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This thread has several rituals geared for this time of year and helps to give us ideas about how to celebrate ourSabbat of Beltaine |
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Beltane / May Day
Ribbon Ritual [This is a]…ritual binding of life and the beauties of life to the Earth plane/the self �? [You'll need]…some lengths of ribbon…to braid during the Magick making portion of your ritual�? the idea here is that you (your body) symbolically becomes the…shamanistic tree - that you see yourself as the shaman on the tree (in your body), able to bring forth a variety of things from the Otherworld into manifestation here on Earth. Each ribbon will represent one aspect of your life that you'd like to bind closer to you (while realizing the constraints that doing so might imply). Choose the ribbon colors accordingly. For example, if you want to bring financial security into your life and bind it to you, have a green ribbon on your altar. (Or perhaps you find silver or gold might work better for you here.) If you'd like your life to be constantly surrounded by love, add a pink (or red) ribbon to the array on your altar. If you'd like peace of mind/emotional stability to be a constant in your life, add a light blue ribbon to the mix, etc. I'd recommend each ribbon be as long as you are tall. Symbolically then, each ribbon represents your physical self. Be sure your altar set-up includes a symbol/tool associated with each of the four elements. Now light your candles and incense and create your sacred space in your usual manner. Invoke…Whom you feel is appropriate. Ask [this being] to join you in your dance of life. Include movement in your invocation if you like.
You'll now need to bless each ribbon by the four elements. Take your time in doing this. Pass each one through the incense smoke (Air), over a candle flame (Fire), sprinkle each with water (Water), and pass each through a bowl of sea salt (Earth). Or, think of the smoking censer as representing Air and Fire. Put some sea salt in your water vessel, stir, and think of it as representing Water and Earth. Then just pass each ribbon through the smoke and sprinkle it with the water mixture, thereby blessing each by all four elements. However you decide to do it, take some time to think about just exactly what it is each ribbon represents to you. What it is you'd like to bind to you/bring to the fullness of life within your life? What benefits will accrue to you in so doing? What is the down side in each case, and how will you handle it? Now gather all ribbons together and tie a knot at the top to hold them together�? Meditate on bringing all these things forth in your life and on how they will interact with each other to turn your life into a beautiful braid of happiness and well-being. Remember to envision yourself enmeshed in this braiding as it progresses. When you near the end, tie it off in similar fashion to your beginning knot. End the Magick by blessing the finished braid with your body. After all, your body symbolically lies at the heart of the braid. Breathe on it (Air). Gather it to your heart (Fire). Spit on it or lick it (Water). Coil it up and stand with it under your foot for a few moments (Earth). Now call the blessing of the Goddess into it. Wear your braid now, or carry it on your person for the rest of the day and/or night�? [Afterwards,]…keep the braid in some secret and safe place away from the prying eyes and possible ill wishes of others. Or, if you're not worried about that, keep it on your altar for the coming seasons of growth and harvest�? Note: This lovely Beltane ritual involving ribbons has now vanished from the web. (It was originally posted by someone named "Anonymous"). So, since Kathleen Jenks from MYTH*ING LINKS saved many passages from it for a class she was teaching, she has put the entire handout online. She says, "One piece I did not save is that the anonymous author of the ritual suggests burning the ribbons six months later as part of a Samhain ritual. My ribbons were so lovely that I decided against doing this. Instead, I kept them in a special place for a year, then un-wove them for the next Beltane and again swirled them into a new weave, re-energizing them, during that year's ritual. If you decide to do this ritual, use your own intuition about what to do." |
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A Fairy Spell for Beltane
In a woodland clearing, spread a clean green cloth. On it place
small cakes and flowers, especially primroses, in a circle. Imagine
the magic around you and say:
O Fairy Queen,
Upon your white steed,
Within me plant
A magic seed.
From you may spring
Many new beginnings.
Great Queen,
Accept these offerings.
Leave the items and walk around the altar three times, then slowly
walk the path back to your home. Listen for the sound of laughter
and bells and know you are blessed. Beltane is the time when fairies
return from their winter rest, carefree and full of mischief and
delight. On the night before Beltane, in times past, folks would
place rowan branches at their windows and doors for protection. If
you do not wish the fairies to visit, do the same! This is also a
perfect time for night or predawn rituals to draw down power to
promote fertility in body and mind. At Beltane, the Pleiades star
cluster rises just before sunrise on the morning horizon. The
Pleiades is known as the seven sisters, and resembles a tiny dipper-
shaped pattern of six moderately bright stars in the constellation
of Taurus, near the shoulder. Watch for it low in the east-northeast
sky, just a few minutes before sunrise.
By: Nancy Bennett |
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beltane / may day
ribbon ritual 
28 April 2004:Note -- this lovely Beltane ritual involving ribbons has now vanished from the web. Since I saved many passages from it for a class I was teaching, I am putting the entire handout online. One piece I did not save is that the anonymous author of the ritual suggests burning the ribbons six months later as part of a Samhain ritual. My ribbons were so lovely that I decided against doing this. Instead, I kept them in a special place for a year, then un-wove them for the next Beltane and again swirled them into a new weave, re-energizing them, during that year's ritual. If you decide to do this ritual, use your own intuition about what to do. 
PRE-COURSE HANDOUT FOR RITUAL & CEREMONY
Kathleen Jenks, Ph.D. SUMMER 2001 RITUAL OF THE SACRED GROVE Note: I'm adapting our ritual from an anonymous Beltaine one on my website. Here are excerpts: 
[This is a]…ritual binding of life and the beauties of life to the Earth plane/the self �? [You'll need]…some lengths of ribbon…to braid during the Magick making portion of your ritual�? the idea here is that you (your body) symbolically becomes the…shamanistic tree -- that you see yourself as the shaman on the tree (in your body), able to bring forth a variety of things from the Otherworld into manifestation here on Earth. Each ribbon will represent one aspect of your life that you'd like to bind closer to you (while realizing the constraints that doing so might imply). Choose the ribbon colors accordingly. For example, if you want to bring financial security into your life and bind it to you, have a green ribbon on your altar. (Or perhaps you find silver or gold might work better for you here.) If you'd like your life to be constantly surrounded by love, add a pink (or red) ribbon to the array on your altar. If you'd like peace of mind/emotional stability to be a constant in your life, add a light blue ribbon to the mix, etc. �?I'd recommend each ribbon be as long as you are tall. Symbolically then, each ribbon represents your physical self. Be sure your altar set-up includes a symbol/tool associated with each of the four elements. Now light your candles and incense and create your sacred space in your usual manner. Invoke…Whom you feel is appropriate. Ask [this being] to join you in your dance of life. Include movement in your invocation if you like.
You'll now need to bless each ribbon by the four elements. Take your time in doing this. Pass each one through the incense smoke (Air), over a candle flame (Fire), sprinkle each with water (Water), and pass each through a bowl of sea salt (Earth). Or, think of the smoking censer as representing Air and Fire. Put some sea salt in your water vessel, stir, and think of it as representing Water and Earth. Then just pass each ribbon through the smoke and sprinkle it with the water mixture, thereby blessing each by all four elements. However you decide to do it, take some time to think about just exactly what it is each ribbon represents to you. What it is you'd like to bind to you/bring to the fullness of life within your life? What benefits will accrue to you in so doing? What is the down side in each case, and how will you handle it? Now gather all ribbons together and tie a knot at the top to hold them together�? Meditate on bringing all these things forth in your life and on how they will interact with each other to turn your life into a beautiful braid of happiness and well-being. Remember to envision yourself enmeshed in this braiding as it progresses. When you near the end, tie it off in similar fashion to your beginning knot. End the Magick by blessing the finished braid with your body. After all, your body symbolically lies at the heart of the braid. Breathe on it (Air). Gather it to your heart (Fire). Spit on it or lick it (Water). Coil it up and stand with it under your foot for a few moments (Earth). Now call the blessing of the Goddess into it. Wear your braid now, or carry it on your person for the rest of the day and/or night�? [Afterwards,]…keep the braid in some secret and safe place away from the prying eyes and possible ill wishes of others. Or, if you're not worried about that, keep it on your altar for the coming seasons of growth and harvest�? 
For the Ritual of the Sacred Grove, you'll privately invoke the tree or plant that you drew from The Green World Oracle approximately a week earlier (prior to class). The ribbons will represent you as well as your protecting Guardian from the Green World. In different areas of the room there will be incense burning, candles burning, a bowl of water, a saucer of salt, and a bowl of sea-salt water. Interact with these 4 elements of earth, air, fire and water at your own pace and in whatever way you wish. There is no set order. I envision a room full of meditative humans with colorful ribbons, all moving in stately patterns. When all are ready, we'll go outdoors and form a sacred grove in the form of a large circle; then we'll begin twirling the ribbons faster and faster, aligning and activating the "energetics" bound in the ribbons with growing power. When the natural, random "weave" feels right (and this will vary from person to person), you'll stop and knot the ends of your ribbon/tree/self. (If you prefer, you might braid the ribbons by hand instead.) That will conclude the Ritual of the Sacred Grove. |
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A Beltane fertility ritual http://www.cassandraeason.co.uk/beltane.htm This can be carried at any time when you need fertility on any New moon or on Beltane Eve. -
Take a tiny doll and make for it a cradle of flowers and greenery. -
Place in the cradle symbols of increase, with golden coins, sparkling crystals, ears of corn , nuts, seeds. -
Loop over the cradle, nine ribbons, red, yellow, green ,blue ribbons for the four seasons, silver for the Moon, gold for the Sun and white for the Earth Mother, purple for the Sky Father and pink for new life. -
As you bind each ribbon clockwise say, Grow strong in love, Bear fruit and multiply, Child of mine, (or substitute whatever it is you wish to increase) From seed to fruition, Be safe from all harm, all fear. You whom I bind close with hope, All the spiralling energies of earth, air, fire, water, moon, sky and mother Earth Who gives life to all, Aid me. -
Secure each ribbon underneath in a loose knot to another so they form threes; saying: As one becomes two, becomes three, So three to six to nine, Winding, binding, Babe of mine(or wish if it is another fertility matter). -
Go into the open air and make love in a private place or of this is not possible go outdoors immediately afterwards and gather greenery to bring indoors. This is effective for the fertility of joint ventures as well as for conceiving an infant. -
If you do not have a partner, gather greenery and flowers (even from a balcony or window box) and encircle yourself with them before you go to sleep. -
In either case, have the cradle close to you while you sleep. -
In the morning, sprinkle salt nine times clockwise over the cradle, then nine drops of water or Dew (May dew is most potent of all); burn a silver candle, a colour especially associated with fertility and pass it clockwise over the cradle being careful not to let any wax fall. -
Finally waft the smoke of rose or frankincense incense clockwise. -
Leave the cradle by your need either until the Full Moon or for fourteen days after Beltane Eve, replacing any greenery or flowers that are wilting with fresh ones. -
After this period, bury all the greenery in the earth, and cover over the cradle. -
Repeat monthly if necessary. I have a knitted cradle that folds like a bag over the baby within, or you can buy large pottery or wooden hens used for holding eggs. But any lid will do - even the lid of a silver-coloured wok. Magic is all about adapting the available tools, rather than modifying or not carrying out a ritual. Our ancestors managed remarkably well with the hedgerows and fields as source material and much of today’s most potent magic has a simple countryside origin. -
Throw the pieces on to a bonfire or fire in a domestic hearth and look into the embers to see pictures of a brighter tomorrow. |
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Kitchen Rituals for Beltane
by Cait Johnson Beltane is the time of blooming - your kitchen goddess may appreciate a flower on her altar today. Many of our ancestors placed representations of sex organs on their altars at Beltane; a red flower will celebrate the female, or you could make a vulva out of clay or paint one on paper. If you want to include a male organ, appropriately shaped rocks (sometimes called lingams) could be used or you could make something more graphic out of clay. If you have a partner of the opposite sex, the more subtle among you could use a bell (male clapper inside female shell) to symbolize the union of the sexes. Those who are more overt could find, draw, or make something visibly erotic. If you ever thought about making love in the kitchen (with a partner or by yourself), today is definitely the day. You will never look at your kitchen floor (or table or countertop) the same way again. But the best way to honor Beltane in our kitchens is by cooking sensual foods. Whether we live alone or with a loving partner, whether we are sexually active or celibate, we all have bodies ~ and our wise bodies, with their incredibly complex world of nerve endings and processes, have such an amazing capacity for enjoyment. When we give ourselves foods rich in taste, texture, and visual beauty to feast upon, we feed our spirits and we honor the gifts of Earth. |
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|  | Special Notes: Time of the Horned God and the Lady of the Greenwood; honor of the house guardian.
|  | | Altar Supplies: incense; burner; chalice of water; salt; pentacle; dagger or sword; 4 Element Candles; chalice of wine; wand. Somewhere withing the circle area, the house guardian or his symbol, in whatever form you have chosen; perfumed oil. Put everything you will need for your altar and spellworking inside the ritual area. Place on or near your altar the following items: everything needed for specific spells; a chalice with a little fresh water in it; a dish of salt; pentacle disk; sword and /or dagger; wand; incense burner with lighted charcoal; incense; one or two altar candles for light; four Element candles. After the circle is cast, unless it is an emergency, do not cross the boundary until the Elements are dismissed.
| The burning of incense is one of the oldest religious and magical rites. In fact, the word 'perfume'comes from teh Latin profumum(by smoke). Scents of all kinds have a fast, subtle effect upon the human mind and subconscious. It appeals to past memories.
The candles of the four Elements in Celtic magic are red, east; white, south; grey, west; black, north. In the Wiccan and magickal tradition, the colors are yellow, east; red, south; blue, west; dark green, north. In the following ritual, the Celtic colors are listed first, with the Wiccan colors in parentheses.
You are striving to create an atmosphere in which magic can work. The candle-lit room, the wearing of robes and scented incense smoke can transform any ritual area into a shrine of power.
|  | Set the altar in the center, facing east.The Celtic peoples honored the east as a place of renewing power because of the daily rising Sun in that direction. Play soft instrumental music to help create atmosphere. Relax, and take several deep breaths to center yourself.
Taking your magical dagger in your power hand and starting in the east, visualize that powerful, protective silver-blue flame sooting form the tip of the ritual blade. Aim it at the floor. Move clockwise from the east, drawing the magical boundary. Remember to overlap the ends in the east when you finish. Note that in casting the circle it is acceptable to use a dagger, a sword, or the forefinger of your power hand. While you are drawing the circle, say:
I consecrate this circle to the Ancient Gods.
Here may they manifest and bless their child.
Move back to the altar, facing east. Raise your dagger or wand in greeting and say:
This is a time that is not a time,
in a place that is not a place,
on a day that is not a day.
I stand at the threshold between the worlds,
Before the veil of the Mysteries.
may the Ancient Ones help and protect
me on my magickal journey.
Set the water chalice on the pentacle disk. Hold your dagger over it and say:
Great Mother, bless this creature of Water to your service.
May I always remember the cauldron waters of rebirth.
Hold your dagger over the salt, say:
Great Mother, bless this creature of Earth to your service.
May I always remember the blessed Earth, its many forms and beings.
Sprinkle a little salt into the water, then hold the chalice up high. Say:
Great Mother, I give you honor!
| Beginning in the east and moving clockwise, sprinkle the water-salt mixture lightly around the edges of the circle. Replace the chalice on the altar.
Hold your dagge rover the lighted incense burner, saying:
"Great Father, bless this crature of Fire to your service
May I always remember the sacred Fire that dance within
the form of every creation"
Hold your dagger over the incense, saying:
"Great Father, bless this creature of Air to your service
May I always remember to listen to the spirit winds
that bring me to the voices of the Ancient Ones"
Put a little incense on the lighted charcoal. Do not put too much incense in the burner, as a little goes a long way in an enclosed room! Uing chains or some other method, touch the burner briefly to the pentacle, then rais the burner high, saying:
"Great Father, I give you honor!"
Carry the burner around the circle clockwise, beginning in the east. Return it to the altar.
Go to the eastern quarter of the circle. Light the red (yellow) candle and hold your hand up in greeting. You may also salute the Elemental with your dagger, sword or wand instead of your hand. Say:
"I call upon you, Powers of Air, to witness this rite and to guard this circle."
In the southern quarter, light the white (red) candle and hold up your hand in greeting, say:
"I call upon you, Powers of Fire, to witness this rite and to guard this circle."
Move to the west; light the grey (blue) candle and hold up your hand in greeting, say:
"I call upon you, Powers of Water, to witness this rite and to guard this circle."
End by going to the north; light the black (green) candle and greet the Element, saying:
"I call upon you, Powers of Earth, to witness this rie and to guard this circle.
Move back to the central altar, and stand facing east. Raise your arms in greeting, say:
"This circle is bound,
with power all around.
Between the worlds, I stand
With protection at hand."
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Raise your wand in greeting, say:
I give greetings to the Goddess of things wild,
of skies and of waters. I do call upon you,
Lovely Lady to be here with me.
| | Dance or at least march around the altar, beginning in the east and moving clockwise. Pause to salute each Elemental quarter with raised arms. Move back to the alter when finished.
Blessed by the words of the Lady of May
and the laughing Lord of the Greenwood.
Let now thy great light come into me.
I am a cup to be fulled,
that I may do what is needful.
Blessed ever be the Lord and Lady!
| | Stand before the house guardian or symbol.
Lovely Lady, great Lord, I present to you
the guardian of this house, the special spirit
I have invited into my home as protector and helper.
I honor this spirit in the symbol of its being.
Great Ones, bless this guardian of this house.
And to your blessings, I add my thanks.
Blessed Be.
| | The guardian symbol or statue is lightly anointed with perfumed oil. If the symbol is such that it cannot be oiled, at least swing the smoking incense burner around it.
Place the wine chalice on the pentacle for a few moments, then lift it high, saying:
Honor to the Old Gods!
Merry meet, and merry part,
And merry meet again!!
Drink the wine, saving some to be put outside for the little people.
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hold your hand or dagger over the altar and say:
"By the powers of the ancient Gods
I bind all power within this circle
Into this spell. So mote it be."<BR? < >
When you are ready to end the ritual, go to the east and extinguish the red (yellow) candle, say:
"Depart in peace, O Powers of Air
my thanks and blessings
Go to the south, extinguish the white (red) candle, say:
"Depart in peace, O Powers of Fire
my thanks and blessings
Go to the west, and put out the grey (blue) candle, say:
"Depart in peace, O Powers of Water
my thanks and blessings.
Finish by going to the North and extinguishing the black (green) candle, say:
"Depart in peace, O Powers of Earth.
my thanks and blessings
Return to the altar in the center and say:
"To all beings and powers of the visible
and invisible, depart in peace.
May there always be harmony between us.
My thanks and blessings.
Cut the circle with a backwards movement of your dagger or sword to release all remaining traces of power for manifestation. Say:
"The circle is open, yet ever it remains a circle
Around and through me always flows its magickal power.
Put away all magickal tools and clear the altar. Leave any candles or objects which must remain either to burn out or be empowered for a stated period of time.
You have completed a ritual. Practice will make the power flow easier and more freely. You wil become more self-confident. Soon you will be looking forward to the time you spend between the worlds with the Ancient Ones. Preparing the Altar
 Altar candles should be dark green
Incense may be lilac (or any other appropriate for Beltaine).
Circle may be decorated with seasonal flowers
Circle candles remain the usual colors for the Elementals.
Cauldron contains a dark green candle; have a dish for the libation.
Have woodruff on the altar to burn.
Have wood chips from birch, oak, rowan (ash), willow, hawthorn, hazel, apple, vine, and/or fir on the altar to burn.
This rite is for solitary use but may be altered for family or coven participation. The envisionings are suggestions only. | | Sweep circle area; lay out circle and altar items; bathe and robe. Ligth incense and altar candles. Ring bell three times and say:
The circle is about the be cast
and I freely stand within
to greet my Lady and my Lord.
| :Take center candle and light each candle of the circle moving north, then east, south, and west, and say:
(N) I call upon light and earth at the north to illuminate and strengten the circle.
(E) I call upon llight and air at the east to illuminate and enliven the circle.
(S) I call upon light and fire at the south to illuminate and enliven the circle.
(W) I call upon light and water at the west to illuminate and cleanse the circle.
| Take athame in upraised hand, begin circle at north and move around the circle north to east to south to west, and say:
I draw this circle in the presence of the
Goddess and the God where they may come
and bless their child, (name).
| Lower the athame at the north, and as you walk around the circle, envision a blue light shooting out from the point and forming the circle boundary, and say:
This is the boundary of the circle.
Only love shall enter and leave.
return to the altar and ring bell three times. Place point of athame in the salt and say:
Salt is life and purifying.
I bless this salt to be used in this circle
In the names of the Goddess and the God (names).
| Pick up salt bowl and use tip of athame to drop three portions of salt into the water bowl and set salt bowl back in its place. Stir three times with athame and say:
Let the blessed salt purify this water
That it may be blessed to use in theis sacred circle.
In the names of the Goddess and God, (names),
I consecrate and cleanse this water.
| Take the salted water bowl in hand and sprinkle water from it as move deosil around the circle
(N-E-S-W-N), and say:
I consecrate this circle in the names of the Goddess and the God, (names),
the circle is conjured a circle that is purified and sealed.
So mote it be!
| Return the water to the altar and pick up censer; take it around the circle to cense it; return cense toa altar. Take anointing oil, make a Solar Cross ringed by a circle on your forehead, and say:
I, (name), am consecrated in the names
In this, their circle.
| If working with family members or a coven, open a door in the circle with the athame for all to enter. Use anointing oil to trace a Solar Cross n a circle on their foreheads as each person enters, having said some kind of greeting, such as the Wiccan, "I come in perfect love and perfect trust." Then close the door with the athame.
Take the wand and hold it aloft with both arms open and upraised at the north of the circle (envision a powerful bull arriving) and say:
I call upon you Elemental Earth,
to attend this rite and guard this circle,
for as I have body and strength,
we are kith and kin!
| Lower wand and move to the east, raise up wand (see devas, faeries, or an eagle in flight), and say:
I call upon you, Elemental Air,
To atten this rite and guard this circle,
For as I breathe and think,
We are kith and kin!
| Lower wand and move to the south, raise up wand (see a dragon), and say:
I call upon you, Elemental Fire,
To atten this rite and guard this circle,
For as I consume life to live,
We are kith and kin!
| Lower wand and move to the west, hold wand aloft (see an undine, a sea serpent, or a dolphin) and say:
I call upon you, Elemental Water,
To attend this rite and guard this circle,
For as I feel and my heart beats,
We are kith and kin!
| Return to the altar and use wand to draw the symbol of infinity (an 8 lying on its side) in the air above the altar, the sign of working between the worlds. Set wand on altar and raise up athame in both hands overhead and say:
Hail to the elementals at the four quarters.
Welcome Lady and lord to this rite!
I stand between the worlds
with love and power all around!
| Set down athame and pick up goblet of wine. Pour a little into the cauldron. This is a libation to the Divine in which they are honored by offering to them the first draught, then you take a sip. You may prefer to have a bowl specifically for the libation. Ring bell three times and say:
The Goddess of summer walks through the land
with the God of the forest,
and the dark time of winter is behind me.
| Ring bell seven times and say:
The animals breed and the plants pollinate,
as the May Queen and Green Man bestow their blessings
upon the earth and earth's creatures.
I, who am their child, (name), rejoice with them
and ask that their happy union become the example
for all humanity to live in love and harmony.
| Light the candle in the cauldron and say:
The dark days are cleared away that the May Day can now begin!
Drop some of the woodruff into the flame and say:
May the light of May fire bring happiness and peace.
And may the victory of the King of the Wood come into my life
That I may dwell in the joy of the Lady and the Lord.
So mote it be!
| As you state the properties of each, drop wood chips one by one into the flame (be careful, and it is always good to use a small caldron that can be covered with a snuffer in case things get out of hand - you don't need to use a lot of chips, just a little for the symbology):
I burn thee Birch to honor the Goddess;
And now add thee Oak to honor the God.
Thou Rowan I add for a magical life;
And add thee Willow to celebrate death.
Thou Hawthorne I burn for faeries near me;
Thou Hazel I burn for wisdom you bring.
I add thee good Apple to bring me love;
And thou vine whose fruit is sybol of joy.
Fir you are added as the symbol of rebirth;
Your sweet savor reminds me of my immortality.
My blessings I give to all of thee,
And thy blessings I call from thee upon me.
So as I will, so mote it be!
| Hold up the goblet in both hands and say:
I greet the time of unions and give
Honor to the Lord and the Lady
For their fruitfulness!
| Take a sip from the goblet and set back on the altar.
Note:Do not add libation to the hot cauldron. Use a separate bowl for this.
Now is the time to perform any planned magickal spells or divination.
| Cakes and Wine: Ring bell three times. Feet spread and arms upraised, say:
I acknowledge my needs and offer my appreciation
to that which sustains me! May I ever remember
the blessings of my Lady and my Lord.
| Feet together, take up goblet in left hand and athame in right. Slowly lower the point to the athame into the wine and say:
As male joins femal for the benefit of both,
Let the fruits of their union promote life.
Let the earth be fruitful and let her wealth
Be spread throughout all lands.
| lay down the athame and drink from the goblet. Replace the goblet on the altar and pick up the athame. Touch the poin to the athame to the ake in the offering dish and say:
This food is the blessing of the Lady
and the Lord given freely to me.
as freely as I have received,
may I also give food for the body, mind,
and spirit to those who seek such of me.
| Eat the food, finish the wine, and say:
As I enjoy these gifts of the Goddess and the God, (names)
May I remember that without them I would have nothing.
So mote it be!
| When all is finished, hold athame in your power hand level over the altar and say:
Lord and Lady, I am blessed by your sharing this time with me,
Watcing and guarding me, and guiding me here and in all things.
I came in love and I depart in love.
| Raise up the athame in a salute and say:
Love is the law and love is the bond.
Merry did I meet, merry do I part,
And merry will I meet again.
The circle is now cleared. So mote it be!
| Kiss the flat of the blade and set the athame on the altar. Take up the snuffer and go to the north quarter, raise up arms and say:
Depart in peace, Elemental Earth. My blessings take with you!
Lower arms and snuff the candle, envision the Elemental Power departing. Go to the east, raise up arms and say:
Depart in peace Elemental Air. My blessings take with you!
Lower arms and snuff candle, envision the Elemental Power departing. Got to the south, raise up arms and say:
Depart in peace, Elemental Fire. My blessings take with you!
Lower arms and snuff candle, envision the Elemental Power departing. Go to the west, raise up arms and say:
Depart in peace, Elemental Water. My blessings take with you!
| Lower arms and snuff the candle, envision the Elemental Power departing. Return to the alter and set down snuffer. Raise up arms and say:
Beings and powers of the visible and invisible,
depart in peace! You aid in my work,
whisper in my mind, and bless me from
the Otherworld, and there is harmony between us.
My blessings take with you. The circle is cleared.
| Take up athame, go to the north quarter, point athame down and move widdershins around the circle (N-W-S-E-N). Envision the blue light drawing back into the athame and say:
The circle is open yet the circle remains
As its magickal power is drawn back into me.
| When you return to the north having walked the circle, raise up the athame so the blade touches your forehead and envision the blue light swirling around back into you. Return to altar and say:
The ceremony is ended.
Blessings have been given
And blessings have been received,
may the peace of the Goddess and the God
Remain in my heart.
So mote it be!
| Set down the athame. Put away all magical tools and clear the altar except for candles or any objects that need to burn out or work for a stated time (such as candle magick). The cauldron or libation bowl contents are poured onto the earth (or out in the yard, or into a flowerpot containing soil and perhaps a hardy, leafy, green plant). Be sure to carefully extinguish the flame in the cauldron.
Traditional foods are those flavored with flowers, such as cookies made with rose extract and custard containing marigold or nasturtium, oatmeal cakes and wine flavored with flower petals of rose or nasturtium, or dandelion wine. Also, fruity wine, spiced pears, and cinnamon bread with raisins, almonds and almond paste may be used. | | |
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Beltane Ritual This ritual is for a solitary woman. Extra items needed: a candle representing the Bel fire, ribbon in appropriate color, new wand, bowl of earth, paper, pen, simple feast items. Prepare space and cast a circle of your choosing Corner calls:
Guardians of the east, spirits of air
Open my mind to the promise of summer
Fill my lungs, carry my thoughts
Help me to understand my place in the great circle
Even as I offer to you a place in my circle here
Guardians of the south, spirits of fire
Inspire me to seek out my own rebirth
Warm my blood, excite me to action
Help me to experience the passion of living
As I invite you here to remind me of your place in my life Guardians of the west, spirits of water
Guide my roots to the source of life
Nurture my compassion, bathe my wounds
Help me to heal the world by my love
As I ask you here to share in the healing of my hearts Guardians of the north, spirits of earth
Keep me safe in the arms of our Mother
Be firm in my youth, and gentle in my aging
Help me to find the wisdom in nature
As I welcome you to support my steps on the path of the wise Invoking the Goddess and God Goddess of the flowering earth
With you, I feel the blooming within us
As the world once more is wrapped in warmth and light
I thank you for new birth
For a world awash in fertility and creation
Come into my circle, as I celebrate you
And greet you in all that lives. God of the summer sun
With you, I feel the light within us
As the world once more explodes with life
I thank you for your passion
For the glory of the lengthening day
Come into our circle, as I celebrate you
And greet you in all that lives. Statement of purpose Blessed be this day of Beltane,
Wedding day of the Goddess and the God.
Holy day of Sacred Marriage,
Holy night of Sacred Union.
The fertile Goddess of Summer walks through the land
With the Great Horned God of the Forest,
And the dark time of Winter is behind me. The Great Rite Take your athame in your right hand, and your chalice in your left, and hold them in front of you. See them as the Earthly vessels of deity: I greet the time of unions and give honor to the Lord and the Lady for Their fruitfulness
Tonight, I witness the marriage of my Goddess and God.
May Their union be fertile and productive Slowly lower the athame blade into the chalice and feel the union of the deities: As They are one, They become one.
As They become one, They are one.
And I am also one with Them. Ritual Magick Bless ribbons, one for each item you are wishing for. Braid together, thinking of what you want. Take a new wand and oil it. I bless this wand in the name of the Lord of the Day, the youthful, ardent one, the Lord of Life, the God of the greenwood. Wrap the braided ribbon around it. Pass it swiftly through the candle flame or the Bel fire. Place the wand upon the dish of earth; hold it there: As the wand is to the earth,
so the male is to the female
and the Sun to our blossoming world.
Joined, they bring happiness.
May the God of Life give ___ (what you want)
May the Goddess bring it forth!
Visualize a red rosebud in your womb. Close your eyes and picture the light from the candle/fire streaming into your womb so that the rosebud blooms, unfolds. Hold the image for a while, feeling the silkiness, smelling the scent, the freshness, seeing the color of the fully open rose within you. Feel the strength and power of your own fully blossomed capabilities. Say:
I am woman,
strong to conceive and to create,
to give birth and to tend.
As I am daughter of the Goddess,
and blessed by the God, may I ___ (what you want/need)
Write all the things that are keeping you from obtaining that goal. Shred the paper into bits saying "I am free of these limitations." Burn the bits in the cauldron or your Bel Fire. Simple feast and drink Mother goddess, Queen of the night and of the Earth;
O Father God, King of the day and of the forest,
I celebrate Your union as nature rejoices in a riotous
blaze of color and life. Accept my gift, Mother Goddess
and Father god, in honor of Your union. From Your mating shall spring fourth life anew;
a profusion of living creatures shall cover the lands,
and the winds will blow pure and sweet.
Ancient Ones, I celebrate with You! Thank Goddess and God, close quarters and open circle. |
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Beltaine Ritual
If possible, celebrate Beltaine in a forest or near a living tree. If this is impossible, bring a small tree within the circle, preferably potted; it can be of any type.
Create a small token or charm in honor of the wedding of the Goddess and God to hang upon the tree. You can make several if you desire. These tokens can be bags filled with fragrant flowers, strings of beads, carvings, flower garlands - whatever your talents and imagination can conjure. Arrange the altar, light the candles and censer, and cast the Circle of Stones.
Recite the Blessing Chant
Invoke the Goddess and God.
Stand before the altar and say, with wand upraised:
Mother Goddess,
Queen of the night and of the Earth;
Father God,
King of the day and of the forest,
I celebrate Your union as nature rejoices in a riotous blaze of
color and life.
Accept my gift,
Mother Goddess and Father God, in honor of Your union.
Place the token(s) on the tree.
From Your mating shall spring forth life anew;
a profusion of living creatures shall cover the lands,
and the winds will blow pure and sweet.
Ancient Ones,
I celebrate with You!
Works of magick, if necessary, may follow.
Celebrate the Simple Feast.
The circle is released. (source unknown) |
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A Special Solitary Beltaine Ritual for you to do Obviously, Beltaine is a festival you should share, if you possibly can. But what if it just isn't possible for you to either join in an open ritual with a Maypole dance, or to invite a group to celebrate with you?
 Begin just before dawn by going outdoors in your bare feet to feel the May dew on the grass. If you know of a Hawthorne tree, that will fit the Mother Goose rhyme the best. If you don't, that's OK, too. It is said that May dew from the grass, itself, or any plant, is sacred. Gather dew in your hands and bathe your face, feeling the magic and the beauty of it flow over you. If you have flower shrubs or May flowers in bloom, gather some to bring back inside to brighten your home.
Whenever you can throughout this day, pamper yourself in ways that celebrate your sensuality. Anoint yourself with fragrant oil, wear soft garments, indulge in favorite foods and eat them slowly, savoring every bite. Play favorite music and dance to it.
Buy or make special scented bath salts (Check the Simplings board for some great recipes for bath salts) for a ritual you'll do this evening. To make bath salts, combine Epsom salts with a few drops of a favorite essential oil, and perhaps some finally shredded flower petals.
You might share some of your day by making little May baskets for others, filled with a few fresh flowers and little treats. Especially your elderly neighbors who remember May Days fondly from their childhood will appreciate your gift and the memories they conjure.  When evening comes, treat yourself to a long and luxurious ritual bath. Prepare a favorite tea or May wine, and light the room with candles. Set out a fragrant essential oil and have soft music playing. Lay out your largest and softest towel. Turn off the phone to avoid any interruptions. Draw a nice hot bath. Disrobe and with your oil at hand, visualize roots from the bottoms of your feet extending deep down into the Earth to the molten core of the Mother and drawing Her energy back up to enter your body. As you feel the energy move through your body, anoint yourself with oil in the appropriate places as you say:
Blessed be my feet that walk in the ways of the Goddess. Blessed be my sex, creative power of life.
Blessed be my breasts formed in beauty (or for a male, formed in strength).
Blessed be my heart that I feel compassion for all who are living.
Blessed be my mouth that speaks the sacred names.
Blessed be my eyes that behold the beauty of Nature.
Finally anoint yourself in the center of your forehead:
Blessed be my inner sight that I may receive a message within my soul.
Draw a pentagram in the air over the steamy bathwater and cast in the salts, then lower yourself slowly in, savoring the feeling and the scent.
Enjoy your soak as you open your senses to savor-the taste of tea or wine, the scents of your oil and bath, the sounds of the music, the sights of flickering candlelight, the touch of the warm water. Ask the Goddess for insight into any question you may have: Bless me, my Lady, that I may see
The truth of what I ask of thee
In love and trust, so mote it be.
Let your mind and intuition be free to dream and to be open for to the message that you will receive in your inner knowing.
When you are ready, leave your bath, thank the Goddess for her blessings,
I would like you to then sit in the candlelight and get a journal out and start writing. Write your feelings that come to you. Search deep within and allow youself to feel the Horned God and the Maiden Goddess as they join this night. Feel what the Fae may be showing you and be open to those on the other side. The veil is at it's thinnest it will be until Samhain and is a perfect time to listen to the otherside. If you have divination cards, do a reading for yourself and write down anything that comes to you. When you are ready and feel all is done, extinguish your candles, and then sleep with pleasant dreams of your Beltane Day. I look forward to having each of you post about your special Beltaine Ritual. Special May Blessings ~ Lady Majyk ~ |
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