Ritual in Theory and Practice

SPIRIT

Begin by discussing the nature of the Mabon festival. Like all Sabbats Mabon has many aspects one can talk about, depending upon where you wish to put your emphasis. In discussing the nature of Mabon you might say something like:

"Mabon is the feast of the Fall Equinox. Now are night and day again equal, and perfect balance reigns. The God is waning: days grow shorter, the crops are falling as the harvests progress. But even as His power wanes He comes into His own, as King and Counselor. Karma, the Divine Plan, and justice are emphasized. We will eat through the Winter because the crops have died for us -all things are connected and affect each other. The death of one is life to another: all is in balance and all things are as they should be. Let us then focus upon balance and seek that balance in our lives."

ACT OF POWER
Chakra Balancing

Our first Act of Power for Mabon is a Chakra balancing meditation. This draws its inspiration from the equal hours of day and night at Equinox. This meditation is also very appropriate for Ostara –and for that matter can be used at any other time when there is a need to bring energies into balance.

You might lead the meditation something like this:

“Let us begin by clearing and releasing all excess energy. Let all excess energy pour out of you –let any tension, stress, or anxiety pour out of you like water, running down your body and out through your feet into the Earth, where it may be reused for better purposes.

“Now, let us become aware of our Heart Chakra. Imagine it as a ball of clear white light glowing in the center of your chest. See the light as clear, strong, and bright, and if it is mottled or occluded in any way take a moment to clear it. Imagine the Heart Chakra like a sun inside your chest, glowing with light and energy and strength.

“Now from your heart Chakra, send down a beam of light into the Earth: see the beam of light going down through your body, through your legs, through your feet and into the Earth: down into the soil, deeper and deeper, into the rich Earth, down into the rock, deep into the bedrock, further and further through the rocky mantle of the Earth –until at last it enters the molten center of the Earth.

“Send your beam of light into the glowing magma, the warm and pulsing heart of Mother Earth. Feel the heat of it –feel the strength of it –feel the energy of the Earth. Glowing hot and golden: It is full of love and peace, strength and power.

“Now feel the golden energy of the Earth moving up through your beam of light –feel the strong energy of the Earth moving up through the bedrock, moving up through the soil, up through your feet and into your body –let the golden energy come up through your legs and into your torso to fill your Heart Chakra. Let the hot and glowing energy of the Earth fill your Heart Chakra –feel the warmth and strength and peace of the Earth filling your Heart, feel Her burning love and joy –let it fill your Heart Chakra then move out through your whole body –out into your shoulders and your abdomen, into your arms and your legs, all the way out to your fingers and toes, until you are filled completely with the golden light of the Earth.

“Savor the energy. Feel it flow through you, filling and suffusing you. Imagine the golden energy moving out from the edges of your physical body now, beginning to fill your aura. See the golden energy filling your aura, expanding and moving around you until you are surrounded by a ball of golden energy –until you and your aura are completely filled by the energy of the Earth.

“Now, become aware of your Heart Chakra again. As the strong and loving energy of the Earth fills you and moves within you, send up another beam of light from your Heart Chakra. Imagine this beam of light moving upward –up through your head, up into the air, out into the sky –feel the beam of light going up further and further, higher and higher –feel the beam of light moving up into the clouds, then past them, into the upper reaches of the atmosphere.

“Feel the energy of the heavens, airy and broadly expansive. Where Earth is hot and passionate, filled with warm emotion, the heavens are cool and analytical, free-floating and mercurial. The energy of the heavens is clear and precise, glittering with a silvery blue-white light.

“now imagine the energy of the heavens, begin to move down your beam of light, cool and glittering it moves down through the beam of light, down from the outer atmosphere into the clouds, down through the clouds into the sky, down, down –moving down the beam, down further until it enters through the top of your head, moving down through your neck and into your chest, to fill your Heart Chakra.

“Feel the cool, sharp energy of the heavens fill your Heart Chakra –feel its clarity and precision. Let it fill your Heart Chakra then move out through your whole body –out into your shoulders and your abdomen, into your arms and your legs, all the way out to your fingers and toes, until you are filled completely with the silvery light of the heavens.

“And now let the warm, loving energy of the Earth and the cool, determined energy of the heavens, come into balance within you. Feel the two energies balancing one another, bring your own energy and all of your Chakras into balance as they do so. Feel the movement of the energy within you, as they come into perfect balance and harmony.

“On this night of Equinox the Divine Mother Goddess and Divine Father God are in perfect harmony and balance. Let us too be in perfect balance. Mother Goddess and Father God, bless us we pray with the love You share between Yourselves and with all things. May we too love as You, and may our lives be ever sweet.”

You might follow this with a chant and perhaps a dance. A good chant might be:

"Blessed Be the Mother Earth
Blessed Be the Father Sky
Blessed Be Their union within me!

"Blessed Be the Mother Earth
Blessed Be the Father Sky
Blessed Be Them in eternity!

"Blessed Be the Mother Earth
Blessed Be the Father Sky
Blessed Be Their Divine Harmony!

Now clear and release the excess energy from the meditation before going on with the rest of your ritual.

WATER

For our toast in this ritual you will need two people to represent Goddess and God. You will also need two beverages. The person representing Goddess should have a dark beverage such as a red grape juice. The person representing God should have a light beverage such as a white grape juice. The Chalice will be held between them.

The Goddess should go first. Let the person representing the Goddess raise up the dark beverage and say something like:

“In the beginning was the Goddess. And She was alone and without form in the void of chaos before the first creation. But She longed to create –to work Her will and give form to existence. And the Goddess dreamed: and the Goddess planned: and the Goddess longed: and from Her longing came the first creation

“In the name of the Goddess may the Blessing Be upon this juice!”

Let the person representing the Goddess now Bless the dark juice, filing it with light and energy.

Now let the person representing the God hold up the light beverage and say something like:

“And from the Goddess was created the God. The Goddess divided Herself, sending all of the fiery, active, physical aspects of Herself into the God and retaining all of the watery, malleable, spiritual aspects for Herself. And the God exploded out from the Goddess in the explosion of the first creation, sending fire and light in all directions.

“In the name of the God may the Blessing Be upon this juice!”

Now let the person representing the God Bless the light juice, filling it with energy and light.

Then the person representing the Goddess continues:

“In time the light of the God cooled and took form, becoming Suns and planets and asteroids. The universe took shape and the Goddess was pleased. She desired to be part of this universe, to rejoin with the God and be one with Him. But He fled from Her as the mouse flees before the cat.”

Now the person representing the God:

“And She took counsel of Her Highest Self, which told Her that ‘To Rise You Must Fall.’ And so the Goddess created the many souls and sent them into matter, so that through them She could unite with the God. And so was the world we know created.”

Now let them fill the Chalice together, so that the dark juice and the light juice are mingled.

Now pronounce a final Blessing upon the Chalice:

“In the name of the Goddess and of the God may this Chalice be Blessed, that it may be a token of the bond of love which exists between ourselves and Them, and between Them and all of creation!”

Let the person representing the Goddess draw up energy from the Earth to Bless the Chalice in the name of the Goddess. Simultaneously may the person representing the God draw down energy from the heavens to bless the Chalice in the name of the God. As they meet in the middle finish the Blessing:

“So Mote It Be!”

ALL
“So Mote It Be!”

Now pass the Chalice deosil around the Circle, letting each person drink in their turn. You should go last and offer the last bit to Spirit.

Or if you prefer you can pass out paper cups and fill them from the Chalice, asking everyone to wait and drink at the same time. Make sure to have a cup for Spirit. If you do it this way you may wish to offer a toast such as:

“To the Goddess! To the God! To us!”

ALL
“To the Goddess! To the God! To us!