Autumn Equinox 2020 Introduction 2 readers please The

Autumn Equinox 2020 • Introduction (2 readers please) • The lighting of our candles to open our sacred space. • • • A Calling of the Directions (5 readers please) A Meditation on Balance Individual contributions Drumming and a song Blessing

A Here is another point of perfect balance on the journey through the Wheel of the Year, like Ostara: the Spring Equinox. Night and day are again of equal length. Our hours of daylight have been growing slightly shorter each day since the summer solstice. For the next three months, days continue to grow shorter, the year now begins to wane and darkness increases. B At the time of the autumn equinox the harvest is nearly finished. The crops have been gathered from the fields and stored for the coming winter. Our ancestors would begin the preparation for the coming leaner months; busy storing fruits, bottling, preserving, smoking, brewing. Mabon is the festival when we note the passing of the summer and celebrate with Harvest Festivals, in deep gratitude for the abundance of the Earth. A We see birds gathering for their migrations. With the harvest finished and the crops gathered in, we know that now the soil needs to rest and we make compost from fading plants, withered stems and leaves. Anything rotten or not needed is discarded We have food to eat, but warmth is gently tucking itself behind us, and cold & dark lie ahead. B Autumn reminds us of the impermanence of everything. We have experienced the breath-taking budding of life in spring and the flowerings and profusions of summer. Also, sometimes the seeds that failed to germinate and the crops that faltered. Now the leaves start to fall, and bare branches remind us of the fleeting nature of all things. A As we watch leaves fluttering to the ground, we are reminded that nature's cycles are mirrored in our lives. Autumn is a time for letting go and releasing things. Autumn holds a spiritually unique place. Many mistake the mystery and decline that surrounds and follows the autumn equinox for darkness and evil, but in reality, it is about endings—a very natural thing. Every journey must find its end, and autumn is the bittersweet embodiment of this. B This year, Mabon, as always, reminds us to focus within. It is a time to look back on the year and acknowledge both what we have grown as well as what we are releasing. Retreating from the profusion of summer and the noise of our lives, Mabon prompts us to take moments of silence, inner quiet and reflection. A We acknowledge that darkness is less of an enemy for us and more of a place of silent nurturance, where the slow, steady gestation needed for our soul's growth can occur. Not only is light a welcomed part of our lives, but we are developing a greater understanding of how much we need to befriend our inner darkness.

To honour time as special we light a candle to create our sacred space and to honour the bountiful Earth. Many ancient traditions cleared space with smoke and herbs; today we have used a blend of various plants including lavender, dried apple, rose petals, cinnamon, nutmeg and oak leaves for cleansing, healing, and wisdom. Mabon Incense Blend 2 parts sandalwood 2 parts pine 1 part rosemary 1 part cinnamon 1 part dried apple 1 part dried oak leaf Add your ingredients to your mixing bowl one at a time. Measure carefully, and if the leaves or blossoms need to be crushed, use your mortar and pestle to do so. As you blend the herbs together, state your intentions or say a prayer

Facing We celebrate the fruitfulness of the EARTH and praise apples, pears, damsons and plums, rosehips, sloes, North blackberries, elderberries, nuts and fungi. Nature roots down into a cycle of renewal. IN UNISON: We welcome all beings and elements in the north. Facing We give thanks for AIR as mists descend a chill breeze blows. Darkening skies croon with murmuration East as migratory birds wheel overhead. Wind-tossed leaves blaze in autumnal splendour. IN UNISON: We welcome all beings and elements in the east. Facing We give thanks for the power of FIRE to forge and raze, to ripen and rot down. Smokey bonfires burn off South seasonal debris. We gather to share in autumn’s banquet and celebrate harvest’s end. IN UNISON: We welcome all beings and elements in the south. Facing We give thanks for RAIN with a sense of loss as the dust of summer washes away. A reflective phase begins. West We look within and let go of all that is spent or decaying keeping that which sustains. IN UNISON: We welcome you all beings and elements in the west. Looking We give thanks for SPIRIT as darkness and light balance. Autumn gathers all in for a celebration of Inwards abundance. Interconnectedness binds us and we are at one with all life and all-that-is. IN UNISON: We welcome you spirit at the centre.

Autumn Equinox Meditation Circle of Gratitude and Contributions Please share with us a story, song or poem or maybe just speak out one thing you have seen coming to fruition since the Winter or Spring. Or maybe something you wish to allow to drop away from you. Or maybe about something you want to plant as a seed to germinate over the autumn and winter months.

By breath, by blood, by body, by spirit, we are all one The air that is my breath is the air that you are breathing And the air that is your breath is the air that I am breathing The wind rising in my breast is the wind from the east, from the west From the north, from the south, breathing in, breathing out By breath, by blood, by body, by spirit, we are all one The water that is my blood, my sweat, tears from crying Is the water that is your blood, your sweat, tears from crying And the rising of the tide is in our veins and in the ocean wide We are in the rising steam, rushing river, running stream By breath, by blood, by body, by spirit, we are all one The earth is dust, the earth is clay, flow’rs blossoming and fading We are dust and we are clay, we are blossoming and fading Every color, every sound, every place is holy ground Oh, every living thing, can you hear it laugh? Can you hear it sing? By breath, by blood, by body, by spirit, we are all one The fire in my heart, my soul flame burning Is the fire in your heart, your soul flame burning We are Spirit burning bright, by the light of day, in the dark of night We are shining like the sun, and like the moon, like the Holy One By breath, by blood, by body, by spirit, we are all one CHORUS By breath, by blood, by body, by spirit, we are all one By Sara Thomsen, from “Songs for the Great Turning”

From the Earth the Grain (by Jenny Joyce and Alan Whear) We are the power in everyone We are the dance of the moon and the sun We are the hope that will not hide We are the turning of the tide. Ancient Mother I hear you calling Ancient Mother I hear your song Ancient Mother I hear your laughter Ancient mother I taste your tears Be still and know that day and night , Be still and know both dark and light Are one holy circle. From the Earth the grain; the gift of Life to feed us. We are the flow We are the ebb We are the weaver We are the web From the Sky the rain; bring blessings on our bread Earth and Water, Fire and Air; the gift of Life to feed us Earth and Water, Fire and Air; bring blessings on our bread Walk softly on the Earth, Massage her with your feet, For when you are walking, You walk on your mother’s face.

Our cupboards and storehouses are full, The harvest is completed. We thank the Earth, the Elements and the creatures and aspects of the directions as we close the circle and, as we blow out the candles. We honor you all, in this time of bounty, and gratefully and willingly enter the dark, quiet period of autumn. Mabon Prayer We welcome the energy of autumn into our lives. This time of transformation and reflection. Like the leaves falling away from their branches , our lives flow and change peacefully and all in perfect time. We take time in autumn to reflect on our lives. We ask for clear vision to know what we need to change to continue to grow in our highest good. We give thanks for cooler weather and the wonderful colours that are unfolding in nature in this season of warmth and gentleness, a reflection of our inner selves. With grace we let go of anything that is not serving us positively and hnorton@greenspirit. org. uk