Mabon Apple Harvest Rite

What You Need:

A pair of orange candles.

A cup of cider or wine.

An apple and something to cut it with.

1.        Decorate your altar with symbols of the season -- a basket of gourds or small pumpkins, colorful fall leaves, acorns, vines, grapes or blackberries. You'll also need a pair of orange candles to symbolize the harvest, a cup of cider or wine, and an apple.

If your tradition requires you to cast a circle, do so now.

2.     Light your harvest candles. Face the altar and hold the apple in both hands. If you can do this rite outside, raise the apple up to the sky, and feel the wisdom and energy of the gods coming to you. Say: The apple is sacred, a symbol of the gods,
and holds the knowledge of the ancients inside.
Tonight I ask the gods to bless me with their wisdom. Slice the apple in half across the middle. Where the seeds are, you will see a five-pointed star. Place the two halves in the center of your altar.

3.     Say: Five points in a star, hidden inside.
One for earth, one for air, one for fire,
one for water, and the last for spirit. Turn to the north, arms raised to the heavens, and say: The world passes from light into darkness,
and the golden fields of the earth bring the promise
of food and nourishment through the winter. Face east, and say: I stand on the threshold of the darkness,
and know that the summer breezes give way to autumn chill,
which bring forth the blazes of color in the trees.

4.     Next, turn to the south and say: I call upon the wise ones, the ancient gods,
as the sun moves away and fire fades,
to be replaced with the chill of the night. Finally, face west, and say: I will reflect on the guidance of the gods,
and let the cool autumn rains wash over me,
cleansing my heart and soul.

5.     Raise the cup of wine or cider to the sky, and toast the gods. Say: The wild god returns this night to the belly of the Mother.
The mother goddess tonight becomes the Crone.
As the Wheel of the Year turns, the earth dies a bit each day.
I willingly follow the old gods into the darkness,
where they will watch over me, protect me, and keep me safe. Sip from the cup, and as you drink your wine or cider, think about the power and energy of the Divine, in whatever aspect you choose to honor.

6.     Extinguish one of the candles, and say: The wild god has gone to rest in the Underworld.
I look to the darkness for renewal and rebirth. Extinguish the other candle, and say: The mother goddess has entered her most powerful stage.
She is the Crone, the wise one, and I ask for her blessing. Stand in the darkness for a moment. Reflect upon all the changes that are to come, and those things that will stay constant. Feel the energy of the gods as you connect to them, and understand that even though winter is coming, the light will return again. When you are ready, end the ritual.

Tips:

1.        Leave the apples on your altar overnight, and the next morning, put them in your garden as an offering to the earth.

2.     Feel free to replace the wild god and mother goddess with the names of deities from your own tradition.

Honor the Dark Mother at Mabon

What You Need:

A candle to represent Demeter

A candle to represent Persephone

Wine or grape juice

A pomegranate (and a bowl)

1.        This ritual welcomes the Dark Mother, and celebrates that aspect of the Goddess which we may not always find comforting or appealing, but which we must always be willing to acknowledge. Decorate your altar with symbols of Demeter and her daughter -- flowers in red and yellow for Demeter, purple or black for Persephone, stalks of wheat, Indian corn, sickles, baskets. Have a candle on hand to represent each of them -- harvest colors for Demeter, black for Persephone. You'll also need a chalice of wine, or grape juice if you prefer, and a pomegranate.

2.     If you normally cast a circle, or call the quarters, do so now. Turn to the altar, and light the Persephone candle. Say: The land is beginning to die, and the soil grows cold.
The fertile womb of the earth has gone barren.
As Persephone descended into the Underworld,
So the earth continues its descent into night.
As Demeter mourns the loss of her daughter,
So we mourn the days drawing shorter.
The winter will soon be here.

3.     Light the Demeter candle, and say: In her anger and sorrow, Demeter roamed the earth,
And the crops died, and life withered and the soil went dormant.
In grief, she traveled looking for her lost child,
Leaving darkness behind in her wake.
We feel the mother's pain, and our hearts break for her,
As she searches for the child she gave birth to.
We welcome the darkness, in her honor.

4.     Break open the pomegranate (it's a good idea to have a bowl to catch the drippings), and take out six seeds. Place them on the altar. Say: Six months of light, and six months of dark.
The earth goes to sleep, and later wakes again.
O dark mother, we honor you this night,
And dance in your shadows.
We embrace that which is the darkness,
And celebrate the life of the Crone. Take a sip of the wine, and savor the taste upon your lips. If you are doing this rite with a group, pass it to each person in the circle. As each person drinks, they should say: Blessings to the dark goddess on this night, and every other.

5.     As the wine is replaced upon the altar, hold your arms out in the Goddess position, and take a moment to reflect on the darker aspects of the human experience. Think of all the goddesses who evoke the night, and call out: Demeter, Inanna, Kali, Tiamet, Hecate, Nemesis, Morrighan.
Bringers of destruction and darkness,
I embrace you tonight.
Without rage, we cannot feel love,
Without pain, we cannot feel happiness,
Without the night, there is no day,
Without death, there is no life.
Great goddesses of the night, I thank you.

6.     Take a few moments to meditate on the darker aspects of your own soul. Is there a pain you've been longing to get rid of? Is there anger and frustration that you've been unable to move past? Is there someone who's hurt you, but you haven't told them how you feel? Now is the time to take this energy and turn it to your own purposes. Take any pain inside you, and reverse it so that it becomes a positive experience. If you're not suffering from anything hurtful, count your blessings, and reflect on a time in your life when you weren't so fortunate. When you are ready, end the ritual.