6 Low-key Ideas for Celebrating Mabon (the Fall Equinox)

Friends, fall is here! September 22, 2022, is the Pagan celebration of Mabon, commonly known as the Fall Equinox. Depending on where you’re at in this wild world, you may be welcoming the advent of spring instead. Up here in Maine (America’s Mini Alaska, as I like to call it), fall is in full swing.

Y’all, I’m not gonna lie; I love fall. And I love using y’all instead of you all. I decided years ago that this was a perfectly efficient way to address a group of people, and then I married a southern man. But I absolutely detest the phrase “Happy Fall…” you know how it ends. I can’t even type it. Don’t say this phrase around me, or I might throw a pumpkin at you.

Speaking of pumpkins, my garden blessed me with some nice, fat, orange specimens this year. I’m about to harvest them as soon as I finish work for the day. Other signs of fall are all around me:

• The maple leaves are beginning to turn red
• The air smells appley
• The hummingbirds have left for a warmer location
• I’m spending every free minute dehydrating, pickling, fermenting, and otherwise preserving the foods, flowers, and herbs from my garden

Most of all, it’s getting noticeably darker and colder. Equinoxes (spring and fall) are the days when light and darkness are balanced. That means every day after Mabon and until the Winter Solstice (Yule), the nights will be longer than the days.

Between the constant work of harvest season, writing the second draft of my novel, and maintaining my “day job” as a freelance writer, I’m pretty dang tired. That’s why I thought I’d share some low-key (and low-energy) ideas for celebrating this Fall Equinox!

Watch the Sun Rise and/or Set

Sure, this is something you can do every day—and I suggest you do; it’s nature’s (free) light show, after all—but there’s something special about observing the sun’s arc on solstices and equinoxes. Pay attention to where the great fiery orb crosses the horizon and see how it changes as we approach winter.

Remember that electricity is a modern invention. Our ancestors used only the sun, not alarm clocks or artificial lighting, to start and end their days.

Bake Bread

This may sound odd, but it’s a common way to honor Pagan Sabbats. It’s also a great way to warm your house if the weather’s been chilly.

I recently acquired a sourdough starter (I named her Bready White) and can’t wait to bake my first loaf!

Clean Your House

Witches have brooms for a reason. Any Sabbat, New Moon, or Full Moon is a good excuse to do some deep cleaning.

Tidy up. Dust your bookshelves. Swap out your summer wardrobe with your winter wear and organize your closet. Purge anything that wasn’t worn and donate it, or post it on Mercari for some extra cash!

Make a Plan for Surviving Winter

I know I’m not the only one who gets a lil seasonal depression, also known as seasonal affective disorder or SAD). Last winter was especially brutal. So, like any good Virgo Rising, I’m going into this one with a plan! Some ideas I’m kicking around include:

• Buy a new Happy Light (mine died in January)
• Make tons of aromatherapy beeswax candles. It’s more economical than buying them and much safer than settling for cheap toxic candles. Plus, I can customize the scent!
• Set up other types of soft lighting to create a cozy, hygge vibe in my home
• Find a local-ish sauna
• Find a local-ish women’s cold plunge group. I’ve obsessed over this idea since reading this New York Times article about Two Maine Mermaids. Jumping into ice-cold water with badass babes sounds like my kind of bonding experience. I’m officially putting it out there, blogosphere. If you know anyone who organizes a ladies’ cold plunge group in Downeast Maine, get at me!
• Learn to needlepoint. Start and finish the pillow I promised my fellow writer, Mike Allegra
• Find creative new ways to stack and organize my books.

Have a Bonfire

This is another idea that comes up in pretty much every Pagan celebration. To make it extra special, try a simple “letting go” spell.

Gather sticks, pinecones, or dried herbs while focusing on things you want to release. This can be anything that holds you back, causes harm in your life, or doesn’t serve you. Imagine those things leaving your body as you toss the sticks (or whatever) into the fire. Watch them burn and witness the smoke as it blows away in the wind.

Alternatively, you can write these things on a piece of paper and burn them in a fire-safe container. I recommend a cauldron… if you have.

:: Looks around ::

Am I the only one with a cauldron here?

Have a Friend or Three Over for Dinner

Not every celebration has to involve a big feast or potluck! Hosting a small dinner is the perfect way to usher in the cozy stay-at-home season.

In fact, this is how Jason and I are planning to celebrate Mabon. We’re supposed to get a major downpour on the 22, so I’m about to go get my garden ready now! Who knows, we might have a bonfire tonight, too!

Bonus Idea: Book a Tarot Reading

In addition to cleaning, burning things, and feasting with friends, divination is another fantastic way to incorporate magic into your celebration. Equinoxes are a potent time for magic of all kinds!

If there’s a burning question or concern on your mind, I’d love to help you find clarity. Check out my current offerings of email tarot readings, or use the form below to set up a custom reading.

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I hope you enjoyed this list of low-key ideas to celebrate the Fall Equinox! Blessed Mabon, and thanks for reading!