Ritual Preparation
- Gather the necessary tools
- Select two candles for your alter, one white & the other red.
- Select four additional candles for the elemental quarters. You
can maintain the color scheme if you wish, or select a color that
represents the energy of that quarter. For instance, you might chose
a light shade of blue to represent the Water essence of the West
quarter and a fiery red to represent the Fire essence of the South
quarter. Or maintain the "love" theme and chose 4 pink candles, or
any varying shade of red and white. Spring's mauve candles are a
good example.
- Choose your favorite ceremonial broom. You can often find a
straw ornamental broom at local craft shows/stores.
- Choose your favorite serving trays or dishes. You can find
some inexpensive brass or silver serving trays and goblets at a
variety of gift stores.
- Set aside your ceremonial cakes (for this holiday we bake carrot
cup cakes to represent the God, topped with white icing for the
sweetness of the Maiden Goddess) and wine on the serving trays. A
special decanter to hold the wine. If you don't partake of wine, use
your favorite grape juice or cider.
- Select a bell, you might want to add a decorative ribbon or wrap
a vine of silk and colored flowers from your local craft store
around the handle to coincide with the colors of the spring
festival.
- Choose a gift for honoring the God/Goddess on this festival day.
One of our favorite methods of gift giving on this Spring festival
is to burn lavender incense. We select a few stalks of the herbs we
collected from the Lughnasadh harvest, and wrap them into a special
smudge stick.
- A decorative pillow or rug to lie or sit on for your meditation.
Prepare ritual space
Clean the area, not just energy wise but dust and vacuum your space. If
your space is outside, you might clean any fallen branches, weeds or
even clear any animal indications that may have been deposited in the
area. The most important part is to clear and cleanse the space.
Prepare body
It's just as important to prepare yourself as it is your space. On the
day of your ceremony take a shower or bubble bath. Make sure your ritual
cloths (whether a robe or just jeans and a t-shirt) are clean. Take time
to have a meditation to align your energies, prepare your energies for
the spiritual work ahead and open your chakra centers.
Open Circle
Finding the compass points, directing the ritual and speaking the
blessings is usually performed by a High Priest or Priestess within a
coven. If you are a solitary witch, then YOU are the High Priest or
Priestess. For our example we will simply refer to the director of
ceremonies as the Priestess.
The Priestess should find compass North, where the ritual will begin
with calling in the quarters starting with the North. Set your circle
according to the directions. If you are conducting the ceremony alone,
you might chose to use a rope of natural fibers to outline your
ceremonial circle. If you're performing the ceremony in a coven, mark
the location of the quarters so everyone will know where to stand when
the circle is drawn. The Priestess should guide everyone through the
steps for setting up a Door Between the Worlds by raising the vibration
of the group and/or area.
Close your eyes and imagine a divine white light emerging from the solar
plexus of each person and then raising up toward a center point over the
circle. Many call this establishing a "cone of power". Imagine this
light spinning clockwise rising your energies and awareness. If your a
solitary witch, you will imagine the light beginning at your solar
plexus and then moving out to fully encompass your ritual space. Each
Quarter Master will then be directed to call the Watchtowers or
Elemental Quarters it's usually the choice of the Priestess, but each
person should call upon the same force. Some witches call Angels, Spirit
Guides, or just the elements. It's up to you or your coven. Just as
which direction to start with is up the individuals. Many witches begin
with the North, where others begin with the east.
Your prayer to summon the directions can be stated in a variety of ways.
From old English to a modern statement. Here's an example:
Facing North the 1st QuarterMaster states:
"To the Maiden Goddess of the Spring, the Watchtowers of the North
and the elements of Earth, we call upon your wisdom, summon your
energy and love to participate in this celebration of divine union
and renewal of life."
- Light the Northern candle and ring the bell once.
If you are a solitary, turn to the East, or if in a
coven the 2nd QuarterMaster faces East and states: "To
the Mother Goddess, the Watchtowers of the East and the elements of
Air, we call upon your wisdom and summon your energy to witness this
rebirth of spirit and commitment to God and Goddess."
- Light the Eastern candle and ring the bell once.
Turn to the South and state: "To the God
of the Spring, the Watchtowers of the South and the elements of
Fire, we call upon your wisdom and summon your energy for accepting
the balance of life, the love of union and the commitment to the
divine whole of all."
- Light the Southern candle and ring the bell once.
Turn to the West and state: "To the wise
Crone Goddess, the Watchtowers of the West and the elements of
Water, we call upon your wisdom and energy to witness this divine
union and symbol of balance. We ask for your guidance and direction
as we move forward on our journey of devotion."
- Light the Western candle and ring the bell once.
Invocation to Spirit
The Priestess should guide everyone through the steps to:
Call your personal Spirit Guide and solicit their assistance during the
ritual. Your personal guide can assist you to maintain focus and
concentration during the ritual as well as, aid in your tasks within the
circle.
You might call upon them like this:
"(State your guides' name), I call upon your guidance and love to
assist me during this spiritual celebration. To help me maintain my
focus, energy and alignment for divine purpose and work."
- Light a candle for your guide and ring the bell twice.
- Call your deity and solicit their assistance aligning yourself
with the deity. In most covens the High Priest/Priestess will summon
the deity. In other covens each person will call upon their chosen
deity and align their energies (this is the method we prefer most.
It empowers each individual instead of setting one person above the
rest). Which ever you prefer light a candle for each deity you
summon upon the alter and ring the bell three times for each deity.
"I believe in the spiritual existence of myself as a perfect image
of (deitys' name). In this reflection that is my physical
embodiment, I align myself and my faith in the supreme guidance of
my soul with the ancient powers and wisdom of (state the deitys'
name once more)."
State Your Purpose
The Priestess should state the intent of the gathering. For a Sabbat
you'll state your purpose of honoring, as well as, the God and Goddess
of the season. You'll continue by blessing the cakes and wine for the
ceremony.
For Beltaine you might say something like:
"I/we have come to honor the nature kingdom, the balance of spirit
and the union of God and Goddess. We/I honor the God who brings
strength and wisdom, as he joins with the Maiden Goddess who brings
compassion and knowledge."
{In most of our Sabbats this would be all we'd say, but Bealtaine is
special to us and we add a few more flowery words and add to the ritual.
Here is where we add the 'Great Rite' to our ceremony.}
- We hold up the athame and chalice to symbolize the union of the
God and Goddess. The Priest raises the athame, the Priestess raises
the chalice. If you are a solitary witch, use your right hand to
raise the athame and your left for the chalice. Then say:
"We give thanks to this strength of the Father God, tempered with
compassion of the Maiden. We give thanks to the knowledge of the
Maiden, expanded with the wisdom of the Father God. We honor the
balance of spirit, body and mind, as we travel side by side along
this path of enlightenment and growth."
- The priest then places the athame into the goblet, symbolizing
the union of the masculine energies (the athame) with the female
energies (the goblet, a symbolic cosmic womb).
Honor The God/Goddess
The Priestess should preside over the steps to honor and dedicate
the items for the festival.
Perform manual and visionary tasks by pulling in the aspects of this
ritual. You should state your honor and gratitude as well, something
like this:
"We send thanks and gratitude to each of you for this spring season.
We honor you all as the world renews it flowering beauty once more.
We share our love in joy and happiness with all those who have come
in body and in spirit."
- Light the candle you chose to represent the Beltaine festival
and ring the bell seven times.
Dedicate offerings.
Whether you're conducting a ritual of honor or for work, you should
present an offering that is commiserate with the event. We like to make
an offering of energy through a fragrant bouquet. We light the smudge
stick we prepared and allow the lavender herbs to blaze for a few
moments. We say part of our prayer, then blow out the flames and allow
the incense to continue to smolder. Then we complete the prayer and
place the incense in a special holder, we like to use a brass bowl
shaped in the fashion of a miniature cauldron.
Finally, because this festival is the last of springs new beginnings, we
like to add a bowl or several bowls of seeds that we will use to plant
through out the season. We've done this in many of the harvest
festivals, and with each blessing we add new seed to the alter. Keeping
these special ceremonial seeds separate from the rest. By the time we're
ready to plant our garden, all the seed we harvested, will have been
blessed within the ritual of a Sabbat.
For the prayer itself, we say something like this:
- Hold the smudge stick in your left hand and light it with the
right. Then hold up the burning stick to the God with both hands.
"We offer this gift as a symbol of our love and thanks to the
Father; We honor each aspect of the God, within ourselves, within
the world and within the divine universe."
- Lower the smudge and blow out the flames, allow the stick to
smolder. Again with both hands hold the stick up to the Goddess
"We share the fragrance of this offering with the Maiden Goddess, as
we pray for a fertile year and blessed union of our physical lives
with our spiritual desires."
- Set the smudge in the bowl and retrieve a bowl of seed, holding
it up to the God and Goddess;
"We give thanks the Maiden Goddess for the compassion and patience
with ourselves and with those in our lives as we all move forward to
enlightenment. We give great homage the courtship of the God and
Goddess. We honor the spirits of love and the balance of all things
within our daily lives as well as our spiritual journey."
- Ring the bell nine times, in groups of three to honor the God,
the Goddess and lastly their union.
For Honoring
Partake of cakes and wine that you have set upon a platter.
(Some covens like to serve the cakes upon small dishes, while others
prefer to hold the cakes in their hand. Which ever you chose, the cakes
should start on a platter for the dedication. The wine starts in a
special decanter and is poured into ceremonial goblets. Once again
different covens have different rituals. Some provide individual cups,
much like silver shot glasses, while others insist each witch bring
their own goblet.)
To dedicate your cakes and wine, you might say something like:
- Hold the plate of cakes up using both hands and say:
"On this eve of Bealtaine we come to honor the Father God and share
in the fertility and rebirth of the divine universe. We offer these
cakes {or whatever} and this wine made of grapes {again whatever
wine you've chosen} as our thank you for all you have given and all
you are about to provide."
- Ring the festival bell three times, then walk up to each person
in the circle and allow them to take a cake from the tray with the
right hand. Make sure there's one or two cakes left for the God and
Goddess. When everyone has received a cake, hold it in both hands
and raise it up to the Goddesses; then say:
"With the partaking of this cake I take into my body the essence of
Bealtaine, the Goddess of renewal. I align my spirit and soul with
the physical well being of my body and mind."
- With your right hand grasp the neck of the decanter. With your
left hand hold your chalice and pour the wine. When everyone has
their share of wine, each person raises their goblet to the God and
says:
"With the partaking of this wine I take into my body the essence of
the God, I align my soul with the balance and rebirth of our
spiritual family."
- Each person drinks half their wine, then holds the goblet up
again.
"We ask the Goddess of light to accept this wine as our offering of
honor and thanksgiving on this the festival of Bealtaine. We take
into ourselves the union of spirit and the commitment of the
divine."
Some people like to pour the remaining wine from the goblets into a
large cauldron. As a symbolistic gesture that we are all one and all
part of the divine. Some covens go a step farther and light the wine
allowing it evaporate into the ethers through the flames. And others add
to the ceremony and pour the wine onto the ground, making a circle and
pentagram with the liquid.
Meditation
The Priestess should guide everyone through a brief meditation. No
matter what your ceremony is for, we believe you should add a moment of
meditation to the event. In this altered state a witch can contact the
God/Goddess and engage them in a private ritual.
You can use this time to thank them for the knowledge and wisdom they
brought you last year and how you might use that this year. Whether it
be in planting your garden, creating a financial plan or starting a
family. In our view, the Sabbat ceremonies are not the time to ask for
something for yourself. This is a time of honoring what the God/Goddess
has already given you. You might ask for clarity of vision or better
understanding of the messages they provided you with the growth and the
tasks you were given to move forward this year.
Conclude your meditation by closing your chakra centers.
Thank the Deities and Spirits
The Priestess should guide everyone through a statement of thanks.
This is one of the more important steps to any ritual. You spent a good
deal of time asking for their assistance, calling the quarters, your
personal spirit guide and the deities, so be polite and spend time
thanking them as well. Here's a simple example:
- Stand facing the alter, hold your hands together as if you are
praying, only open the top slightly at the thumbs as if you're
making a bowl with your hands. Then state:
"I, (state your magik name), thank the Father God and the Maiden
Goddesses, Divine Spirits and the WatchTowers of the Four Corners
for watching over this ceremony of Bealtaine. By the light and love
of All that Is, we honor the blessings we have received on this day.
We thank you for your guidance, your wisdom and your strength as we
embark on this new year. We send many blessings to each and all as
we walk along the path of enlighentment forever."
Close the Circle
The Priestess should guide everyone through a process of closing the
circle.
Mentally and verbally close the circle. You don't want to leave the
gateway between worlds open for several reasons. You could be inviting
forces you don't necessarily want around you. You can also be
maintaining a state of heightened perception. While this is great for
ceremonies and ritual work, it isn't necessarily good for daily
activities. If you find yourself saying "I feel out of it today", then
you need to close your senses and get grounded. This is another reason
for closing the circle.
- Imagine the "cone of power" you established at the beginning of
the ritual, slowly coming down and dissipating back within the solar
plexus of each person. Move to the center of the circle, holding a
ceremonial sword or knife. Starting in the North, turn
counter-clockwise and state:
"We give thanks to the God and Goddesses once more. We honor each
other in this state of divine experience. And we close this circle
that binds us to spirit, and can never be broken.
- Snuff out the candles (don't blow them out). (Some people
like to leave the two ritual candles burning during the night until
they burn out by themselves. Then, if they last, you use these two
on the next day of the festival as you continue our honor of
Beltaine.)
We prepare a special meal and invite family or friends to join us. These
two candles are placed as the center-piece of the table. If the original
candles have extinguished before the meal, we will light another candle
from the flame of the original; allowing all candles to burn as long as
they can.
Physically close the circle by exiting over the broom. Pick up the broom
and sweep away any energy that may have been left over.
Clean your working area and prepare your offerings, gifts and candles
for burial. If there are any cakes left over from the ritual, set them
outside for the animals and spirit folk. Pour out any left over wine on
the ground. Once again some people like to pour out the drink in the
shape of a pentacle. Wash all dishes and clean all tools.
Ritual Is Concluded
Finally, some people like to share their experiences during the ritual.
Some even carry the festival on and hold a party to share in some of the
fruits, vegetables and breads they labored over. For the solitary, now
is a good time to record the events and make notes about what you felt,
what you did and didn't do that you might like to do next time