Mabon Lore, Symbolism, & History
Needed:
A red apple
A bolline
Place the apple and the bolline on the pentacle. Cast the circle. Face the altar with arms stretched out above your head, and say:
"I honor You, Autumn Queen, and Your consort, the God of the Harvest.
The Wheel has once more turned, and the change of season begins.
What will be is. What was will be.
The Equinox is upon us, and the time to reflect is at hand.
And I, but a moment in time,
Feel the change as we pass from one season to the next.
The second Harvest has been reaped, and the time of rest is deserved."
"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 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 the second harvest,
As surely as life is impossible without death.
Blessings upon You, O Fallen God,
As You journey into the lands of winter
And into the Goddess' loving arms."
With arms still outstretched lower your head and close your eyes. Contemplate what you have just spoken. When ready, open your eyes and lower your arms. Pick up the apple and place it in the center of the pentacle. Cut it crosswise with the bolline, to reveal the natural pentagram at its core. Then lift half the apple, pentagram up, as if in offering, while saying:
"As the Wheel turns, the seasons pass,
And the years give way to the next,
Guide me most Wise Ones, lest I forget
Every beginning has an ending
And every ending is a new beginning."
Take a bite of the apple. Put the rest aside to share later with the wildlife. Close your eyes and feel the seasons pass within the circle from summer to autumn. When ready, say:
"Between the worlds I stand in this sacred place.
All time is here and now.
As I leave this circle, the season shall have changed.
May I use the wintertime
To draw strength and power from within
As I quest for vision, understanding, and peace."
Ring the bell thrice with your right hand, to toll the passing of the first three seasons of the year. Then ring it once with your left hand, to usher in the forth and last season of the year.
"In Life is Death, and in Death is Life.
The Sacred Dance goes on and on
From whence we came, we shall return,
And come again.
Seasons pass, and pass again,
The circle stays unbroken
Heed the words of Your child, here,
Through Your wisdom I have spoken."
Meditation.
Cakes and Ale.
Close the circle.