September has a certain smell.
Cooler mornings. Leaves beginning to change. Hayrides. Orchards. Cinnamon. Apple cider. Maybe a little caramel stuck to your fingers.
And then there are apples.
Red. Green. Golden. Sweet. Tart. Crisp. Soft. Baked. Sauced. Pressed into cider. Turned into pie.
The apple is one of those foods that seems almost too ordinary to be magical. Until you start looking at its history.
Because the apple isn't just an apple.
It is food, folklore, temptation, fertility, knowledge, love, health, harvest and mythology—all wrapped up in one delicious little package.
And honestly?
That sounds pretty Naughty Mystic to me.
First Things First: The Apple Is a Fruit
Let's clear up one little botanical mystery.
An apple is a fruit, specifically a pome—a type of fruit that develops from the flower structure of the apple tree.
So while we might put apples into everything from salads to stuffing and call them whatever culinary category we want...
Mother Nature says:
Fruit.
What's Actually Inside an Apple?
Apples are mostly water, but they also bring some impressive nutritional benefits to the table.
Fiber
One of the apple's biggest nutritional gifts is fiber.
Apples contain both soluble and insoluble fiber. Their soluble fiber includes pectin, a type of fiber that can support digestive health and contributes to feelings of fullness.
And here's something I love:
Your digestive tract isn't just processing food.
Your gut is home to trillions of microorganisms, and the foods you eat can influence that microbial community.
So when you're crunching into an apple, you're feeding more than just yourself. You're feeding your little internal ecosystem.
Vitamin C
Apples provide vitamin C, an antioxidant nutrient involved in immune function, collagen formation and wound healing.
No, an apple isn't a magical replacement for every other fruit and vegetable. But it's a pretty delicious way to add more plants to your day.
Potassium
Apples also contain potassium, a mineral important for normal nerve function, muscle contraction and fluid balance.
Polyphenols
Apples contain numerous plant compounds called polyphenols.
These compounds contribute to the apple's antioxidant activity and are one reason researchers are interested in the health effects of regularly eating apples and other plant foods.
And much of the apple's fiber and many of its plant compounds are found in or near the skin.
So if you're going to eat the peel, wash that apple well and enjoy the whole thing.
"An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away"
You've heard it.
Your grandmother probably heard it.
And somebody's grandmother before her probably heard some version of it. But where did it come from?
The saying became popular in the United States and Britain in the 19th and early 20th centuries, although earlier versions existed.
The phrase isn't a scientific promise that one apple magically prevents illness. Think of it more as old-fashioned nutritional wisdom:
Eating wholesome plant foods regularly is a pretty good habit.
The apple just happened to get the catchy slogan.
And honestly, "Eat more fruits and vegetables" doesn't have quite the same ring to it.
The Apple & the Forbidden Fruit
Now we get to the fun stuff.
The Bible doesn't actually say that the fruit eaten in the Garden of Eden was an apple. Yep.
The infamous forbidden fruit is never specifically identified as an apple in Genesis.
So how did the apple get the job?
One commonly cited explanation involves Latin.
The Latin word malum can refer to an apple, while a related form of the word is associated with evil.
That linguistic connection helped create a powerful visual association in Western art:
Apple = temptation = knowledge = trouble.
And suddenly the innocent little fruit had a reputation. Which is rather unfair.
The apple was just sitting there.
The Golden Apple of Discord
Greek mythology gives apples another starring role.
According to the myth, Eris—the goddess associated with strife and discord—threw a golden apple into a gathering of the gods.
The apple was intended for "the fairest."
Hera, Athena and Aphrodite all wanted it.
Paris of Troy was eventually asked to judge between them.
And that little golden apple helped set off a chain of events connected to the Trojan War. So apparently:
Never underestimate the social consequences of throwing fruit into a room full of competitive goddesses.
Apples, Love & Fertility
Apples have long appeared in European folklore and traditions surrounding love, courtship, fertility and marriage.
And when you think about it, the symbolism isn't particularly mysterious.
The apple tree:
flowers... produces fruit... contains seeds...
and produces another generation of trees.
It is practically a botanical lesson in fertility and renewal.
The apple became associated with love, desire and abundance partly because of these natural characteristics.
And then there's the star.
The Secret Star Inside the Apple
Cut an apple horizontally instead of from top to bottom. Look inside.
You may see the five-pointed arrangement of the seeds. A little star hiding inside your fruit.
Depending on the tradition, five-pointed stars have carried many different symbolic meanings.
But from a mystical perspective, I love the idea that something apparently ordinary contains a hidden pattern.
You have to cut it open to see it.
Kind of like people. Kind of like life.
Kind of like shadow work.
Sometimes the interesting stuff is underneath the surface.
The Apple Tree as a Teacher
Apple trees can also teach us about patience.
You don't plant an apple tree because you need an apple tomorrow. You plant it because you're thinking about the future.
You nurture it. You wait.
You watch it flower.
You watch the fruit develop. And eventually...
harvest.
There is something deeply seasonal about that process.
The apple tree reminds us that growth isn't always immediate. Some things need roots before they produce fruit.
And sometimes we spend an entire season looking like we're doing nothing... when underneath the surface, we're becoming something.
Johnny Appleseed: The Man Behind the Legend
Johnny Appleseed is another fascinating piece of American apple folklore.
His real name was John Chapman, an American nurseryman and missionary who lived during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
The legendary image of Johnny Appleseed wandering around planting apple trees is based on a real person—but the popular version became considerably more colorful over time.
And here's something people sometimes don't realize:
Many of the apples associated with early American orchards weren't primarily grown as today's snack apples.
They were frequently used for cider.
So Johnny Appleseed wasn't necessarily wandering around thinking:
"Everyone needs a Honeycrisp!"
He was part of a much different agricultural and cultural landscape.
Apples & Cider
Apples have a long relationship with cider.
Before refrigeration and today's modern beverage industry, cider was an important agricultural product in many communities.
And here is where the apple gets another personality:
sweet, tart, fermented, sparkling, spiced or warm.
For a Naughty Mystic autumn ritual, though, you don't need alcohol. Try warm apple cider with:
- cinnamon
- cloves
- orange peel
- star anise
- ginger
Your kitchen will smell like someone invited Autumn over for dinner.
Three Simple Apple Recipes
Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal
Dice an apple and simmer it with oats, cinnamon and your favorite milk or water. Top with:
- walnuts
- chia seeds
- cinnamon
- nut butter
- a drizzle of maple syrup
Warm, comforting and ridiculously easy.
Naughty Mystic Apple Salad
Try:
Apple + greens + walnuts + goat cheese + dried cranberries
Then add a simple vinaigrette made from:
- olive oil
- apple cider vinegar
- Dijon mustard
- a touch of maple syrup Sweet.
Tangy. Crunchy.
A little earthy.
Basically autumn wearing a salad costume.
Baked Cinnamon Apples
Core an apple.
Fill the center with:
- oats
- chopped walnuts
- cinnamon
- a few raisins
- a tiny drizzle of maple syrup Bake until tender.
Your house will smell like autumn has moved in and refuses to leave.
An Apple Intention Ritual
Now let's get a little mystical. Choose an apple.
Don't overthink it.
Pick the one that catches your attention. Hold it in your hands.
Think about something you want to grow. Maybe:
Love health abundance Creativity courage intuition
connection with nature Then take a bite.
As you eat, think about the apple's journey:
seed → tree → blossom → fruit → seed
Everything contains the possibility of becoming something else.
When you're finished, save the seeds. You don't have to plant them.
The ritual isn't about guaranteeing an outcome.
It's about creating a physical reminder of your intention.
What Does the Apple Ask You?
Maybe the apple isn't really asking us to resist temptation. Maybe it is asking us to become curious.
To taste.
To question. To explore.
To look underneath the surface. To discover the hidden star.
To plant the seed.
To wait for the harvest.
And maybe to understand that nourishment and pleasure don't have to be enemies.
You can eat something delicious and nourish your body. You can explore spirituality and still laugh at yourself.
You can talk about sexuality without shame.
You can garden, cook, travel, question, learn and occasionally bite into something you were told was "forbidden."
Because curiosity isn't necessarily the enemy of spirituality. Sometimes...
curiosity IS the doorway.
So this autumn, grab an apple.
Take a bite. Notice the crunch.
Taste the sweetness. Notice the tartness. Look at the seeds.
And remember:
There may be more magic hiding inside the ordinary than you think.
The Naughty Mystic
Where food, folklore, nature, wellness, sexuality, spirituality and a little trouble meet.