Autumnal Equinox
Blessed Mabon! Happy first official day of autumn!
As I’ve stated before, each season feels like a new beginning, and we are entering into my favorite time of the year. The weather gets colder, the leaves start to change, and things slow down.
Mabon is known as the Pagan Thanksgiving to some practicing witches. This is a time for gratitude for the bounty of the earth and balance. During the fall equinox, day and night are equal, and now things are slowing down. It’s time to reflect. The end of the year is nearing, and we’ve accomplished so much, and we should celebrate it. We should be grateful for the good things in our lives. However, as the summer fades, our emotions feel heavy and sad. This can cause most of us to feel seasonal depression, but to balance those emotions, we can look at all the things we are grateful for and balance our emotions.
When I think of autumn, it makes me hopeful for the future. I look back at the things that I have accomplished and look forward to what I’m going to manifest. One of my biggest goals is to live in an area where there are actual seasons. That’s the one bummer about being in LA, there are no seasons. When I visited Oregon in October, I swear my heart stopped once I saw the vibrant orange leaves in the trees and acorns on the ground-I took some for myself to keep for my altar. So looking forward to my goals and seeing how far I’ve come definitely ties in with the holiday.
We all know I love to bake and be outdoors and one of my favorite activities for Mabon is apple picking and baking an apple pie! Apple pie contains ingredients that are so warm and good for the soul; Apples for health and cinnamon for good love. According to Learn Religions, apples also honor the ancient gods at Mabon and has its own its five-pointed star as the focus, much like a pentagram.
The apple pie recipe I use is from Pinterest A Cozy Kitchen. The owner of the recipe changed some things from the original recipe I first saw. Kevin says it’s the best apple pie he’s ever had and I love my apple pie so, I don’t bother changing it really. Anything made with love and good intentions will always come out good. *kitchen witch tips*
My next venture out to the world will hopefully to go apple picking. I miss being outside in the fresh air, and I think doing an activity like that would be nice-with social distancing of course. Afterwards I want to attempt to make my own cider and more baked apple delights.
One of my favorite books from Arin Murphy-Hiscock, The Green Witch poses a fascinating question and thought that I will leave with you as well: “Autumn is a time of weighing. What is necessary to keep? What can be left behind as the cycle passes to a time of scarcity?” Blessed Mabon and happy harvesting xoxo
