Autumnal Equinox
Mabon is the counter-point to Ostara on the Wheel of the Year. It is the first day of autumn and the second of three harvest festivals. Even though our tradition celebrates three harvest festivals, farmers do not consider the harvesting of their crops in separate situations. To the ancient farmer and the farmers of today, they consider their harvest a continuous undertaking up and until the killing frost hits the crops sometime in October destroying everything. The Goddess has given birth now, and we celebrate this birth, the fruits of the field and orchard, and garden.
The festival is represented by the reaping of corn, along with the other products in your garden which are ready to be harvested. To celebrate Mabon, corn and corn bread are served, along with cider and sweet potatoes (yams). Don’t forget to harvest the last of your herbs and fruit that will need to dry and store for winter use. 
With the harvest of the last fruits, burring an apple in the earth at this time will symbolize your hope for the rebirth of all life
At Mabon, the harvest is at its fullest. This is a time for of celebrating the bounty that flows to us from the generosity of Earth and Spirit. It is traditional to reflect on the many blessings in our lives. Gather with friends and family to give thanks with feasting and celebration. Through the power of appreciation and gratitude we open our hearts and our beings to the flow of abundance on all levels.
Mabon is also a bittersweet time when the abundant Earth is pouring forth her harvest and yet summer is fading into autumn and signs of the dying year are all around us. Night and day are once more in equilibrium, but now light 
gives way to the ascendancy of darkness, and the coming of winter. We are entering the still and introspective part of the year. Here we are invited to take stock of our lives and give thanks for all the experiences, both the joyful and the challenging, which have taught and enriched us in the past year. This honoring of all facets of our lives prepares us for Samhain when we will release those aspects of our lives which no longer serve us.
From Mabon to Ostara, we are drawn inward to quiet contemplation, to exploration of deep mysteries found in silence and in darkness, to laying the groundwork for future transformation and growth. The Autumn Equinox It is important to strive toward a balance of mind, body and spirit during this time in order to be prepared for the sometimes depressing, colder months ahead. To help his children survive the coming season, the Green Man returns to the Earth, sheds his leaves and vines and is reborn as the Horned God with the antlers and fur of the animals he must protect. Thus begins the reign of the Horned God, Father and Protector of those trying to survive the long, cold nights.
