How to Celebrate The Autumn Equinox
All year long you’ve been cultivating your spiritual toolbox! With the coming darkness of the Autumn Equinox, this is the time to reflect on the things you’ve been working on and maybe even transfer some of your good jujus to your surrounding community.September 22nd of this year will mark the equinox. Use this time to honor the changing of the seasons. You can do this by commemorating Mabon!
What is Mabon?
Mabon is the Pagan/Wiccan celebration of the Autumn Equinox. It was used as a time to pause and celebrate the second harvest of the season. It is still celebrated today but more often as a time to have gratitude and share abundance with others.I've gathered some celebratory tips that will get you in the mood for fall and leave your heart feeling full and grateful.
Find Balance
The Autumn Equinox brings us back to a time of equal darkness and light. Interestingly enough, this is the day that the sun moves into Libra! And guess what?! Yep, Libra’s symbol is the all too familiar balancing scales.
Creating balance within yourself is a way to feed your soul that will undoubtedly have a ripple effect on the people surrounding you. By keeping yourself in balance you shed positive light and energy...and hopefully, a little bit of good karma will come back around your way, too!
Some tips for bringing balance into your day:
Disconnect! Make a plan to build in some tech-free downtime into your day.
Balance your energy by taking a long walk (without your phone!)
Invite a friend over for tea, and enjoy the lost art of conversation over tea and scones.
Skip your vinyasa yoga class for a restorative one.
Apple Picking
While most other fields are bare by now, this is apple picking season! Frolic through an orchard and reap the benefits. Apples are thought to be magical and are even used in some forms of divination!
A delicious tip for bringing apples into your home:
Fill your home with the magic of apples by creating a stovetop potpourri! Anyone who you have over will be tricked into thinking there’s a yummy apple pie hiding somewhere!
Ingredients: 3 cups water, 1 apple, 3 cinnamon sticks, ½ tsp nutmeg, 15 whole cloves.
Directions: Cut apple and add all ingredients to small saucepan. Cover all ingredients with water. Keep the potpourri on low heat to fill your home with a sweet fragrance! (Be sure to turn off the heat when you are asleep or away from your home.)
Feel the Gratitude & Share the Abundance
During times when the well-being of a family rested solely on their farm’s harvest, people knew the importance of helping out their neighbors who did not have a good year in the fields. Whether it be spiritually or physically, perhaps this season has gifted you with an abundance.
Some tips for feeling the love and sharing it with others:
First, you’ll want to get into the right frame of mind. The best way to do this is to have a gratitude ritual. Find some quiet time, grab your favorite crystals, incense, and maybe some fall-inspired bits and pieces. Lay out your items, arrange them in a grid or any way that feels right to you, and meditate on things you’re grateful for. This activity is intuitive and open, make it what you want, the most important thing is to focus on what you’re grateful for.
Donate towels, sheets, and newspapers to animal shelters. If you have the extra time in your schedule, sign up to take your animal friends for a special walk while they wait to meet their furever family.
Host a dinner for your friends and family. Invite some new friends, too!
Do you have a favorite Mabon or Autumn Equinox ritual that I didn’t cover? I’d love to hear about it. I hope these tips will come in handy, now go out and spread the love, happy Mabon! Find more rituals for Mabon here and meditations for the Wheel of the Year here.
