September in German Culture and Paganism - The Autumn Equinox and Mabon

What will September have in charge for you? What beautiful spiritual tasks, topics and meanings are coming for you? And what interesting pagan feasts and German cultural feasts and customs are happening this month? We are going to talk about that. I love September because it is my and it also is the beginning of fall. And fall is, well, my favorite season. I love all seasons, but fall is just so gorgeous. Maybe because I was born in fall, but I just love it. The name of the month comes from the Latin word septum, which means seven. So september, septum, september, it's basically the seventh month. And you might ask now, why the seventh month? It's the ninth month of the year, right? But well, this is because in the Roman calendar, it was the seventh month. Now in the Gregorian calendar, which we have now, it is the ninth. So well, it changed. But as we know now, ancient Roman culture was so influential on our month's names. And also September kept its name, although the meaning doesn't really apply anymore. It's also the first month that isn't called after a famous leader, emperor, god or goddess. It's just simply a number. What is so important for September is that it is a time of transition, change and transformation. So the new school year begins in September here in Germany. The younger kids start their first year at school, maybe so they enter a new life phase. And also the work on the field is mostly done. So well, it's the time of transition into winter, which we have later. And also the first leaves are falling. So it's the first signs for us to prepare for the darker half of the year. Yes, the sun still shines beautifully golden on middle Europe. But it lost a lot of its power and strength already. So it's not that strong anymore. Good for me, as I'm such a light skin type. I thrive in autumn, winter and spring. And in summer, it's always a huge sun protection struggle. Although I love the summer. Let's be real. Also nature is still beautifully colorful, but nothing is really growing anymore. So you can sense that a change is happening. The growth stopped and you sense that winter is just around the corner. A really important day in September is the fall equinox. It takes place on September 22 or 23, depending on the year and also on your location on this planet. And it is, well, I think the most important day in September, besides my birthday on September 8. So on the fall equinox, the duration of day and night is exactly the same on the whole planet. This is very special. This also was very special for ancient cultures. And so the pagan feast Mabun takes place on and around the fall equinox. Mabun is the last harvest feast of the Celtic pagan year. The harvest feasts began with Lughnasadh in August. And now with Mabun, the harvest season ends. Yes, you can still harvest some things in September, like for example, rose hips, berries out in nature or well, wild herbs, not really, but some of them maybe still, they are not as powerful anymore, but you can harvest them. But on the fields, the harvest was mostly done around Mabun. Well, nowadays it can be different because agriculture changed and also climate changed. So don't take that too serious today. But back in the days, Mabun was the sign that the harvest ended. Mabun has two important meanings and one of them is gratitude. Yes, you know how much I love gratitude rituals and gratitude meditations. I think they are so useful and they really make a difference. And also the people back in the days knew that. So with Mabun, they were very grateful for the harvest in summer. It's about the gratitude for the harvest, the gratitude for all the food nature offered them and brought them. And well, it was a whole feast around that because they believed if they are grateful for the harvest now, the next year will be another great harvest. So it was a little bit preparation and also looking back and being grateful for what they have now. The second big purpose of Mabun was that the celebration was a sign that preparations for winter begin now. So, well, now the people knew, okay, the harvest and growth season is finished. We need to really prepare for winter now because it soon will be there. Mabun is probably called after the Celtic god Macunas. And it is a celebration with a big meal, a big rich meal with all the harvest goods. Wine, cakes, melons, game meat, and everything made from apples plays an important role on this feast. To honor the mother of grains, it is the custom to throw three fruits over your shoulder as a sacrifice for her to please her for the next year to come and the next harvest and show your gratitude towards her. Would you do that? I don't know. I care very much about my harvest, but I don't know. Sacrificing three fruits, it would be too much food waste for me as a German. We really don't waste any food at all. It's very deep in our culture and I think it's a good thing. Never throw any food away. So, I wouldn't do it. But would you do it? Maybe it works. Tell me. Is your harvest bigger the next year? I want to know. Well, we should always remember that the equinox is a symbol for equilibrium and balance. So, as day and night duration is balanced out on this day, we should also balance our feelings and everything we do. So, it's all about balance and we can take it away from that and try to balance out our life and our feelings and manage things. So, that is the first spiritual task regarding to the day of the equinox. You can also try to balance your energy. So, this is very important. Reflect back on the year and assess a little bit. Did I hustle too much? Did I work too much? So, the equinox is a perfect day to assess that and change your habits around energy and feelings and balance things out. So, everything works perfectly for you. I mean a balance is different for everyone. But it's always the goal to find your personal balance in which you are happy and satisfied and have a beautiful life. So, now we are coming to the spiritual tasks and topics again. I'm always looking forward to that when I'm doing these videos about the months because I'm always so excited to see if you guys guessed right. I always do a community post with a voting where you guys can vote on which spiritual tasks or topic it might be. So, at the moment, I am in Kyrgyzstan. I am on a travel and that's why I filmed this video in advance before my travel started. And well, sadly, I can't include the voting and how you guys voted in this video. But you have to see yourself if you want to know how you voted and if it was right. You can go back to the community post after this video. But for now, I'm just telling you the solutions. So important in September is transition, change, and gratitude. Embrace all the changes that are coming for you. It is really the time for change and transition. And you might feel that you might want to change. You might want to start a new thing. It is now the perfect time for doing that. So, maybe September is also a great time to look back and be grateful for everything you already got this year. And also for the things you can be grateful for now. There's always something to be grateful for. And September is the month of gratitude with my boo. It's my favorite month. I have my birthday there. I love transition and change. I love changing things in my life and I also love gratitude. So maybe I was born for a reason in this month. It is also the month of self-reflection and checking on your goals of the year. So you maybe had some goals in the beginning of the year as I had. I had my vision board, if you remember my video back in January. And well, now is the time to check if everything is accomplished already or on the way to be accomplished. Is there anything missing? What do you need to do now so you can be proud of yourself in the end of the year? Now is the time to ask yourself this. Then you have still a lot of time to finish these things. Okay friends, I really hope I got you excited for September. It is such a beautiful month. The golden sun, the gratitude topic, the changing and transitioning and the beginning of fall. Tell me your favorite month in the comments. That would be very interesting for me and well, have a great September and see you soon.