Mabon, the Autumn Equinox, and the Ancient Art of Making Fire Cider
Dear Wild Ones,
This Tuesday, September 22nd, the sun crosses the celestial equator and day and night hold equal ground. Mabon — the Autumn Equinox and second of the three harvest festivals in the Wheel of the Year — arrives at our doorstep.
Mabon is a moment of exquisite balance. Light and dark exist in equilibrium, a pause before the days tip towards darkness. The trees are beginning their release, reminding us that death and decay are both essential components of the creative growth cycle of our lives.
In the Wheel of the Year, Mabon carries the energy of the second harvest — a time to gather what has ripened, to give thanks for abundance, and to begin the intentional turn inward. If Lammas asked what you had been growing, Mabon asks: what are you willing to release so that what matters can remain?
It is also the season when the body begins calling for warmth, for depth, and for inner nourishment. This is the time for soups and root vegetables, for candles lit earlier in the evening, for the kind of self-tending that the body asks for when the light recedes.
And it is, traditionally, the time to make Fire Cider.
The History of Fire Cider
Fire Cider is an herbal tonic with deep roots in the folk herbalism tradition of apple cider vinegar-based remedies — a lineage that stretches back centuries through ancient Persia and Greece, where oxymels (herbal preparations combining vinegar and honey) were used as medicine and food simultaneously.
The modern iteration of Fire Cider was created by Rosemary Gladstar, one of the most revered herbalists in North America, in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Gladstar developed the recipe during her teaching at the California School of Herbal Studies, in a class on winter wellness. Her intention was straightforward and radical: to bring medicinal herbalism back into people’s kitchens, to treat food as medicine, and to keep traditional herbal knowledge freely shared and communally held.
Gladstar’s original recipe — horseradish, garlic, onion, ginger, and cayenne steeped in raw apple cider vinegar — spread through the herbalist community for decades, passed hand to hand, jar to jar, adapted and personalized by thousands of makers. It became one of the most recognized herbal tonics in modern folk medicine.
In 2014, the tradition was threatened when a commercial company attempted to trademark the name “Fire Cider,” seeking to prevent other herbalists and small businesses from using it. Rosemary Gladstar led a years-long community campaign — the Free Fire Cider movement — that ultimately succeeded in having the trademark revoked. The victory affirmed a core principle of folk herbalism: traditional remedies belong to the people.
Fire Cider belongs to all of us. And autumn is its season.
Every year my family and I make Fire Cider around Mabon. Once ready, I add it each morning to my hot water upon waking. For me, it is fire in my belly — it awakens and enlivens my spirit while keeping my digestive system fueled through the sluggish winter months.
Mabon Fire Cider Recipe
This recipe is grounded in Gladstar’s original tradition with seasonal additions suited to the autumn harvest. It steeps for four to six weeks — make it now and it will be ready well before the cold season arrives.
You will need a quart-sized glass jar with a lid.
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup fresh horseradish root, grated
- ¼ cup fresh ginger root, grated or thinly sliced
- 1 whole head of garlic, cloves peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 medium white or yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- ½ teaspoon dried cayenne pepper, or 1 fresh hot pepper sliced
- 1 organic lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 tablespoon turmeric powder or a 2-inch piece of fresh turmeric
- Raw apple cider vinegar — enough to fill the jar completely
- Raw honey — to taste, added after straining
To make: Pack all solid ingredients into your jar. Pour raw apple cider vinegar over everything until fully submerged, filling to the top. If using a metal lid, place a piece of parchment paper between the jar and lid — vinegar corrodes metal over time. Seal and store in a cool, dark place for four to six weeks, shaking the jar daily.
When ready, strain through cheesecloth, pressing all liquid from the solids. Compost the solids. Add raw honey to taste — start with two tablespoons and adjust. Bottle and refrigerate. Fire Cider keeps for several months.
To use: Take one to two tablespoons daily as a tonic, especially as cold season approaches. Mix into salad dressings, drizzle over roasted vegetables, or take straight as a shot. It is warming, pungent, bright, and alive.
A Mabon Moment
Before you begin making your Fire Cider, hold each ingredient in your hands for a moment.
Horseradish for fire and clearing. Garlic for protection and community. Ginger for warmth and courage. Onion for layered truth. Lemon for brightness and joy.
Let the making be a ritual. Let the autumn kitchen be your altar.
This kind of intentional, embodied practice — bringing full presence to a simple act — is at the heart of the art therapy work we do at Fox + Feather. If the turn inward this season has you curious about deeper support, our team of licensed art therapists is here. We offer individual art therapy sessions for female-identifying clients, trans-femme individuals, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, ages 8 and older, in person in Guilford, CT and via telehealth throughout Connecticut. Schedule your free 15-minute consultation or call us at 860-393-0940.
Happy Mabon, dear ones. May your harvest be full and your release be gentle.
With Love and Glimmer,
Sarah Guercia, MA, ATR-BC, LPC
Founder + Owner
Fox + Feather Healing Arts
FAQ
What is Mabon?
Mabon is the Autumn Equinox — the moment when day and night are in perfect balance — and the second of three harvest festivals in the Wheel of the Year. It falls around September 22nd and marks the beginning of the turn inward, a time to gather what has ripened, release what no longer serves, and prepare for the darker months ahead.
What is Fire Cider?
Fire Cider is a traditional folk herbal tonic made by steeping pungent, warming ingredients — horseradish, garlic, ginger, onion, cayenne — in raw apple cider vinegar. The modern recipe was created by herbalist Rosemary Gladstar in the late 1970s and has been freely shared through the herbalist community ever since. It is taken as a daily tonic, especially during cold and flu season.
Who is Rosemary Gladstar?
Rosemary Gladstar is one of the most revered herbalists in North America. She created the modern Fire Cider recipe at the California School of Herbal Studies and later led the successful Free Fire Cider movement to prevent the recipe’s commercialization and keep it in the public domain.
How does seasonal attunement connect to healing?
At Fox + Feather, we weave the rhythms of the natural world — including the seasonal festivals of the Wheel of the Year — into our clinical work. Tuning into the seasons supports nervous system regulation, presence, and a deeper relationship with the body. The autumn season’s invitation to release maps directly onto the trauma recovery and eating disorder work we do with clients.
How do I get started with art therapy at Fox + Feather?
We offer a free 15-minute phone consultation. Contact us here or call 860-393-0940 to connect with our team.
Why Choose Fox + Feather Healing Arts
Fox + Feather is Connecticut’s only group art therapy practice specializing in eating disorder and trauma recovery. We honor the rhythms of the body and the earth — including the sacred turning points of the Wheel of the Year — as part of a whole-person approach to healing. We serve female-identifying clients, trans-femme individuals, and LGBTQIA+ community members ages 8 and older, in person in Guilford, CT and via telehealth throughout Connecticut. We accept Husky insurance and most FSA and HSA plans. Meet our providers or book your free consultation today.