The Magic of Mabon

Mabon is the second harvest Sabbat and occurs on September 20-22 in the Northern Hemisphere. It is a time of balance, as there are equal hours of day and night. Apples are associated with harvests, and are ideal for performing Mabon magic.

Apples have always had an important place in magic. Apples represented Avalon. They produced blossoms and fruit and were part of the Celtic paradise. The love planet Venus rules apples. Apples can be used to help predict matters of love.

You can invoke the goddesses Pomona: the Goddess of Apples, Demeter and Persephone. Pomona corresponds with the blooming orchards at autumn. If you slice an apple in half, you will see the five-pointed star, the symbol of the Goddess. Here are some fun methods of divination to try during Mabon.

Peel an apple and keep the apple peel in one long piece. When the peel comes off, drop it on the floor. The letter it forms is the first initial of your true love.

If a girl peels an apple in one long piece at midnight and tosses the peel over her left shoulder, she will be able to read the first initial of her future partner’s home in the shape assumed by the discarded peel.

Wait till midnight and cut an apple into nine pieces. Take the apple pieces into a dark room with a mirror. At midnight, eat the apple pieces while gazing into the mirror. When you eat the ninth piece, toss it over your shoulder. The face of your lover should appear in the mirror.

If a girl stands before a mirror at midnight while eating an apple and combing her hair, her future husband’s image will be reflected in the glass over her left shoulder.

Hold apple seeds in your left hand and recite the name of a suitor for each seed, then toss the seeds in the flames. The seed that pops the loudest is the suitor for whose heart burned for most of them.

Cut an apple crosswise and count the seeds. An even number of seeds shows that you have a high chance of marriage. An odd number of seeds show that you do not. If a seed is cut in half, you will have a rocky relationship.

Cut an apple in half. Eat the first half before midnight, and the second half just as the clock turns to midnight. You will dream of your lover that night.

Place apple seeds between fingers till it flies out. Shake hands, saying, “Apple seed, apple seed, apple seed, Please tell me where my true love will be, North, South, East, West, apple seed, apple seed, apple seed, Please answer this request for me.” Open your palm. The direction in which the pointed end of the seed is facing is the direction in which true love or partnerships lie.

To determine whether someone loves you, eat an apple to the core until you find a seed. Remove the seed and name it by the same name as the one you love on a candle. You can carve a name onto a candle, dress it with olive oil, and roll the candle in glitter for a magical effect. Light the candle and let it burn for a few moments then drop the seed into the candle flame. If you hear a popping sound, the one you desire cannot hold back his love for you. Do not blow out the candle flame as you will incur a quarrel. Snuff the candle out to maintain a harmonious energy.

The color of the candle determines the outcome of the divination. Use red and pink candles. They correspond with love spells and divinations. Also, to bind the energies within a candle, snuff it out. To release the energies from a candle, blow the candle out. Keep away from pets or children.

When performing love magic or spells, please remember to follow ethics. It is tempting to make that special someone love you the way you want them to love you, but in the end, you may learn it is not what you really wanted. The person may not be who you thought they were. Ever bear in mind the Rule of Three: whatever you send out, you get back times three. Make an effort to radiate positive energy, and it will be returned to you.

Mabon is a potent time for divination. Magic crackles, the veil opens between the worlds, and an early frost chills the air. I hope you enjoy trying these divinations and have a magical Mabon. You may just find that special someone!