when you carve a pumpkin into a lantern this halloween, you can burn different herbs and spices for a spooky candle spell! before you light the inside candle, sprinkle the spice/herb liberally on the inside walls of the pumpkin!
some suggestions:
🕯 allspice –
fortune, healing, and wealth.
🕯 cardamom – love and lust.
🕯 cinnamon –
divination, psychic abilities, spirituality, and wisdom.
🕯 clove –
attraction, exorcism, love, and wealth.
🕯 orange peel –
beauty, divination, fortune, love, and purification.
hi, angels! you didn’t think i forgot about Mabon, did you? the autumn equinox falls in September, typically ranging from the 21st to the 24th. this year, in 2017, it is occurring on the 22nd. Mabon is symbolic – it the first official day of Fall, as well as a time to show your thanks and count your blessings – a witch’s thanksgiving, if you will! the days and nights are now equal in length, and it is a wonderful period to celebrate such a balance. this was the first holiday i celebrated as a witch. it may even be my favourite holiday on the Wheel of the Year. Mabon is the pathway to a beautiful season, and the air offers a warm essence. it is full of good feelings: being extra appreciative of what you have, recognizing the potential you have to change, and being inspired to grow. with that said, here are some ideas to incorporate into your Mabon altar!:
🍂 colors. this is always the first thing my mind goes to when creating a themed altar! it is the basis for the whole feeling of your sacred space, and will help to get you in the mood for the season. oranges, reds, gold, browns, yellows, and deep purples are a few good fits. objects such as candles, cloths, ribbons, flowers, or statues in these colors are a few wonderful ideas.
🍂 imagery. for this particular time of year, some things you should incorporate include pumpkins, gourds, baskets, acorns, apple or pumpkin seeds, and corn/corn dolls, all of these things symbolize the second harvest, and should also get you in the right mood for the autumn season. if you like, try adding some collected fallen leaves and sticks, as well. (if you cannot add any of these objects in their natural forms, dollar and craft stores have faux or decorative versions of all of them)!
🍂 balance. after all, this is a time of year in which light and dark are at their balanced peak. quartz on one side and obsidian on the other, a light and dark feather, dark and light pumpkins or gourds, a black candle and a white one – try including this symbolism in a creative way!
🍂 candles + incense. what altar is complete without some sort of candle? add ones in the colors of fall, or in yummy autumn scents. if you cannot add real candles to your altar, consider LED ones or fairy lights, spritzing a holiday scented spray around your space. for incense, try to include some scents such as myrrh, sage, pine, frankincense, sweetgrass, cinnamon, and even pumpkin.
🍂 herbs, spices, + crystals. add small dishes or bottles of herbs that compliment the season! marigold, sage, chamomile… just to name a few! citrine, clear quartz, amber, gold, or yellow topaz are a few crystal ideas to get started, as well.
🍂 food. once the actual holiday is closer, consider adding some fresh offerings in bowls or baskets, or on pretty plates/trays. food offerings may include grapes, apples, nuts, grains, and wine.
i hope this list is helpful! i absolutely love this time of year and the sentiment that it holds. remember to dwell more on what you have, rather than what you may not. blessed be, and have a wonderful season! )O(
Mabon is September 22 and is the second harvest, symbols include corn dolly, bread, cornucopia, nuts, acorns, and leaves.
The Full Moon is September 6th and is known as the Harvest Moon but also goes by the Corn Moon and Singing Moon.
Sycamore and Chestnut are the symbolic trees, marigold, dahlias, and loosestrife are the flowers, chamomile and oregano are the herbs.
Colors for September are orange, deep red, and brown.
🔮Witchy Ways To Celebrate September🔮
This is a good time for protection spells, bringing security and balance in all things; returning to the Earth.
Decorate your home and altar with seed heads, berries, and fallen autumn leaves. Burn cinnamon and sage incenses and use orange and red flowers in your decoration. A set of scales or weights can also be used to signify the time of balance.
Work with trees in September(all the time). Collection acorns and make simple garlands to hang in the trees as offerings.
Cook with autumn berries or fruits that I listed previously! Start to make simple soups to celebrate autumn bounty and the change in season. I’ll personally be posting more recipes soon!
Leave offerings for the spirits of the hedgegrow or your harvest gods to thank them for their bounty.
Transitions between the Wheel (For the four seasons)
This is from my personal practice with observing the wheel of the year and my focus on each transition between the sabbats. I honor the current seasons in between. Each transition has it’s importance to self care and managing the home and garden. I will probably add to this later cause some paragraphs I wrote I feel like are a bit vague. Some of these transitions are not meant to be 100% literal and static but I feel like they are good areas to focus on for that moment in the year.
Yule->Imbolc Resting
During the thick of winter when it’s too cold to do anything and always dark, it’s the perfect moment in the year to rest. The focus is on relaxing, taking extra time to sleep and care for the body especially to not get sick. Winter is also ‘spa’ season because the air is so dry and harsh it’s a good time to soak in hot baths and scrub away dead skin and moisturize with protective lotion. Do not try to make new plans, yet sit home, rest and reflect.
Imbolc -> Ostara Cleansing
When winter thaws it’s a great time to clean the home and prepare for spring. Personally, I also like to do a body cleanse since I tend to eat a lot of processed (yet delicious ;-;) foods all year round. This also makes up for all the heavy foods I’ve been eating since Summer (all the BBQs) to Winter comfort foods. As I clean the home and get rid of stuff that has accumulated over the year, I clean the body. Also the focus is on cleaning the home as well. Breathing in the same air, especially if its full of dust, is really unhealthy and it’s good as the days are getting a little warmer to open up the windows for a few minutes to allow in fresh air to circulate. This is also the time of year I throw out old furniture, accumulated things and rearrange furniture in the room as well.
Ostara -> Beltane Sowing
Spring is a great time to germinate sprouts along with other seeds and clean the backyard or garden to grow plants. If you like to compost it’s a time to start mixing in the vegetable/fruit/plant scraps with the soil. Spring is also a great time to sow bigger changes in life as well. Something about the warm new season brings an air of flirtatiousness and ‘socialness’ that makes it perfect for making new friends or finding a partner. (Probably because people can finally come out of hibernation). It’s also a fantastic time to work on your image and portfolio and apply for long term jobs that begin in the summer or fall. Spring is the season for new beginnings and putting long term plans into action.
Beltane -> Litha Growing
A tradition I like to do on Beltane is repotting of plants and gardening. Repotting plants is a tradition I try to focus on every year because it’s very easy for house plants to die due to dead soil. Plus it makes the inside of the house super vibrant and lively to have fresh new soil in pots. From this point to summer solstice is the point of growth. Growth in the garden but also growth of personal goals. May and June feel like hectic months where there are so many events and opportunities to advance your work or change your social scene, that if I am not personally progressing, I focus all of my attention on my growth.
Litha -> Lughnasadh Thriving
Its the heat of summer! It’s time to get out and feel the intense hot energy and use its power to focus on goals and networking! Where I am there’s usually an exciting event every week where it’s an opportunity to make more connections and meet more friends but also since its warm and nature is so vibrant it’s time to take some days to relax and get away to enjoy the heat and life of nature. Go to the beach, go hiking, swim in a lake, sleep under the stars. Be active since the efforts will pay off.
Lughnasadh
-> Mabon Reaping
This is the time you earn what you’ve sowed both literally and metaphorically. If you have a garden its the time it will start giving back. If you are an active goer of a farmers market you will notice how beautifully abundant the stands are. If in Spring you’ve sent out tons of job applications, and in Summer got the job you’ve wanted and worked hard, then by now you should start seeing some results. If there are no results being seen it’s a time for reflection and re-strategizing. There is a second chance in this time to start again before the cold and the holiday season bulldozes through.
Mabon -> Samhain Harvesting/Gathering
This is the time to gather and harvest. Usually family tends to gather now since it’s the holiday season. There’s not much other than gathering to be done since family and holidays are bombarding you from all sides. Also there is an abundance of food. This is great to store for the next transition which is
Samhain -> Yule Preparation
This is the moment to prepare for winter. My warddrobe completely changes here, I take up knitting projects that were abandoned last Imbolc, and I store food and herbs for the winter to use. Also making preserves from things in the garden or hand knitting clothes make great presents for the winter holidays. This is also a time to prepare the garden for hibernation. Take in potted plants, harvest the last of the herbs and food (that are not potted). Make sure plants you do not want to die have a place to chill in the house.
Sweet as snow spell ─ this low spoon wishing spell consists of collecting freshly fallen snow in a seashell then sprinkling sugar on top while visioning whatever you’d like to manifest. Allow the ice crystals to melt and leave the water on your altar or in a special place to evaporate. This will release the cheerful energies into your atmosphere, while adding sweetness to your life and melting away any worries ❄️
teakepp 