AUTUMN EQUINOX, MABON

The Autumnal Equinox or Mabon occurs on 23rd September. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, it marks the beginning of the astronomical fall.
This is the moment when day is equal to night & balance is created between them.
From the summer solstice, the minutes of daylight have slowly decreased & the minutes of night have increased..
This is a time of realization that the Wheel of the Year has again turned.
The time of candle light & warming fireplace, time to take the journey inwards..
We adjust our thinking from outdoors to indoors & we adjust our bodies to become reacquainted with cold & darkness. Instead of action, we turn to thoughts, ideas, emotions & relationships.

The full moon nearest to the Autumn Equinox is called the Harvest Moon, the time of harvesting apples, blackberries, grapes & hops, as the arable crops have now all been gathered & celebrated at Lammas, the first of the harvest festivals. It was also the time when livestock would be slaughtered & preserved to provide enough food for the winter.

By the time of Mabon, the earth is displaying unmistakable signs of the journey to winter, the nights are rapidly drawing in, leaves are beginning to turn autumnal shades & birds are preparing for migration.
Mabon is a celebration of second harvest & preparation for winter, thanksgiving for sunlight & respect for darkness.
This time incorporates themes of sacrifice, loss & gentle regret, for the precious days of summer have passed & winter now approaches. It is a time of weighing, what is necessary to keep or what can be left behind as the cycle passes again..
Nature begins to rest as we enter the dark season, but we know that its only a period of regeneration.

Mabon is also known as the Feast of Avalon & the festival of the Wine Harvest. Avalon is the mystical burial site of the Celts & literally means the "land of apples" in Celtic lore.
In Celtic mythology Mabon ( means the "Great Son") was the son of Modron the Mother Goddess.
He was kidnapped & imprisoned when 3 days old in the mystical land of Avalon by the Lord of the Underworld who wanted to stop his light shining on the Earth.
Mabon escaped, returned to his Great Mother as the young God & returned the light to the world.
The link to the equinox in the folklore of Mabon is highly evident as this event marks the start of autumn.

DECORATIONS:

This festival is represented by brown, orange, gold & red.
The wonderful colors for those turning leaves.
You can paraffin the leaves & add them to your decorations.
Just dip the leaves in melted paraffin & put them on wax paper to dry.
Display the fruits of the harvest - corn, gourds, nuts, grapes, apples - preferably in a cornucopia.
Or decorate with wildflowers, acorns, nuts, berries, cocoons, anything that represents the harvest to you.
Make a lovely centerpiece for the table with your children.
An arrangement of autumn leaves, apples & berries is lovely.

Fill a basket with pine cones, colorful dried leaves, wheat, acorns & fallen pine branches & leave it by your door.

Star:

Attach leaves from your yard to a wooden or wire star frame.
Then hang the wreath in a sunny window to get a beautiful translucent look during the day.
You can weave in some clear lights to give it nighttime presence, too.
Use ribbons of gold & yellow to bring in the energy of the Sun & decorate with sprigs of dried yarrow or cinnamon sticks.

Make a witch's broom:

Tie dried corn husks or herbs (broom, cedar, fennel, lavender, peppermint, rosemary) around a strong,
relatively straight branch of your choice.

Make Magic Apple Dolls:

You will need 2 large apples,
2 pencils &
2 dowels about 30 cm long,
a paring knife
Peel & core the apples.
Carve a face in the apples.
Place apples on a dowel & stand them in a jar to dry.
After 2 - 3 weeks, they should look like shrunken heads.
Make them into dolls.
Use wheat, dried herbs or doll's hair for hair.
Dress them in tiny robes.

Make Conker Animals:

Leafy Lantern / Candle Holder:

Autumn leaves
Large glass jar
Wax paper
Clear tape
Tear off a length of wax paper long enough to wrap around your jar.
Lay your paper on your work surface & fold it half lengthwise.
Arrange your leaves artfully inside the folded paper.
Wrap the paper around the jar & secure with a strip of tape.
Fill your jar wit fairy lights or use a candle.

FOODS OF MABON:

Breads, nuts, apples, pomegranates & vegetables such as potatoes, carrots & onions, grains.
Fall fruits, squash, gourds, pumpkins, grains, nut breads, vegetables.

Mabon recognizes the completion of the grain harvest that began during Lammas & it is a time of change & transition, it is also an acknowledgement of & preparation for the winter to come.
This is a time when folk traditionally measured their success by the food & provisions they had managed to harvest to see them through the long winter months.

To celebrate Mabon, corn & corn bread are served, along with cider & sweet potatoes.
Mabon is the time of harvesting apples, blackberries, grapes & hops.
Harvest the last of your herbs & other plants that will need to dry for winter use.
At this time food is prepared for storage, jams & pickles are made & fruits are candied & preserved for the coming winter.
Prepare a lovely Mabon meal with your family - the use of seasonal vegetables is perfect, especially from your own garden.
Picking blackberries earlier in the day is a lovely traditional past time & make a blackberry pie.

Autumn Spice Cordial:

1 cinnamon stick
5 whole cloves
1 tsp nutmeg
500 ml apple juice
500 ml pomegranate juice
1 l grape juice
Cook cinnamon stick, cloves & other spices on medium heat for 3 min. Stir in juices & bring to boil.
Simmer ca 10 min.
Discard cloves & serve hot.

Borscht or Ukrainian Beetroot Soup:

500 g beetroot (boiled), cut into pieces
2 chicken fillets
2 tbsp butter
2 chicken stock cube
0,5 small white cabbage
6 tomatoes, peeled & seeded, chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic gloves, crushed
4-5 potatoes, cut into pieces
2 carrots, sliced
salt, pepper
Cut chicken fillets into small cubes.
Heat the pan, add butter & chicken pieces.
Fry until browned all over. Add onions & garlic, fry for a minute.
Now add carrots, brown a little.
Throw in the chicken stock cubes & boiled water to cover everything.
Let it simmer until you chop cabbage & add it to the soup.
Add extra water if needed.
Add beetroot & tomatoes.
Simmer for ca 20 min, then add potatoes & boil until potatoes are done.
Season.
Serve with sour cream.

Pomegranate Chicken:

2-4 boneless chicken breasts
2 pomegranates, juice & seeds
4 tbsp flour
1/ tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 onion, chopped
tbsp butter
2 cups chicken stock
grapes, optional
Soak chicken in pomegranate juice for 45 min.
Remove from juice, pat dry & coat the chicken with flour, salt, pepper.
Save on the side.
Sauté onion in butter until transparent. Add chicken & sauté until browned.
Add pomegranate juice & chicken stock.
Simmer 25 min.
Add pomegranate seeds & grapes just before serving.
Serve with roasted potatoes or cous-cous.

Pork Pot Roast with Cider & Mustard:

Brown a 1,5 kg boneless pork loin on all sides in
1 tbsp olive oil.
Remove from pot.
Cook 1 medium chopped onion &
4 cloves minced garlic until onion is glossy.
Blend together 1 cup cider,
2 tbsp honey,
1 tsp crumbled dried sage,
2 tbsp Dijon mustard,
1 tsp lemon juice.
Pour over onions & garlic.
Return pork to pot & spoon liquid over it.
Bring to boil.
Simmer over low heat for about 2 hours or until meat is done.

Braised Carrots:

Shred 6 medium carrots.
Add 1 – 2 tbsp chopped parsley & toss well.
Braise in 2 tbsp melted butter in covered pan until carrots are done to taste.

Corn Bread:
213 g All-Purpose Flour
156 g cornmeal
50 g sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 - 3/4 tsp salt, to taste
283 g milk
113 g butter, melted & cooled
1 large egg
Preheat the oven to 190C.
Lightly grease a 22 cm square or round pan or 12 muffin cups.
Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda & salt.
Stir in any desired herbs, cheese, corn kernels, or other flavorings.
In another bowl whisk together the milk, melted butter & egg.
Pour the liquid all at once into the flour mixture, stirring quickly & gently until just combined.
Spread the batter into the prepared pan, or scoop into the muffin tin.
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, until the edges just begin to pull away from the pan & a cake tester or paring knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from the oven & cool on a rack for 5 minutes before cutting.
Serve warm.
Stir in any of these extra ingredients, or experiment with some of your own.
Feel free to add some cheese, green onions, corn kernels, jalapeño peppers, cooked sausage, or any combination of these suggestions.
The combined volume of your add-ins should be a maximum of 1 cup.
Corn & Scallion:
1/2 cup fresh/cooked or frozen/thawed corn kernels
1/2 cup chopped scallions (3 or 4 scallions, white & green part)
Bacon, Cheddar & Chive :
1/4 cup cooked, crumbled bacon
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
2 tbsp snipped fresh chives
Cranberry-Walnut :
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Vegetable Cutlets:
2-3 medium potatoes or leftover mashed potatoes
~1 cup chopped mixed vegetables (green peas, carrots, green beans, corn)
1 onion, finely chopped
~1 cup breadcrumbs+ 1 cup extra for coating
1 egg
chopped parsley, chives
salt & little bit of freshly grated rose pepper
Boil & mash the potatoes.
Boil the vegetables, drain. Grate the carrots & chop the green beans.
Mix all ingredients together. Season.
To get the right texture you can add more breadcrumbs or some milk.
Shape the mixture into flat round patties & roll them in the bread crumbs, set aside.
Heat the oil on medium high heat in a frying pan.
Fry a few cutlets at a time until they are golden-brown on both sides.

Apple Traybake with Raisins & Almonds:

Base:

400 g flour
250 g butter, at room temperature
125 g sugar
1 egg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
Filling:
500g- 800g apples, cored & chopped
125 g sugar
100 g raisins
50 g chopped almonds (you can also use hazelnuts instead)
1 tbsp brandy ( optional :) )
4 tbsp raspberry jam
With a wooden spoon beat the butter & the sugar together until smooth.
Add egg, stir in the flour mixed with baking powder & cinnamon.
Using your hands knead the mix together. Take a small bit of the dough for the hearts to decorate the cake.
Butter & line a 20 x 30cm baking tray with baking paper.
Press the dough over the baking tray.
Spread with raspberry jam.
For the filling mix all ingredients together & scatter over the base.
For the hearts roll out the rest of the dough to about 1/2 cm thick. Cut out your shapes & arrange over the cake.
Bake at the 220C for 30-40 min, until golden brown.

Grapes & Apples Crumble Cake:

500 g flour
200 g sugar
250 g butter
2 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
vanilla
For filling:
ca 800 g apples
200 g seedless grapes
50 g sugar
100 g pecan nuts
cinnamon
Mix all dry ingredients, pieces of butter.
Work it all together with your fingertips, until crumbly texture forms.
Slice apples.
Place 2/3 of the crumble mix over the prepared big baking tray.
Place apples & grapes on to the top.
Sprinkle over with sugar & cinnamon.
Cover the cake with the rest of the crumble.
Scatter over pecans.
Bake in the preheated oven at 200C for 40 min or until golden brown.

Chocolate & Blackberry Tray Cake :

2 bananas
2 dl sugar
1,5-2 dl blackberries
100-150 g chocolate, chopped
4-4,5 dl flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 dl melted butter
1 egg
juice of half lemon
1 lemon, grated rind
1 orange, grated rind
Mash the bananas & whisk with sugar, lemon juice & rind of lemon & orange.
Mix together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon & chopped chocolate.
Add the banana mix, egg & melted butter.
Gently mix in the blackberries & zest of lemon & orange.
Butter the 25x35cm baking tray. Line with baking paper.
Preheat the oven 200C.
Bake the cake ca 50 min, or until its ready..
Cool.
Can be covered with icing:
170 g soft cheese
1 dl icing sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice

Pear & Blackberry Crumbles

Nutty Apple & Blackberry Crumble With Creme Anglaise
Apple Snow :

2 large Bramley Apples, peeled, quartered, cored
40 g butter
140 g sugar
2 eggs, separated
vanilla extract
Heat the oven to 200C.
Cut the apples roughly into 2 cm chunks. Cook along with the butter & 20 g of the sugar gently for 10-15 min until the apples are soft. Stir occasionally. Remove from the heat & cool ca 5 min.
Whisk the egg whites until stiff. Gradually whisk in the rest of the sugar to make a thick, glossy meringue.
Whisk in the vanilla extract.
Beat the egg yolks into the apple mixture & spoon into 4 buttered 100 ml ramekins.
Spoon the meringue gently on top & place on to the baking tray.
Bake for 10-15 min until meringue is just set & very lightly browned.
Serve hot.

Herbs of Mabon:

Acorn, ferns, grains, honeysuckle, marigold, myrrh, passionflower, rose, sage, solomon's seal, tobacco, thistle & vegetables.
Rue, yarrow, rosemary, walnut leaves & husks, mistletoe, saffron, chamomile, almond leaves, frankincense, rose hips, bittersweet, sunflower, wheat, oak leaves, dried apple or apple seeds.

Mabon Incense:

Pine, sage, sweetgrass or myrhh.
You can also mix marigold, passionflower & fern, using frankincense or myrhh as a resin.

Mabon Stones & Crystals:

Stones ruled by the Sun will help bring the Sun's energy to you.
Clear Quartz, Amber, Peridot, Diamond, Gold, Citrine, Yellow Topaz, Cat's-eye, Adventurine. Crystals associated with the root chakra, such as Red Jasper, Red Garnet & Rhodonite can help ground you.
The rich red & orange colors, bring in the abundant earth energy, helping you through the holiday seasons & winter months.

CELEBRATE:

Mabon as a holiday or time of celebration is a period of release & of letting go. It is a time to honor those who have passed & a way of saying goodbye to the summer.
Celebrate to say thank you to the Mother Earth for all these fruits & berries, grains & veggies on your table. Show your love & gratitude.
Honor the accomplishments of the year.
On Mabon morning wake up early, rise with the sun & go outside. Find a place to sit & listen & feel. Hear the bird song, feel the ground & the air, breathe in the nature. Experience the natural world awakening & coming alive.
Take a moment to create a sacred space, if only in your mind. Bid the birds, animals, fish, insects & plants a fond farewell. Wish them a safe winter & a revitalized emergence in the spring.
Turn to the south & say goodbye to the days of summer.
Turn to the north & welcome the nights of winter on the horizon.

Some good activities to celebrate are making cider, gathering herbs, taking a walk in the woods, visiting a local farm for harvest, gathering leaves & acorns & having a harvest feast.

Make a little fire or light yellow candles, have a picnic.

Apples are the perfect symbol of the Mabon season.
Long connected to wisdom & magic, there are so many wonderful things you can do with an apple.
Find an orchard near you & spend a day with your family.
Gather plenty to take home & preserve for the coming winter months.

MAGIC:

Mabon is considered a time of the mysteries.
Make grapevine wreaths using dried bitter- sweet herb for protection.
Make a protection charm of hazelnuts strung on red thread.

On the day of autumn equinox look at the direction of the wind. Northerly winds bring cold
autumn. Winds from the west will bring long & warm autumn.
Another day for predicting autumn weather is 21st September, if it rains on that day it means autumn will be windy & wild.

It is a time were nature is preparing for winter break, flies & mosquitoes, wasps & bees, all sorts of winged & legged wild beings will hide away & take a break from the coming winter.
People born on the day of equinox will have an extraordinary life.

A Spell to Find Balance:

You will need a stone about the size of your fist & some time to go on a long walk, preferably by water.
As you commence your journey, start talking to your stone. You may feel silly but if you speak out loud, its even more powerful.
Tell the stone all your troubles & hangups, everything that is stealing away your centeredness.
When you've said all you have to say, throw the stone far away, into the water if possible.
Don't even watch it land, just throw it & know that you have thrown all your obstacles away with it.
Return home & take a nice relaxing bath to complete the cleansing.

Cleansing Your Home:

Smudge the entryways & corners using sage, palo santo or sweetgrass or sprinkle with salt water, moving sunwise from one room to the next.
Clap hands to disperse old, stagnant energy, then use a bell, Tibetan bowl or rattle to welcome fresh, sacred energy.
Bring protective talismans over doors & windows.
Say: '' May the winds inspire you, earth protect you, water heal you & fire always warm the hearth. ''