Mabon Ritual




The basic ritual is based on one that has been used by the group in previous
incarnations for the New Moon. One element that I like is the way we build the
circle. Each person brings a rock (female) and a votive candle (male). After
grounding each person lights his/her candle and walks around the circle saying,
"Thus do I, [person's name], build a part of this sacred circle, that it be a
fit place for the Gods to enter and for love and peace to reign." (After the
ritual, the rock and candle can be taken home and placed on the home altar.)

Then the elements were called. Members who sit at the East, West, North and
South are usually "fingered" for calling the elements. (I spend about ten
minutes before the ritual starts explaining the basics and assigning parts. I
like everyone to participate as much as possible ubt I make no pretense of
being democratic :) When I'm priestessing, I can tell people what to do, very
politely, of course.)

Next the God and Goddess are invoked:

     We meet within these blessed bound's as the sun's journey continues
     westward into the land of shadows. As the nights lengthen, the days
     shorten and the Lord of the Wild walks the night shrouded woods and
     all he rules finds rest and peace. As mystery and magick rule the
     lengthening night and we come to mark the time of rest and
     introspection that we may follow the olden ways and give honor to the
     ones of ancient days.

     Gracious Goddess, Mother of all, fertile earth whose soil supports
     the fruits we enjoy, shelters the seeds of the next harvest. We call
     upon you in this time of bounty to grace our ritual with your
     presence and bless us that we may celebrate the bounty of the season.

     In this time of harvest, this season of ripe fruit and seed. In this
     time of great bounty on the threshold of the season of shadows, we
     call upon you, O Ancient Antlered Lord, to join us in our rites that
     we may give thanks for this years' richness.

The introductory words for the main working of the ritual were taken, almost
verbatim, from Cunningham's Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner:

     Leaves fall, the days grow cold. The Goddess pulls her mantle of
     earth around her as You, O Great Sun God, sail toward the West to the
     lands of eternal enchantment, wrapped in the coolness of night.
     Fruits ripen, seeds drop, the hours of day and night are balanced.
     Chill winds blow in from the North wailing laments. In this seeming
     extinction of nature's power, O Blessed Goddess, we know that life
     continues. For spring is impossible without death. Blessings upon
     you, O Fallen God, as you journey into the lands of winter and into
     the Goddess' loving arms. We give thanks for the bounty of the spring
     and summer, the fertility of the land and the fertility of our lives
     as we face the dark time of the year.  We gather abundance and plan
     our efforts for another fruitful year.

At this point, we passed out apples and little slips of paper. The apples had
been cut crosswise and everyone wrote what he/she was thankful for on the slip
of paper and put it between the two halves of the apple. Each person shared
thanks with the circle and placed the apple on the altar. We then sang a
thankgiving chant:

Give thanks to the Mother Gaia,
Give thanks to the Father Sun,
Give thanks for the beautiful garden,
Where the Mother and Father are one.

After that, we feasted. One of our members brought a homemade blackberry meade
and each person had a specialty like cornbread, macaroni and cheese (Kraft!) ;)
cheescake, hummus. There was plenty of fruit including a pomogranite and lots
of apples and bowls of nuts--very festive.  After the feast, we released the
God and Goddess, thanked the elements, and each person retrieved his/her candle
and rock, blew out the candle and the circle was dissolved.