Calendar of the Sun 22 Halegmonath MABON Colours: Brown and orange Element: Earth Altar: Upon cloth of brown and orange, set the fruits of the harvest in many baskets, surrounding the altar if need be. Lay on it also a sickle, a pitchfork, a winnowing basket, and a flail. Have also pots of the four sacred preservation foods: salt, vinegar, wine, and honey. Offerings: Give food to the hungry. Daily Meal: Made from the fruits of the harvest. Ritual Note: Like all the eight high holidays, this day should ideally be spent not enclosed and isolated, but in common with the larger pagan community. This can be done a number of ways, including spending the day elsewhere, at the Mabon ritual of another group or tradition, or by inviting in those pagans who would otherwise not be able to attend a ritual. Either way, the eight holidays should be a time of remembering the place of the house in the greater community. If the choice is made to go elsewhere, then no liturgy is needed for the day. If the choice is made to bring the greater community into the lesser one, the following ritual can be used: (First four who have been chosen to do the work of the ritual cast the quarters with sickle, pitchfork, winnowing basket, and flail.) East Caller: Spirits of the East, Powers of Air! You who are the cold steel of the scythe, You who are the blade that separates One from another, Life from death, You who are smoke on the wind And the bringer of the new dawn, Be with us today! South Caller: Spirits of the South, Powers of Fire! You who are the Sun who moves towards the west, You who are the gentle rays feeding the harvest As summer moves into autumn, Pulling the crops toward the sky And drying them to golden as your rays, Be with us today! West Caller: Spirits of the West, Powers of Water! You who are the sweat we have given to this land, The blood that this land will feed, The tears of joy that we shed to see All your bounty brought to harvest And know that our bellies shall be full of your bounty, Be with us today! North Caller: Spirits of the North, Power of Earth! You who are the ground beneath our feet, You who sustains and nourishes us, You who brought us forth, You to whom we shall all one day return, We honor you especially today. Be with us now! Mabon Invocation Today the Night and Day stand in balance! Today the work of the year measures itself Against the coming of the winter. The Virgin with her sickle gives way To the Scales that weigh our harvest, Our hearts, our deeds, our worth. On this day, our ancestors could look at their work And look forward, and know whether they would be Fat or thin, sharing or lending or borrowing, Worrying or content. This is the Reckoning Day. And what have we to reckon? Bring forth the four sacred foods of Mabon, Each sacred because they preserve the harvest And allow what is done now to feed us later. (The salt is passed around.) Salt of the earth is wealth. What wealth have you made or lost? Have you shared it with others, or kept it to yourself? (All speak of this in turn, then the vinegar is passed around.) Vinegar, sour as a bad year, Yet it is the symbol of hard work. What work have you done that was a struggle But that you are proud of? (All speak of this in turn, then the wine is passed around.) Wine, joy of Dionysos, The symbol of gaiety, of bonding, Of happiness and song. What happiness Has come to you this year, like a gift unlooked for? (All speak of this in turn, then the honey is passed around.) Honey, blood of Aphrodite, You are love in all its many forms. What love have you brought to this table? What has Love given you, and what have you given in turn? (All speak of this, then a basket of harvest fruit is passed around.) These are the fruits of our reckoning, These are the embodiments of our toil, These are the manifestation of our springtime hopes. May all partake, in hope for the next year. But save the seeds, for these too will be our hopes. Hail to our ancestors, who stood where we stand! Hail to those who will come after us, And whose mouths our labors will feed! Hail! (A cup is passed around for the seeds, which should be dried and saved. Dismiss the quarters. After the song, all will spend the day in preserving the sacred harvest.) Song: Reckoning Day
[source:paganbookofhours.org]