Prayer: Creating a strong and unified community.
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 second of a new tradition within CedarLight, marking this day as a thanksgiving within our Grove. 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. May our words be sweet, may our hearts be pure, and may our minds be as one so that we may please the Gods with our work here this evening, and receive their blessing in this Rite. Bíodh sé amhlaidh! (Bee shay owl lee)
Statement of Ritual Purpose:
As spoke of in the opening prayer, Mabon has become a traditional CedarLight Thanksgiving. A time to reflect on this past wheel of the year, a time to prepare for the upcoming winter months, and a time to give thanks for our bounty, both in spirit and the material. We come here today to help unify our Grove and our Community. It is too often that we are always in a rush to get things done, or we feel anxiety if things do not go our own way. But we come here together now to remember what is really important, the fact that each and every one of you can come here and openly worship the Gods in YOUR Sanctuary that YOU built. No one can take that away from you except for yourself. The fact that we all care deeply for each other, despite our differences. The fact that we are safe here, in this Sacred Grove, and no matter what discord may happen, we are all still a tribe. We honor Teutates for his gentle ability to unite the tribe, and we honor Nemetona for her ability to create a calm and safe place for our tribe to worship. Our purpose is to give thanks, and to work together with the folk of CedarLight Grove and our friends.
Ancestors Invitation:
Wise Ancestor’s
Those Native Ancestor’s of this land that walked before us. The Ancestor’s of our heart, our families and friends who have traveled on from this realm. And Ancestor’s of our minds, the heroes and the legends that inspired us. We gather here today as a united community within the shadow of communities and tribes past. We ask your wisdom in maintaining a safe and unified community, to learn from your lessons and example, and for you to teach us how better to interact with our brothers and sisters to forge a path for future generations to grow in kinship.
Ancestors of the land, Accept our Sacrifice!
Ancestor’s of the heart, Accept our Sacrifice!
Ancestors of the mind, Accept our Sacrifice!
Shining Ones Invitation:
Great Shining Ones, Gods, and Goddesses,
You who rule this world, the other world, and the in-between. Those who send us visions in our mind, who send omens within the natural world, and who speak to us through the history of our ancestors. Shining Ones of this place, ancient and powerful, Shining Ones of those gathered here, patrons and matrons of the folk, and those Shining Ones forever known and forgotten across time. We gather before you today as a tribe seeking to strengthen the union of our community. Across many cultures, through endless pantheons, within many faiths, we have come together as a Grove, united under one purpose. To serve. To serve the Gods and to serve the community in your name. We seek your guidance so that we might strengthen our resolve, so we may strengthen this community to better serve in your honor.
Great Shining Ones, Accept our Sacrifice!
Invoking Nemetona:
Lady Nemetona, Protector of the Sacred Grove, She who can calm chaos and bring peace to this Holy Place. You provide a welcoming embrace of stillness in our Nemeton here at CedarLight Grove. Because of you this Sanctuary is safe and free of outside influences so that we may do great work in this place. So that we have a place to gather and call our spiritual home, for you are that home. You are the sanctuary that we run to in order to escape the nuiances, the frustrations, the chaos, and the drama. You are the the oasis hidden within the harsh desert, you are the grotto tucked away deep within the forest, you are the dusty country road lined with fields of golden wheat and sweet air, just outside a cold gray city of concrete and exhaust. Lady Nemetona, we honor you, we embrace you, without you our lives and this holy ground would suffer greatly. Lady Nemetona, Accept our Sacrifice!
Creative 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?
Waters of Life:
We have given praise and bestowed offerings before the Gods. We have stated our purpose in creating a unified community, 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!
Personal Magic:
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.
Closing Words:
We came to honor the Gods, ask for their guidance on our journey, given them praise and received their blessings. We came with the purpose of creating a unified community, our community in this Sacred Grove. Many souls come and go through the doors of CedarLight, but CedarLight always remains at its core. CedarLight is bigger than anyone one of us. CedarLight is a sanctuary to the Gods, and we are servants of the Gods. Any other human drama or emotion is meaningless when it comes to our purpose here on earth. Our challenge is to coexist and work together towards the same purpose. Not our purpose, but the purpose of the Gods. This rite has now come to an end. May we go in peace and as brothers and sisters, and enjoy a feast to ground our energy in honor of Mabon. To revels!
