Mabon

Hello, my lovelies.

We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief:

Autumn is almost upon us.

Long-time readers of The Green Witch will know just how much I usually crinkle my nose as we turn into the darker seasons (where did my meadowsweet go? Why am I seasonally depressed?). Spring is my happy place, so I spend most of the year mourning the beautiful death-scented hawthorn blossom. But this year has been different due to the intensity of 2026’s summer. Read my post, “A green witch laments the loss of summer” >

This year has seen such extremes of temperature, as well as the, quite frankly, insane nature of this summer’s astrology. It feels like a balm to be slipping into the balance of Mabon – the autumn equinox.

Our blessed equinox (the word itself meaning “equal night”) falls at 12.06 AM on Thursday 23rd September this year, making it one of our later starts to autumn. We are coming into the sign of the scales – Libra – the ruler of balance, cooperation and gentleness. No extremes, only a soft recalibration after the wild ride of this year.

I am doing my annual re-watch of Gilmore Girls (I am – I fear – a millennial woman, after all) and riddling myself with guilt over not reading as much as someone preparing for Harvard. If you, like me, want to be curled up by a stormy window, I have a list of autumnal, witchy reading for you amongst my ways to celebrate the Pagan sabbat of Mabon (below).

But the equinox isn’t only about rediscovering your jumper stash after the baking heat. For our ancestors, the equinox was the second harvest of the year, and we welcome apples, squashes and the last of the tomatoes. It is a time of taking stock of our stores and ourselves; of assessing what we have in our arsenal as we head into winter.

August was spent picking at thistledown, squeezing the hard unripe hawthorn berries and marvelling at the trees that have stayed green despite the heat. Now September is over halfway through and the work of picking, freezing and bottling begins. But so does our internal work too…

In this Mabon edition of The Green Witch, I’ll be sharing:

• my favourite ways to celebrate the festival of Mabon

• 5 whole years of The Wheel

• your new favourite autumnal reads 🍂

• the witchcraft correspondences of autumn

Have a blessed Mabon, friends. There is a lot of work to do this autumn, but I hope it finds you with gentle hands and a warming cup of tea.

Jennifer x

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How to celebrate Mabon

It’s all change: autumn means a fresh colour palette and a hankering for soup. It also means switching up your magickal practice.

I’ll be celebrating the equinox by:

• re-learning the symbolism of autumn. I have mentioned that we are now coming into the sign of Libra, but while Libra is an Air sign, autumn is actually ruled over by the Element of Water. Water holds symbolism of letting go, remembrance and sinking into the subconscious – and the Druids actually knew this autumn festival as ‘Alban Elfed’, or “the light on the water”. Scroll down to where I’ll be sharing all the symbols of the season.

• reaping the harvest. I’m not going to lie, the harvest from our garden and allotment has been pretty shocking this year – just as it has been for most of us. While in smaller quantities, we can still enjoy damsons, kale and runner beans, as well as blackberries and bilberries out in the wilds. Read my guide to green witchcraft to get tips on how to work magickally with plants this autumn >

• making autumn charms. It’s time to hunt for nuts! Pop an acorn in your purse or wallet to attract prosperity. Add a hazelnut for wisdom and inspiration. You’re welcome.

• examining what balance means for me. Balance is one of our key themes this Mabon, and we can use magick and shadow work journaling to discover what this means for our own lives. Are we working too hard in our day job, leaving little time for creativity in the evening? Is there a way to bring balance into a strained family dynamic? The questions might be hard, but looking inward will help us see where we can exhale deeply and welcome equilibrium. Read my guide to shadow work here >

• preparing. No, not a doomsday/Brexit bunker, but we might want to think about getting in some soup mix. Mabon is all about preparing for the colder months ahead – taking stock and finding what will see us through the winter, both physically and emotionally. Yes, we can reap the harvest (above), but we can think about taking care of ourselves mentally as we lose the summer light; any projects that need to be brought to a conclusion to make the season easier; and what we can do to keep physically well in the cold (tip: hawthorn berries and rosehips are an excellent source of autumn/winter vitamin C!).

• embracing the liminal. In case you missed it, my wonderful fellow podcaster and I got into some juicy Mabon lore last autumn on The Divine Void! In this episode, we explore tree folklore and magick, the joy of thwacking someone with a conker, and how to get back to your craft when life spirits you away. Listen to our Mabon episode here >

• immersing myself in equinox folklore. Did you know not to eat blackberries after 29th September when the Devil wees on them? Or that dreaming of fruit or flowers out of season is a bad omen? I found this fantastic lore in Mabon from Wyrd Books, a comprehensive guide to the folktales of the sabbat (I also found out how to make blackberry wine, and saffron and cinnamon buns there! Fabulous).

• crafting for the season. A wreath can be for any occasion, right? This beautiful heather wreath makes me think of autumnal birdwatching across the Yorkshire moors near my home and listening out for the mournful cry of the curlew. It’s also lovely to look at on my front door! Make yours here >

• cooking with pumpkin. Yes, yes, “but that’s a Samhain thing.” Well, actually, my pumpkins are ready now (see above!). Seasonal shifts have meant our allotment has had a deluge of squashes, so I’ll be slicing and dicing to make: harissa roast pumpkin, this very cute pumpkin-shaped gnocchi and pumpkin pie with bourbon whipped cream. Delish!

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For a closer look at the festival of Mabon, pick up a copy of my book, The Wheel: A Witch’s Path Back to the Ancient Self.

Your autumn reading list 🍂🧡

I have always believed spring, rather than autumn, to be the witches’ season. But then I realised that most of the books I’ve ever written are set in autumn!

1. The Wheel is my personal account of the Pagan Wheel of the Year. The book ends at Samhain – the Witches’ New Year – with lessons learned on magick, recovery and nature.

2. The Black Air (above) is Halloween’s biggest fan, and sees three teenage girls obsessed with a centuries-old witch hunt, while also becoming obsessed with each other…

3. And my latest adult title, Underwing, focuses on the dark grief I experienced in autumn 2023, culminating in renewed hope at Samhain.

I want to share my favourite autumn-scented reads outside of my own collection! Grab a cuppa and let’s get into it:

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• Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier

• Ebb & Flow by

• Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

• Pine by Francine Toon

• Windswept by Annie Worsley

• Mabon edited by

• Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell

• Sisters of Shadow by

• The Lost Words by Jackie Morris and Robert Macfarlane

• If Women Rose Rooted by

• Bright Poems for Dark Days edited by Julie Sunderland

• We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

• Holloway by Robert Macfarlane and Dan Richards

• Whale Fall by Elizabeth O’Connor

Drop your own favourites in the comments!

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Deepen your knowledge with The Green Witch Substack this autumn

“Your autumn self-blessing ritual” >
“The Crone Goddess has a message for you” >
“Your 6 green witch tips for September” >

Did you know you can buy a gift subscription to The Green Witch for a magickal friend this autumn? Or treat yourself to an upgrade and receive spells, seasonal living tips, green witch guides, and ways to connect with nature straight to your inbox every week!

I can’t wait to see you there 💚

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5 whole years of The Wheel

The book that started it all turns 5 this autumn! 🎉

Happy birthday to The Wheel! This joyful and heartfelt book came out of one of the darkest periods of my life. While suffering from a bone-shaking burnout in 2018-19, I began to seek a way of returning to myself and the deep bond I had once had with Mother Earth. The Wheel is my memoir on how I overcame depression and burnout through the power of witchcraft and nature.

When I lost my way, Mother Earth took my hand.

I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without The Wheel and the fantastic team at September Publishing who saw such promise in my writing. But, most of all, I will be eternally grateful to everyone who reads the book and sees their own lives reflected in its pages. Five years on, I still get messages nearly every week from people who want to let me know how much my story helped them through hard times, supported them, and inspired them to take the plunge and dare to dream of a more magickal life.

Thank you to my wonderful readers – I hope The Wheel continues to bring you joy as we head into the chapter of Mabon 🧡

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Learn the correspondences of autumn

I usually finish my Wheel of the Year newsletters with a spell, charm or ritual, but this time I wanted to share some correspondences that should be a cornerstone of any solid witchcraft practice.

Correspondences and symbolism feature heavily in spellwork, as well as in our herbal tinctures and any trancework we undertake, so it is vital to understand the way emotions, colours and animals overlay and interact with one another. Each season corresponds with an Element, particular plants and deities, but the list is even more extensive than this and can often feel difficult to learn. I hope the below list is helpful as you navigate the season. I’d absolutely recommend printing this list out for your Book of Shadows or for making your own set of witchcraft flashcards (which is how I learned my correspondences, runes and herbs).

Want to get your hands on my Mabon ritual? I’ll be sharing this with my paid membership on Tuesday this week – the day before the festival.

Your guide to autumn

• Equinox dates (changes each year): 21-24 September

• Qualities and meanings: Letting go, remembrance, harvest, stocking up, balance, emotional release, nostalgia, turning inward

• Direction: West

• Zodiac signs: Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius

• Colours: Red, gold, brown, orange, burnt yellows

• Plants: Apple trees, brambles, juniper, rowan trees, mugwort

• Animals: Fox, deer, owl, bear

• Humour: Melancholic (cold and dry)

• Moon phase: Waning moon

• Elementals: Undines, mermaids (associated with water)

• Deities: Cerridwen, Demeter, Hestia, Pachamama, Modron

• Tarot suit: Pentacles

• Time of day: Dusk

• Opposing season: Spring

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I’ll see you on the next turn of the Wheel: Samhain will be here on Saturday 31st October. Watch out for your newsletter a few days before. See you then!

Thank you so much for reading! I really appreciate your ongoing support and feedback on my Substack. If you want to share some love or wish to support me, you can upgrade your newsletter subscription below ⬇️

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Originally published on Substack