Press Kit: Fact Sheets

Autumn Equinox Ritual

Drum beat to call to circle

Speaker: Welcome to the Fall Equinox celebration of Pagan Pride Day.

Start blessing with sage and water.

Speaker: Traditionally, this celebration was observed with a harvest feast to celebrate and share the abundance of the past season. Today, that is part of what we're doing with the food drive - we are stating that we have such abundance that we can afford to share, to give it to those whose harvest was less abundant than our own this year.

Speaker: Today, too, we are celebrating the abundance of community that we are given. It is easy as a Pagan to think that you're the only one out there. Today is a day to joyfully give thanks for the Gods we honor, the community we share, and the Earth to which we are all connected.

Speaker: The Autumn Equinox is the balance between light and dark. As we give thanks for the abundance that the long days and strong power have given, we also take this moment to balance, to rest, to simply be, and prepare ourselves for the growing cold and dark. We recognize that what appears as death is merely the preparation for rebirth; that what is reaped at the harvest will become seed for the next year. We remember the mystery - there is no death; all that dies will be reborn. And for this too, we give thanks.

Speaker: In this ritual today, we brought you into sacred space by sprinkling you with water. To cast the circle, the children will run around and through the circle three times with streamers. We will then call the quarters and invoke the Goddess and God. Following the Charge of the God, we will each take a moment to reflect on the blessings of the past year and give thanks for all we have. We will then bless the food and goods drive offerings and our symbolic cakes and ale with the hoof and horn chant. Once the chant has begun, the cakes and ale, in this case bread and juice, will be passed. Please continue chanting until each person has had their cakes and ale. If you have already received the cakes and the plate returns to you, please hold the plate until someone comes to take it from you. The ritual will then be closed by thanking the Goddess and God, releasing the quarters and opening the circle.

High Priestess: Welcome to the Circle; blessed be.

Casting the Circle:
Cue the kids who will run around the circle three times with streamers.

High Priestess: We are between the world, between the bounds of time where night and day, birth and death, joy and sorrow meet as one.

Calling the Quarters:

EAST: As we turn to the East, and call to the winds,
We think of the gifts, the gifts the Air brings
Thanks for the bite of the autumn-chilled air,
Thanks for the wisdom from the winds of change…
Welcome, o Air of the East! Welcome the gifts that you bring.

SOUTH: As we turn to the South, and call to the flames,
We think of the gifts, the gifts the Fire brings.
Thanks for the power of will and desire;
Thanks for the warmth from an autumn bonfire…
Welcome, o Fire of the South! Welcome the gifts that you bring.

WEST: As we turn to the West, and call to the rains,
We think of the gifts, the gifts Water brings.
Thanks for the richness of cleansing and healing
Thanks for the new frost that wakens my feeling…
Welcome, o Water of the West! Welcome the gifts that you bring.

NORTH: As we turn to the North, and call to the stones,
We think of the gifts, the gifts that Earth brings.
Thanks for the harvest, the fruits of the Earth;
Thanks for deep sheltering seeds of rebirth…
Welcome, o Earth of the North! Welcome the gifts that you bring.

High Priestess:
Come to us, Mother of Earth
Teach us to be willing to pause for a moment
To reflect on the season of growth
The crisp bite of air and the comfort of firelight and shadow.
Demeter, Isis, Arienrhod, Inanna, Freya,
Mother of Shadows,
Welcome!

An Excerpt from The Charge of the Goddess
Listen to the words of the Ancient Mother, who was of old called among men Astarte, Aphrodite, Cerridwen, Maia, Diana, Terra, Ishtar, Hecate, Brigid, and by many other names. Whenever ye have need of anything, once in the month, and better it be when the moon is full, ye shall assemble in sacred space and adore the spirit of me who is Mother of all. There ye shall assemble who desire to learn all sorcery, yet have not won its deepest secrets. To these I will teach things that are yet unknown, and you shall dance, sing, feast, make music and love, all in my praise. For mine is the ecstasy of the spirit, and mine also is Joy on Earth, and my Law is love unto all beings. Keep pure thine highest ideals, strive ever towards them. Let naught stop thee or turn thee aside, for mine is the secret that opens upon the door of youth, and mine is the Cauldron that gives the knowledge of rebirth. So mote it be.

High Priest:
Come to us, Lord of Harvest
Teach us to be thankful for the gifts you bring us
The bounty of your sacrifice
The warmth and the light of friends gathered around the bounty of the earth.
Dionysus, Osiris, Cernunnos, Dumuzi, Frey,
Lord of the grain,
Welcome!

The Charge of the God
Hear the words of the God, he who is slain and reborn, the Summer King and Winter Child, the soul of mankind and the mirror in which mankind reflects: I who am the glory of the Sun and the Lord of the dance, the ripe grain that is reaped and the seed which is sown, I call to you with the horn of the hunter and the cry of a babe. I am the soul of mankind, born to learn, live, love, die and be reborn. Drink of My vine, the blood of life, and lift a glass to My holy laughter echoing across the hills. But know that I am both harvester and harvest, the sacrificed One of sword, sickle and cross who descends into the womb of the Mother where all souls go to be reborn. For in this I reveal My mystery: that My dance is yours, My path is yours, and My laughter leads the way to the Summerland. For I am you and you are Me. And My light is with you always, to lead you through the shadows and back again. So mote it be.

High Priestess: Spend a moment to feel our connection with the Earth and each other. Think of where you are in your life right now, what you are thankful for, where you have been given abundance. pause We direct our attention to the results of the food drive and bless it as we bless the cakes and ale we share with each other:

Quarters start the chanting of:
Hoof and Horn, hoof and horn
All that dies shall be reborn
Corn and grain, corn and grain
All that falls shall rise again.

After the chant is established and has gained some power, the High Priest and High Priestess will offer each other cakes and ale, then the quarters and cross-quarters will offer them to each other and take their plates around with one plate and cup remaining on the altar. The quarters will start passing the eight plates, then move around the circle with the cup, returning to center to refill as need be.

"May you never hunger." "May you never thirst." Retrieve plates and return to center. We will join hands and chant three more times, then stamp our feet three times, and raise our arms up as we release with loud tone.

High Priest and High Priestess:
Lady of shadows and Lord of the grain,
We thank you for your presence with us today,
Knowing you are with us always.
Hail and farewell! Blessed be.

NORTH: Who returns, returns to the North?
The earth, the earth, goes with our thanks
For firming our Circle with roots and foundation.
Hail and farewell! Blessed be

WEST: Who returns, returns to the West?
The water, the water, goes with our thanks
For washing our Circle with hope and with love.
Hail and farewell! Blessed be

SOUTH: Who returns, returns to the South?
The fire, the fire, goes with our thanks
For kindling our Circle with power and courage.
Hail and farewell! Blessed be.

EAST: Who returns, returns to the East?
The air, the air, goes with our thanks
For waking our Circle with wisdom and knowledge.
Hail and farewell! Blessed be.

ALL:
The circle is open, but unbroken.
May the peace of the Goddess
and the love of the God
go in our hearts.
Merry meet, and merry part, and merry meet again!
Blessed be!