Ways To Celebrate Mabon

🥐Ways to Celebrate Mabon🍂

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!

Bind runes

Not my own-found this on Facebook

Source unknown

💚🌿🧝‍♀️ the-gingerwitch

I love this artwork, it belongs to @paperwitchco 🎃

Hi, witches.

Many people made comments similar to this: “cute, but pls remember that if you aren't native american, you shouldn't be calling smoke cleanses smudging! also, you shouldn't be using white sage because it's going extinct and native peoples need white sage in order to use it for their ceremonies !! witchcraft is a beautiful thing but we need to be respectful of other cultures whilst practicing it ”which makes me very sad, because as my first language is not English, for me it does not have a different meaning, so I did not realize that with this post I was disrespecting the native communities, I’m really sorry. Also, because of my allergies, I don't usually burn anything, but if you do, please do your research so as not to damage ecosystems. ♥️

Samhain

Activities

Put up wards to keep out unwanted spirits

Put jars of salt by your door to protect your home

Sprinkle some salt in your mouth right before you go to bed to protect your dreams

Light candles to help guide spirits

Tell stories of dead relatives and friends

Write about the dead in your book of shadows

Give offerings to your ancestors

Pray at your altar

Cleanse your space with incense

Drink hot drinks

Bake bread or pies

Add fall recipes to your book of shadows

Paint and decorate pumpkins

Contact spirits through divination

Ask for advice from your ancestors

Be thankful for the food you have

Dust and tidy your altar

Look at pictures of deceased loved ones

Dress in fall colors

Go for a walk in nature, observe the leaves turning. Consider the cycles of life and death that govern our world.

Light a bonfire/small fire (safely!) and burn papers with things that no longer serve you, that you cannot afford to take into winter.

Make an offering to your deities or ancestors

Make food with seasonal ingredients symbolic of the final harvest: squashes, pumpkins, grains, apples, spices. Even wine, if you’re allowed to drink.

Prepare your home and yourself for the coldest part of the year. Redo protection spells, clean out clutter, develop sustaining spells for winter.

Reflect on the past year. What did you lose? What people left your life, what things no longer hold meaning for you? How did you change as a person?

Work with various forms of divination, like runes, pendulums, tea leaves, or tarot.

If you do work with ouija boards you better be SUPER DUPER careful. Do not neglect protections, and if you feel uncomfortable, stop, protection spells and cleanse, cleanse, cleanse.

Give some time or money to a cause you’re passionate about. If your harvest is abundant, give back to those who were not so fortunate.

Colors

Black

Orange

Brown

Gold

Scarlet

Animals

Bat

Boar

Cat

Cow

Dog

Crow

Crystals

Jet

Obsidian

Amber

Carnelian

Fossils

Onyx

Sandstone

Turquoise

Bloodstone

Herbs and Flowers

Acorn

Angelica

Broom

Catnip

Deadly Nightshade

Dittany

Hazel

Heather

Mandrake

Mugwort

Oak leaves

Sage

Straw

Wormwood

Trees

Apple

Beech

Blackthorn

Locust

Pomegranate

Willow

Witch Hazel

Yew

Foods

Soul bread (I recommend putting something on it, it can be bland)

Roast turkey or chicken

Venison

Rice

Cod

Sea Bass

Lamb

Duck

Scallops

Oysters

Mussels

Apples

Pears

Grapes

Citrus

Pomegranate

Eggplant

Tomato

Fig

Brussel Sprouts

Kale

Pumpkin

Squash

Mushroom

Broccoli

Plumbs

Cranberries

Ginger

Peaches

Cabbage

Key limes

Passion Fruit

Radishes

Chestnuts

Beets

Fruit Pies

Fruit Cobblers

Apple Cake

Spice Cakes

Apple Cider

Hard Cider

Pumpkin spice Latte

Hot Cocoa

Apple Juice

Adult Appel Juice (wine)

Mulled Wine

Mulled Cider

Grape Juice

Chai Tea or Latte

Herbal Teas

Deities

Arawn

Belenus

Dagda

Hades

Loki

Odin

Pluto

Badb

Banba

Cailleach

Durga

Hecate

Hel

Inanna

Ishtar

Kali

Morrigan

Rhiannon

Horned God

Spells

Write a list of things you want to release and burn it

Light candles to help guide and honor spirits

Practice Spirit work

Samhain Divination

Family Meals with a place for the dead

Meditate and Reflect

Other names

All Saints Day

All Hallows Eve

Halloween

Incense/EO

Sage

Pumpkin

Patchouli

Myrrh

Straw

Flax

Wheat

Corn

Rosemary

Nutmeg

Allspice

"SAH-WEN"??? (Samhain)

It's that time of year again! It's October, the leaves are turning colors, the pumpkin spice craze is back. Yes, Samhain!

So first... yes it's pronounced Sah-wen, but I can't help but say it in my head as Sam-hayne, sue me.

What is Samhain?

Samhain is one of four ancient Fire Festivals that many witches, druids, and pagans alike celebrate. Samhain is on October 31st and November 1st in between the fall equinox and the winter solstice. It marks the end of harvest season and the beginning of winter. This is also the ancient Celts' New Year day. It is also a time to celebrate the dead or ancestors. They believed that the veil between worlds was thinnest on this day.

Where Did Samhain Originate?

Ancient Celts were the folks who are first recorded to celebrate Samhain, hence it's name being an old Gaelic name. However, Celtic revivalists and other pagans have helped the holiday gain more popularity over the years.

What are Some Samhain Traditions?

The oldest traditions of Samhain involve putting out the hearth's fire in their homes, harvesting crops, and lighting a community bonfire. They did this by using a wheel that which would then cause friction and spark a fire. This wheel represented the sun and was used along with prayers. They would offer sacrifices of cattle and when the festival was over, take a flame form the community fire home with them to relight their own hearth.

More modern tradition include:

Bonfires

Creating Alters for the dead or for associated deities

Creating Feasts

Making Pastries

Communing with Spirits

and more!

Can I Celebrate Samhain?

Despite what some people (though very few) will tell you, anyone of any origin can celebrate Samhain! Just be sure to educate yourself and don't disrespect the ancient tradition or deities involved in this sacred holiday.

Associations:

(These are not Traditional associations, they are modern pagan associations)

Revision!!! : Cailleach, the divine hag (literally means old woman or hag) and goddess of winter is very important during this time since she is in charge of the weather from Samhain to Beltane. I encourage you to look deeper into her as she is very interesting! You can read more about her here and I will make a whole post about her eventually!

Deities: The Morrigan is one of the main deities associated with this day, however, over the years as paganism has become a melting pot of pantheons, people have also considered other gods to be associated with the holiday such as: Pomona, Cernunnos, Anubis, Odin, Osiris, and Hecate to name a few.

Colors: Red, yellow, orange, most warm colors, black

Herbs: Mugwort, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Allspice, sandalwood, and dragon's blood.

Stones and Metals: Onyx, obsidian, tiger's eye, smoky quartz, ruby, copper, brass, Jet, black stones in general, darker red stones, etc.

Of course this is a list of the most common associations. If you have an item or god that you associate with the holiday you are more than welcome to celebrate with them! I am not one to gatekeep a holiday. :)

Let me know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns!