Invocations 1996 CO1

 Invocations 1996

Invocations vary dependent on the reason as well as the Season. These are merely some examples to guide and ignite the imagination. 

Invoking the God\Goddess

Go we now to the sacred place, and stand within the Sacred Space.  Turn your minds to sacred things, And dance with me unto the ring!

Come we forth, with the Spiral Dance, within the Lady’s radiance.  To celebrate the Season’s turn, To Autumn, when the leaves will burn.

Earth, Water, Fire and Air, I invoke the Goddess to be there!  This night we are Between the Worlds, To celebrate the year unfurled!

Water, Fire, Air and Earth, I invoke the God to join our mirth.  This night we are Between the Worlds, To celebrate the year unfurled!

Invoking the Goddess/God 

HPS    I call upon the blessed Lady, Queen of the harvest, giver of life and plenty since before time began.  I ask that you bestow upon us your joy and beauty, power and prosperity.  Join your energies with us tonight!

HP    I call upon the Lord of the Harvest, sacred King, giver of riches and protection since before time began. I ask that you bestow upon us your strength and laughter, power and prosperity. Join your energies with us tonight!

Invocation

In the cloak of the twilight hour, we call upon the Ancient Power. We seek the presence of the Lord and Lady of light. We thank Thee for the use of thy Powers.

Invoking the God\Goddess 

Welcome and Hail, Our Golden Lord and Silver Lady.

By You, this universe is born, By You this universe is created,

By You, this universe is protected, You are eternal. 

You are the energies of Nature, So mote it be.

Invocation

Brigit, Maiden, we ask you to bring healing to our hearts,

Dear Mother, we ask you for a blessing on these lands and seas

Brigit, Grandmother, we ask for peace upon the earth, your sacred body,

Bless us, Heal us, Brigit! Be with us now! Join us, Sanctify us, Make us pure again.

Invocation

Welcome, positive Devas of the land.  We ask you to enter and protect us here.  I extend harmony and peace in friendship.  Join us in celebration of laughter and light, growth and levitation.

Welcome to the CircleOfOne Archives

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Go Mbeannaigh    (Gaelic, Ireland - Blessed Be)

Beannaichte Be    (Gaelic, Scotland - Blessed Be)

Sonqongi Apukuna Wak'aychasunkiku

   (Quechua, Peru - May the Heart of the Mountain bless you)

Xut Kala Xetl     (Tlingit, Alaska - Blessed Be)

Seja Abençoado     (Portuguese, Portugal - Blessed Be)

Ground and Center 1995 CO1

Ground and Center, 1995

Begin with three deep breaths, in through the nose, out through the mouth, and relax. With each breath you exhale, release the stress, the worries of the day, and relax. As your breathing calms visualize a small globe of beautiful white light floating above your head, spinning gently. That is your connection to the positive forces of Universal Energy. As you inhale, reach up and slowly draw a  small tendrel of that white light down into your head. Visualize that white light gently filling your head. With each breath see that light moving down into your body, down your arms to your fingertips, down your body to your hips and finally down your legs to your toes. Visualize that lovely white light touching every cell of your being.

Now take some of that light and push it down through the soles of your feet. See it moving down through all the layers of the earth beneath your feet, all the way down to the molten core of the earth where you see a beautiful gold light shining. That is your connection to the beauty and wonder of the earth you live on. As you inhale, reach down and slowly draw a small tendrel of that gold light up towards you. Watch how the two, the white and the gold, gently sprial around each other. Visualize that gold light moving up through all the layers of the earth, up through the soles of your feet. With each breath see that light moving up into your body, from your toes, to your hips, up to your shoulders to your fingertips, and finally up into your head. Visualize that lovely gold light touching every cell of your being.

Now that you are connected to the Universe and Earth energies, draw some of that amazing light to the center of your being, just below your chest. Watch as the gold and white continue to move and swirl together, two separate lights moving together as one. Nothing can dim the light that shines from within, you can accomplish anything. Take a few moments to enjoy the peace and quiet, then when you're ready, open your eyes and rejoin the world. Nothing is impossible, the word itself says I’m possible! 

Welcome to the CircleOfOne Archives

https://circleofone1.blogspot.com

Go Mbeannaigh    (Gaelic, Ireland - Blessed Be)

Beannaichte Be    (Gaelic, Scotland - Blessed Be)

Sonqongi Apukuna Wak'aychasunkiku

   (Quechua, Peru - May the Heart of the Mountain bless you)

Xut Kala Xetl     (Tlingit, Alaska - Blessed Be)

Seja Abençoado     (Portuguese, Portugal - Blessed Be)

Children Esbat 1997 CO1

Children Esbat, 5/23/97

Entering the Circle

Purify Before Circle

Welcome and Bright Blessings.

Anointing

 Those who walk in Love and Truth, shall grow in Honor and Strength.  Blessed Be.

Statement of Intent

Long have we been Adults.

We have spent a lifetime becoming Adults. We grow boundaries, of responsibility, and need. We assume the aura of power, ordained by our Parents and their Parents before them.

Long have we felt lost.

Long have we felt need.

Long have we dreamed.

Tonight we relinquish the mantle. Tonight we are one, Tonight we are free.

Too soon, we leave the child behind us. 

Long have we felt the child within us. The child we were, the child we wanted to be

The scared and happy being. The adventure. The openness. The wonder.

Tonight we relinquish the mantle, Tonight we are one, Tonight we are free.

For too long we have carried our burdens.

Too long we have lived alone, the child within suppressed and silenced. For too long we have carried the weight of the world upon our shoulders. Too long we have been what others expected us to be. Now we awaken!

For tonight we relinquish the mantle

For tonight we are one

For tonight we are free.

              

In this circle we are safe.

In this circle we are children.

In this circle we are free.

 

Grounding the Participants

 

Casting the Circle

Maiden, Wand  I cast this circle in the name of the Maiden. Holy Maiden Huntress, Artemis, Artemis, Maiden come to us

Mother, Incense I cast this circle in the name of the Mother. Silver shining wheel of Radiance, Radiance. Mother, come to us

Crone, Athame I cast this circle in the name of the Crone. Ancient Queen of wisdom, Hecate, Cerrwiden. Old One come to us

All: We are a Circle within a Circle, With no beginning, and no ending.

We are the fire that keeps returning, The eternal flame, forever burning.

The Circle has been cast 3 times. In the name of the Maiden, Mother and Crone

So Mote it be

Calling the Quarters

East, Air:    Guardians of the Watchtowers of the East, Creatures of Air. Keepers of all Knowledge, We call upon you, Open our Minds, Lift our Thoughts. Be with us now!

South, Fire:    Guardians of the Watchtowers of the South, Creatures of fire. Keepers of the Flames of Life, We call upon you, Open our Eyes, Focus our Energies. Be with us now!

West, Water:    Guardians of the Watchtowers of the West, Creatures of Water. Keepers of the Spirits of Life, We call upon you, Open our Hearts, Enrich our Feelings. Be with us now!

North, Earth:    Guardians of the Watchtowers of the North, Creatures of Earth

Keepers of the Bodies of Life. We call upon you, Open our Selves, Inspire our Lives. Be with us now!

Invoking the God\Goddess

Welcome and Hail, Our Golden Lord and Silver Lady.

By You, this universe is born, By You. this universe is created,

By You, this universe is protected. You are eternal.

You are the energies of Nature. So mote it be.

Mediation: Inner Child

Make yourself comfortable, close your eyes or look at the moon.  Begin by taking three deep breaths.... slowly... inhale exhale....Let your mind become blank...

Envision the Golden light of Healing, floating above your head, about the size of a round grapefruit.  Slowly, pull the golden light down...(pause)...With each breath you inhale draw the light down...(pause)...Feel it’s warm glow fill your body until it reaches the base of your spine.  Relax, if a few stray thoughts seem to enter your mind, gently push them aside for now.  You begin to see trees, many trees, as if it was a huge forest.  You walk into the forest for a few minutes, following a random path.  Up ahead of you a large gate begins to materialize, a golden light glows softly behind it.  Slowly walk over to open the gate.  Reach out to pull on the large handles.  As it opens, you gradually become aware of noises,  people talking, swing chains clanging, and the smell of fresh cut grass and wildflowers.  You notice that you are now a child, the child you were, the child you always wished to be.  With light, carefree steps you walk over to a sandbox.  Inside you see a few toys, sifters, funnels, pales, shovels and such. You then notice a small pile of toys over to the side.  You reach for a toy.  Know that you have just picked up your favorite toy of this childhood.  You play with it, handle it carefully, rock it, love it, and tell it all the things you remember, all the things you would have liked to hear as a child.  You look up, above you can hear someone telling you something.  A short message, perhaps from a family member, or a friend or someone you've never seen before... pause)...Take this message and remember it.  Now you put your toy down and slowly walk back to the large open gates.  You turn and wave good-by to everything and everyone.  They return a wave back to you.  As you walk through the gates, they close softly behind you.  Slowly walk back through the trees, filled with a sense of contentment...(pause)...Once again you become aware of your current surroundings.      Inhale...feel yourself returning to the now.  When you are ready...(pause) open your eyes and rejoin our circle.

Chant

We all come from the Goddess, And to Her we shall return. Like a drop of rain, Flowing to the Ocean.  Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Innana

We all come from the SunGod, And to Him we shall return. Like a spark of flame, Rising to the Heavens. Odin, Osirius, Coatl, Cernunnos, Mithras, Loki, Apollo

****************************************************************

Spiraling into the center, The center of the Shield. 

Spiraling into the center, The center of the Shield.   

We are the Weavers, We are the Woven Ones.

We are the Dreamers, We are the Dream.

 

Spiral Dance

Blessing

BEFORE TIME WAS

Before time was, there was The One; The One was all, and all was The One.  And the vast expanse known as the universe was The One, all-wise, all-pervading, all-powerful, eternally changing.

And space moved.  The One molded energy into twin forms, equal but opposite,     fashioning the Goddess and  the God from The One and of The One.  The Goddess and the God stretched and gave thanks to The One, but darkness surrounded them.  They were alone, solitary save for The One.  So They formed energy into gasses and gasses into suns and planets and moons;  they sprinkled the universe with whirling globes and so all was given shape by the hands of the Goddess and the God.  Light arose and the sky was illuminated by a billion suns.  And the Goddess and the God, satisfied by their works, rejoiced and loved, and were one.  From their union sprang the seeds of all life, and of the human race, so that we might achieve incarnation upon the Earth.

The Goddess chose the Moon as Her symbol, and the God the Sun as His symbol, to remind the inhabitants of Earth of their fashioners.  All are born, live, die and are reborn beneath the Sun and Moon;  all things come to pass   thereunder, and all occurs with the blessings of The One, as has been the way of existence before time was.

Cake Blessing

All life is your own, All fruits of the earth, Are fruits of your womb, Your union, your dance. Blessed be!

Chant

She changes everything She touches

and

Everything She touches changes.

She changes everything She touches

and

Everything She touches changes.

We are the Flow

and we are the Ebb

We are the Weaver

and we are the Web.

 

On Children

(Passing out bottles of bubbles)

Our children are not our children.    They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.  They come through us but not from us, And though they are with us yet they belong not to us.  We may give them our love but not our thoughts, For they have their own thoughts.  We may house their bodies but not their souls, For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which we can not visit, not even in our dreams, We may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like us.  For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.  We are the bows from which our children as living arrows are sent forth.  The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends with us His might that His arrows may go swift and far.  Let our bending in the archer's hand be for gladness; For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves the bow that is stable.

When you are ready...Create an image of your Child Self, the Child you were, the Child you wished to be.  As you blow the bubbles, project that image into the bubbles and set the Child Within free.  Send your Child Self up into the Loving arms of Mother Moon.

 

Releasing the Quarters

North, Earth:    I thank you Guardians of the North, For your presence here tonight. Stay if you will, Go if you must, Hale and farewell!

West, Water:    I thank you Guardians of the West, For your presence here tonight. Stay if you will, Go if you must, Hale and farewell!

South, Fire:    I thank you Guardians of the South, For your presence here tonight. Stay if you will, Go if you must, Hale and farewell!

East, Air:    I thank you Guardians of the East, For your presence here tonight. Stay if you will, Go if you must, Hale and farewell!

Closing

I declare this Circle to be open, but unbroken, So Mote It Be!

Song

     May the circle - be open but unbroken,

     May the Love of the Goddess be ever in your heart.

     Merry meet and Merry part and Merry meet again.

 

Feast

Welcome to the CircleOfOne Archives

https://circleofone1.blogspot.com

Go Mbeannaigh    (Gaelic, Ireland - Blessed Be)

Beannaichte Be    (Gaelic, Scotland - Blessed Be)

Sonqongi Apukuna Wak'aychasunkiku

   (Quechua, Peru - May the Heart of the Mountain bless you)

Xut Kala Xetl     (Tlingit, Alaska - Blessed Be)

Seja Abençoado     (Portuguese, Portugal - Blessed Be)

Windy Esbat 2004 CO1

 May 5, 2023 (Flower Moon)

Windy Circle, Esbat 2004

Altar Devotions

Purify the Area

Salute

Calling Quarters

Boreas, Notus, Eurus, Zephyrus - Winds of North, South, East, West, Gather close at my behest. Join with us on this dark night - And lend your energies to our rite.

Winds merge and intertwine - Your essential energies now combine

BOREAS, Spirit of Earth, Midnight and Winter - we call for strength and protection, ground us

NOTUS, Spirit of Fire, Midday and Summer – bring to us the energy to fill our need, empower us

EURUS, Spirit of Air, Sunrise and Spring - we call for spirit and knowledge, guide us

ZEPHYRUS, Spirit of Water, Sunset and Autumn - for the journey that is to come, move us

Casting the Circle

Four winds form our Circle and weave a spell, North, South, East, West, your tale to tell. As above, so it is below, Keep out all that would cause us woe. As within, so it is without, Safe we’ll be, there is no doubt. Three times round this Circle’s cast

Anoint

Unite energies

Invocation

Gracious Goddess of the night, woman of the Moon, and Mother of all that may be, I ask for your assistance and presence for my rite. 

Gracious God of the day, Man of the Sun, and Father of all that may be, I ask for your assistance and presence for my rite.

Name the Working

(To empower stones to be talismans for safe travel)

The stones will be cleansed and emptied by the energy we raise. Once cleansed they will be ready to absorb any negativity that we may come into contact with. In this way they will protect us from harm. As we breath in we are going to bring in energy from the Mother as we breath out we will expel that energy into the sphere of our Circle, filling it with the power for our purpose. The powers to cleanse these stones and prepare them for the task we have described.

Raising Energy

Breathing - Listen to the sound of the breath of your Coven Mates. Become synchronized together, become one together. Breathe in as one, breathe out as one. 

Cakes & Ale

Thanking the Divine

Gracious Goddess of the night, woman of the Moon, and Mother of all that may be, thank you for your assistance and presence during our rite. Stay if you will, go if you must, Hail and Farewell.

Gracious God of the day, man of the Sun, and Father of all that may be, thank you for your assistance and presence during out rite. Stay if you will, go if you must, Hail and Farewell.

Release the Circle

Four winds formed our Circle at our behest, North, South, East, West, 

You lent your energy above and below, To keep us safe and free from woe

Your presence assured within and without, Safe travel we’ll have, there is no doubt. Stay if you will, go if you must, Hail and Farewell. This Circle is open, but unbroken, Merry Meet, Merry Part, until we Merry meet again.

Feast

Welcome to the CircleOfOne Archives

https://circleofone1.blogspot.com

Go Mbeannaigh    (Gaelic, Ireland - Blessed Be)

Beannaichte Be    (Gaelic, Scotland - Blessed Be)

Sonqongi Apukuna Wak'aychasunkiku

   (Quechua, Peru - May the Heart of the Mountain bless you)

Xut Kala Xetl     (Tlingit, Alaska - Blessed Be)

Seja Abençoado     (Portuguese, Portugal - Blessed Be)

HandFasting, 2002 CO1

HandFasting, 5/4/2002

 

HPS:

The Lord and Lady have always been there for us, since before time was.                    

They were there in the scents of the Earth

           in the whisper of the Wind

           in the warmth of the Sun

           in the refreshing coolness of a Mountain Stream.

 

They have always been there for us, even before we understood.

They are there in the magick of the Moonlight

           in the wonder of a Sunrise

           in the freedom of an Open Field

           in the comfort of a Sheltering Forest.

 

Today, they will be here with us as we ask them to walk beside this couple who come before us to pledge their Love.  

 

Cast Circle

HP:    We cast this circle in the name of the Golden Lord.  We set its boundaries with elements of his choosing.  May he protect us this night.

            Protection: cast with fire and Air

            Hope: cast with seeds

            Love: cast with Water and Earth

We cast this circle in the name of the Silver Lady.  We seal its boundaries with elements of her choosing.  May she hold us in her embrace.      

We cast this circle in the name of Hope.   Let all who dwell within it’s boundaries find Hope in themselves and in their futures.   We bless this circle with these offerings.  Let them find fertile ground and take root.   As they grow may the love of this couple grow with them.   This Circle is now sealed.  So Mote It Be.

Call Quarters

We call upon Earth. Let your presence provide the foundation for this union.

We call upon Fire. Let your flames ignite the passion of life within this couple.

We call upon Air. Let your wind enrich this joining with the knowledge of communication. 

We call upon Water. Let your essence caress this commitment in it’s loving embrace. 

Anoint

May the presence of the Divine be ever in your heart.

 

Invocation

Groom:  Father Sky, Lord of the beasts, and Protector of the Light, be with us now.

 

HP:    I am already here…

            in your shadow on the ground,

            and the whisper on the wind.

            I am here in the sunlight on your hair,

            and the soft sounds of a gentle rain…

            I have always been here for you.

 

Bride:  Mother Earth, Lady of the Grain, and Source of the Light, be with us now

 

HPS:    I am already here…

                in the beating of your heart,

                and the innocence of a child’s smile,

                I am here in the light of your Lover’s eyes,

                and the understanding of a true friend…

                I have always been here for you

Drawing Down the Moon

Maiden:    Hear now the thoughts of the God and Goddess.  You, who have been with us since before time was, share with us now your message  this night.

 

HP:    In an earlier age I was called Herne, Osiris, Zeus, Cernunos and by many other names.  I am the strength of the rock at thy back, the roots of the tree that anchor the Earth and deepest of tides in the black depths of the ocean.  I am the Hunter and the Sacred Prey, the warmth of the sun in the swelling grapes and the call of the road that leads over the hill. 

HPS:        In the mists of time I was called Brigid, Demeter, Hera, Cerridwen, and by many other names.   I am the quickening of the seed in Springtime, the glory of ripe fields in Summer, and the peace of the quiet woods as the snow calms the Earth in Winter.  I am the lilt of the maidens' melody in the morning, the patient hand of the Mother and the deep river of the mysteries taught by moonlight. 

HP:    I give you, my children, the fire of love, the power of the wind on your face, shelter from the darkest storm.  You are dear to me, and I instill in you my power...the power of peace hard earned, the power of vision and magical sight, and the spark of elemental fire, which is the primal light in the darkness.

HPS:    I give you, my children, the gifts of song rising from the heart, the joy of autumn sunset, the cool touch of the renewing waters, and the compelling call of the drum in the dance.  To you I give the joy of creation and the companion of beauty to light your days. 

HP:    By the powers of  the running stag and the glorious sun, I charge thee; by the darkest depths of night and the lingering tendrils of dreams, I charge thee; and by the beauty of your own creation, I charge thee; Follow your heart and your instinct, wherever they lead you.  The wealth of the heart will guide you where the cold edge of logic cannot take you.  Take joy in the powers of your bodies.  The form your body takes is unique in the universe and is chief among your tools. 

HPS:    By the powers of the steadfast Earth and the wheeling stars I charge thee; by the darkness of death and the white light of birth I charge thee; and by the terrible strength of your human spirits, I charge thee:  Strive always for the growth of your eternal soul, never intentionally diminish your strength, your compassion, your ties to the earth or your knowledge. Challenge your mind, never accept complacently that which has been the standard merely for the reason that it is the standard by which the majority judges. Act always for the betterment of your brothers and sisters.  To strengthen them is to forge the true chain of humanity, and a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. 

HP:    Lastly, always remember the path you have left behind you.  Learn to take your power from the foolish things you have wrought as well as the good you have done for others and for your self.  You can never usurp another's power, and yours is the well upon which you must rely.

HPS:    You are my children, my brothers and sisters and my companions.  You are known in great part by the company you keep, and you are strong and wise and full of the powers of life.  It is yours to use them in my service, and I also, am known by the company I keep. 

HP:    I am with you always, just over your shoulder, running with you through the tall grasses and forests that surround you.  I possess you and I am your Sacred Prey.  I am the Lord of Death, and when you have come to the end of your life on this world, I will be there; to take you between the worlds, to offer you peace and rest.  Look upon my face; know me.  I am the spirit of the wild things, but you too, are wild in your souls and we are forever intertwined."

HPS:    Go forth in joy and the light of my love, turning to me without fear when the darkness threatens to overcome you, and turning also to me to share your triumphs and your achievements, and know in your heart of hearts that we are together in blood and spirit ‘til the last star darkens in the sky and winter comes to the universe.

 

Introducing the Couple

(Bring the couple to the center of the Circle)

Tonight, ... and ... renew their vows of devotion to each other. They come as two people, separate, different.   They accept and love each other as they are, both the dark and the light, the good and the bad. Two halves of a perfect whole. Complete.

 

Trials will come, and tests, for there is much in this world that would long to pull you apart.   Come with us now on a journey which will bring strength and vision to your relationship, courage and understanding.

North:    Oftentimes family and friends can create a wedge between

those who are bonded.  Are you prepared to look to each other for comfort?

South:    Do your understand that you will not always agree and that

there will be times of heated disagreement?

East:    Do you realize that there will be times when

communicating your thoughts and desires to your partner will be difficult?

West:    Do you acknowledge the fact that your bonding will bring

both tears of joy and tears of pain?

 

Joys will come, graces and blessings will warm your souls and give you wonder. The path you have chosen will bring thanksgiving and rejoicing to this relationship, laughter and abandon.

 

Do you, ..., take ... to be your beloved

partner, to love, honor and cherish?

Response:    I do.

 

Do you, ..., take ... to be your beloved

partner, to love, honor and cherish?

Response:     do.

 

Rings

(Take the rings and recite the Blessing of the Rings)

These rings represents a journey with out beginning or end, they are a symbol of the Circle of Life.   In the presence of the Lord and Lady, we ask that they bless these rings so that your Journey of Love never ends. 

 

(Hand the rings to bride and Groom and ask them to repeat the vow as they place their rings on each others fingers)

 

North, South, East, West

To the Lord and Lady we do attest

West, East, South, North

To love each other from this day forth

Welcome to the CircleOfOne Archives

https://circleofone1.blogspot.com

Go Mbeannaigh    (Gaelic, Ireland - Blessed Be)

Beannaichte Be    (Gaelic, Scotland - Blessed Be)

Sonqongi Apukuna Wak'aychasunkiku

   (Quechua, Peru - May the Heart of the Mountain bless you)

Xut Kala Xetl     (Tlingit, Alaska - Blessed Be)

Seja Abençoado     (Portuguese, Portugal - Blessed Be)

Altar Tools 1995 CO1

Altar Tools 1995

Bell, Book & Candle

Athame:  Represents the element of air or the masculine.  It is a ritual knife with a double-edged blade that can be sharpened, or kept dull, and may be engraved.  The Athame is only used on the non-physical plane and should never be used on the physical.

Bell:  Is used to summon spirits or deities or to signal the beginning or ending of a ritual.  Bells are rung at funeral rites to bless the soul of the person who has crossed over.

Bolin: Is a working blade for the physical plane.  The Bolin is a white-handled, single edged knife which is used for practical purposes such as harvesting herbs, cutting a branch for a wand, inscribing a candle, etc.

Book of Shadows:  This is a personal book of information on spells, rituals, recipes, invocations, dreams, etc. kept for a reference.  It’s also known as a BOS or Grimoire.

Candlesnuffer:  You always snuff or pinch out a flame; one element should never be more than the next.  Blowing out a candle symbolizes air being more powerful than fire.

Candle:  They represent the Goddess and God.  They also have different meanings according to their colors and represent the four quarters; Earth, Air, Fire & Water.  

Cauldron:  Symbolizes the elements of Earth, Air, Fire, & Water and represents the divine womb of the Goddess.  The cauldron is often a black, cast-iron pot, which is used for brewing potions, or burning incense.  Some fill their cauldrons with water on Samhain night and use them to gaze into the future or past.

Chalice:  Represents the element of air or the feminine, and is used to hold wine or water during rituals.  Traditionally, the chalice was made of silver, however many use pewter, ceramic, brass, or even crystal chalices.

Libation bowl:  Come in all shapes and sizes, and various materials.  They’re used to collect food/drink offerings that are later tossed into the garden with a blessing.

Pentacle:  Represents the element earth.  The pentacle is a flat disc made of any material, and is used during rituals to hold consecrated objects.

Staff:  Generally made of wood, these can be no more than a large stick, or an incredible hand carved staff. 

Sword:  Represents the element of fire and is a symbol of strength.  It is sometimes used in place of the Athame to cast and un-cast the circle.  It may also be used to store and direct energy during Magickal rituals, and to control and banish elemental spirits.

Wand:  Represents the element of fire.  The wand is fashioned from the branch of a tree, and is traditionally 21 inches in length.  It is used for directing energy, drawing Magickal symbols into the air or ground, and for various other purposes.

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Go Mbeannaigh    (Gaelic, Ireland - Blessed Be)

Beannaichte Be    (Gaelic, Scotland - Blessed Be)

Sonqongi Apukuna Wak'aychasunkiku

   (Quechua, Peru - May the Heart of the Mountain bless you)

Xut Kala Xetl     (Tlingit, Alaska - Blessed Be)

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May Day Nichols 2003

Beltane

May Day, by Mike Nichols 2003

There are four great festivals of the Pagan Celtic year and the modern Witches’ calendar, as well. The two greatest of these are Halloween (the beginning of winter) and May Day (the beginning of summer). Being opposite each other on the wheel of the year, they separate the year into halves. Halloween (also called Samhain) is the Celtic New Year and is generally considered the more important of the two, though May Day runs a close second. Indeed, in some areas—notably Wales—it is considered “the great holiday”. 

May Day ushers in the fifth month of the modern calendar year, the month of May. This month is named in honor of the Goddess Maia, originally a Greek mountain nymph, later identified as the most beautiful of the Seven Sisters, the Pleiades. By Zeus, she is also the mother of Hermes, God of magic. Maia’s parents were Atlas and Pleione, a sea nymph. 

The old Celtic name for May Day is Beltane (in its most popular Anglicized form), which is derived from the Irish Gaelic Bealtaine or the Scottish Gaelic Bealtuinn, meaning “Bel-fire”, the fire of the Celtic God of Light (Bel, Beli, or Belinus). He, in turn, may be traced to the Middle Eastern God Baal. 

Other names for May Day include: Cetsamhain (opposite Samhain), Walpurgisnacht (in Germany), and Roodmas (the medieval church’s name). This last came from church fathers who were hoping to shift the common people’s allegiance from the Maypole (Pagan lingam—symbol of life) to the Holy Rood (the cross—Roman instrument of death). 

Incidentally, there is no historical justification for calling May 1 ‘Lady Day’. For hundreds of years, that title has been proper to the vernal equinox (approximately March 21), another holiday sacred to the Great Goddess. The nontraditional use of ‘Lady Day’ for May 1 is quite recent (since the early 1970s), and seems to be confined to America, where it has gained widespread acceptance among certain segments of the Craft population. This rather startling departure from tradition would seem to indicate an unfamiliarity with European calendar customs, as well as a lax attitude toward scholarship among too many Pagans. A simple glance at a dictionary (Webster’s 3rd or O.E.D.), encyclopedia (Benet’s), or standard mythology reference (Jobe’s Dictionary of Mythology, Folklore & Symbols) would confirm the correct date for Lady Day as the vernal equinox. 

By Celtic reckoning, the actual Beltane celebration begins on sundown of the preceding day, April 30, because the Celts always figured their days from sundown to sundown. And sundown was the proper time for Druids to kindle the great Belfires on the tops of the nearest beacon hill (such as Tara Hill, Co. Meath, in Ireland). These “need-fires” had healing properties, and skyclad Witches would jump through the flames to ensure protection. 

Frequently, cattle would be driven between two such bonfires (oak wood was the favorite fuel for them) and, on the morrow, they would be taken to their summer pastures. 

Other May Day customs include: walking the circuit of one’s property (“beating the bounds”), repairing fences and boundary markers, processions of chimney sweeps and milkmaids, archery tournaments, morris dances, sword dances, feasting, music, drinking, and maidens bathing their faces in the dew of May morning to retain their youthful beauty. 

In the words of Witchcraft writers Janet and Stewart Farrar, the Beltane celebration was principally a time of “unashamed human sexuality and fertility”. Such associations include the obvious phallic symbolism of the Maypole and riding the hobbyhorse. Even a seemingly innocent children’s nursery rhyme “Ride a cock horse to Banburry Cross …” retains such memories. And the next line, “to see a fine Lady on a white horse”, is a reference to the annual ride of Lady Godiva through Coventry. Every year for nearly three centuries, a skyclad village maiden (elected “Queen of the May”) enacted this Pagan rite, until the Puritans put an end to the custom. 

The Puritans, in fact, reacted with pious horror to most of the May Day rites, even making Maypoles illegal in 1644. They especially attempted to suppress the “greenwood marriages” of young men and women who spent the entire night in the forest, staying out to greet the May sunrise, and bringing back boughs of flowers and garlands to decorate the village the next morning. One angry Puritan wrote that men “doe use commonly to runne into woodes in the night time, amongst maidens, to set bowes, in so muche, as I have hearde of tenne maidens whiche went to set May, and nine of them came home with childe.” And another Puritan complained that, “Of forty, threescore or a hundred maids going to the wood over night, there have scarcely the third part of them returned home again undefiled.” 

Long after the Christian form of marriage (with its insistence on sexual monogamy) had replaced the older Pagan handfasting, the rules of strict fidelity were always relaxed for the May Eve rites. Names such as Robin Hood, Maid Marion, and Little John played an important part in May Day folklore, often used as titles for the dramatis personae of the celebrations. And modern surnames such as Robinson, Hodson, Johnson, and Godkin may attest to some distant May Eve spent in the woods. 

It is certainly no accident that Queen Guinevere’s ‘abduction’ by Meliagrance occurs on May 1 when she and the court have gone a-Maying, or that the usually efficient Queen’s guard, on this occasion, rode unarmed. 

Some of these customs seem virtually identical to the old Roman feast of flowers, the Floralia, three days of unrestrained sexuality that began at sundown April 28 and reached a crescendo on May 1. 

There are other, even older, associations with May 1 in Celtic mythology. According to the ancient Irish Book of Invasions, the first settler of Ireland, Partholan, arrived on May 1, and it was on May 1 that the plague came that destroyed his people. Years later, the Milesians conquered the Tuatha De Danann on May Day. In Welsh myth, the perennial battle between Gwythur and Gwyn for the love of Creiddyled took place each May Day, and it was on May Eve that Teirnyon lost his colts and found Pryderi. May Eve was also the occasion of a fearful scream that was heard each year throughout Wales, one of the three curses of the Coranians lifted by the skill of Lludd and Llevelys. 

By the way, due to various calendrical changes down through the centuries, the traditional date of Beltane is not the same as its astrological date. This date, like all astronomically determined dates, may vary by a day or two depending on the year. However, it may be calculated easily enough by determining the date on which the sun is at fifteen degrees Taurus (usually around May 5). British Witches often refer to this date as Old Beltane, and folklorists call it Beltane O.S. (Old Style). Some covens prefer to celebrate on the old date and, at the very least, it gives one options. If a coven is operating on ‘Pagan Standard Time’ and misses May 1 altogether, it can still throw a viable Beltane bash as long as it’s before May 5. This may also be a consideration for covens that need to organize activities around the weekend. 

This date has long been considered a “power point” of the zodiac, and is symbolized by the Bull, one of the tetramorph figures featured on the tarot cards, the World and the Wheel of Fortune. (The other three symbols are the Lion, the Eagle, and the Spirit.) Astrologers know these four figures as the symbols of the four “fixed” signs of the zodiac (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius), and these naturally align with the four Great Sabbats of Witchcraft. Christians have adopted the same iconography to represent the four Gospel writers.

Welcome to the CircleOfOne Archives

https://circleofone1.blogspot.com

Go Mbeannaigh    (Gaelic, Ireland - Blessed Be)

Beannaichte Be    (Gaelic, Scotland - Blessed Be)

Sonqongi Apukuna Wak'aychasunkiku

   (Quechua, Peru - May the Heart of the Mountain bless you)

Xut Kala Xetl     (Tlingit, Alaska - Blessed Be)

Seja Abençoado     (Portuguese, Portugal - Blessed Be)