Autumnal Equinox, Mabon & the Season of the Witch

Autumnal Equinox, Mabon & the Season of the Witch
This is my favorite season of the year. The trees and other plant life are still green but quickly begin to turn to their beautiful Fall colors and finally are bare, brown & black. Stark against the gray skies and white snows. Autumn is the most versatile of all of the seasons.

For Pagans, Autumn is the Season of the Witch. Here are many of the correspondences associated with the Mabon Sabbat, which falls on Saturday, September 22nd this year. This information is from my book: A Witch's Craft, Volume 2: A Witch's Book of Correspondences, (Chpt. 11: Wheel of the Year, pg. 323). 

Mabon: September 21^st (approximately)

This festival is celebrated on or about September 21^st and is the eighth Sabbat of the year.  It celebrates the Autumn Equinox and is the second harvest festival, when Nature is preparing for the winter months. Night and day are of equal length and the God’s energy and strength are nearly gone. The Goddess begins to mourn the loss she knows is coming, but knows he will return when he is reborn at Yule.

Element:	Air
Herbs:	Acorn, Aster, Benzoin, Cedar, Corn, Cypress, Ferns, Grains, Hazel, Heather, Honeysuckle, Hops, Ivy, Marigold, Milkweed, Mums, Myrrh, Oak, Passionflower, Pine, Rose, Sage, Sassafras, Solomon's Seal, Thistle, Tobacco, Vegetables, Wheat
Oil/Incense:	Apple, Apple Blossom, Benzoin, Black Pepper, Hay/Straw, Myrrh, Passionflower, Patchouli, Pine, Red Poppy, Sage
Colors:	Blue, Brown, Dark Red, Deep Gold, Gold, Indigo, Leaf Green, Maroon, Orange, Red, Russet, Violet, Yellow
Stones:	Agate, Amethyst, Carnelian, Lapis Lazuli, Sapphire, Yellow Agate, Yellow Topaz
Foods:	Apples, Blackberries, Blackberry Wine, Breads, Carrots, Cider, Corn, Cornbread, Grapes, Heather Wine, Nuts, Onions, Pomegranates, Potatoes, Squash, Vegetables, Wheat, Wine
Symbols:	Acorns, Apples, Autumn leaves, Balance, Berries, Corn, Cornucopia (Horn of Plenty), Dried Seeds, Equality, Gourds, Grains, Grapes, Ivy, Mysteries, Pine Cones, Pomegranates, Second Harvest, Vines, Wheat, White Roses, Wine
Activities:	Making wine, gathering dried herbs, plants, seeds and seed pods, walking in the woods, scattering offerings in harvested fields, offering libations to trees, adorning burial sites with leaves, acorns, and pine cones to honor those who have passed over
Spellworkings:	Balance, Harmony, Protection, Prosperity, Security, Self-confidence
Deities:	Goddesses - Danu, Epona, Modron, Morgan, Morrigan, Muses, Pamona, Persephone, Sin, Sophia, Sura Gods - Esus, Green Man, Hermes, Mabon, Mannanan, Thoth, Thor
Other Names:	Autumn Equinox, Cornucopia, Witch’s Thanksgiving, Alban Elved
Related Festivals:	Sukkot - This Jewish holiday which is celebrated in early October commemorates the 40 years the Israelites wandered in the desert.  It is also a harvest festival of thanks. Thanksgiving - This is a secular holiday which is similar to the Pagan festival of Mabon; a day to give thanks for the food and blessings of the previous year. The American Thanksgiving is the last Thursday in November while the Canadian Thanksgiving is celebrated in October. Festival of Dionysus - There were several festivals that honored Dionysus, the God of Wine. It was a time of fun, games and feasting and of course drinking of wine!