Mabon, Autumn Equinox and a New Moon Solar Eclipse
The final eclipse of the year takes place on September 21st, aligning closely with Mabon, the Fall Equinox on September 22nd, just as we prepare to leave earthy, determined, perfectionist Virgo for airy, balanced, and diplomatic Libra. In fact, on the 22nd, the Moon moves into Libra for two days, making this a threshold New Moon if ever there was one! New Moons are typically new beginnings, when we set intentions for our future, and this one happens to be a partial Solar Eclipse, where the Sun and Moon align almost perfectly in the sky from the perspective of Earth. This is also a South Node Solar Eclipse, emphasizing release, decluttering, and letting go of what no longer serves. Eclipses at the equinoxes are viewed as powerful omens for collective shifts, often signaling changes in societal structures, balance, and justice. I think we are seeing these shifts in real time, both collectively and personally.
The Lunar Eclipse earlier this month gave way to massive shifts, and that momentum will carry through as we close out this short eclipse cycle with the New Moon in Virgo. The last New Moon was also in Virgo, so it seems we are being asked in a big way to embrace the qualities of Virgo. Ruled by Mercury, Virgo is the sign in the zodiac that emphasizes, with grounded determination and efficiency, the mind, communication, and discernment. As an earth sign, Virgo grounds these Mercurial traits in pragmatism and usefulness. Virgo’s strengths include reliability, attention to detail, loyalty, practicality, compassion, service, humility, and a health-conscious nature. In shadow, Virgo may become judgmental, overly focused on perfection and productivity, anxious from overthinking, or self-critical with rigid standards. As a Virgo Ascendant, I can confirm.
Celebrating this New Moon Partial Solar Eclipse just one day before the Fall Equinox and Mabon amplifies themes of equality, hard work, reaping what we have sown, and honoring our endurance through the long, hot summer. Now we prepare for Autumn, followed by Winter, but first we honor the sacred balance of nature, when light and dark are equal, something both Virgo and Libra, when working together, can teach us. Virgo, often linked to Demeter, embodies harvest, service, healing, order, and discernment, while Libra is associated with balance, harmony, justice, equality, and relationships, symbolized by the scales. When you look at the transition between Virgo and Libra, you can see how these two signs work in tandem to achieve harmony. This is a time of deep transition and transformation, and having a partial Solar Eclipse New Moon on the same day as the Equinox makes for some pretty potent cosmic alignment. I think anyone who hasn’t been sleeping under a rock can see that this eclipse season has brought about massive waves of change and transformation. She’s not done yet. But this is also the time for recalibration after the big shifts the Lunar Eclipse Full Moon ushered in earlier this month, and a time to really focus on self-improvement as it pertains to the collective. This is a time to clean house, literally and figuratively, it’s time to take out the trash that’s been collecting in those overlooked corners we avoid and claim we’ll get to later. Now is a great time to clear out toxic habits, misinformed beliefs, and anything that’s slowly poisoning your progress. You may interpret this differently than I do, and if that’s the case, follow your gut. I know I’ll be spending part of the time around the Equinox and Eclipse doing some deep, personal reflection as well as some tidying around my house and changing over my closet. Whatever helps you get motivated for the cleanse as you prepare for the next season of your life, find a ritual or practice that works for you.
Mabon & Equinox: Myth, Harvest, and Symbolism
Let’s start with Mabon, shall we? Mabon is the Fall Equinox and Harvest Festival on the Wheel of the Year, observed in modern Pagan and nature-based spirituality. The name Mabon is a relatively recent addition to the ancient Wheel of the Year, which followed an agrarian cycle deeply connected to the rhythms of nature. Mabon derives from the Welsh Mabon ap Modron, meaning Divine Son of the Divine Mother. According to the legend, Mabon, god of youth, rebirth, and hunting, is stolen from his mother just three nights after birth and later rescued by King Arthur’s men. The story ties him to themes of darkness and rebirth, aligning beautifully with the mid-cycle harvest symbolism of renewal, descent into shadow, and hope of eventual return. While Lughnasadh and Samhain are more widely documented, Mabon’s timing at the Equinox fits naturally within the harvest cycle. How much of this is accurate, folklore or borrowed from Celtic mythology, we may never know, but it’s fun and fascinating anyway.
Mabon is also related to many ancient harvest rites that took place around the Equinox, though many are lost to history. One major example is the Eleusinian Mysteries of Ancient Greece, sacred rituals performed in honor of Demeter and Persephone. According to myth, Persephone was abducted by Hades and taken to the underworld, causing Demeter to mourn and neglect the earth, bringing famine and winter. Through negotiation and compromise, Persephone was allowed to spend part of the year with Demeter and part in the underworld, creating the cycle of seasonal growth and decay.
The Mysteries re-enacted aspects of this story, guiding initiates through symbolic journeys of descent, loss, and eventual renewal, reflecting the rhythms of nature, death, and rebirth. Some sources suggest these rites were practiced every few years, always coinciding with the autumn Equinox, highlighting themes of shadow, harvest, and the hope of eventual return. People participating or being initiated experienced fasting, purification, and secret ceremonies and deep spiritual experience, mirroring the transformative cycles of nature.
Just as Mabon is a time for us to honor balance and show gratitude for all that sustains us, the Fall Equinox itself is a threshold moment. Day and night stand in perfect equality, but only for a brief instant in Spring and Fall. From here, the Northern Hemisphere tips into the long descent toward Winter, a journey that typically encourages shadow, rest, and stillness. In the Southern Hemisphere, the opposite is true: days lengthen, energy builds toward Spring, and life moves outward into vitality. This polarity reminds us that balance is always relative; what is dark in one part of the world is light in another. The Wheel of the Year turns differently depending on where you stand, yet we are all held by the same rhythm of cosmic balance and could learn much from our ancestors, both blood and spiritual.
Equinoxes are ideal times to find balance, clean, clear, and reset before the next season. This isn’t just a metaphor but something we can embody practically. Often, this is the time of year we switch out closets, clean our garages, attics, basements, and clear away clutter. It’s not unbearably hot, and it’s not freezing; the air is at that perfect and invigorating temperature to cleanse and clear.
Astrology: New Moon, Partial Solar Eclipse, farewell Virgo, hello Libra
With this year’s Equinox coinciding with a New Moon Solar Eclipse, the symbolism is amplified. Eclipses accelerate destiny, often bringing fated encounters, revelations, or endings that feel larger than life. New Moons are about planting seeds, but with an eclipse, the soil feels deeper, the stakes higher, and the intentions infused with a karmic weight.
The Fall Equinox occurs when the Sun enters Libra, marking a moment of perfect balance between day and night. In the Northern Hemisphere, this signals the descent into the darker half of the year, a time for reflection, harvesting lessons, and preparing for the inward season of winter. In the Southern Hemisphere, it marks the approach of spring and outward expansion. This polarity reminds us that balance is always relative and that the cycles of nature govern us all, no matter where we stand.
This year, the New Moon occurs in Virgo, just before the Sun crosses into Libra. Virgo emphasizes discernment, service, preparation, and inner order. The eclipse energy, combined with Virgo’s qualities, intensifies the need to reflect on what has been harvested, refine what is still in progress, and release what no longer serves us before stepping into Libra’s relational and social focus. When the Moon moves into Libra shortly after the Virgo New Moon, the cusp symbolism becomes tangible: Virgo’s inner work and discernment gives way to Libra’s outward focus on harmony, justice, and relationships. The partial Solar Eclipse during this New Moon amplifies these themes, creating a potent moment for setting intentions that honor both personal responsibility represented by Virgo and collective balance characteristic of Libra.
This subtle overlap and shift between Virgo and Libra has a beautiful way of blending together. Virgo, the healer and harvester, teaches discernment, service, and the art of tending what matters. Libra, the diplomat and judge, initiates the social season of Autumn, reminding us that no harvest is complete without justice, fairness, and harmony. Our ancestors worked together to plant seeds, toil away, and harvest so they could share their bounty with their community. This seemingly lost rite of passage is echoed in our modern harvest festivals, but it’s important to remember the interdependence that has allowed us to flourish independently. We are able to enjoy every modern convenience because ancient people worked together and shared the fruits of their labor, and that’s a beautiful message to carry with us today. Generosity, reciprocity, and compassion together represent the movement from inner order to outer balance, from preparing the offering to sharing it in right relationship. This cusp eclipse asks: How do we bring the fruits of our careful labor into harmony with others and the world?
Spiritual Reflections
Spiritually, this is a time of both gratitude and shadow work. In the Northern Hemisphere, we are invited to reflect on what we have gathered and achieved this year, give thanks for the abundance, and prepare for the descent, the quiet, the dark, and the inward turning. It is a season for releasing what no longer serves, for making peace with imperfection, and for trusting that the seeds sown in darkness will one day return to the light. In the Southern Hemisphere, the invitation is different: to embrace growth, vitality, and new beginnings, stepping into expansion and outward expression. Both paths require balance, humility, and faith in the turning of the wheel.
On a personal level, Virgo’s influence makes this a powerful time for rituals of purification, organization, and health. Clearing clutter, setting clear intentions, and honoring your body through rest or mindful practices all align beautifully. Libra’s influence calls us to examine relationships, justice, and fairness in our partnerships, communities, and the collective. Themes of equality, balance, and accountability will surface strongly under this eclipse. Historically, ancient equinox rites, from Persephone’s descent in Greece to Celtic harvest festivals, all carried the same message: life and death, light and dark, are inextricably linked. As above, so below. Astrologers have long observed that eclipses near the equinox often coincide with massive shifts and changes, and as we saw with the eclipse earlier this month, that still holds true. This Solar Eclipse will carry a different kind of potency than the Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse in Pisces, this one feels like it will be more focused on discernment, hard work, justice and divine balance, so if these are areas in your life that you’ve been ignoring or that need some work, expect the amplified eclipse energy to bring it to the surface. Then, what you do with it is entirely up to you.
As we stand at this cusp, Virgo’s careful discernment meeting Libra’s quest for harmony, Mabon’s harvest crossing into the descent of the Equinox, and the New Moon Solar Eclipse casting its transformative light, we are reminded that life is a cycle of giving and receiving (and the having and loving and sharing…if you’ve watched Friends, you get me). But in seriousness, this is about shadow and light, and it’s a pretty big collective crossroads. We can allow ourselves to get carried away with the surge of energy or we can make our own decisions, listen to our inner Virgo to find discernment and pragmatism while also looking toward Libra’s dedication to balance and justice. What seeds we plant during this Dark Moon will be our future harvest, so plant wisely and with intention. This is a moment to honor both the work we have done and the lessons yet to come, to hold gratitude for abundance while releasing what no longer serves, and to step consciously into our next chapter with clarity, balance, and intention. We can use this threshold moment as an invitation to align ourselves with the rhythms of nature, to cultivate inner order, and to extend that harmony outward into our relationships, communities, and the world. In this sacred balance, we find not only reflection and renewal but also the power to plant seeds that will bloom when the wheel turns once again. After all, if you want to change the world, you have to start with yourself.
