From Kate West's book The Real Witch's Handbook.
The key themes of Mabon are balance - day and night
are equal - and it is the feast of justice, of the healer and of the release of
prisoners.
A few days before you are to celebrate Mabon, go
out and collect a handful of dead leaves.
Take them home and put them somewhere to dry out thoroughly.
Give some thought to the "prisoners", the regrets you wish to release,
and for each one, mark a symbol on a dead leaf.
As an example, your symbol of the unpaid debt might be a dollar sign.
Also consider whether you need to do anything practical, such as paying
off that debt, or apologizing for any harsh words you have spoken, in order for
your process of healing to begin.
Ideally, these practical actions should be performed before you begin your
ritual, so that the matter can be completed at the Sabbat, but you may find that
the matter can be fitted in after your Mabon rites.
When it is time for you to perform your ritual,
invite the elements, the Goddess and the God in your usual way.
Now take out your leaves.
Look closely at the symbol on each one and as you do so, think about the
situation that caused you regret and consider what you have learned from it and
how you might avoid a similar situation in the future.
Hold the leaf up and ask the Goddess to take this problem from you and to
give you strength in the future, then crush the leaf in your hand.
Later you will need to dispose of your leaves.
They can be thrown to the winds, placed in a stream, buried in the
ground or burned if you have the opportunity, thus casting these problems
away from you. If you still
have practical actions to perform to put right any problems, you might like
to keep back those leaves until the actions are completed.
They will act as a physical reminder of the promises you have made.
Having discarded your "prisoners", you now need to
take on some positive thoughts or habits which represent the healing side of
this Sabbat. For this you will
need a length of white cord.
Take your cord and tie one knot in it for each new habit you intend to get
into. For example, you might
wish to promise yourself that you will pay debts back promptly, that you
will try to think before making personal comments or that you will endeavor
to think of a positive personal attribute every time you criticize your own
appearance. This would be three
knots in your cord. You can
make yourself as many promises as you wish, but you will find it more
effective if you pick three or four main items and focus your intent fully
on them, rather than choosing dozens which you can't remember later.