Magickal Monday: A Mabon Spell for Balance

Mabon, or the Autumnal Equinox, falls on Wednesday September 23rd this year. The equinox is only one of two days during the year, the other being the Spring Equinox (which will happen on this day in the Southern Hemisphere), when there is an equal amount of night and day. This makes these holidays the perfect time to work on magick for balance in our lives. I don't know about you, but this is an issue I struggle with all the time.

Here is the spell that I wrote for Blue Moon Circle to use during our ritual. Maybe you will find it helpful too.

Mabon Spell for Balance

Great goddess and great god

Please send me balance in my life

Send me order to balance chaos

Sweet peace to balance strife

Help me to have focus and energy

But also quiet and restful times to recharge

Let there be love and laughter in my life

Prosperity and abundance

And light to balance out the darkness

Send me faith and patience and kindness

And help me to find balance in my place in the world,

In my relationships with others

And within myself

So mote it be

Happy Autumn!

Magic the Cat, waiting for the feast to start.

Spaghetti squash out of my garden, topped with homemade pesto, tomatoes, walnuts, and cheese. YUM!

Fall Equinox Spell for Balance

The fall or autumnal equinox, known as Mabon on the Pagan Wheel of the Year, starts today, Monday the 22nd at 10:29 EDT. Many calendars show it tomorrow, the 23rd, in part because of the difference in time zones Why fall begins Monday. (In fact, my Llewellyn calendar says it is today, my cute cat calendar says tomorrow.) It doesn't really matter when you celebrate, though. Blue Moon Circle got together yesterday.

Cider in the chalice, ginger cookies & homemade bread & fresh tomatoes--it must be Mabon!

What does matter is that once again, we are shifting gears; moving from the long bright days of summer to the more measured pace of autumn. Things aren't necessarily obviously slower yet, as we still have to finish the harvest (whether actual or metaphorical), but we can tell the things are winding down.

On the equinox, the darkness and light are equal, so this makes the day the perfect time to do some magickal work for balance. Who couldn't use more of that in their lives?

Here is a spell for balance from my book, EVERYDAY WITCH A TO Z SPELLBOOK (Llewellyn, 2010).

Optional Extras: Four items to represent Earth, Air, Fire and Water (for instance, a rock, a feather, a small candle and a bowl of water), one black candle and one white candle

Note: Since this is a spell for balance, make sure your altar is set up in a balanced way. Start by visualizing the imbalances in your life or a particular situation (too much work or stress, not enough love) and picture them being balanced out by whatever you are lacking. If you are too overwhelmed to even figure out what you need, just feel yourself opening up to whatever the gods send in response to your prayer. Then light the dark and light candles.

Earth and Air, Water and Fire

Grant to me my heart’s desire

Balance now my troubled life

Wash away confusion’s strife

Even out the high and low

Gently soothe the ebb and flow

Dark and light in balance be

From extremes please set me free

Calm, serene and peaceful I

With ease and grace my days will fly

As above and so below

Balance to my life bestow

The Herb Harvest: Basil Uses, Magical and Mundane

We are in the midst of harvest season now. The Fall Equinox (also known as Mabon, and the 2nd of 3 harvest festivals on the Wiccan Wheel of the Year) is either the 22nd or the 23rd, depending on which calendar you look at. Either way, in most parts of the country, the harvest is in full swing, and most gardens are beginning to slow down as the nights grow cooler and the days grow shorter.

One of my favorite things to harvest at this time of year are herbs, so I've going to do a short series on a few of the ones I use the most. I tend to grow herbs that have multiple purposes: culinary, medicinal, and/or magical. Many herbs fall under this category, and they often have lovely flowers that attract bees and other beneficial insects. They're usually easy to grow, and you can harvest smaller pieces all through the growing season simply by snipping off the amount you need.

One of my basil patches in the garden.

 Basil is one of the herbs that tastes immensely better fresh than it does dried, and although it can be grown in a pot on a windowsill, I've always found it does much better outside. It's very sensitive to frost, so once it gets cold, you need to do something with whatever basil you have left in the garden. For me, that means PESTO!

Pesto is a simple sauce made from a few ingredients. There is no cooking required--just put them all together in a food processor or a blender and whir them together until you get the consistency you like. If you don't have a machine, you can do it by hand, but this involves a lot of chopping...

Pesto freezes extremely well, so you can grow or buy fresh basil, and put up a big batch at the end of the season. When you pull a container out in the middle of winter, it is like having a little bit of summer on your plate.

Basil's magical properties are love, protection, and prosperity, which means that it pairs well with the other ingredients in pesto. The traditional recipe calls for pine nuts, which are actually the seeds from inside a pine cone. (prosperity, love, strength) and they impart a nice creamy taste that helps to cut the strong flavor of the basil. But pine nuts are expensive and can be hard to find, so you can either mix them with or substitute walnuts (protection, intellect). Along with these you will use olive oil (sacred in many cultures, and used for health, peace, and spirit), garlic (protection and health), grated Parmesan cheese, and salt. (I also use a tablespoon or so of lemon juice, although I've never seen a recipe that calls for it. It's my secret ingredient, so shhhh...)

All the other ingredients for pesto. Just add fresh basil.

Various recipes will call for different proportions of these ingredients, but I never measure. I just start off with a lot of basil and a little bit of everything else, then tweak it as desired. If you are working a little love, protection, or prosperity magick with your cooking, remember to focus on bringing out these qualities as you blend and stir.

The finished product, ready to toss with pasta, put on top of little red potatoes, or, anything else your little heart desires.

An Autumn Equinox Ritual

A few folks have asked me how I will be celebrating the Autumnal Equinox, so here is the ritual that Blue Moon Circle and I will be using. If you normally cast a circle and call the quarters, do so at the beginning. This can be used by a group or an individual. You will need a sage smudge stick (you can substitute any incense you like) and an apple.

Happy Mabon!

Tonight marks the Autumn Equinox, also known as Mabon. This is the second harvest festival in the Pagan year—the Witch’s Thanksgiving. And so we gather to give thanks for all that which we have harvested in the past year.
When we talk about our harvest, we speak not only of the physical harvest of vegetables and grains to grace our tables, but also of spiritual, intellectual and symbolic harvest—that which graces our lives. Whatever you have been working toward this year, whichever goals are finally bearing fruit in tangible ways…these are the things we celebrate tonight.
At the equinox, day and night are equal, in perfect balance. We look to find this balance in ourselves as well. So let us look clearly at the harvest, and what it means for us as individuals.
It is a time of rejoicing, and of gratitude for all that has been given to us. But we have worked hard for that which we harvest, and sometimes, when the harvesting is done, we are tired and dirty and filled with regrets for those things that failed to grow and prosper. Shall we let this hold us back from celebrating with joy and enthusiasm? By the Goddess, we shall not!
Instead, we will work toward balance by allowing the elements of fire and air to cleanse us of the accumulated debris of the last year. Sage is traditionally used to cleanse and purify. Light a sage smudge stick and let the smoke waft over you. Visualize yourself letting go of all that holds you back from joy and celebration, and emerging clear and energized, ready for another year.

Now that we have lightened our spirits of their burdens, we can give thanks for the many blessings in our lives without sadness or reservations. Cut an apple in two, through the middle. Be sure to look inside to see the star that hides within! Think of those things you are grateful for and say them aloud one by one. After each one, take a bite of apple, to symbolize the sweetness of the blessings you have reaped.

We have washed away the dust of the long year behind us, and given thanks for our present blessings. Now, to complete the cycle we will look to the future, balancing what has gone before with what lies ahead.
It is time to refresh and reenergize ourselves, taking in the last light and warmth of the summer to sustain us through the darker, colder days ahead. We need this energy not only to finish this year’s harvest before season’s end, but also to plant the seeds for next year’s goals. So together, we will recite a spell to replenish our bodies, minds and spirits and use the abundant positive energy we have created here in this sacred space to bring our intent into being. (Hold the remaining half of apple as you recite the spell.)
Spell for Energy:
I call upon the Power of Air, with energy creative
I call upon the Power of Fire, with energy passionate
I call upon the Power of Water, with energy healing
I call upon the Power of Earth, with energy strong and unending
I call upon my inner wisdom
That I may tap into this energy only when it is needed
And rest when rest is called for
Let the energy be there for me when I need it
Let the energy be there for me when I call it
Let the energy be there for me when I will it
So mote it be
(Eat the apple!)

New books are out!

Hi all,
This is a big month for me. I have TWO books out. Well, one and part of one, really.
My second book from Llewellyn is out and looking great! I hope you'll all check it out. It's called Everyday Witch A to Z: An Amusting, Inspiring & Informative Guide to the Wonderful World of Witchcraft.
And my short story, "Dead and (Mostly) Gone" is included in The Pagan Anthology of Short Fiction: 13 Prize Winning Tales, also out from Llewellyn this month. (My story is the first one in the book, BTW, and won 3rd prize in the contest that started it all.)
All in all, a pretty exciting month as an author.
I hope you all have a wonderful Mabon (Autumn Equinox, for all you non-pagans).
Blessings, Deborah