Mabon: Rituals, Recipes & Lore for the Autumn Equinox

Llewellyn's Sabbat Essentials

by Diana Rajchel

Llewellyn's Sabbat Essentials series explores the old and new ways of celebrating the seasonal rites that are the cornerstones in the witch's year. A well-rounded introduction to Mabon, this attractive book features rituals, recipes, lore, and correspondences. It includes hands-on information for modern celebrations, spells and divination, recipes and crafts, invocations and prayers, and more!

Genres: Witchcraft, Paganism, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Wicca, Reference, Religion

156 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2015

About the author

Diana Rajchel is the author of Urban Magick, a Guide for the City Witch, Hex Twisting: Counter Magick Spells for the Irritated Witch, and a few other books some magical folk might know.

She specializes in writing about witchcraft from a practical perspective and innovates on spells and folk practices, sometimes including explosives in her formulas.

She has 25 years of experience as a spirit worker, and her views on the paranormal often annoy ghost-hunters. ("The orbs are over there. No, THERE! ..that's not haunted, it's just a 7-11." etc.)

Diana is an avid reader, gardener, herbalist, and ghost-scolder. She also enjoys writing poetry designed to disturb most people at an open-mic event and spending time with her life partner and kids. A dog named Nora also believes that Diana is her very own pet DragonCat.

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes, much of the stuff in this book is fairly standard Mabon material. But I thought the author's focus on community—not just the Pagan community, but the reader's local community—was uncommon and a valuable perspective. Even more uncommon (and valuable!) was her acknowledgement in the chapter on prayers and invocations that sometimes we just can't manage to feel grateful even when it's the season of gratitude. As she says, no one prayer can meet every need, but her "Invocation to the Dark Night of the Soul" is a good start for admitting to unpopular feelings. [3.5 stars]

[Plateresca · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm torn between giving this book one or two stars.

At first, I didn't expect much from this series and wasn't going to start buying it. But then I got acquainted with Melanie Marquis's writing, so of course, when I learnt that she contributed to the series, I had to read her books; so far, I've read Lughnasadh and have Beltane on my shelf for next year. I ended up using a lot of her suggestions for Lammas and enjoyed it a lot, so I decided to buy the next book in the series, too.

Well, I didn't enjoy 'Mabon' that much :) (And I might add that I like Mabon itself much more than I do Lammas).

First of all, there are some historical inaccuracies, or maybe the author just mentions some traditions in such a careless way that though she does know they're something else they sound like what they're not.

Then the tone of the book is often in the vein of 'wondering what else we will lose to the coming darkness'. This is just not the way I view Mabon, and there was a paragraph here about it, but now it is gone :)

Then, most of her suggested activities are of the type that I hate it when people actually do it :) Like, 'Lead the way from the front of the house to where the garden is while singing the song.' I'm the grumpy neighbour who does not want to hear her neighbours singing, especially children ('This is a fun activity to have with children', of course), and a huge believer that quiet celebrations are both possible and respectful. I have a child of my own and I'm never against her participating in any ritual, but to me, all of this looks too much like a kindergarten matinée, which has nothing to do with reverence for nature.

The ritual for a couple reads, for instance, 'The other partner should then pick up the plate of food and gently feed a bite to the other partner...' (My dear partner, if you're reading this, I know you'll remember that scene from 'The Ugly Truth' and agree that this is the most natural outcome when somebody is trying to gently feed a grown-up person).

Ok, so you see, this book is just not for me. (AND I've already bought Samhain, not knowing that it's by the same author.)

Still.

I was actually moved by her riff on the 'Dark Night of the Soul'.
And I'm going to try out some of these recipes, although, sadly, they are not rituals in themselves, like Melanie's.
And, of course, the book it beautifully made :)

[Carrie (The Butterfly Reader) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this copy for NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

This book is just like the rest in this wonderful series, it's awesome. I love the history they give about each sabbat and the spells and such. Another winner!

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have taken a recent interest in learning more about the seasons and how to lean into the symbolism and lessons in my personal life. This book was a great intro to the pagan symbols and rituals of the autumn equinox. It provides historic information of celebrations and ceremonies and gives tons of ideas on how to commemorate the season. While not everything resonated with me, I took away some key things to incorporate and ponder on.

[Basia Pawluk · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far one of the best books from the series - because of the perspective. Ostara was also a good one, because in both of them there is an emphasis on symbols. I wouldn’t recommend reading those books if you want to know everything about a certain sabbath, but they are good for in between some more challenging classics etc. I think it was their purpose form the beginning and they (well most of them) serve it so - 8/10.

[Gwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better books in this series. I really enjoyed the history section. I actually found something useful in all sections, including the ritual section, as there are some suggestions that aren't focused on deities. Very practical and the lay-out for this one was the best of this series. Basically, Mabon represents the end of Summer and focuses on gratitude and harvesting the fruits of our Summer labors. It seems to be an early Thanksgiving celebration.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read in preparation for a writing project. Not very in-depth but good for getting a feel of the season and ideas for marking the autumn equinox.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another very good simple and short summary of a pagan sabbat. I'm collecting the whole set, they are definitely worth it.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fajna książka, polecam początkującym, którzy dopiero zagłębiają sie w świat ezoteryki i magii. Daje tylko 4 bo wiekszość informacji już znałam

[Chiara Celine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was a good overwiev for mabon. What I really liked was the fact that this was the first llweyen's Sabbat book which had some diversity in terms of sexuality in it !!! Lovely. However the recipes, divination options and prayers had a huge Variety as well and I love that!
4.5 stars out of 5 (because i'm Not mabon's n.1 Fan sorryyy i'm a yule or beltane girlie)

[Gilly · Rating 1 out of 5]

As usual for this series, it's Witchcraft Extra-lite and pretty darn meh. This book doesn't offer much of anything useful; far better and more interesting information can be found elsewhere. Plus, the author has zero understanding of Canadian holidays. On pages 48-49, she makes wholly inaccurate and misleading statements about them, and tries to monopolize Thanksgiving as an exclusively American - and Liberian - holiday! (I've found this type of Canada-oblivious attitude in other Llewellyn publications as well.) This book is absolutely not worth your money; the best thing about it is the front cover.

[Laura Jayne Tricker · Rating 3 out of 5]

An introduction and plethora of information on Mabon - the autumn equinox. I found this very well rounded and helpful, and found myself feeling quite hopeful for the coming months (Mabon is in two days here). I think the history felt a bit lacking and disjointed, and there is some repetition, but aside from that the rest of the book flowed well with some charming ideas, yummy recipes, as well as spells and rituals for celebration. Was disappointed to read the words smudging instead of smoke cleansing.

[Symmonz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. It's ok, but not great.

I was expecting something with a little more substance. While interesting, and I felt this covered a good basic foundation of the history of the holiday and it's counterparts, there were only a few pages that seemed spiritual to me. A lot felt like restated info we've all read many times before in every "beginner's guide to" [insert paganism, Wicca, kitchen witchcraft, etc...]. I'm a 15+ year pagan, Autumn is my favorite time of year, and I may just be getting disenchanted and bored with the plethora of beginner's books like this one. There's nothing necessarily wrong with this book; it may just be better suited for those getting their proverbial feet wet in pagan or Wiccan practices rather than a practitioner looking for new ideas.

[Loran (Inked with Curiosity) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am so disappointed in this book. I read the Ostara entry in the series and while I didn't particularly like it, I still thought that book had some really great stuff in it! Not true for this entry. It was really bland, did NOT highlight the importance or history behind Mabon and was just really confusing. If I was someone who knew nothing about Wicca or Mabon and picked this up I would still know nothing after reading it. There were some nice craft and recipe ideas but the ritual and history sections were awful and I didn't agree with anything they said. The book seemed thrown together just to complete the series and didn't touch the beauty of what makes Mabon a unique Sabbat.

[Lilla]

As a Celtic Reconstructionist who has always had issue with this Wiccan festival, I have to commend the author for being forthright in how it came about. That it was a modern concoction of Aidan Kelly and not some ancient Celtic holy day.

[Jenni Schell · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with all books by Llewellyn Publications, this book was amazing. It gives you so much information. This is a must have for any Pagan.

[Tiffany Spencer]

Mabon
I learned that Mabon is a sabbat of thanksgiving. In the “New Ways” one of the things I took note of was “Pagan Pride Day”. This is a celebration that happens during Mabon taken from “Gay Pride Days.” It’s about being open about who you are as a Pagan and inviting press to see something positive outside of Halloween. I think this is an excellent idea and I wished that this took place in more places. I’ve never heard of it happening here. Some members of my family I think know that I’m Wiccan. Others have no clue and probably think I’m Christian. Even tho I wear a pentagram necklace. How do you put into words from your from a family of Christians that you’re a Wiccan (pagan) without them looking at you like you’ve grown a tail and horns?

I rememeber when my stepmother’s nephew took the both of us out to eat last year for our birthdays (in December. Very nice guy but he spoke of pagans as if they were the *worst* people to “grace” the face of this earth with their evil and wicked ways. It strung but because I’m not as good at words speoken as I am words written I just remained silent. But I think that’s just people’s ignorance. Just because we follow a different path doesn’t make us all darkness, hexes, and curses. We desperately need celebrations like “Pagan Pride Day” so the perspective can change.

Another thing that appealed to me were “Harvest Baskets”. In the baskets you put together things for someone in need. Something that touched my heart was one day it was storming very hard. My aunt must have really (REALLY) wanted to go to this hamburger joint called “Wayback Burgers”. It took FOREVER to find the place! On the way out, I saw a man with a cart and I’ve thought of this man ever since because where I’m from you CONSTANTLY run into people in parking lots begging for money. This man really was homeless and didn’t even stop us. I wished that I would have had something to give him. I wondered if he had somewhere to go to get out of the heavy rain. I thought that if I ever crossed paths with him again I would put something in his hands. I only had one burger. Maybe I should have gone back inside and brought him one. He was an elderly man. I just wanted to do *some* thing. I think that if I could make a “Harvest Basket” I’d find that man and fill it to the brim with food and slide it and some money in his cart.

There were some good recipes in this one. “Green Bean Casserole” is something I eat occasionally because my mom makes regularly because it has vegetables in it. I’m supposed to eat a lot of those because of damage to my organs from being diabetic. G reen things are particularly high on the list of things they request you eat. Here’s a tip. If your dealing with someone that has these kinds of requirements than find out what they *will* eat instead of trying to force them to eat things on this list just because they’re *supposed* to eat it because they won’t. *ASK* them what they’ll either tolerate or like. They just might agree to some of em.

I was curious about “Apple Butter” but without the raisins. Although I would think this would just be a “topping” and not something you could make a meal of. “Apple Chips” also sounded interesting. I’d try it! I like apples! Another was roasted nuts. This reminded me of Christmas and that song about “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire”. I guess it just depends on what kinds of nuts. I love peanuts. I also like walnuts. I think the only kinds I don’t touch are cashews. Peacans are good too!

There were also some good crafts. There was one about using seeds to create a mural. I don’t know why but this vague thought popped out that I’d done this before. Maybe in elementary school, ut it felt “familiar”. I can definitely see myself doing this if I had a son or daughter. The “Apple Candle Holder” (using a real apple) also sounded like a unique decoration to have on your table. As long as you didn’t keep it out to long and let it rot and attract bugs and flies. Then there was the “Thanksgiving Jorunal” in which you write something your thankful for every day.
In “Innovations” sometimes a line or two might catch my attention. In this one there was one that was for when you want to be thankful but really are finding it hard because of all of the crap life keeps dumping on you. That one REALLY spoke to me.

Rating: 6 I think this is the last one I’ll be reviewing. There’s one after this called “Yule” and I just can not find it. It should be where my other Wiccan books are but it’s not (which bothers me a little). I really want to find this collection but this collection just isn’t worth spending 10,00 on just to read the last book. There were some good things in them but it just didn’t give me a clear distinction between these sabbats. After a while, they all just started to blur and feel like I was reading the same thing. I was trying to find something more updated but I just haven’t found it yet.

[Bravebook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Równonoc jesienną mogliśmy świętować 2 dni temu, oznacza kalendarzowy początek jesieni, ale przede wszystkim kolejny etap w rocznym cyklu życia.

Pogańska nazwa tego święta to również tytuł kolejnej książki z serii sabaty - "Mabon". Jest to czas nie tylko zbiorów, ale też porządkowania swoich spraw oraz przygotowywanie się do zimy.

W ciągu pierwszych dni jesieni cieszymy się z tego, co udało nam się zebrać przez poprzednie miesiące, a jednocześnie trzeba to rozdysponować na nadchodzący czas.

Natura również się wycisza, kończy się pewien etap, rośliny powoli obumierają po tym, jak dały owoce.
Dla ludzi oznacza to troszkę co innego, ale czuć, że mamy mniej energii i kierujemy swoją uwagę raczej do wnętrza.

W tym tomie serii, tak jak i w poprzednich, znajduje się spis dawnych praktyk, tradycji i obchodów Mabonu, a także formy współczesnych obrządków jakie uprawiają współcześni poganie i czarownice.

Tak jak i wcześniej, tu również znajdujemy liczne przepisy kulinarne i pomysły na różnego rodzaju rękodzieło oraz sposoby na uczenie tej równonocy. W środku znajduje się wiele zaklęć, inwokacji oraz rytuały związane z tym sabatem.

Nie zabrakło również spisu symboliki Mabonu oraz opisu bóstw związanych z tym świętem.

To naprawdę magiczny czas, który skłania do licznych refleksji, w tym roku wyjątkowo się z niego cieszę 🥰

Ta książka, jak i poprzednie z serii, jest cudownie wydana i zawiera mnóstwo ciekawostek dotyczących sabatu "Mabon"🥰 gorąco polecam ✨

[Raven Wells · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was alright for a beginner.

The history dragged a bit and often felt like the author was stretching the information. For a pagan book, there was a lot of Christian emphasis (Mabon being Easter for Jesus’s death, holiday for Saint Michael) and mention of quite a few Jewish holidays. While the history is interesting, I don’t care about Christian/Jewish holidays around this time. If I did, I’d be reading a book on those topics not a book on witchcraft.

The majority of this book is focused heavily on Greek/Roman myths with some Celtic or plain Wiccan takes on the Lord/Lady. It mentioned so briefly heathen practices during this time which is quite disappointing as someone just starting to learn about that tradition.

The only prayer I found remotely helpful was the Dark Night of the Soul simply because it usually isn’t mentioned that sometimes life sucks and being grateful is incredibly difficult.

The rituals weren’t my favorite. The couple ritual in particular didn’t explain why you’re doing certain things… like taking a shower and then still washing your partner’s hands/feet during the ritual.

Overall, if you’re a beginner it gives you some ideas but I wouldn’t stop here for researching this time of the year.

[AquaMoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books I found through an "If you liked ___, try ____" rabbit hole. It wasn't the actual book suggested, that was another in the series, but Goodreads was right: I did enjoy it. It was a good little overview. Admittedly, there were some small inaccuracies (Example: the God of the Underworld was called Pluto instead of Hades. This is not incorrect, but is so when in context of the name Persephone. I'm pretty good my Greek mythology and I believe Pluto is the Roman name. A technicality that's easy to mix up. Especially when the various deities have so many names. I shall forgive this). Anyway... I enjoyed reading about the different cultures' ways of observing the Autumnal Equinox both then and now. And the recipes were fun too.

Not to read the actual book that was suggested (Samhain: Rituals, Recipes & Lore for Halloween). I know i'll like this one even more because it's about my #1 favorite Holiday...which, oddly enough, is also my birthday.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mabon by Diana Rajchel is a pretty decent beginner's look at the season, equinox, and holiday. It covers a wide variety of related lore and history, workings, recipes, and more and is probably something I'd consider a decent resource for most beginners in witchcraft and Paganism. I do wish the book expanded a bit in the history and lore into non-Eurocentric history, however, since it focused very heavily on not even just Europe but Western Europe in particular (with a bit of a dabble into Poland).

I also think it's worth noting that this book includes a Hoodoo honey jar and mojo bag in its spellwork section with no in-depth discussion of Hoodoo, its history, etc, and no clear tie for the author to Hoodoo practices. It also recommends readers get smudge sticks in at least one of its rituals, again with no discussion (at all this time) of smudging's connection and sacredness to American Indigenous culture or any kind of tie that the author might have to that culture. Thankfully, all of the instances of potential appropriation are easy to skip over or edit out for something more relevant to a personal practice.

[Fi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVED this book. The only other one I’ve read from this series is Beltane, and I felt as though this one went further into depth than that one did. The autumn-equinox has always been one of my favorite times of year, that I’ve felt connected to ever since I was a small child. It was really interesting to read about the symbolism and significance behind the holiday, as well as some ideas to celebrate it as Mabon. I loved that it included so much history and other holidays that share the same themes. I loved the recipes, especially for the ritual bath and mabon oils. There was also a really nice invocation to Demeter that I loved reading, and tons and tons of correspondences with the holiday at the end of the book.

It probably is more of an introduction as it covers a lot of things in a short book, but it contained more information on Mabon than I’ve read in any other book so far, so if you’re looking to learn more about this particular sabbat I would DEFINITELY recommend it!

[Adrian Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mabon is the celebration, usually, of the beginning of autumn or the autumn equinox -- that point in the year when the amount of darkness in each day starts to grow larger than the amount of daylight. Mabon, and every sabbat or esbat for that matter, is a great time to pause, take stock, show gratitude for what has been, and prepare for what's to come. This book (and all of the other sabbat books in this series) does a great job explaining the history (mostly Western, though not exclusively so), traditions, rituals, and importance of Mabon (and other celebrations).

I am reading each book in this sabbat series for the first time this year, familiarizing, learning, and reacquainting myself with these celebrations of nature and of marking the passing of time. I look forward to next year when I can go back and use each of these books in this great series as reference, refreshers, and reminders.

[Cari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mabon: Rituals, Recipes & Lore for the Autumn Equinox by Diana Rajchel is the second Llewellyn's Sabbat Essentials book I've read. Of the two, I thought this one was much better written, but I think as "holidays" go, I prefer Lughnasadh over Maybon, even though Maybon coincides with the spring equinox, which is a pretty big deal. Mabon is the second of three harvest holidays and centers around a theme of gratitude, thanksgiving, and community. I enjoyed reading the comparisons between the old pagan harvest festivals and those celebrated today. I did the Mabon tarot spread from the book and while it was a bit more complex than any other spreads I've done, I was amazed by how well it fit together.

[Danna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just started this series and have found it to be an interesting, accessible introduction to the basic principles (historic and modern) of how various communities have and do celebrate the quarter and cross-quarter days. It’s a nice blend of new ideas and reminders of things known. I’ve long been fascinated by the intersections of science, folk customs, mythology, religion, and the general human need to mark time and celebrate milestones with customs and rituals. I love tuning in to the quarter and cross-quarter days because science is cool, and because these are cycles within which all living beings exist. It feels needful, somehow, to acknowledge and honor the passing seasons in some way, to maintain a connection to the natural world from which much of modern society separates us.

[Tiffany Day · Rating 3 out of 5]

The autumnal equinox is one of my favorite turns of the wheel; as such, I'd looked forward to reading this book. It was a bit of a letdown. It felt like the history was a bit forced - tying similar celebrations to it that were more guesswork that truly established to be a part of the equinox. It's just hard to take it seriously when it doesn't directly address the elephant in the room - that most of the associations are tied to a modern invention of the past century. That said, it is part of the greater collection and a very fast read... so I can't say I'd suggest skipping it. 2.5 stars rounding up to a GR 3

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

My fiance and I have different beliefs, but as we plan our wedding we are learning so much more about each others spiritual paths. It can be difficult for me to articulate my thoughts into words, so I picked up these books containing beginner material to aid in his understanding of the Sabbats. These books have good information, but it is nothing new to someone who is already on this path. I appreciated the authors perspectives as well. Overall, a good book to pick up if you're curious or new to this!

[Hortensja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jako czarownica i jesieniara nie mogłam przejąć obok tej pozycji obojętnie!
Ta część podobała mi się nieco mniej niż poprzednie, czegoś mi tutaj zabrakło. Co nie zmienia faktu iż znajdziecie tutaj mnóstwo ciekawych:
🍂rytuałów
🍂przepisów kuchennych
🍂zaklęć,wróżb
🍂modlitw,inwokacji
🍂czynności
Na równość jesienną!
Jeśli chcesz aby w tym roku twój sabat Mabon był wyjątkowy, magiczny, przepełniony wieloma zaklęciami to jak najbardziej polecam!
Ja,napewno jeszcze nie raz do niej zerknę i skorzystam. Diana Rajchel w piękny sposób opisała to jak można wykorzystywać nadchodzące dni.

[Gema (gemaspring_) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5⭐️

Me daba mucha curiosidad leer sobre Mabon, ya que únicamente sabía que era una festividad relacionada con el equinocio y con la cosecha. Me ha gustado el libro y como se abordan las diferentes ideas para llevar a cabo esta festividad, pero creo que esperaba más variedad. Al final me ha recordado un poco al libro de Ostara, en el que todo estaba más enfocado hacia un camino, en este caso el del agradecimiento y planificar y sentar las bases.

Aún así he cogido varias ideas y me ha gustado todo lo relacionado con dicha festividad; aunque creo que no será una con las que más resuene.

[Sofia Leão · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Not as good as I expected but still a great read!

The book is divided into different chapters, the first one gives an historical introduction to Mabon, and even though it had some inaccuracies it was still pleasant to read. I particularly enjoyed the new ways, recipes and crafts and correspondences chapters. These ones are great if you wanna learn more and build your own thing.

The rituals presented through the book are, in my opinion, a bit too 'staged' (for lack of a better word).