MABON
                        ____________

It is celebrated on the Autumn Equinox, the exact date of which varies
from around the 19 to the 23 of September each year. It is symbolic of
the second harvest, when winter is settling in, and the fertility of
the Earth diminishes with each sunset. The God, echoing the waning of
the growing season, prepares for death. Here is the ritual in full,
with comments in parentheses where necessary:

Decorate the altar with acorns, oak sprigs, pine and cypress cones,
ears of corn, wheat stalks and other fruits and nuts. Also place there
a small rustic basket filled with dried leaves of various colors and
kinds. (These are representations of the season, as well as
manifestations of the bounty which the Goddess and the God have
produced.)

Arrange the altar, light the candles and censer and cast the Circle of
Stones.

     THE BLESSING CHANT:

     May the powers of The One
     The source of all creation;
     all-prevaisive, omnipotent, eternal;
     may the Goddess,
     the Lady of the Moon
     and the God,
     Horned Hunter of the Sun;
     may the powers of the Spirits of the Stones,
     rulers of the elemental realms;
     may the powers of the stars above and the Earth below,
     bless this place, and this time, and I who am with you.

Invoke the Goddess and God:

     Invocation To The Goddess...

     Crescent One of the starry skies,
     Flowered One of the fertile plain,
     Flowing One of the ocean's sighs,
     Blessed One of the gentle rain;
     Hear my chant 'midst the standing stones,
     Open me to Your mystic light;
     Waken me to Your silver tones;
     Be with me in my sacred rite!

     Invocation To The God...

     Ancient God of the forest deeps,
     Master of beasts and Sun;
     Here where the world is hushed and sleeps
     Now that the day is done.
     I call You in the ancient way
     Here in my circle round,
     Asking that You will hear me pray
     And send Your Sun-force down.

(These are two suggested invocations. Many others can be used or can be
composed on the spot.)

Stand before the altar, holding aloft the basket of leaves, and slowly
scatter them so that they cascade to the ground within the circle. Say
words such as these:

     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 the 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,
     I know that life continues.
     For spring is impossible without death.
     Blessing upon You, O Fallen God, as you journey into
     the lands of winter and into the Goddess' loving arms.

(West is symbolically seen here as the direction of death. This is
because the Sun and Moon both "die" there each day.)

Place the basket down and say:

     O Gracious Goddess of all fertility,
     I have sown and reaped the fruits of my actions,
     good and bane.
     Grant me the courage to plant seeds of joy
     and love in the coming year,
     banishing misery and hate.
     Teach me the secrets of wise existence upon this planet,
     O luminous One of the night!

(A seasonal meditation usually follows here, during which the Wiccan
comtemplates the changing of the Earth, as well as the ways in which
these changes are felt within her/himself. This may last for a minute
or two, or for a longer period.)

Words of magic. (If any are necessary; but again, many Wiccans reserve
the Sabbats for religious working, and perform acts of magic during
Esbats.)

The Simple Feast.

Between your hands, hold up a cup of wine of some other liquid to the
sky and say:

     Gracious Goddess of Abundance,
     Bless this wine and infuse it with Your love.
     In Your names, Mother Goddess and Father God,
     I bless this wine (or juice, etc.)

Hold up a plate of crescent cakes (bread, biscuits) with both hands to
the sky and say:

     Powerful God of the Harvest,
     Bless these cakes and infuse them with Your love.
     In Your names, Mother Goddess and Father God,
     I bless these cakes (or this bread, etc.)

The circle is released.