FALL EQUINOX RITUAL FOR WOMEN

Introduction

This ritual focuses on the roles that women play in their families and communities. These are represented by the four asteroid goddesses: Pallas Athena, Vesta, Juno, and Ceres. Fall Equinox occurs when the Sun enters the sign of Libra, an air sign emphasizing integration and balance in relationships and groups. The concepts of cooperation, mutual benefit, and compromise are key factors in the Libran desire for harmony.

While Beltane, Litha, and Lammas are more concerned with the passion and sexual love that reflect the fertility of the summer months, the spirit of Mabon reflects a more mature and inclusive sentiment. This is appropriate for the season when everyone must work to gather and store food and fuel to survive the winter. The well-being of the family and community depends on the abilities of the leaders to organize the harvest to provide nourishment during winter's scarcity. Historically, these skills were passed from mother to daughter, as preserving the abundance of the harvest was crucial to survival.

The roles of Mother, Daughter, Sister and Wife ensure the continuity of family life, marital stability and equality, and sound child-rearing practices. Though long devaluated by Aristotelian ethics that promulgated patriarchal domination, society is now changing to recognize the critical part that women play in the cohesion of family and community. This ritual celebrates the importance of women - their cycles, abilities, and contributions.

This ritual was originally written for a coven of 6 women. We chose to assign the directions to the individual who most closely represented the goddess archetype in their own lives (a sort of mystic typecasting). If the group is composed of women of similar ages and lifestyles, they may choose to sit in the direction that matches the elemental quality of their zodiacal sun-sign (or predominant element in their natal chart). Since this Sabbat occurs around the end of the harvesting season, it is appropriate to include bread and fresh produce on the altar, and to enjoy a feast after the ritual.

Tools needed to perform this ritual include: background music that assists in creating a quiet, meditative atmosphere; candles for God and Goddess to represent balance; an apple (East), a garlic clove (South), a bowl of figs (West, can substitute dates/raisins), a sheaf of wheat or a red rose (North). An appropriate incense scent is apple blossom, as Mabon is also known as "Apple Day". Other scents for the season are: orris, clove, wisteria and bergamot.

Opening the Watchtowers

East: I call you, spirits of Air, to guard this circle from fear of success and vulnerability.

South: I call you, spirits of Fire, to guard this circle from frigidity, denial of intimacy, and critical judges.

West: I call you, spirits of Water, to guard this circle from jealousy, possessiveness, and power games in relationships with others.

North: I call you, spirits of Earth, to guard this circle from bitter grief and separation, inertia, obsessions, and anger toward parents.

Invocations

Opening (High Priestess or designated leader): I open this circle to the power of the Great Goddess in her many aspects. The Goddesses we call tonight embody four facets of Goddess power - the polarities of physical and mental creativity, and the polarities of monogamous sexuality with liberated sexuality. Each is a Great Goddesses in their own right, with powers of creation, fertility, and unique aspects of relatedness. We are here to honor them with this magical rite, and we may gain further access to their energies by following their paths in the sky through the movements of the asteroids named for them.

East: I, (name), call Pallas Athena, the Daughter, to come and bless this circle (or coven name)! We honor your rulership of wisdom, strategy, the arts and literature; and bring you an offering of an apple, a symbol of love, healing, magic and immortality. Be with us tonight and bring wise counsel, healing, and the capacity for the accomplishment of goals. Bless us with the wisdom of oracles and magical will that allows us to create and develop our own realities.

Welcome, Pallas Athena - Blessed Be!

South: I, (name), call Vesta, the Elder Sister, to come and bless this circle (or coven name)! We honor your rulership of the sacred fire, the laws of hospitality, and your gift of protective sanctuary. We bring you an offering of a garlic clove, a symbol of protection, healing, lust, and hex-breaking. Be with us tonight, and bring to each of us focus of commitment, family cohesion, safe homes, and the power to center ourselves into the brightest lights!

Welcome, Vesta - Blessed Be!

West: I, (name), call Juno, the Wife, to come and bless this circle (or coven name)! We honor your rulership of marriage and childbirth, fidelity, harmonious cooperation, and in your aspect as the triple Moon Goddess as Maiden, Wife, and Widow. May we know the blessings of divine love and mature partnerships! We bring you an offering of a bowl of figs, a symbol of fertility, potency and conception. Bestow upon us your blessing, She who was called the Queen of Heaven, that we may bring forth our hopes and dreams. Be with us tonight, and bring to this circle fulfillment through partnerships of all sorts, balance of power, and the arts of beauty.

Welcome, Juno - Blessed Be!

North: I, (name), call Ceres, the Mother, to come and bless this circle (or coven name)! We honor your rulership of the Earth's bounty, of the nurturing of the living and for receiving the dead. We bring you an offering of a rose/wheat, a symbol of the abundant harvest, sexual consummation and fertility, and of the Eleusinian blood mysteries celebrated in your honor. Be with us tonight, and bring to this circle your blessings as we move through our feminine cycles of menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause. Bring nurturing of the body, mind, and spirit, so that we are empowered to provide and care for others in cleanliness, good health, and compassion. Bless us with positive self worth, so we may in turn share appreciation with others and have true compassion in times of sorrow. We honor your abundance with a harvest feast this Equinox, and carry on your work by parenting one another in our daily lives.

Welcome, Ceres - Blessed Be!

High Priestess or 6th participant: I, (name), welcome Pallas, Vesta, Juno, and Ceres to this circle. Now with their aid and blessings and great Goddess power, we unite our forces in a spell for Earth healing. For without a healthy Earth, no life can be sustained. We, as the children of the Goddess, bring sincere thanks for all aid from these ancient feminine powers, which could not be obscured by either time or men, and remain vital links to our mystic roots as women of magick.

Earth Healing Ritual

(background music should be playing) All members of the group sit in a circle on the ground or floor. Each should silently concentrate on their relationship to each of the Goddesses invoked, and the roles that they represent. The groups should start humming or chanting "om" to build the cone of power. When the energy is flowing, the High Priestess signals to the group. Each person turns to the left to massage the back of the person next to her. Focus on drawing strength from deep within the Earth, and visualizing your sister's energy field, and adding happiness, health, and wholeness to her through your hands. After about 5 minutes, return to face the center of the circle. Form a Star Circle by laying prone (feet toward center with hands connected) or by placing their hands, open like stars, with little fingers touching the sister on either side. Re-energize the cone of power, and return the power to the Earth with healing energy. The High Priestess, or another member of the group, may wish to contribute a prayer for Earth healing.

The ritual leader signals to end the meditation. At this point, members may choose to seek wisdom from oracles (tarot, runes, spirit guides, I-Ching, boon burning, etc.), do appropriate spell casting (for prosperity, love, family unity, protection, healing) or to complete the ritual and get on with the feasting!

Closing the Circle

(The corners close in reverse order of the opening)

North: We thank and honor you, Ceres, for the blessings you have brought to our circle.

May the work of our hands reflect your abundance and generosity. We dismiss

you, and all Guardians of the North. Om Shanti (Peace) - Blessed Be.

West: We thank and honor you, Juno, for the blessings you have brought to our circle.

May the love in our hearts and compassion for others reflect your fidelity and

steadfastness in partnerships. We dismiss you, and all Guardians of the West.

Om Shanti - Blessed Be.

South: We thank and honor you, Vesta, for the blessings you have brought to our circle.

May our burning of the sacred fire and enjoyment of the feast aid the descent

of magical energy to our work here on earth. We dismiss you, and all Guardians

of the South. Om Shanti - Blessed Be.

East: We thank and honor you, Pallas, for the blessings you have brought to our circle.

May your healing power channel through us, and may your inspiration aid us in

solving the problems and fulfilling the ambitions of our lives. We dismiss you, and

all Guardians of the East. Om Shanti - Blessed Be.

High Priestess: The circle is open, but never unbroken.

All: Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again! Blessed Be!