This Mabon ritual is designed for someone who practices witchcraft without requiring devotion to a particular deity or religious tradition. Its purpose is to focus on gratitude, balance, personal growth, releasing what no longer serves you, and preparing for the darker half of the year. I wrote it for a solo practitioner but it can be modified for 2 or more practitioners.
Before beginning, gather a candle, a bowl of water, a small bowl of soil, an apple, seasonal herbs or leaves, two small pieces of paper, and a pen. You can also include bread, corn, pumpkins, acorns, crystals, incense, or anything else that represents autumn and harvest to you.
Arrange your items somewhere you will not be disturbed. Place the soil on one side of your altar and the water on the other. Put the apple in the center with your candle behind it. Take a few moments to quiet your mind and become aware of your surroundings.
Light your candle and recite:
“The season turns and the harvest comes. Light and darkness stand together. I honor what has grown, I recognize what has ended, and I welcome the season ahead.”
Take the bowl of soil into your hands. Think about everything that supported you during the past year. Consider the people, experiences, opportunities, lessons, and personal choices that helped you grow.
Touch the soil and recite:
“I give thanks for the ground beneath me, for what supported my growth, and for everything that brought me to this moment.”
Take your first piece of paper. Write down three things that have grown in your life since spring. These could involve relationships, confidence, knowledge, spiritual practice, work, family, creativity, or personal goals.
Place the paper beneath the apple.
recite:
“I recognize my harvest. I honor the work that brought these things into my life. I carry their lessons forward with gratitude.”
Now take your second piece of paper.
Write down something you are ready to release. It could be a habit, fear, disappointment, resentment, unrealistic expectation, or situation that has taken too much of your energy.
Hold the paper between your hands.
recite:
“As the fields release their harvest and the trees release their leaves, I release what I no longer need. I keep the lesson and release the weight.”
Tear the paper into several pieces. You can dispose of it after the ritual. If you choose to burn it, use a fireproof container and appropriate fire safety.
Next, pick up the apple. Cut it horizontally through the center. Many apples reveal a five-pointed pattern around their seeds.
Look at the seeds and consider what you want to carry through the coming months. Choose one intention that you want to protect and develop.
recite:
“Within the harvest rests the seed of what comes next. Through darkness, rest, and change, I carry this intention with me.”
Eat part of the apple slowly. Return the remaining edible portion to your kitchen rather than wasting it.
Dip your fingers into the water and touch your forehead or hands.
recite:
“I enter the coming season with gratitude for what has passed, awareness of where I stand, and intention for what comes next.”
Spend several minutes sitting quietly. When you are ready, extinguish the candle.
Your Mabon ritual is complete, but your intention continues. Keep the first piece of paper somewhere safe until Samhain, Yule, or even the spring equinox. When you return to it, consider how your personal harvest has continued to shape you.
