6:29pm: Autumn Equinox 2006.
MABON 2006
Items Required
Incense consisting of
· 2 parts Frankincense
· 1 part Sandalwood
· 1 part Cypress
· 1 part Juniper
· 1 part Pine
· ½ part Oakmoss (or a few drops Oakmoss bouquet)
· 1 pinch Oak leaf
Decorations of Autumn colours, orange, red, yellow, brown.
A ceremonial knife
A straw effigy
Linen bandages
Anointing Oil consisting of
· Mabon Oil - Put in soap or annoint candles
· 3 drops frankincense
· 3 drops pine
· 3 drops juniper
· 3 drops rosemary
· 2 drops sandalwood
· ¼ cup of base oil such as olive or vegetable.
Red Moon Cookies
Apple Cider (a decent one, NOT Strongbow - get merrydown if possible)
A sheet of white cloth
Preparation.
The High Priest performs the Lesser Ritual of the Banishing Pentagram.
The High Priest and High Priestess walk into the sacred space. Each lights a dinner taper. The High Priestess lights the black, and the High Priest the white one. With these candles they light quarters. The High Priest lights the East and South Quarters and the High Priestess, the West and North Quarters. They then light the votive together as a symbol the uniting of the male and female forces.
They both then kneel before the altar. The High Priestess plunges her Athame into the water bowl and visualises the water glowing silver while she says:
"I exorcise thee oh creature of water,
And cast out any impurities
And uncleanliness of the spirits
Of the worlds of phantasm,
That thou may aidest me in my workings.
Wherefore do I bless thee,
In the names of Belenus and Brigid.
The High Priest then plunges his Athame into the salt bowl and visualise it glowing gold whilst saying:
"Blessings be upon thee oh creature of salt,
Let all hindrance and malignity
Be cast hence from
And let all goodness enter herein
Wherefore do I bless thee
That thou may aidest me
In the names of Belenus and Brigid.
He pours the salt into the water bowl - which the High Priestess is holding - with three flicks of his Athame. He then kisses and replaces it on the altar. The High Priest then leaves to wait with the rest of the Coven.
The High Priestess then takes the Sword and draws a Circle of Power with it, point down. She starts in the North and finishes in North going sunwise. While doing so she visualises a beam of green light coming from the sword, this beam is to carve a circle into the ground, and from this circle she is to visualise a green wall of energy being emitted. Leaving a gate in the circle by scribing a arch in ether, by lifting the sword higher than the heads of the coven as she passes the doorway. And saying at the same time:
"I conjure thee 'O' circle of power, that thou be-est a meeting place of love joy and truth, a shield against all wickedness and evil. A boundary between the world of men and the realms of the Mighty Ones, and a rampart and protection that shall preserve and contain the power we shall raise within thee. Wherefore do I bless and consecrate thee in the names of Cernnunos and Brigid."
She lays down the Sword in the corner, and admits the High Priest with a kiss, and anoints him on the wrists and forehead with oil. She then spins with him around the circle Deosil. Both of them chanting
Eko Eko Azarak
Eko Eko Zomelak.
Over and over while they dance around the circle.
The coveners are admitted in a similar fashion woman to man, man to woman, without the chanting.
The first person takes the censer around the circle in a slow steady manner sunwise, beginning and ending in east, the whole time visualising a yellow/orange wall of energy around the perimeter of the circle and imagining a breeze sweeping clean the circle. While doing this they also say the following:
"I cleanse this circle with the power of Air,
Incense smoke, clean and hot,
So Mote It Be."
Once they have done this, they covener then moves around inside the circle, again sunwise, censing each of the coveners head to toe. The gender opposite officiant cleanses the covener (ie. The High Priest would cense a female, and the High Priestess a male).
The second person does the same thing with the candle, this time visualising a wall of red flame. It warms the circle, but only burns malign entities outside. As they do this they say:
"I cleanse this circle with the power of Fire.
Flickering flame, all consuming.
So Mote It Be."
Each of the coveners are cleansed with fire, in a similar manner.
(NOTE: this does not mean setting them on fire)
The third person repeats the process with the water. Asperging the water around the circle, sunwise, East to East, while saying:
"I cleanse this circle with the power of Water.
Life Blood of the Mother,
And salt, deep from the Mother's Womb.
So Mote It Be."
The Quarters are then called. If known the respective Invoking Pentagrams should be used. If not the Invoking Pentagram of Earth may be used.
First of all called, is Air. For this the Wand is used. The calling is done thusly:
"All-Seeing Eagle of the East
Lord of the Tempest,
Ruler of the Skies
Prince of the Powers of Air
We ask that you be with us on this Mabon
To guard over our circle and Grove.
We bid you hail and welcome."
ALL: Hail and Welcome!
Next is fire. For this a sword or Athame may be used. This is the call for Fire.
"O Mighty Lion of the South,
Lord of Lightnings
Guardian of the Solar Orb
Prince of the Powers of Earth
We ask that you be with us on this Mabon
To guard over our circle and Grove.
We bid you hail and welcome."
ALL: Hail and Welcome!
Now water. For this consecrated water from a chalice is asperged in the form of a Pentagram.
"O Wise Salmon.
Guardian of the Rivers
Lord of the Estuaries.
Keeper of the deep wisdom of Water
We ask that you be with us on this Mabon
To guard over our circle and Grove.
We bid you hail and welcome."
ALL: Hail and Welcome!
The High Priestess Calls Earth. She may use the wand or the Athame, it is truly up to her:
"Great Black Bull of the North
Keeper of the Mountain,
And all beneath it.
Mighty Sun Lord
Gentle Earth Mother
We ask that you be with us on this Mabon
To guard over our circle and Grove.
We bid you hail and welcome."
ALL: Hail and Welcome!
The High Priest kneels before the High Priestess. The High Priestess stands before him holding wand and Sword Crossed over each other in the Osiris Position.
"Mother of the Earth.
Mother of the Wild.
Mother all life,
Both Mighty and Mild.
Keeper of the Cauldron
Of Immortality.
Come milady
Come milady
Come down unto me.
I call upon thee
Brigid, Maiden
Come now
And show thyself to men.
Keeper of the Cauldron
Of Immortality
Come Milady
Come Milady
Come down unto me
Embody thyself
In your servant
This priestess
Come to me
And I shall greet thee,
with a fivefold kiss.
He then gives the High Priestess the five-fold kiss. Firstly he kisses her feet, then her knees, then her womb, then her breasts, then her lips. As he does so he says the following:
"Blessed be thy feet which walk the sacred Path (Kiss)
Blessed be thy knees which hold upright on this earth (Kiss)
Blessed be thy womb for without which we would not be (Kiss)
Blessed be thy breasts, formed in strength and beauty (Kiss)
Blessed be thy lips, which utter the sacred names (Kiss)"
As the High Priest reaches the Priestess' breasts, The High Priestess opens her arms and as he says the final lines they embrace and kiss.
They separate, and the Priest takes a step back. The High Priestess lays the scourge on the Altar and she draws the Pentacle of Earth in the ether in front of him with the wand. She says
"Of the Mother Darksome and Divine,
Mine the Cut and mine the Kiss
The Fivefold star of love and bliss
Here I do charge you in this sign."
"I am the Earth Mother
Nurturer of both man and beast.
I am consort to the Wild God.
I am the beauty of the Green Earth,
Mother of all Magick
And Mistress of the Moon's Mysteries
Whenever ye have need of my power,
Meet under the stars and skies
When the moon is full.
Dance in my name, sing, feast
And make merry.
For Joy is my creed
And Love is my strength.
The HPS then invokes the Sun God of the waning year into the HP
She kneels before him with arms aloft and says
"Shining Radiant One! King of the Land, Sun Lord!
Waning One! King of the Twilight, Dusk Lord!
King of the Year's Wheel, Autumn Lord!
Sacrificial One!, Redeeming One!
Dionysus, Osiris, Promethues Tammuz, Baal, Odin, Mabon!
I call upon thee. Come down before us
And inhabit the body of this thy priest,
So that we may complete what was begun at Yule.
It is at this point the coven forms a circle and begins to chant:
"In a ring we all shall stand,
Pass the power hand to hand,
As the season turns again,
Power flows from friend to friend,
Pass the power hand to hand.
Bless the lady the bless the land
Bless the lord and bless the skies
Bless the power that never dies."
They repeat the second verse continuously as they begin to move in a circle, eventually gathering speed and energy as wheel faster and faster. When the cone of power has reached its peak the High Priestess will call "Down!" at which point the coven drops on the spot (as safely as possible). The energy should be grounded at this point.
The circle faces inwards with the HPS standing in the East, and HP in the West. The HPS then proclaims.
"The Land has started going fallow and barren,
a sacrifice must be made so that it may be made new again.
But who will do it? Lord Holly? Will you do it?
To which he replies "Not I Your Majesty, I must rule until the year has waned."
HPS - "Then perhaps the Oak Lord will ensure renewal in the land.:
To which the Oak Lord replies "My Lady, I must be there to rule in my brother's stead at Yule, for if not I then who will take over the growing time?"
HPS - "This is very true."
" My love, I will do it" the Sun King exclaims. "My time is on the wane, it is better to leave this world at my height so that I may ensure the dead safe passage. I have done what I am meant to. The land has prospered. But I must make sure it survives. The King is the Land, and if the land is dying, then it is my place to do so too."
HPS - " No, my Husband, surely there is another way."
HP - " No, Brigid, do not be sad, you carry my seed in your belly. In this land I will live on, as in the next. We will be reunited one day as you feel the Shadow's pull at Samhain. It is me that must be sacrificed. Let Lady Death do it. And let it be quick.
HPS - "If that is how it must be…"
She then solemnly gives him the five fold kiss for the last time. The Crone then takes her athame, and draws it across his throat to SIMULATE cutting his throat. He falls to the ground. The three goddesses (Maiden Mother and Crone) anoint him with oil; they then drape a White Sheet over him.
The High Priestess then says.
"The Sun King is dead, all that he stood for is gone, and so let the man who stood for him live again and the effigy take his place!" The sheet is removed from the HP and he is escorted to the North. The effigy is placed in the middle. On a piece of paper, everyone then writes one thing they wish to be rid of, that has come out of this year. They place the paper inside the effigy. The effigy is then bound in the linen bandages. (Note - this part can be done on the first night of the festival in preparation for the rite.) It too is anointed. The Oak King and Holly King proceed to lift up the effigy as if bearing a real body, walking around the circle widdershins three times. Alternatively it can be borne to a place where the effigy is to be burnt. If the effigy is burnt in a nemeton (and be sure to get permission for this) then place it on the pyre platform. An alternative to this could be to use a small funeral barge, by propelling the barge (bearing the body) and firing a lit arrow into it. Either way the HPS then recites the following as the barge is burnt/and or borne away.
Farewell, O Sun, ever-returning Light,
The hidden God, who ever yet remains,
He who now departs into the Land of Youth
Through the Gates of Death
To dwell enthroned, the Judge of Gods and men,
The horned leader of the hosts of air -
Yet even as he stands unseen about the Circle,
So dwelleth he within the secret seed -
The seed of newly-ripened grain, the seed of flesh;
Hidden in earth, the marvellous seed of the stars.
In him is Life, and Life is the Light of man.
That which never was born, and never dies.
Therefore the wise weep not, but rejoice.
A small moment of reflection should be taken here, each person thinking what the last 12 months has meant to them. Giving silent farewell to the Sun King, silent thanks for those things that they cherish, and silence to those things that are sooner best departed.
After this the ritual of cakes and cider should follow, the Candle Game should also follow along with anything else the HPS deems appropriate.
Sit as witches
The goddess is farewelled as are the quarters, and the circle is taken down.