I seem to recall many people throughout my life saying that autumn was their favorite season. Even if you aren’t into the whole pumpkin spice thing, I think you have to admit that the first gust of an autumn breeze and crunchy colorful leaves beneath your feet awaken at least a little excitement over the magick of fall.
The pagan sabbat of Mabon marks the autumnal equinox. It is a time of balance between daylight and darkness. It’s no surprise that it is also the beginning of the astrological sign of Libra whose symbol is a set of scales or a balance.
Mabon is a great time to examine our lives and see how we may be in (or lacking in) balance either physically or mentally. Through self examination we can then decide on a way to add more balance to our lives.
I will be hosting our coven’s Mabon ritual this year and came up with an activity you might like to try in your group or on your own. By the way, some less witchy activities you can do with non-magickal folk and they will be none the wiser about its pagan origins. For the following activity you might eliminate the pins and use different words to use in a more mundane way. I’m sure it will still be perfectly magickal!
When I think about Mabon I think of apples.
Apples are quite sacred in so many witchy ways! Take an apple and cut it around the middle…sort of where the equator would be on a globe.
Do you see that star shape in the center? It’s a pentagram!
On this apple I had to cut away a bit of the flesh to more clearly reveal the pentagram, but it’s there in every apple.
Set the top half of the apple aside to eat later.
Next you will need some pins and a smallish candle…one that is thick enough to scratch a word or two on and that will hold seven straight pins. It should also be small enough to be inserted in the center of your apple half.
Take seven pins (one for each day of the week) and poke them into one side of the candle, spacing them as equally as you can.
I would also like to sprinkle and spread a little cinnamon over the cut surface of my apple.
Cinnamon is protective and helps to speed up a spell!
The next part is to enchant your apple candle. Grab your tarot cards, pendulum, tea leaves, rune stones or whatever your favorite form of divination might be. Connect with your divination tool and ask, “what will bring more balance to my life?” Be ready to sum up your message with one or two words. You will be scratching these words into the side of your candle.
Say, for instance, you pull the hermit tarot card. Perhaps you need more time alone to meditate? So on your candle you might scratch “meditate” or “go within” with a stylus or pin. Perhaps the tea leaves suggest an image of travel. Do you need to explore your world more to bring about more balance? “Voyage” or “explore” are perhaps words to inscribe on your candle.
When your candle is inscribed you are ready to enchant it either in your group or in your own circle.
Here are some words you might say over your candle as you enchant it:
Welcome Mabon, autumn time!
I now enchant with these words in rhyme!
Little candle I now empower
To help bring balance
As you burn each hour!
AND SO IT IS!
To use the candle, light it each day for 7 days. The first day, gaze at the flame and visualize your intention coming true. Allow the candle to burn just to the first pin from the top of the candle. Then extinguish the flame with your fingers or a snuffer. Do the same each day, lighting, visualizing and burning to the next pin and extinguishing the flame until you have reached the last pin on the seventh day. Prepare to be more balanced!
Mabon would be an excellent time to do this apple candle spell!
Arrange your Mabon altar with a cornucopia filled with fruit….especially apples….light some cinnamon incense…..toast the Lord and Lady with some apple cider and homemade zucchini bread and create some apple candle magick!
Bright Mabon Blessings,
Sarina
The Magickal Cottage 