Mabon Ritual used for Pagan Pride Day 2005

Welcoming Statement 

HP: We have gathered today to honor the Fall Equinox.  It is the day when light and dark are the same length of time and it is marked by the sun entering the astrological sign of Libra, the scales.  This makes it a celebration of balance.  It is also a time of intense change as the harvest is coming to an end and we prepare to head into the dreamtime of the Goddess, the introspective time of winter.  Because the Mother’s energy is being drawn into the Earth, we may feel drained.  The awareness of this lassitude forces us to pay more attention to ourselves and turns our focus inward.  It gives us a chance to pause and take stock of our lives.

This is a time to give thanks to the gods for the fruits of our labor and our ability to provide for our family over the coming year. It is also a time to prepare for the new life and the light that eternally begins. We go into the darkness to gather strength and wisdom. We gather with friends and loved ones to renew our reserves. We feast on the gifts of the harvest. We know that sometimes there is sorrow, sometimes joy. We know that the light will win again, but we must enter the darkness to get there. 

Grounding and Centering 

HPS:  We begin with grounding and centering our energy, to prepare ourselves for sacred space.

Take a deep breath slowly and just as slowly, release it.  Breathe again.  Breathe once more.  If you are right-handed, your left hand is receptive to gather the energy and the right is projective to send it out again.  If you are left-handed, then your right hand receives and the left hand projects. 

Hold your hands out, palms down.  Feel the energy come up from Mother Earth into your receptive hand and into your body, through it and out your projective hand.  Let it flow like a river through you, reminding you of your connection to She Who Sustains Us.  Breathe in.  Breathe out. 

Turn your hands palms up, towards the Universe.  Feel the energy that comes down from the Father Sun, into your receptive hand and through you to pass out your projective hand.  It flows like the fires of the stars, reminding you of your connection to He Who Strengthens Us.  Breathe in.  Breathe out.

Now hold your receptive hand down, towards the ground and hold your projective hand up, towards the sky.  Feel the Earth’s energy flow up through you and out up to the Father.  Breathe in.  Breathe out.

Flip your hands over, so that your receptive hand is up, towards the sky and your projective hand is down, towards the ground.  Feel the Universal energy flow down through you and down into the Mother.  Breathe in.  Breathe out.

Bring your hands together in front of you, palms touching.  Feel your own energy, flowing in a circle through you.  Breathe in.  Breathe out.  Keep your hands together.

Casting the Circle: 

HPS: Now we are going to work together to cast the circle.  Move your hands about 3 or 4 inches apart and hold them like you are cupping a ball.  Picture all this energy that you have had moving through you as a sphere of light between your palms. It can be any color you like.  Picture how bright it is, how it glows like a little sun between your hands. 

Slowly begin to pull your hands apart, seeing that little sun getting bigger and bigger as you do.  It is still so bright, so shining.  It is the deepest, truest representation of the color you have chosen: vivid and pulsing with the energy you are putting into it. 

As you continue to pull your hands apart, begin to lift them up.  Look at your sphere, bright and pure and glowing with the energy of the Universe, the Earth and you.  When I say three, we will all throw the balls up into the air and they will combine like soap bubbles, to surround us and protect us while we celebrate this ritual.  One, two, three!

HP: Thank you!  Feel it like a giant bubble, around all of us?  We are between worlds and in sacred space with each other. 

Invocation of God and Goddess 

HPS:  I greet you and welcome you in the name of the Goddess, the Mother Earth whose body sustains us, whose abundance pours over us like the waters of the sea.  If you look into the eyes of any woman near you, you can see the Goddess in her eyes.  She is here with us, joining in our celebration.  Welcome, Mother!

 HP:  I greet you and welcome you in the name of the God, the Father Sun whose light nourishes the Mother and on whose strength we rely.  His bounty  flows over us like the wild fires.  If you look into the eyes of any man near you, you can see the God in his eyes.  He is here with us, joining in our celebration.  Welcome, Father!

 Statement of Purpose and Working (interactive portion of our ritual) 

HPS: We celebrate the Equinox and look for balance in our lives.  We take stock of where we are, the things that we have accomplished so far this year.  Are we where we wanted to be when we began this cycle of the Wheel?  What are we reaping in the fields of our lives from the seeds we planted at Imbolc and Beltane? 

I give you this thought: prosperity is having more than what is essential and never having less than what we need.  Do you recognize the prosperity in your own life?   

HP: Let us acknowledge the gifts of the Mother and Father together.  We will face each compass point and thank Them for the gifts that are associated with the element of that direction.  I would ask that you just shout out your blessing as you are moved to do so.  Don’t worry about talking over each other…the Ones who need to hear this will.  I will let you know when it’s time to turn to the next direction and I will repeat these corresponding areas of our lives as we face in the associated direction.

HPS: We will start in the North, the Earth Element and its gifts of Home, Finances, and Physical Health.  Then comes the East, the Air Element and its gifts of Knowledge, Learning, and Experience.  This is followed by the South, the Fire Element and its gifts of Accomplishments in Career and Hobbies.  Next is the West, the Water Element and its gifts of Relationships.  Lastly we will turn inward, to the Center, the Spirit Element and its gifts of spiritual insights and messages.

ONE: If everyone will face North, we will begin. 

We thank the God and the Goddess for the abundance in our lives, specifically in our homes, finances and our physical health. (wait for people to speak; when it dies down or ends, we move on)

TWO: We now turn East.

We thank the God and the Goddess for the abundance in our lives, specifically in our knowledge, learning and our experience.  (wait for people to speak; when it dies down or ends, we move on)

THREE: We turn South.

We thank the God and the Goddess for the abundance in our lives, specifically in our accomplishments and the culminations of plans in our careers and our hobbies.  (wait for people to speak; when it dies down or ends, we move on)

FOUR: We turn to the West.

We thank the God and the Goddess for the abundance in our lives, specifically in our relationships with our families and friends.  (wait for people to speak; when it dies down or ends, we move on)

FIVE: We look inward, to our center.

We thank the God and the Goddess for the abundance in our lives, specifically in our spiritual insights and the messages that we receive.  (wait for people to speak; when it dies down or ends, we move on)

 HP: Thank you for sharing. 

 HPS: We thank the God and the Goddess for all abundance and bounty in our lives, the things that we have spoken today and those things that go unsaid.  We acknowledge their blessings and share with others who are less fortunate.  We rejoice in the harvest plenty and are secure in the knowledge of having what we will need for the winter’s lean times.  We reflect upon the turning of the Wheel and know that each season must pass in its turn.  We honor the turning with this ritual and share our joy with each other. 

HP: As you are so moved, turn to the person next to you and offer them this blessing:  “May the God and Goddess bless you with Their abundance,” and the reply is, “Blessed be.” 

HPS: May the God and Goddess bless you with Their abundance.

ALL: Blessed be. 

HP: We have gathered today to give thanks and to share our abundances with each other.  We have marked the Fall Equinox with our celebration and we look forward to the remaining fall days and the quiet, meditative time of winter. 

 Thanking the God and Goddess and Opening the Circle

 HPS: I thank the Goddess for Her presence with us today.  Go if You must, stay if You will.  Hail and Farewell! 

HP:  I thank the God for His presence with us today.  Go if You must, stay if You will.  Hail and Farewell! 

HPS: Now we will open the circle together.  Reach out with your receptive hand and picture the giant bubble breaking up into little bubbles, and those bubbles are drifting down into your palm.  See it still shining, still bright.  It floats down softly, gliding into reach.  It pops on your hand.  Feel the energy go back into you, where it came from. 

 (All sing)  “The circle is open, but never broken.

           May the peace of the Goddess be forever in our hearts

           Merry meet and merry part and merry meet again.”

 
Copyright © 2005, Kathleen S. Granville