Materials Needed:

1 candle for East - yellow
2 candles for altar - green/black & white
2 trays for leaves

Outline circle with 20 candles, each in sand in a white bag. Elements, candle at East.

On altar:
two candles, chalice of water, feathers, willow wands, hawthorn wands, bowl(s) of water, athame, bell, rag, matches, lighter, ritual

In center:
Linda
Jeff
Michelle
Imre

North: Shadowcat
South:
East:
West:

As each person enters by the East gate, smudge them briefly. People move around clockwise, forming a circle, with participants breaking off and going to their places.

Have everyone in circle chant while four corners lead all around in circle:

Lady, weave your Circle tight
a web of growing light
and Air, Fire and Water
Bind us now to you tonight

Invoke the elements:

East:

We ask for the presence of
The sacred Fires
That dance within the form
Of every creation.

South:

We ask for the presence of
The sacred Earth
Bring forth your Harmony,
Richness, and Beauty.

We ask for the presence of
The sacred Waters
That fill the blessed cauldron
Of rebirth.

North:

We ask for the presence of
The sacred Air
Whose winds bring me the voices
Of the Ancient Ones.

"The circle is cast,
We are between the worlds,
Beyond the bounds of time,
Where night and day,
Birth and death,
Joy and sorrow,
Meet as one.
a time that is not a time,
In a place that is not a place,
a day that is not a day,
We stand at the threshold,
the worlds,
the veil of the mysteries.
May the Ancient Ones help and protect us
On our magical journey."

Priestess:

"Dear Mother, we see you in the sun, the moon, and the earth. We know you in our hearts. Bless and guide us as we celebrate this night."

What is this night?

Tonight we step out of Springtime's light. We stand on the bridge between Willow and Hawthorn, between dark and light, between yin and yang. This is traditionally a time of abstinence, cleansing, and purification. After the excesses of Beltane, we must ready ourselves for the hot summer months ahead, both spiritually and physically. Tonight the last sliver of Willow Moon appeared in the sky, as if to encourage us in our journey within.

What is the meaning of this night?

We begin now to throw away dead habits and establish those which speed us in our growth, as a mother bird sweeps her nest clear of last year's loose grasses and twigs, freshening it for nesting.

This is a moon to clear away both spiritual and physical deadwood, and to clarify our dedication and focus. During Hawthorn Moon we have always cleaned the Temples, purifying the sacred places we have dedicated to the Goddess and the God.

We have been as adolescents, seemingly invulnerable to the energies we have been building up throughout the first part of the year. We are now as a hawk on a cliff; perched, full of tension, uncertain of our direction. The energies will impel us forward, but it is up to us to choose our true path. If the direction we have chosen is wrong, the amount of power required on the spiritual level to truly change this direction will be profound.

What will we do on this night?

Tonight we will let the Willow guide and aid us in our transformation. The Willow (hold up wand) aids us in setting aside that which is still clinging to us; our bad habits, our insecurities, and especially our resentments.

Sit or lie down, holding a willow leaf in each hand, and the hawthorn leaf in your right hand. Feel our Mother Earth beneath us. Let us experience the heart of our Mother. She is our guide and teacher in this time.

(let everyone get settled)

As you hold the willow leaf in your left hand, think of the burdens of the year. These are the testers that give you strength for the trying summer months ahead.

PAUSE

This is the leaf that supports you... the willow leaf takes on your burdens and resentments. When you go, you will leave this willow leaf in the circle; you'll give it, and your burdens, to the Mother. Trust in Her.

PAUSE

The other willow leaf, the one in your right hand, is the conductor that helps you transform these burdens into more useful energies. It is the catalyst. With it, we come to a state of readiness, waiting, emptiness, which is the gift of the Willow tree.

(Splatter them with water from a willow wand)

By stilling our inner thoughts, we gain the ability to go within, to transform ourselves. These burdens now become teachers, and will guide us through the energies of the coming moon, Hawthorn.

PAUSE

During Hawthorn, there is a war between your High Self and your Low Self, between the desire for physical gratification and spiritual growth; a war between what we want and what we need.

The Hawthorn takes us deep into ourselves. It allows us to tame our emotions. Only when we are still and quiet can we hear our spiritual guides, who will teach us of the journey we are about to make into the fullness of the year. If wisdom in its fullness blesses us, we can shift the path.

But we are not alone in this - there is guidance; there is wisdom in the earth and in the sky. Open your eyes now to the stars above you.

PAUSE

This is the time to call on the silence within, for only in the darkest hours do the stars above shine brightest. The gift of the upcoming moon is to give you the greatest guidance. Hawthorn transforms us from the tense, anxious, Hawk, perched on a cliff, to the Night Crow, who with new-found courage, at night, flies alone.

PAUSE

Stand Up!! (loudly)

How do we recognize ourselves on this night?

We are the reborn, we are transformed. We are the Crow, that at night flies alone. We do not surrender to our physical passions, nor are we overcome with the euphoria of the battle. We remember the yin energies of the past months, and apply them to the yang energies soon to come. We are the seekers of guidance...We are the guides.

Who helps us?

Our spiritual guides. We call these guides the Goddess.

What is our Goddess?

She is the earth, the air, the fire, the water. She is the source of all life.

Who is our Goddess?

She is the Virgin of Light, the Crone of Darkness, the Mother of Time.

(Get everyone to hold hands)

Where is our Goddess?

She is all that ever was, that is, and that ever will be. She surrounds us, she guides us, she lives within us.

Who is our Goddess?

Behold, She is all the universe... but we find her in ourselves.

Priestess:

Dear Mother, we offer our prayers and our energy for the healing and transforming of ourselves, and with us, the planet."