Opening Prayer:
And as we join together before the Well, the Fire, and the Tree, we come together during the time of the second harvest, the time of the Fall Equinox where the Folk share in the bounty of the fruitful earth. We come to celebrate the first of a new holiday tradition within CedarLight, marking this day as a thanksgiving. A thanksgiving to celebrate community, to celebrate the harvest, and to celebrate the many blessings we’ve been given throughout the year while we prepare for the upcoming winter. We also come to honor one of our Ancestors that passed recently. We come to honor Isaac Bonewits, the founder of ADF, and a standing stone within the modern neo-pagan movement. May our words be sweet, our hearts be pure, and our minds be as one so that we may please the Gods with what we do here this evening and receive their blessing in this Rite. Bíodh sé amhlaidh! (Bee shay owl lee)
Nature Spirits:
Honored Nature Spirits, spirits who roam the lands, spirits who swim the seas, spirits who soar the skies, spirits of feather, scale, and skin, those who exist in this world, those who exist in the otherworld, and those who walk between the worlds. We are honored to share our blessings of the earth with you, as you share your blessings with us. We are honored to walk in balance with you, as you walk in balance with us. Join us brothers and sisters, as together we make the earth sacred ground. Nature Spirits, we honor you!
Honoring Isaac Bonewits:
I come to ask the grandmothers and grandfathers that came before, to welcome Isaac into their midsts with open arms and a sweet glass of mead. Help those of us left behind to rid ourselves of the sorrow that might weigh us down, so we might continue to walk softly upon Grandmother Earth. Fill us with the joy and laughter of memory, to pass on to our Grandchildren for generations to come. For they say, “They are not dead, those who live in the hearts they leave behind.” Grandmother Earth, all who were born from your womb now return to your soils. Cradle them gently.
Praise Offerings:
We have opened the gates between the worlds. We have asked the Ancestors, the Nature Spirits, and the Shining One’s to join us in this rite. What praise do we now bring to honor them?
Hallowing the Waters:
We have given praise and bestowed offerings before the Gods. We have asked simply what they wish to say to us, and we received their words of wisdom. Now we offer to share a drink with them, in their honor, and in the spirit of community. Behold the Waters of Life!
Group Magic: (reused from Midsummer)
Our offerings have been given and accepted, our energy is at its peak, and now is a time for any personal magic or prayers that you wish to do for yourself quietly to the heartbeat of the Earth.
Thanking the Nature Spirits:
Spirits of Nature, spirits of the Middleworld, may we always walk in balance with each other and share in the bounty of the Earth. Nature Spirits may we always honor you!
Closing the Rite: (partially reused from Midsummer)
We came to honor the Gods, ask for their guidance on our journey, given them praise and received their blessings. We have honored Isaac Bonewits with not only sorrow, but joy. We send him great thoughts on his new journey, not farewells. In many native tongues like the Lakota and the Cherokee, there is no word for Goodbye. In Cherokee they say, Donadagohvi, which means “Until we meet again”. This rite has now come to an end. May we go in peace and purpose, and enjoy a feast to ground our energy in honor of Mabon. To revels!
