Mabon: History, Traditions, and Theistic Satanist Practices

 

Mabon: History, Traditions, and Theistic Satanist Practices

Mabon is the modern pagan name for the Autumn Equinox, a festival of balance, harvest, and transition into the dark half of the year. While celebrated today across many pagan and occult traditions, the origins, history, and adaptations vary greatly depending on culture and path.

Historically, the Autumn Equinox was recognized by many ancient peoples, though not under the name Mabon. The Celts and Druids marked harvest festivals around this time, though exact details of their rites are lost. The Greeks tied this season to the myth of Persephone’s descent into the underworld, a reminder of the dying light and the approach of winter. Romans honored Pomona, the goddess of fruit, while Germanic and Norse peoples celebrated harvest feasts dedicated to fertility and land deities. Archaeological evidence, such as the alignment of megalithic sites like Stonehenge and Newgrange with equinox sunrise and sunset, shows that equinox observances were highly significant in prehistoric Europe.

The name Mabon itself is not ancient but was introduced in the 1970s by Aidan Kelly, who drew it from the Welsh mythic figure Mabon ap Modron. In the stories, Mabon is a divine child stolen away and later liberated, symbolizing rebirth, imprisonment, and release. Although Mabon was not originally a harvest deity, his myth connects with the themes of descent, darkness, and return, which resonate with equinox symbolism. Thus, the modern festival of Mabon blends ancient equinox traditions with contemporary pagan interpretations.

Mabon is considered the second of the three harvest festivals in the Wheel of the Year, falling between Lughnasadh and Samhain. It emphasizes gratitude for abundance, gathering in the fruits of the season, and preparing for the hardships of winter. It is often called the “Pagan Thanksgiving,” though its spiritual significance is rooted in balance and transformation. The equinox marks the moment when day and night are equal, symbolizing harmony between opposites, as well as the turning toward darkness as the year wanes.

Traditional practices of Mabon include feasting on seasonal foods such as apples, squash, grains, nuts, and wine; leaving offerings of bread, fruit, or drink for nature spirits or ancestors; decorating altars with autumn colors, cornucopias, acorns, pinecones, and gourds; and meditating on balance and letting go. Apple magic is especially important, with the apple’s hidden pentagram revealed when cut crosswise, symbolizing secret knowledge and protection. Ancestor veneration also grows in prominence as the year moves closer to Samhain and the veil between worlds begins to thin.

Lesser-known facts about Mabon highlight that it is not an ancient Celtic festival but a modern adaptation. The cornucopia, so commonly associated with the equinox, is a Roman symbol, not Celtic. Myths of descent and return, such as Persephone’s, Inanna’s, and Mabon’s, tie the equinox to cycles of death, imprisonment, and eventual renewal. This shows that the equinox is not only about harvest but about facing the reality of decline and transformation.

For Theistic Satanists, Mabon holds a unique meaning. Rather than focusing on passive gratitude, it is reframed as a celebration of personal power, rebellion, and the embrace of darkness. The balance of day and night reflects the interplay of opposites central to Satanic philosophy: freedom and conformity, knowledge and ignorance, light and dark. The harvest is interpreted not as a gift from external gods but as the result of one’s own will, strength, and actions. Darkness is not feared but welcomed as the realm of hidden wisdom and transformation.

Theistic Satanist rituals at Mabon often involve creating an altar with black and red candles, apples, pomegranates, wine, and skulls or bones to symbolize both harvest and the underworld. Offerings of wine, bread, or incense may be made to Satan and infernal beings as recognition of their power and presence, but never as an act of submission. Invocations may honor Satan as Lord of Darkness and Light, affirming the practitioner’s alignment with both balance and defiance. The apple, long a symbol of forbidden knowledge, is cut to reveal the pentagram, connecting harvest and Satanic gnosis. Wine may be shared as both blood and liberation. Ancestors and figures of rebellion are honored not with mourning but with pride, recognizing their role as predecessors in the path of resistance.

Timing is important in celebrating Mabon. The sabbat falls on the Autumn Equinox, which occurs between September 21 and 24 in the Northern Hemisphere and March 20 to 23 in the Southern Hemisphere. Traditionally, it begins at sunset on the equinox and ends at sunset the following day, though many pagans and Satanists extend the celebration over several days, reflecting the ancient practice of multi-day harvest festivals. Some theistic Satanists choose to observe the entire week of the equinox as a sacred period, marking the transition into the dark half of the year.

Mabon, whether celebrated in its modern pagan form or reinterpreted through Theistic Satanism, is a festival of profound meaning. It is a time of balance, harvest, and transformation. It honors both the fruits of labor and the descent into darkness, recognizing not only abundance but also the power found in endings and rebirth. For Satanists, it becomes an assertion of strength, rebellion, and sacred darkness, a celebration of self-deification and the eternal cycles of death and renewal.

A Theistic Satanist Ritual for Mabon

This ritual is designed to embody the themes of harvest, balance, and descent into sacred darkness. It can be performed alone or with a group.

Prepare an altar with two candles, one black and one red, placed on opposite sides to represent darkness and light. Place apples, pomegranates, bread, and a chalice of wine at the center. Add symbols of death and renewal, such as bones, a skull, or autumn leaves.

Begin by standing before the altar at sunset and lighting the candles, saying: “On this night of balance, where light and darkness stand as equals, I honor the turning of the year and the descent into shadow. Hail Satan, Lord of Darkness and Light, who guides the hidden path.”

Take the apple, cut it crosswise to reveal the pentagram within, and hold it aloft. Speak: “Within the fruit of the harvest lies the star of forbidden knowledge. I claim this wisdom as my own, as Satan claimed his throne beyond the tyrant’s reach.” Place the apple on the altar as an offering.

Lift the chalice of wine and say: “Blood of the vine, blood of the earth, blood of rebellion. I pour this in honor of Satan and the powers of darkness.” Pour a small libation onto the ground or into a bowl, then drink the rest.

Take a moment of silent reflection, writing down on parchment or paper the victories, knowledge, or strengths you have harvested this year. Burn the paper in the flame of the red candle, declaring: “These are my fruits, born of my will. What is mine is sacred, and I alone claim it.”

If desired, call upon ancestors, rebels, or personal figures of defiance, speaking their names aloud and honoring their presence. Offer bread or incense in their memory, saying: “Those who came before me walk with me into the dark. Their fire burns in my blood.”

Close the ritual by extinguishing the candles, beginning with the red and ending with the black, saying: “The balance has turned. Darkness now rises, and I walk willingly into its power. Hail Satan.”

Conclude with a simple feast of seasonal foods, eating and drinking in honor of the cycle of life, death, and renewal.

This ritual captures the spirit of Mabon as understood through Theistic Satanism: not only a harvest celebration but a conscious embrace of darkness, rebellion, and the power of transformation. It affirms the practitioner’s sovereignty, honors Satan as a guide through the dark half of the year, and situates the equinox as a moment of empowerment rather than decline.

References

Aidan Kelly, Inventing Witchcraft: A Case Study in the Creation of a New Religion, Thoth Publications, 2007.
Ronald Hutton, The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain, Oxford University Press, 1996.
Ronald Hutton, The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles: Their Nature and Legacy, Blackwell, 1991.
D.J. Conway, Autumn Equinox: The Enchantment of Mabon, Llewellyn Publications, 1995.
Ceisiwr Serith, The Pagan Family: Handing the Old Ways Down, Weiser, 1994.
Mircea Eliade, The Myth of the Eternal Return, Princeton University Press, 1954.
John Michael Greer, The New Encyclopedia of the Occult, Llewellyn, 2003.
Primary myths referenced: The Greek myth of Persephone (Homeric Hymns), the Mesopotamian Descent of Inanna, and Welsh tales from The Mabinogion.