25 Herbs for Mabon: Magical Plants for the Autumn Equinox

Mabon, the Autumn Equinox, falls between September 21–23 and marks the first day of Fall.. It’s the second harvest festival on the Wheel of the Year, celebrated between Lughnasadh and Samhain. And, like each holiday, Mabon has herbs, symbols, colors, and deities that correspond with it.

I selected the plants and herbs that correspond with Mabon below because they have connections to folk practices, ancient mythology, or have been used in magical correspondence with the fall for a long time. Some like apples, will feel autumnal, while others, like honeysuckle, feel more aligned with summer, thought that officially ends at Mabon.

Many of the herbs below are connect to deities honored near the fall equinox. Such as the Greek goddess Demeter, who governs grain, her daughter Persephone, who descends into the underworld at this time, Persephone’s son, Dionysus/Bacchus, god of wine and ecstatic celebration, and the Mesopotamian goddess Inanna, whose myths of descent and return mirror the cycles of nature.

You’ll find specific ways to use these Mabon herbs under each entry, but you can use many in recipes or simmer pots if you enjoy kitchen witchcraft. They can also be used to make incense, placed in charm bags, or placed on your altar during the fall season.

Plants and Herbs for Mabon

1. Apple

Apples ripen around the time of the equinox and symbolize death and rebirth. Witches have long used them often when casting spells, especially love spells.

In Norse tradition, the goddess Iðunn guarded apples of immortality that kept the gods young and strong. In Celtic lore, the Isle of Avalon was a mystical paradise. These associations tie the apple to wisdom, vitality, and the mysteries of the afterlife, making it a powerful fruit to include in your Mabon rituals.

Magical Uses for Apples:

• Slice one horizontally to reveal a five-pointed pentagram and dry these to hang as a garland.
• Place apples on your Mabon altar to honor the harvest.
• Use dried apple peel in incense blends.
• Bake apples into bread, pies, or other recipes.

2. Blackberry

In folklore, people used blackberry brambles to mark protective boundaries, and some believed the thorns could trap wandering spirits. In some European traditions, passing under a blackberry bramble was thought to bring healing or protection.

Greek myths link blackberries to Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, ecstasy, and transformation, making them a powerful addition to any altar dedicated to him. Like grapes, blackberries ferment into wine and carry the same themes of abundance and transformation.

Magical Uses for Blackberry:

• Place blackberry leaves in a charm bag for protection.
• Drink blackberry wine at your Mabon gathering to honor Dionysus.
• Bake blackberries into pies or jams or serve them raw at your Mabon dinner.

3. Oak

The oak tree was seen as a tree of power, knowledge, and endurance across many cultures. In ancient Greece, oak groves were sacred to both Demeter and Zeus, with their rustling leaves believed to carry divine messages. Among the Celts and Druids, the oak was considered the “king of trees,” a central pillar of their sacred groves and ceremonies. Its longevity and towering presence made it a symbol of stability, while its cycles of acorns represented prosperity, and potential.

Magical Uses for Oak:

• Collect fallen acorns and place them on your altar.
• Carry an acorn in your pocket during the season or wear one as a necklace.
• Dry oak leaves and use them in a DIY incense blend.
• Use a fallen oak branch to create a wand.

4. Myrrh

Myrrh is a resin derived from the Commiphora tree and has been burned in temples and used in sacred rites for thousands of years. Its warm scent has made it a staple in rituals of purification, consecration, and mourning throughout the ancient Mediterranean and Near East. In Greece, it was connected with Demeter and was also included in funerary rites. In Mesopotamian traditions, resins like myrrh were tied to Inanna and Ishtar and their myths of descent and return from the underworld.

Magical Uses for Myrrh:

• Burn myrrh on charcoal as incense when cleaning, consecrating tools, or when working with Demeter or Inanna.
• Combine myrrh with frankincense and sage for a protective incense blend.

5. Barley

Barley is one of the oldest cultivated grains. It was a staple crop for the Greeks and Romans and valued both as a dietary staple and a sacred plant. Because of its ability to sustain communities, barley came to symbolize abundance and fertility, themes that are at the heart of Mabon.

In Greece, Barley held a particularly important role in the Eleusinian Mysteries, the ancient initiatory rites devoted to Demeter and Persephone. As part of the ceremony that reenacted Persephone’s descent and return, initiates drank a potion known as kykeon, made from barley, mint, and water. While the recipe seems simple, some modern scholars believe the barley may have been infected with ergot, a fungus containing alkaloids that can produce psychedelic experiences.

Magical Uses of Barley:

• Bake barley bread for your Mabon dinner
• Put grains of barley on your altar as an offering to Demeter.

6. Aspen

Aspen trees were seen as liminal in both Greek and Celtic traditions. In Greek myth, they were associated with Persephone and her journey between the upper world and the underworld. And, in Celtic myth, Morrígan was linked to aspen. The way the tree’s leaves tremble and shimmer in the slightest breeze gave rise to the belief that they could carry whispers between worlds. Because of this, aspens were sometimes planted near burial sites or used in rituals intended to connect with ancestors.

Magical Uses of Aspen:

• Carry an aspen leaf in a charm bag or tin to enhance communication with spirits.
• Place branches on your altar when doing ancestor work.
• Burn fallen leaves in a banishing spell.

7. Aster

Asters are star-shaped flowers that bloom around the equinox. In Greek mythology, the goddess Astraea, associated with justice and purity, is said to have transformed into the constellation Virgo and scattered asters across the earth from her tears.

In Victorian flower language, asters symbolized remembrance, making them fitting for a festival that honors both gratitude for the harvest and awareness of what is passing away.

Magical Uses for Aster:

• Use them in spells where you want to bring about balance and harmony.
• Include them in gratitude rituals.
• Incorporate them into love spells.
• Dry the petals for use in charm bags for spells tied to love or patience.

8. Benzoin

Benzoin is a resin obtained from styrax trees that has been used in incense blends for centuries across the Middle East and Europe. Practitioners prized its warm, sweet, vanilla-like scent and associated it with purification, prosperity, and protection. Medieval and early modern grimoires also feature benzoin as a resin that strengthens intent and amplifies magical workings.

Magical Uses of Benzoin:

• Burn benzoin resin on charcoal to cleanse a space before equinox rituals.
• Combine it with myrrh and frankincense to create an incense blends for prosperity.
• Use its smoke to consecrate tools for the coming season.
• Add it to spells to make them more powerful.

9. Birch

The birch tree is often one of the first trees to repopulate on the land after a fire, which made it an early symbol of resilience, endurance, and renewal. In Celtic mythology, birch was associated with purification and was traditionally used to fashion brooms or besoms, which were then used to ritually sweep away negative energy.

Magical Uses for Birch:

• Use birch twigs to create a ritual broom for seasonal cleansing.
• Place birch bark on your altar to symbolize purification.
• Burn small pieces in a fire spell calling in confidence or resilience.

10. Burdock

Burdock has been used for centuries in folk medicine for its grounding and protective qualities. In European traditions, burdock root was carried as a charm against negativity or carved into amulets for personal strength. The plant’s large leaves and burrs cling tightly to anything they touch inspiring witches to use them for binding and protection.

Magical Uses for Burdock:

• Carry burdock root in a charm bag for grounding or for protection against negativity.
• Use dried leaves in simmer pots to ground energy
• Incorporate burdock into protective rituals during the equinox.
• Add burdock to binding spells.

11. Cedar

People have used cedar in rituals and magic for thousands of years. Ancient builders prized it for its durability and scent, and used both when building temples and in purification rites. In Mesopotamian mythology, gods dwelled in cedar forests, and the tree symbolized death, renewal, and divine protection. In Greece, mourners associated cedar with Persephone and placed it in funerary contexts, linking it to the underworld and the cycle of descent and return.

Magical Uses for Cedar:

• Burn cedar chips as incense for purification or when honoring ancestors.
• Place cedar boughs above doorways for blessing and protection.
• Use cedar wood to craft a wand.

12. Chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemums bloom in autumn and embody themes of death, remembrance, and renewal. In Greece and Rome, people associated them with longevity and resilience, and their late blooming reminded communities of life persisting as the weather turned cooler.Because of when they bloom, chrysanthemums naturally align with the holiday of Mabon.

Magical Uses of Chrysanthemum:

• Place chrysanthemums on your altar if honoring loved ones who have passed.
• Use dried petals in sachets for protection.

13. Corn

Corn is one of the most recognizable harvest symbols. While maize is indigenous to the Americas, its role as a staple crop led it to take on the same symbolic functions in modern pagan traditions as wheat or barley did in the Old World. Corn husks and dolls were made across Europe to represent the spirit of the harvest, embodying fertility, abundance, and protection. These effigies were sometimes kept until the next planting season to ensure prosperity and growth.

Magical Uses of Corn:

• Make a corn husk doll to honor the harvest.
• Place dried kernels in spell jars for prosperity
• Bake cornbread for your Mabon feast or to leave an offering on your altar.

14. Fennel

Fennel was sacred to Dionysus in Greece. His followers carried a staff called a thyrsus made from a fennel stalk and crowned with ivy and a pinecone. In ancient medicine, fennel was also used for strength, digestion, and was believed to ward off evil influences.

Magical Uses of Fennel:

• Add fennel seeds to a charm bag for courage and protection
• Burn fennel with other herbs to banish negativity
• Cook with fennel as an offering to Dionysus.
• Make your own thyrsus using its stalk, ivy, and a pinecone.

15. Pomegranate

The pomegranate is one of the most important fruits in Greek mythology and is inseparable from the story of Persephone and the explanation of the seasons. After Hades took her into the Underworld, she ate a handful of pomegranate seeds, which bound her to return each year around the fall equinox. Demeter’s grief during her daughter’s absence brought winter, and her joy at Persephone’s return sparked spring.

Magical Uses of Pomegranate:

• Place one on an altar to honor Persephone.
• Use the seeds in a ritual to symbolize descent and renewal.
• Incorporate the fruit into seasonal recipes to embody abundance and fertility
• Dry the rind or seeds to include in spell jars.

16. Hazel

Hazel trees are highly revered in both the Celtic and Greek traditions. In Celtic lore, hazelnuts were considered a source of profound wisdom. In Greek mythology, the hazel was sacred to Hermes, god of communication and travel, and sometimes associated with divination and inspiration. Because hazel wood was used in dowsing rods and divining tools, it became linked to insight, hidden truths, and the ability to find what was lost.

Magical Uses of Hazel:

• Use hazel branches to make a wands or divining rod.
• Place hazelnuts on your altar for wisdom and abundance
• Bake hazelnuts into Mabon desserts
• Carry a hazelnut as a charm for inspiration and wisdom.

17. Honeysuckle

European folk magic links honeysuckle with sweetness, love, and attraction. Practitioners believed its fragrant blossoms could draw abundance and affection, and some traditions connected it to dreams or psychic vision. In Celtic mythology, people sometimes tied honeysuckle to the Morrígan or the Otherworld.

Magical Uses for Honeysuckle:

• Place honeysuckle flowers in a bowl on your altar to attract love and prosperity.
• Place the flowers in charms bags for attraction or protection.
• Use the dried blossoms when making dream sachets.

18. Ivy

Ivy was used in ancient Greece and Rome and associated with Dionysus. Its evergreen nature also made it a symbol of life persisting through winter. Ivy was also linked to Persephone and Hermes. At Mabon, ivy reflects both abundance and endurance.

Magical Uses of Ivy:

• Weave ivy into wreaths or garlands for your altar.
• Carry an ivy sprig as a charm for resilience.
• Use ivy imagery in rituals that honor Dionysus or Persephone.

19. Maple

In folklore, maple carried magical associations of balance, promise, and longevity. The tree’s flowing sap, which can be transformed into syrup, symbolized generosity and transformation. In Celtic lore, maple was sometimes planted near homes as a guardian tree, offering protection and stability.

Magical Uses of Maple:

• Use fallen maple leaves as altar decorations for balance and harmony
• Add maple syrup to autumn recipes and serve them during the fall season.

20. Marigold

Marigolds have bright golden-orange flowers and embody the sun, protection, and vitality. In European folklore, people planted them around homes to ward off disease and evil, and in magical traditions, practitioners placed them beneath pillows to invite prophetic dreams.

Marigolds also hold strong funerary connections. In Mediterranean traditions, they were used to honor the dead, and in Mesoamerican culture, they remain central to Día de los Muertos.

Magical Uses of Marigolds:

• Place marigold flowers on your altar for protection and remembrance.
• Add dried petals to charm bags for prophetic dreams.
• Scatter them in ritual circles to invoke vitality.

21. Palm

The palm tree was sacred in Mesopotamia because it was tied to Inanna and Ishtar. And, later, in Greece, to Hermes. The palm and its fruit, the date, represented fertility, sustenance, and victory, and date palms provided food, shade, and materials in desert climates. Palms were also associated with resilience and triumph in some myths.

Magical Uses of the Palm:

• Offer dates at your altar to honor Inanna or Hermes.
• Eat them during your Mabon feast to embody abundance.
• Use dried palm leaves in protective charms or on your altar.

22. Parsley

The Ancient Greeks associated parsley with funerary practices and the underworld. They placed parsley crowns on tombs or used them in games honoring the dead. Because of this, parsley became linked to Persephone and to the chthonic realms, as well as to themes of renewal and transition. They also used the herb in cooking and medicine.

Magical Uses:

• Use parsley in recipes that are part of your fall or mabon feasts.
• Sprinkle it on altars to connect with Persephone.
• Add it to ancestor offerings during Mabon or Samhain rituals.

23. Poppy

Poppies were sacred to both Demeter and Persephone. Demeter was often depicted crowned with poppies or holding them, symbolizing sleep, death, and regeneration. Additionally, the poppy’s ability to induce altered states connected it to dreams, visions, and forgetfulness. Because poppies bloom in abundance and then quickly fade, they embody both fertility and mortality. At Mabon, they serve as reminders of the cycles of life, the necessity of rest, and the inevitability of endings.

Magical Uses of Poppy:

• Place dried poppies on your altar as a way to honor Demeter
• Use poppy seeds in baking as a symbol of fall’s themes.
• Add poppies or their seeds to spell jars focused on sleep, rest, or restoring energy.

24. Solomon’s Seal

European used to use Solomon’s Seal, with its arching stems and bell-shaped flowers, in herbal medicine for healing and protection. The markings on its rhizomes inspired its name, since people believed they resembled the seal of King Solomon and symbolized wisdom and authority. Folklore also credits the plant with warding off evil and strengthening resilience.

Magical Uses for Solomon’s Seal:

• Place Solomon’s Seal root on your altar for protection and wisdom.
• Carry the herb as a charm for resilience or wisdom.

25. Vervain

Vervain has one of the richest magical histories of any herb. The Ancient Greeks and Romans considered vervain sacred to deities like Hermes, Epona, and Persephone. Priests used vervain to cleanse altars and temples, and as a plant of blessing and protection.

Magical Uses of Vervain:

• Burn vervain as incense to consecrate your altar.
• Carry it in a sachet for protection
• Use it in rituals to connect with Persephone, Hermes, or Epona.

How to Use Mabon Herbs in Your Practice

Working with the herbs that correspond with Mabon is simple. Just think of these plants as bridges: they link you to the stories of Demeter, Persephone, Dionysus, and other deities of the harvest. They also root you in themes of the season and your own cycles of growth and release.

Whether you’re cooking, crafting, doing witchcraft, or simply decorating your space, each herb offers a way to embody the balance of light and dark that defines the equinox. Here are some practical and magical ways to weave these herbs into your Mabon rituals and celebrations:

• Create a Gratitude Spell Jar: Layer dried apple peel, parsley, barley grains, and marigold petals. Charge it with your intentions for abundance and balance.
• Blend an Incense for the Equinox: Combine myrrh, sage, and benzoin for purification, or add cinnamon and cloves for warmth and seasonal energy.
• Kitchen Witchery: Bake cornbread, apple pie, or barley bread as offerings to Demeter and Persephone, or cook with fennel or blackberries to honor Dionysus.
• Craft a Harvest Wreath or Garland: Weave ivy, oak leaves, and chrysanthemums into a wreath for your altar or front door.
• Offer Libations: Pour apple cider, blackberry wine, or date-infused drinks as offerings to the deities of the harvest.
• Simmer Pot: Combine apple slices, rosemary, cinnamon, and cloves on the stove to fill your home with warmth and invite protective energy.
• Ancestor Work: Place chrysanthemums, parsley, or poppies on your altar to honor loved ones and the cycles of life and death.
• Craft a Wand: Use fallen oak, willow, or hazel branches to create a wand for ritual work.

Sources and Further Reading

Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham
The Witch’s Yearbook by Clare Gogerty
Llewellyn’s Complete Book of Correspondences: A Comprehensive & Cross-Referenced Resource for Pagans & Wiccans by Sanda Kynes