway with traditional autumn colors.
• Write down the things you are grateful for.
• Have a picnic in your own yard or house.
• Clean your house and get rid of stagnant or negative energy.
• Host a potluck Mabon dinner with your favorite people.

Mabon Activities

Mabon the Autumn Equinox

Happy Mabon To All

Mabon the Autumn Equinox

It’s the Autumn Equinox, it’s time to prepare.

The autumnal equinox is a time to bid farewell to the Sun. 
It is associated with the harvest, and is a time of thanksgiving.
Traditionally, Mabon is a time to show appreciation for the fruits of the Earth, and to prepare for the difficult winter months ahead.
In addition to the completion of the harvest, the fall equinox is seen by some as a time of rebirth and reincarnation.

Mabon 2022 will begin on

Wednesday, September 21

and ends on

Thursday, September 29

Mabon

Mabon/Autumn Equinox

It's a perfect time to start over, letting go of the negativity and embracing a more positive future.

Today is the autumnal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, where the nights become longer than the days, as the North Pole tilts away from the sun. We commonly know it as the first day of fall, in the Pagan world the equinox is called Mabon, or Second Harvest. It is a time to give thanks for the summer and to pay tribute to the coming darkness. It is also a time of preparing for Samhain (October 31–November 1), the bigger pagan festival that begins winter.

The Autumn Equinox

On this day of equal light and darkness may you find the balance you need in your life.

May you find the courage to believe in yourself.

Mabon September 22, 2016

Mabon or the Autumn Equinox is usually celebrated around September 21st, though it can occur as early as the 20th or as late as the 23rd, depending on the timing of the actual Astrological event.  Mabon occurs on the date which the sun enters the sign of Libra, the scales.   Night and Day are equally balanced at Autumn Equinox but soon that all changes and we'll have longer nights and shorter days.  The days will continue to grow shorter until the Wheel of the Year finds its way to Yule.

Mabon brings decomposition that reaches fullness at Samhain.

Mabon is the primary harvest festival and witches pay homage to retreating daylight, and prepare for the coming winter. This holiday symbolizes the God in old age and readying for his death and rebirth.

Even though this holiday is a bit more somber than the others, it is one where we give our thanks for what we have received throughout the past year. This is also a time for witches and pagans to give back to their communities, and generally share their harvests.

Mabon - Thursday September 22, 2016

It's up next...

Okay, it's not until next month, but let's get ready.

Mabon, (pronounced MAY-bun, MAY-bone, MAH-boon, or MAH-bawn) is the Autumn Equinox. The Autumn Equinox divides the day and night equally, and we pay our respects to the approaching dark. We also offer thanks to the waning sunlight, as we prepare our harvest of this year's crops. 

Mabon is a time to reflect on the past year, when we can celebrate what worked for us and assess which crops, projects, or dreams didn’t work. 

The Apple

The apple is an important symbol of the Harvest.

It is a symbol for life and immortality, for healing, renewal, regeneration and wholeness. It is associated with beauty, long life and restored youth. 

For Pagans, the apple has a 'secret'. 

Cut an apple width ways and it reveals a pentagram containing seeds. 

The five points represent the elements of Earth, Air, Fire, Water with Spirit at the top.

Then there's the magical properties of Apple wood.

It's a powerful wood of choice for the witch when working magick. 

Apple wood promotes peace and harmony and honestly, it's even our favorite wood for smoking meats, poultry and fish, not that it has anything to do with peace and harmony, but we love it just the same.

Speaking of apples, here's our homemade Apple Pie recipe:

For the crust:

Please note: Another factor that helps pie crusts is using the right kind of flour. You should use pastry flour rather than all purpose flour, if you can find it. If not, use half all-purpose flour and half cake flour, well sifted together. 

The key is to handle and knead the dough as little as possible and to make sure the fats stay firm and cold. Use as little water as possible to get the mixture to form clumps and take the time to chill the pie dough for at least 30 minutes before rolling it out. Rolling and re-rolling can make a tough pie crust, you don't want that.

1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
8 tablespoons (1 stick or 4 oz.) unsalted butter
10 tablespoons solid shortening
2 large egg yolks
4 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
6 ice cubes
1 cup cold water, but remember, it could be about 1/2 cup, but could be more or less depending on the weather. 1 full cup would simply make a dough that's too wet. 

Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk throughly. Set aside in the freezer.

Slice the cold butter into 1/4" in. thick slices. Then cut each slice in half. Place the pieces of butter into a small bowl and set aside in the freezer.

Measure out 1 cup COLD water. Place egg yolks and vinegar into the same measuring cup with the cold water. Use a small whisk or fork to stir the ingredients. Place ice cubes into the measuring cup of blended ingredients. Set aside and allow ingredients to get colder.

Retrieve the chilled flour mixture from the freezer. Using a pastry blender, or 2 knives, or your clean fingertips, cut in the shortening into the chilled flour mixture until all pieces are pea-sized or SMALLER. Keep the shortening at rooom temp for easier and more thorough cutting into the flour.

Next, retrieve the chilled butter from the freezer. Cut in the cold butter all throughout the flour until MOST BUT NOT ALL of the pieces ARE ABOUT THE SIZE OF PEAS OR LARGER.

Pour about 1/4 cup of the water mixture into the flour mixture and use a fork to gently mix and try to moisten most of the flour. Drizzle in a little bit of water at a time- while thoroughly but gently mixing with a fork. STOP ADDING WATER WHEN LARGE PIECES OF DOUGH START TO CLUMP TOGETHER. TEST THE DOUGH BY GRABBING A PORTION ABOUT THE SIZE OF A TENNIS BALL AND SQUEEZING IT. RELEASE YOUR GRIP. IF THE DOUGH HOLDS TOGETHER AND DOESN'T CRUMBLE APART, IT'S READY! If it does crumble and doesn't hold together, just keep adding a tbs. of water at a time.

Half the dough into 2 portions. Form into discs and wrap each portion with plastic wrap. Chill for at least 30 minutes to give it time for the glutens to relax.

When you are ready to roll it out, give the disc(s) a good pounding with a rolling pin or heavy cast iron skillet before attempting to roll out. If you chill it overnight, you may want to let it sit out for 10-15 min. to make it easier to roll out.

Of course you could always use a pre-made pie shell if necessary.

Here's the filling:

9 cups thinly sliced, peeled Granny Smith apples (9 medium)

 Jonathan Apples are nice too

3/4

cup sugar

2

tablespoons all-purpose flour

3/4

teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4

teaspoon salt

1/8

teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon lemon juice

• Heat oven to 425°F. Place 1 pie crust in ungreased 9-inch glass pie plate. Press firmly against side and bottom.
• In large bowl, gently mix filling ingredients; spoon into crust-lined pie plate. Top with second crust. Wrap excess top crust under bottom crust edge, pressing edges together to seal; flute. Cut slits or shapes in several places in top crust.
• Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown. Cover edge of crust with 2- to 3-inch wide strips of foil after first 15 to 20 minutes of baking to prevent excessive browning. Cool on cooling rack at least 2 hours before serving.