Mabon – The Autumn Equinox: A Ritual for Balance & Renewal

As the wheel of the year turns, today we arrive at Mabon, the Autumn Equinox — a sacred point of perfect balance between day and night. For just a moment, light and dark hold equal sway before we descend into the shadow half of the year.

Named for a Welsh deity often associated with youth and rebirth, Mabon is a festival of gratitude, harvest, and reflection. Ancient peoples marked this time by celebrating the bounty of the land, honouring both the life-giving sun and the darkening nights that whisper of rest and renewal.

For us modern witches, it’s a reminder to pause: to give thanks for what we’ve gathered (whether harvests, lessons, or personal victories), and to prepare for the inward journey of autumn and winter.

A Cruelty-Free Ritual for Mabon

Here’s a simple ritual you can perform today, needing only a few mindful moments and your magickal tools of choice.

1. Create Your Sacred Space
Light a candle in autumnal tones — gold, rust, or deep crimson. Let this flame represent the balance of light and dark. If incense calls to you, choose scents like patchouli, myrrh, or cedar to ground your energy.

2. Offer Gratitude
Gather three small objects that symbolise what you’re grateful for this year (they might be crystals, a handwritten note, or even your favourite lipstick from your altar of beauty). Hold each one and speak aloud your thanks.

3. Balance Within & Without
Using a mirror, trace a symbol of balance on your skin — a pentacle, a spiral, or simply a line down the centre of your face. You can do this with eyeliner, lipstick, or shadow; beauty becomes your ritual tool here. As you draw, affirm:
“I honour the light, I honour the dark, I hold them both within my heart.”

4. Release & Prepare
Write one thing you wish to release as you enter the darker half of the year. Fold the paper, place it under your candle, and let the flame’s energy transform it.

5. Close With Abundance
Finish your ritual by anointing yourself with a colour that makes you feel powerful — perhaps a rich red lip, a blackened wing, or a dusting of shimmer. Carry that glamour as your magickal shield for the season ahead.

Living Magick, Everyday

Mabon is not just about a single ritual — it’s about carrying balance into our daily lives. As witches of compassion, we weave this through in every choice we make, from choosing cruelty-free beauty to nurturing the earth that sustains us.

Today, as the veil of balance falls across the world, take a moment to breathe, to celebrate your harvests, and to step into the shadows with intention.

Blessed Mabon, Coven. 🍂✨