Note that this information describes the 2024 festival. Information about the 2025 festival will be added when it’s available.
For a full schedule, see Events/Schedule on this site or download the PDF.
This page describes rituals, workshops, gatherings, and activities. Click each section title to go directly its section.
Thursday Rituals | Friday Rituals | Saturday Rituals | Sunday Rituals
Ritual Rehearsal and Setup Schedules
Friday Workshops | Saturday Workshops
Thursday Activities/Gatherings | Friday Activities/Gatherings
Saturday Activities/Gatherings | Sunday Activities/Gatherings
Thursday Ritual
Opening Ritual: Honor the Harvest
5:00 – 6:00, Sept. 12, Ritual Ground; Ryan Coe
It is the time of the Harvest, the time the Corn Lord, in all his many forms, falls. It is the time of sacrifice and bringing in the bounty that was planted in the Spring. Let us honor the Gods by bringing forth our particular bounty to honor all the Gods and Goddess of the Harvest and to share with each other.
Friday Rituals
Dionysian Rite of Transformation
11:00 – 12:30, Sept. 13, Ritual Ground, Purna Das
The Dionysian Rite of Transformation is a sacred ceremony to embrace personal change and affirm a new identity. Through invocation, symbolic acts, and celebration, participants honor the transformative power of Dionysus, stepping into their true names and identities. To participate contact Purna Das (aka Joshua Rex) at japajoshua@gmail.com.
The Great Harvest Gathering
4:00 – 5:15, Sept. 13, Ritual Ground, Crystal Edwards
Have you ever invited your favorite Deity to a gathering? How about Embodying them and letting them celebrate The Great Harvest with other Deities in a safe and joyful sacred space? The Great Harvest Gathering ritual encompasses the 2024 Mabon theme of Many Paths to the Sacred, along with the seasonal Fall Harvest theme. Participants are invited to tap into and bring their own personal connection with the Sacred into a gathering space with each other, and to share, receive, and celebrate heart felt harvest offerings with each other in that space.
Participants will gather, creating sacred space together, bringing special or meaningful costuming, props, and offerings appropriate for a magickal harvest gathering. Each individual will invoke and/or draw down a deity, spirit, or energy (higher self, elements, elementals, etc.) that they feel drawn to or connected with. Participants will share their offerings and divinely connect with each other in this magickal space with the mindful use of our senses.
Main Ritual: The Journey of Mabon and the Transition of Light
6:30 – 7:45, Sept. 13, Ritual Ground, Jody Masters
Join us in telling the story of Mabon, the light, stolen by Hekate and hidden in the darkness. Wise animals of the forest will guide us into our own passage to the next season, as we follow our own light and celebrate our community, as well as plant seeds for what is to come.
Healing Aphrodites’ Body Blessing Ceremony (ages 18+ only)
5:30 – 6:00, Sept. 13, Pre-Ritual Teaching (Mandatory), East Pavilion, Sarah Heartsong
9:00 – 11:00, Sept. 13, Ceremony, Vendor Village, Sarah Heartsong
Awaken and/or heal your sensuality and self-love through this unique Body Blessing ceremony. The Healing Aphrodites’ Body Blessing Ceremony will help you create a statement of identity–how you come to the ritual and share it in your introduction to establish a net of safety for self exploration with others in whatever way is Perfectly Right to each participant in that Moment in Time.
Prepare yourself: Join the required Pre-Ritual Teaching (mandatory) to craft a personal identity statement and explore boundaries for a safe and loving “nest” experience. All questions will be answered at the Pre-Ritual Teaching. Participants must attend the pre-ritual teaching, a mandatory orientation (unless pre-approved by iRev Heartsong), in order to be admitted to the ceremony. The ritual experience is limited to those 18 years or older; however, youth from 13+ are welcome to join the orientation.
Embrace playful connection: Learn to negotiate touch with others in a beautifully crafted space. Be a Love Bird: Undress to your comfort level (think “skyclad” or “naked”) and engage in gentle, playful negotiated touch (excluding pubic areas). Embrace your sensuality, celebrate your body, and connect with yourself and others in a safe and empowering space.
Saturday Ritual
The Wild Hunt, based on The Story of the Great Hunt, originally written and performed by Solaria of Silver Crescent West)
4:45 – 6:15, Sept. 14, Ritual Ground, Faellina Rose
The Wild Hunt is a rite found throughout the cultures of ancient Europe that honors the sacrifice of both the hunter, the hunted, and those who support them. In many ways it’s a sports event that requires endurance, disciplined abandon, and total trust. Everyone has an active role and may choose to be hunters, dancers, singers, musicians, sages, and witness support. This rite encompasses the essence of community, as all must participate to live and thrive. The parts played by four clans of the four cardinal directions are a unification of our Pagan community, which honors our rich cultural heritages and traditions. Together we create powerful bonds that, as in ancient times, will certainly create lasting connection for future endeavors. It is truly a Convergence of the Many Paths to the Sacred!
Sunday Ritual
Closing Ritual: Goodbyes and Thank Yous
11:15 – 12:00, Sept. 15, Ritual Ground, MMSW Coordinators
We will formally close our ritual circle, reflect on the weekend, and bid goodbye for this cycle. Our heartfelt thanks to everyone for coming working behind the scenes and on the scene to make the festival a success! See you in 2025!
Friday Workshops
“Lotus of Light” Sound Meditation, Dru
8:15 – 8:45, Sept. 13, Music Tent/Hive
Begin your day centered, balanced, and energized with a bija (pron. beej) sound meditation. Each bija (seed) sound corresponds to a petal of the chakras and a specific body part. Using the bija sounds as recorded by Layne Redmond on the track “Lotus of Light” (~16 minutes), we will awaken and tone our energy centers. Additional chakra toning exercises may follow. No preparation needed; bring a comfortable chair.
Labyrinths: Paths to the Sacred, Azrael
9:00 – 10:30, Sept. 13, East Pavilion and Vendor Village
The basic “Cretan” labyrinth is found in indigenous cultures all over the globe. We will briefly review its history and uses as a path to the Sacred within each walker, then practice drawing it. We will also learn to draw a double spiral labyrinth and create one at the center of Vendor Village for use throughout the weekend. Everyone can help; everyone will transform!
Wildcrafting Vinegar & Tasting, Noelani Clough
11:00 – 12:00, Sept. 13, East Pavilion
Have you ever wondered how vinegar has been made for millennia? Have a hankerin’ to brew your own, or to simply taste the possibilities? Join me for an informal discussion about wildcrafting vinegar using basic equipment and ingredients. Homemade vinegar is a probiotic living food and a delight for the senses. The flavors are unparalleled and not generally available in stores. I will have at least 20 different vinegars for you to sample, some green and some aged so you can see and taste the difference. You should bring a wee tasting vessel and your water bottle (for rinsing between tastes). I’ll bring some palate cleansers and some reference books for perusing. Come learn about this delicious mouth watering way to preserve some of your harvest.
The Butzemann, Wulfric Schenk von Landsberg
12:45 – 1:45, Sept. 13, East Pavilion
Butzemann is a Pennsylvania Deitsch tradition. Germans migrated to Pennsylvania in the 1600s and brought many old country pagan practices, such as the Butzemann, with them, which they still observe. The Butzemann, stuffed with last year’s harvest, is like a scarecrow that’s activated through a kannsege that serves as a spiritual ward and protector of the garden and fields for the season. An oath is sworn to burn the Butzemann before what’s known as Halloween so the spirit can join the wild hunt. If you don’t burn it, bucklich mennli will take over the scarecrow body and cause trouble during winter.
Drum Circle Jam and Practice, Jonathan
1:30 – 2:30, Sept. 13, Music Tent/Hive
Learn several core drumming patterns that you can use at the fire circles. Drum patterns for Arabic, Norse, and others will be presented and practiced. Drum circle etiquette will be covered. Some loaner drums will be available; bring your own drum and other percussion instruments, too.
The Generations in a Fishbowl (or the Magic of Communication), Faellina Rose
2:00 – 3:30, Sept. 13, East Pavilion
At one time we lived in villages where everyone was interconnected. The elders were the oracles, the historians, the night watchmen, and the grandparents. The youth and their rites of passage were what bonded the community. Their fertility and strength was the lifeblood!
We, as a pagan community, recognize this loss of family structure in American society and do have an appreciation for the variety within our community: the colorful white-haired characters strolling, gallivanting adults, bucking teens and frolicking babes among us. But do the youth and elder have a culture of connection?
Here’s your chance to meet the generations! I invite you to really lean into this. If you could ask a person of another gen one question, what would it be? Visualize sitting in the village of ancient times, where we are all interdependent, all trusting, and all family.
Our questions will be put into two hats: one for the elders to answer and one for the youth to answer. We will be practicing Active Listening, so as one group answers a question from the hat, the other group will sit quietly around them.
Afterwards we’ll share refreshments for a meet and greet. May this gathering promote many an enduring friendship amongst the ages!
Chant Sharing and Chants for the Fire Circle, Kim & Dru
2:45 – 3:45, Sept. 13, Music Tent/Hive
Learn (or re-learn!) popular chants for dancing around the fire and celebrating the season. This is an open space where all can share a song or chant–bring a few, learn a few, teach a few. Instruments welcome. Some handouts will be provided.
Saturday Workshops
“Lotus of Light” Sound Meditation, Dru
8:15 – 8:45, Sept. 14, Music Tent/Hive
Begin your day centered, balanced, and energized with a bija (pron. beej) sound meditation. Each bija (seed) sound corresponds to a petal of the chakras and a specific body part. Using the bija sounds as recorded by Layne Redmond on the track “Lotus of Light” (~16 minutes), we will awaken and tone our energy centers. Additional chakra toning exercises may follow. No preparation needed; bring a comfortable chair.
Learning the Witches’ Dance, Jeanette Lloyd
9:15 – 10:15, Sept. 14, Ritual Ground
We will teach the Witches’ Dance that groups around the world are doing. It will be a fun and musical event. There are 8 sections to the dance and the tutorial will go through all the steps involved, culminating in a group performance. Everyone is welcome to participate.
Tarot Reading Jam, Mychos
10:30 – 11:45, Sept. 14, East Pavilion
Bring your favorite tarot and oracle decks, runes, ogham sticks, and whatever other divinatory tool you’d like to use. This is an open space where everyone can read, be read for, and share. No experience needed, just a willingness to play and engage your intuition. We will use a few techniques to break “reading block;” For example, you’ll have a brief time to read and be read for. When the bell rings, we’ll switch!
Drumming the Cone of Power for the Wild Hunt, Issa
10:30 – 12:00, Sept. 14, Ritual Ground
This workshop will focus on raising energy/cone of power in ritual through music. We will be learning to feel the energy and working with the energy of the group within a ritual setting. All musicians welcome.
Safety and the Wild Hunt, Ryan
10:30 – 12:00, Sept. 14, Ritual Ground
This workshop teaches our hunters to work as a team, using the concept of controlled abandon to keep us aware of our terrain and the folks around us. We will learn how to use hand signals, graceful movement and peripheral vision to keep ourselves and others safe, while enjoying the adrenaline of power raising through the hunt itself. Everyone welcome.
Dancing the Wild Hunt, Radahn
10:30 – 12:00, Sept. 14, Ritual Ground
Come learn the Wild Hunt dance! First you’ll be stretching and limbering up your body, mind, and spirit. Then Radahn will teach some simple dance movements that you will perform in the center of the circle as the hunters embark on the chase. Choreography combines with the hunters’ exit and re-entry into the circle, so all dancers please attend!
Wild Hunt Choir Rehearsal, Alane Brown
10:30 – 12:00, Sept. 14, West Pavilion
Come practice the magical songs that are in the Wild Hunt ritual. Lyric handouts with chords will be provided. Then, during the Wild Hunt, you’ll be part of the ritual, performing songs to ignite the magic. All singers and instrumentalists are welcome.
Dance Jam, Juli
2:30 – 3:30, Sept. 14, Music Tent/Hive
Experience the joy of movement! Come dance and sway to music that is sure to lift your post-lunch lethargy and connect you with the sacred inside you and around you.
The Elements: Beyond Ritual, Kalisha
2:45 – 3:45, Sept. 14, East Pavilion
Our magick and spiritual practices don’t stop at the rituals’ end but carry into our every day mundane lives. Learn that the Elemental Kingdoms are in our every day life and all we do. This workshop is designed to help us transend our mundane routines and activities into recognizing the sacred all around us by making connections never considered by many.
Wild Hunt ALL PLAYERS Full Dress Rehearsal, Faellina Rose
3:30 – 4:30, Sept. 14, Ritual Ground
All-players full dress rehearsal for the Wild Hunt.
Activities and Gatherings by Day
While workshops enrich us in so many ways, we also need time to relax and be social, so….
Thursday Activities/Gatherings
Vendor Village and Music Tent/Hive
Ongoing through the festival, opening around 2:00
Merchants and music throughout the weekend. Visit the vendors to peruse and purchase their wares. Play at the Music Tent/Hive where you can jam, sing, be a star at the open mic, etc. There are scheduled activities (see workshops), but feel free to stop in and start something fun anytime.
Happy Cauldron, RV area above East Pavilion, Bridget and Ina
Ongoing through the festival, opening around 2:00
The Happy Cauldron is open to everyone—the more the merrier! We’re open throughout the weekend, so stop in whenever you feel like it. Sponsored by Ardantane Retreat and Learning Center (www.ardantane.org). We offer cookies, snacks, tea and even coffee in the morning. BYOB if you like.
How We Gather: Consent and Honoring Boundaries
6:30 – 7:30, Sept. 12, Temple of Dionysus
We will discuss the culture at the festival, policies for conduct, and how to experience the festival joyfully while being sensitive to others’ boundaries.
Fire Circle
8:00, West Fire Circle
Drum, dance, and sing into the night. Friday’s fire circle will start after the main ritual. Bring drums, other percussion instruments, costume, chants and songs to weave the energy of the fire and community.
Friday Activities/Gatherings
Pagans in Recovery 12-Step Meeting
1:30 – 2:30, Sept. 13, Cauldron of Clear Celebration
Are you in recovery or looking for a space free from alcohol and intoxicants? Join us at The Cauldron of Clear Celebration Hearthcamp. We support community members who need grounding and support for mental health and sobriety. You are welcome to camp here, hang out and/or attend a Pagans in Recovery 12-Step meetings Friday at 1:30 pm and Saturday at 12:45 pm.
Brewers & Makers Gathering, Temple of Dionysus
3:45 – 5:30, Sept. 13, West Pavilion
If you brew, bake, or make anything with yeast, you are invited to compare potions with your fellow wizards. Bring your own drinking vessel and a sample of your brews, and fermented goodies to share. 21+ only; we will check wristbands. This year will include a silent mead auction to benefit the MMSW festival.
Merry Meet Mabon Mad Tea Party, Bridget and Ina
4:00 – 5:15, Sept. 13, Happy Cauldron
The Happy Cauldron would like to welcome everyone to the Merry Meet Mabon Mad Tea Party. Come meet everyone, tell stories, ask questions and get to know the community. Hats and gloves are encouraged! Refreshments will be served.
Dance Party, Clint
After the Main Ritual, Ritual Ground
Groove to the beats provided by DJ Clint!
Fire Circle
After the Dance Party, West Fire Circle
Drum, dance, and sing into the night. Friday’s fire circle will start after the main ritual. Bring drums, other percussion instruments, costume, chants and songs to weave the energy of the fire and community.
Saturday Activities/Gatherings
Ardantane Fundraiser Live Auction, Amber K and helpers
12:30 – 2:30, Sept. 14, East Pavilion
A community favorite! A fabulous fun auction brimming with magical items the likes of which you will not see elsewhere. Auction of donated goods to benefit Ardantane. Bid on your favorite items. It’s a fun way to donate to Ardantane. Cash, checks, and plastic accepted. www.ardantane.org.
Pagans in Recovery 12-Step Meeting
12:45 – 1:45, Sept. 14, Cauldron of Clear Celebration
Are you in recovery or looking for a space free from alcohol and intoxicants? Join us at The Cauldron of Clear Celebration Hearthcamp. We support community members who need grounding and support for mental health and sobriety. You are welcome to camp here, hang out and/or attend a Pagans in Recovery 12-Step meetings Friday at 1:30 pm and Saturday at 12:45 pm.
Next Year at Mabon, MMSW Coordinators
2:30 – 3:30, Sept. 14, East Pavilion
MMSW coordinators are interested in what your experience of the festival was like, as well as hearing your ideas for next year and vision going forward. And, if you are interested in being a coordinator, teacher, ritualist, or vendor for the 2025 festival, plan to drop in!
Bardic Circle, Oak
7:00 – 8:15, Sept. 14, East Fire Pit
Share a joke, song, poem, etc., at the bardic to a very friendly audience cozied around a fire. If you are not attending the bardic, we ask that you keep noise low nearby so those sharing can be heard.
Fire Circle
8:00, after bardic, West Fire Circle
Bring drums, other percussion instruments, costume, chants and songs.
Sunday Activities/Gatherings
Ritual Rehearsals, Setups
The Main and Wild Hunt rituals will hold rehearsals and do setups as scheduled below. Ritual leaders may decide to adjust these as needed. If you are part of a ritual, please keep in close contact with your ritual leader through the weekend. All interested are welcome to join the workshops on Saturday for the Wild Hunt (linked below).
Main Ritual rehearsals and setups
— Friday, 12:45 to 3:45, Ritual Ground, setup and rehearsal
— Friday, 5:30 to 6:30, Ritual Ground, setup
Wild Hunt Ritual workshops, rehearsals (see descriptions above)
— Saturday, 10:30 to noon, Ritual Ground, Drummers
— Saturday, 10:30 to noon, Ritual Ground, Dancers
— Saturday, 10:30 to noon, Ritual Ground, Safety Orientation
— Saturday, 10:30 to noon, West Pavilion, Choir Rehearsal
— Saturday, 3:30 to 4:30, Ritual Ground, All-players full dress rehearsal for the Wild Hunt! Be there!