Portable Magic by Mickie Mueller - Mabon

Sabbats Almanac: Samhain to Mabon - Kristoffer Hughes 2018

Portable Magic by Mickie Mueller
Mabon

SOME PEOPLE CALL IT the first day of fall, but us witches and pagans call it Mabon, or the autumn equinox, and we’ve been feeling a bit of autumn in the air already since this is the second harvest. Now that Mabon has arrived though, it’s really starting to feel like fall. Depending on where you live, the leaves may be starting to change, the harvest from local vegetable gardens is well under way, and the transformation from summer to fall is palpable. I love the solstices and the equinoxes because they’ve always felt like days of significance to me even before I recognized my magical path. How do we celebrate the day of balance any better than finding balance between our magical and mundane lives? If you’ve joined me on this journey of celebrating sabbats on-the-go in this book, I bet you have some ideas already. I hope you continue to be inspired with little ways to bring magic into your everyday life.

It’s Like Apple Pie but Cooler

The apple harvest is well under way at Mabon. I know quite a few Pagans and witches who celebrate this sabbat with the tradition of apple picking at a local orchard. Apples are a symbol of magic of course; if you slice them through the core, you’ll find a star inside making a natural pentacle. If you don’t have time to visit an orchard in the middle of the week, you can still enjoy the magic of apples on the actual autumn equinox. I always feel like I want the flavor of an apple pie on Mabon, but so often in the Midwest it’s still too darned hot to bake. Here’s an apple snack that my mother-in-law taught me how to make—it’s easy to take along for your lunch break. Slice up one apple into bite sized pieces and toss them in a small plastic bowl with a lid. Sprinkle with about a teaspoon of lemon juice, some sugar or stevia, and cinnamon to taste. Put the lid on and shake it up. It tastes like an apple pie but it’s fresh and cool for a special treat on a warm autumn day. If you’re missing that pie crust crunch, crumble up a graham cracker in there right before you eat it.

Gratitude Spell

Some refer to Mabon as “The Witches’ Thanksgiving,” not only a time of feasting and harvest, but a time to express gratitude for what we have. Sometimes life is tough and we tend to focus on only our challenges, but in the season of harvest if we can shift our attention to the blessings in life, we’ll manifest more of them. Here’s a really easy gratitude ritual you can perform anywhere. All you need is a handful of coins, at least five, but it can be more if you wish. Hold the coins in your left hand and transfer them one at a time into your right as you name each coin for something that you’re grateful for in your life. Hold the coin and think about your gratitude, fill your heart with how each one of those things makes you feel with each coin. When you’re done, put the coins in your pocket and keep them separate from the rest of your change. Before the day is done, find a donation jar at your local gas station or other shop and donate those coins. Spread that love, sharing the coins is how you thank the universe. Giving to others in need will bring you and the recipients more to be grateful for in the year ahead.

Jewelry of Feather or Stone

Crow and ravens are symbols of Mabon and can be found on costume jewelry for Halloween since they’re usually already putting that stuff out this time of the year, you get shopping for two sabbats in one. Both crows and ravens are birds that relate to the harvest, they go along the fields picking at remnants enjoying a feast of their own. They are also deep in the mythos of dark goddesses such as Macha, and The Morrigan whose presence can be felt stronger as we move into the season of death and change. Both of these dark birds are connected to the magic of transformation, fearlessness, adaptability, and intelligence. If you would like to summon up that energy into your life during Mabon, look for a jewelry piece depicting a crow or raven to wear. If you can’t find the dark birds of the season or you prefer, there are several stones associated with Mabon. Jewelry made with hematite, amber, lapis lazuli, or tiger eye work nicely with the energies of the season. Pass your jewelry through some incense smoke or sage smoke, then hold it in your hands and speak from your heart to charge your jewelry with Mabon’s energy of abundance and transformation.

Wear Colors of the Day

The colors of the changing season represent Mabon in your fall wardrobe. Even though the weather is often still quite hot on Mabon, as we look around and see nature changing we’re aware that cooler days are not far ahead. Wearing one or more of the colors of the sabbat can help you embrace the changes happening all around you.

Brown is a harvest color and it’s also a color that connects us to nature. Wearing brown on Mabon can remind us to practice generosity, and assure that our resources endure.

Orange, another harvest color always makes me focus on the changing leaves and the pumpkin harvest. To me wearing a bit of orange on the autumn equinox helps me embrace the joy and excitement of fall.

Forest green seems appropriate at Mabon, it’s the color of the leaves that are still producing food for the plant, thus getting the last bit out of the waning year. Wear deep green today to focus on planning ahead, success through hard work, and gathering prosperity and abundance.

Black and white is a clever choice to wear on Mabon; it’s a day of balance when the day and night are equal. Bringing the contrast of black and white into your look today can help you focus on that balance.

Sabbat on the Go Tips

If you work where you can bring in a vase of flowers, try carnations in fall colors or mums, and mix it with sprigs of sage from your garden or the produce section of the supermarket. Every time you look at it or catch the scent you’ll feel Mabon enchantment.

Carry an acorn in your pocket as a charm for luck and prosperity on Mabon. If you find it on Mabon, keep it on your altar to add to your prosperity magic all year.

If you happen to be walking where the wind is blowing leaves from the trees, try to catch one before it hits the ground. Yes, you might look a bit silly, but if you manage to snatch one out of the air, that leaf will bring you good luck for a year. Try it every Mabon.