Mabon: A Season of Balance, Release, and Renewal
Libra. Image by MythologyArt at Pixabay
The wheel turns again, and here we are standing at the threshold of Mabon, the Autumn Equinox — a moment of perfect balance between light and dark. This year, the season arrives with a symphony of celestial alignments: a Virgo New Moon, the Sun and Moon stepping into Libra, a solar eclipse at the final degree of Virgo, and the beginning of Rosh Hashanah. Add to that the United Nations International Day of Peace, and we have a potent blend of endings, beginnings, and the reminder that balance is not only possible — it is necessary.
And yet, when we look around, peace feels far away. The world shudders under uncertainty, fractures widening before our eyes. That is precisely why these days matter so deeply. When the outside feels chaotic, the invitation is to return within — to find balance in our own hearts, homes, and daily choices.
Honoring Mabon in the Celtic Tradition
Apples. Image by Peggychoucair at Pixabay
In the old Celtic ways, Mabon was the second harvest festival, a time of feasting, storytelling, and gratitude. The people gathered to give thanks for what the earth had offered, while also preparing for the long nights of winter. Altars were adorned with apples, grains, and wine; fires were lit in honor of ancestors; offerings were left for the spirits of land and harvest.
Symbolically, Mabon is a mirror of balance: equal day and night, gratitude for abundance, and recognition that all harvests eventually give way to endings. It is both a celebration and a letting go.
The Sky Speaks: Virgo, Libra, and Eclipse
Astrologically, the energy could not be more aligned with Mabon’s themes. The New Moon in Virgo invites us to simplify, refine, and release clutter — to sweep our inner and outer houses clean. With the Sun and Moon entering Libra, we are called toward harmony, justice, and right relationship. And the solar eclipse at the anaretic (final) degree of Virgo acts like a cosmic threshold, closing one karmic chapter so that another may begin.
It is as though the cosmos itself is chanting: simplify, balance, release, renew.
My Own Season of Release
Cancel What No Longer Serves. Image by Viarami at Pixabay
This message lands close to home. I stand on the verge of retirement, a threshold in my own life, and I find myself practicing what the Swedes call death cleaning — intentionally letting go of what no longer serves, so that I may step into the next season lighter and freer.
It is not only closets and cupboards I am clearing. I am discerning where my dollars go, choosing not to spend money on what I don’t need, and refusing to invest in industries and agendas that erode democracy or harm the earth. Even my digital world is being swept — subscriptions canceled, alignments checked. Each choice feels like a prayer, a release, a way of declaring to the Universe: I will not carry what is not aligned.
This is Mabon made manifest in daily life.
Practices for You to Honor Mabon
If you feel called to step into the balance of this season, here are some ways to mark the turning:
Autumn Equinox. Balancing between light and dark. Abundance and release. Image by Jplenio at Pixabay
Gratitude Ritual: Write down all the blessings you have harvested this year — the small and the great — and offer them in fire, water, or to the earth.
Release Ceremony: On slips of paper, name what no longer serves — old habits, fears, obligations, or even misaligned spending. Burn them, bury them, or let them float away downstream.
Seasonal Feast: Prepare a simple meal of apples, squash, grains, or root vegetables. Eat with intention, share with neighbors, or donate food to a local pantry.
Balance Reflection: Journal on these questions: Where am I out of balance? What harmony do I long to invite in?
Sacred Altars: Decorate with autumn leaves, apples, acorns, and candles of gold or brown. Leave an offering of thanks to the earth.
These are simple acts, yet they tether us to something older than fear, steadier than chaos. They root us in the wisdom of the earth’s rhythm.
A Blessing for the Turning
As the equinox arrives and the wheel of the year turns, may you find balance in your own heart. May you harvest the sweetness of what you have planted. May your letting-go be liberating. May your choices ripple outward as seeds of peace, justice, and renewal.
The light and dark are equal now. The invitation is clear. Step forward with gratitude, with courage, with balance. This is the gift of Mabon.
🍂✨ Blessed Mabon. Shana Tovah. And may peace — within and without — be the harvest we dare to claim.
I acknowledge using AI to assist with refining this blog.