SHOW / EPISODE

Mabon: Fall Equinox + Pagan & Catholic Traditions | Divine Mysticism Podcast Ep. 12

55m | Sep 21, 2026

What does Mabon, the Fall Equinox, Pagan traditions, Catholicism, harvest rituals, and the changing seasons have in common?

More than you might think.

In Episode 12 of the Divine Mysticism Podcast, Tasha (Catholic) and Renée (Mystic) go down a fascinating rabbit hole into Mabon, the Fall Equinox, ancient harvest traditions, and the surprising ways seasonal rituals and Catholic traditions can overlap.

What starts with the changing of the seasons quickly turns into a much bigger conversation about harvest, balance, gratitude, ritual, sacred traditions, spirituality, and what happens when ancient seasonal practices meet Christianity.

Tasha and Renée explore Mabon and the history behind the modern Pagan celebration of the Fall Equinox, including the symbolism of harvest, balance, darkness and light, and the transition into the darker half of the year.

And then things get even more interesting.

The conversation takes us into the world of Catholic Ember Days, seasonal prayer, fasting, harvest traditions, and the Catholic practice of marking the changing seasons through the liturgical calendar.

But is there actually a connection between these traditions?

Or are different cultures simply responding to the same natural cycle in their own spiritual language?

From Mabon and the Fall Equinox, to Pagan harvest celebrations, Catholic Ember Days, sacred rituals, Stonehenge, ancient seasonal traditions, and even the mysteries surrounding sacred geometry, Tasha and Renée follow the rabbit hole wherever it leads.

And because this is Divine Mysticism, we're obviously going to ask the bigger question:

When two spiritual traditions have similar rituals and symbols, does that mean one tradition borrowed from the other—or can different traditions arrive at similar spiritual practices independently?

In this episode:

• What exactly is Mabon?

• The history and modern Pagan meaning of Mabon

• Why Mabon is associated with the Fall Equinox

• The symbolism of the equinox and the balance between light and darkness

• Pagan harvest traditions and seasonal rituals

• The connection between harvest, gratitude and spirituality

• The darker half of the year and why autumn has such powerful spiritual symbolism

• The story of Mabon ap Modron and how it became associated with the modern Mabon celebration

• Mabon, Persephone and the mythology of descent and return

• The difference between ancient Celtic mythology and modern Pagan interpretations

• Catholic Ember Days and their connection to the changing seasons

• Why the Catholic Church traditionally included seasonal prayer, fasting and thanksgiving

• How Catholic and Pagan traditions can sometimes look surprisingly similar

• Rituals, offerings, prayer and the meaning we give to sacred actions

• The relationship between Pagan harvest traditions and Catholic practices

• The Fall Equinox and the symbolism of balance

• The difference between historical evidence and modern spiritual interpretations

• Why seasonal transitions can feel spiritually significant even across completely different belief systems

At the heart of this episode is a bigger question:

Why do so many different spiritual traditions use the changing seasons to understand life, death, balance, gratitude and transformation?

Is Mabon fundamentally different from Catholic harvest traditions?

Can Pagan seasonal practices and Catholic rituals exist alongside each other?

Did Christianity replace older seasonal traditions—or did different cultures simply develop their own ways of making the natural world sacred?

And why does the Fall Equinox seem to inspire so many traditions centered around balance, harvest, gratitude, darkness and spiritual reflection?

Because sometimes the most fascinating part of spirituality isn't finding the answer—it's following the rabbit hole far enough to ask better questions.

We're just two friends going down the rabbit hole.

Topics:

Mabon • Fall Equinox • Autumn Equinox • Paganism • Catholicism • Catholic Mysticism • Celtic Traditions • Pagan Harvest • Harvest Festivals • Seasonal Rituals • Spirituality • Mysticism • Ritual • Ember Days • Catholic Traditions • Prayer • Fasting • Gratitude • Sacred Seasons • Equinox • Solstice • Stonehenge • Sacred Geometry • Pyramids of Giza • Orion's Belt • Ancient Traditions • Celtic Mythology • Mabon ap Modron • Persephone • Harvest • Balance • Light & Darkness • Spiritual Traditions • Divine Mysticism