ESBAT:
I wrote this Esbat to invoke the divine in each of us participating, in place of a traditional drawing down. The format of the journey was laid out ahead of time, so participants would know what they were seeking and have a very broad range of where to journey to. Instead of guiding the group through each step of the journey with a spoken dialogue, a drum beat was followed. Each person was free to travel as fast or as slow as they needed, and to gather messages and tools along the way that would aid them.
In the section below right, is the journey I found myself on during this rite (see the heading THE JOURNEY). I was surprised as I normally work with the feminine aspect of the divine. What became clear to me was that even as seasoned spiritual workers, clearly not new to this path, we do become unbalanced in our preferences.
The message was clear for me that I needed to embrace the masculine god form, if for no other reason than to integrate that power within myself....
And so the Mabon rite was born.
The Journey
The journey begins and I found myself on a dirt path that winds along. I can smell the dirt, dry and dusty, and feel the heat from the sun as it beats down upon me. The ground is hard, strewn with small rocks, and as I navigate this path I hear the sound of moving water. Glancing downward to my left, I see a brook, a small stream....
The water is moving very fast, and forceful. I continue along this pathway and as I do the ground becomes softer and moister. I now notice trees lining the sides of the path. I continue to hear the stream, but cannot see it as clearly.....
The pathway becomes greener before disappearing in the center of a clearing.....
There are butterfies and sunflowers everywhere.... Ahh, I catch my breath and let this beauty fill me......
At the edge of the clearing there is a shadow among the trees.... It moves and I hear the rustling of leaves.....
The form steps out into the clearing...... large, beautiful, antlered and wild......the largest stag I have ever seen....
He looks me in the eye and I look back, in his eyes I see eternity......he begins to speak;
All things wild and wonderful reside in this place~
This sacred realm is untamed and free~
What seems like wild chaos is actually the balance of nature~
There is beauty and strength here~
Do not fear me for I am the father of all living things and I balance out the divine within you~
I am your hearts song and I bring you truth in it's untamed form~
I am with you always in the dream of dancing unencumbered and unrestrained~
Know Me~
Embrace Me~
Katarine Anu