Let’s Talk Witch – Celebrating The Sabbats in Your Own Way

Beltane Comments & Graphics
Let’s Talk Witch

Celebrating the Sabbats in Your Own Way

In your personal practice, it is better to observe how you feel for a year and base your own festivals on those observations than it is to consult a book, find out that it is the fall equinox, read that it is associated with endings and harvests, and celebrate accordingly. But what if you think of fall as a beginning? While celebrating the age-old associations can be positive, in that it nurtures a sense of unity with your ancestors and with the earth, it can also be counterintuitive if it does not coincide with the energies of your geographic locale. A green witch seeks to honor the energies to which she is seeking to attune herself.

So how do you celebrate a solstice or an equinox? There is no right or wrong way. There are no traditions that must be marked, no rituals that must be enacted. Every green witch creates her own tradition, her own expression of the seasons and how they change. That unique expression will reflect how the season affects her spirit, her heart, and her body.

The most basic way to celebrate the solstices and equinoxes involves allowing yourself to interact with the natural environment around you. Spend the day outdoors. Go for a walk through your neighborhood and look at how things are changing. If you prefer, you can celebrate indoors. Gather seasonal greenery and decorate your home. While some green witches believe that nature’s bounty should be left outdoors and appreciated in its place and not be harvested for something as minor as decorating, others advocate using flowers and greenery as they are available and always with a sense of harmony, responsibility, and fair use.

Meditating at each seasonal shift is one of the most direct ways of experiencing the energy of the natural world and tracing your own response to its ebb and flow throughout the year. Use the following seasonal meditation outline as the basis for your meditations. Appropriate seasonal variations (as listed in the section on each season) are given. Using a consistent meditation with only small differences according to the season allows you to easily sense the minor differences that come out of the meditation that you might otherwise miss if you followed a different sequence each time.

The Way Of The Green Witch: Rituals, Spells, And Practices to Bring You Back to Nature

Arin Murphy-Hiscock

Healing Arts and Pagan Studies ~ Beltane/May Day

Beltane Comments & Graphics

Healing Arts and Pagan Studies ~ Beltane/May Day

May Day is the ancient festival of Beltane, the midway point between the vernal (spring) equinox and the summer solstice. The days are growing longer, coaxing the earth to open to the life-giving qualities of the sun and to bring forth every kind of fruit. Beltane is a celebration of the fertility of the earth and the fertility of our own souls. It is a call to gratitude that everything in the universe is continually being re-created, including ourselves.

The air and Earth begin to warm, Spring has arrived in full force and is making way for Summer. The leaves and grass have greened and the flowers are in full bloom (as are the allergies for some!) Man and woman begin to start their lives together, new loves are born, new lives are created.

The word “Beltane” in modern Irish means May. Beltane comes from the meaning “fire of Bel”, in which Bel is the “bright or shining one”. In his honor, the Ancient Celts set two large fires made up of nine of the sacred woods:

During this time, the herds of cattle were driven through these fires to clean off the ticks and mites and also as a symbol of purification to protect them. They were left to graze in the pastures until the new year and winter. Witches’ celebrate the fruitfulness of Mother Earth in the union between Witches’ celebrate the fruitfulness of Mother Earth in the union between Her and the young Horned God. This coupling symbolizes the new fertility of the Earth, the beginnings of Spring going into Summer.

May or Beltane, has traditionally represented the sensuality and revitalization of love-making in all living things. This is why many couples traditionally marry around this time of year. In ancient Celtic days, couples would live together for a year and a day, after which they may decide to get married or part ways. The Celts believed in the idea of marriage, but understood people and nature grow, change and sometimes move apart. This is not to say they did not believe in the family unit and still remain together as a family.

In some cultures, the May pole traditionally represented a fertility symbol – specifically a phallic symbol – dancing around it in celebration was a ritual of thanks for the time of season with which all life begins the cycle. From GrannyMoon’s Morning Feast 2002

Beltane/CetSamhain/MayDay – The first day of May is celebrated in many parts of the world. It is believed it evolved from ancient agricultural and fertility rites of spring. There are signs of the first celebrations in Egypt. However, the majority of the current traditions stem from the Roman Festival, Floralia. This was a five day festival to honor the Goddess Flora with offerings of flowers, dancing, ringing bells, May Queens and erecting a Maypole.

The May Queen would oversee crops and rule the day. Some places also selected May Kings. The crowns were typical made of twigs, leaves and flowers.

The Maypole was typically fabricated the night before. The men would strip down a birch tree and plant it in the ground; this ceremony was symbolic of fertility rites. The next day both men and women danced about the Maypole. Several longs ribbons hung from the top of the Maypole holding up a crown of colorful flowers. Each dancer held an end of one of the ribbons. The dancers alternated man and women. All the women would dance in one direction and the men danced in the other direction. The dancers would go under the first person and over the next weaving the ribbons about the tree and lowering the ring to the ground. Today this tradition is still practiced but danced mostly boys and girls.

The Celts had a similar celebration known as Beltain, Beltane, or Bealtaine which in Gaelic means “Fires of Bel” or “Bright Fires”. The ceremony honored the god of the Sun and the rebirth of the earth. Feasting, games and bonfires, began on the eve of May Day and continued through the next day with a day of bonfires and merrymaking. It was customary for couples to walk through the fires smoke or leap over the flames to insure a successful relationship. Faeries were (and are) abundant on the first day of May. Windows were decorated with flowers and food was left on the doorstep to keep the mischievous faeries out.

Those traditions created a wonderful medieval holiday that is still celebrated today. We still elect May Queens and Kings and dance around Maypoles. During this time women would wash their faces with the May Day’s morning dew believing it would bring a good complexion and everlasting beauty.

“The fair maid who, the First of May, Goes to the field at break of day And washes in the dew from the hawthorn tree, Will ever after handsome be.”

People began gathering twigs and flowers to decorate their homes and the lovely tradition of May baskets began. Children would leave baskets made from twigs and filled with flowers on their neighbor’s doorstep, knock and then hide waiting to see the expression of the lucky recipient.

From Folklore, Magic and Superstitions )0(

From: GrannyMoon’s Morning Feast Archives Coventry of Healing Arts and Pagan Studies Enroll Now!

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Courtesy of GrannyMoonsMorningFeast

Celebrating Other Spirituality 365 Days A Year – May Day

Beltane Comments & Graphics

Celebrating Other Spirituality 365 Days A Year

May Day

Nature if often hidden; sometimes overcome; seldom extinguished.

—Sir Francis Bacon

Common in Europe and North America, May Day is celebrated ebrated by the crowning of the May Queen; dancing around the maypole; and mumming from house to house carrying blossoms soms and soliciting gifts of food. Most of the activities that take place on May Day symbolize Spring, relating human fertility tility to crop fertility and rebirth. In the past it was common for young people to pair up, often by lot, and then gather in the woods all May Eve night.

In English folklore, May Day, Bringing in The May, and Going-a-Maying refers to the practice of going out into the countryside tryside to gather flowers and greenery, much of which was used to adorn the May Queen. Bringing in the May remained a staple tradition throughout most of the 16th century, before it was banned by the Protestant reform-fundamentalists who took moral outrage at the unchaperoned activities of the young people. May Day was banned, along with many other traditional customs in the Commonwealth period, but returned after the Restoration.

Today, many of the old customs still prevail, such as woodland land weddings and the gathering of morning dew for skin renewal. newal. Horse racing, parades, and dancing around the maypole have made a comeback, as have garland parties and mumming.

Must Do’s For Friday

Fridays are days of loving enchantments and passionate emotions.

See how many ways you could add a little loving enchantment into your life and the lives of your loved ones. If you wish to explore the topic of love and romance witchery even further, then check out my book How to Enchant a Man: Spells to Bewitch, Bedazzle &Beguile. If cat magick has tickled your fancy, then for further study read my book The Enchanted Cat: Feline Fascinations, Spells &Magick.

In the meantime, try sharing red berries with your partner some enchanted evening. Work that meditation, and see what other mysteries Freya has to teach you. Wear a Venus planetary color and call on the Goddess for a little inner sparkle. Burn some floral incense, light up some rosy candles, and set a romantic mood. Try wearing a little copper jewelry, and see how it affects you and your Friday magick. Get those potpourri and philter recipes going, and see what you can conjure up.

Advancing your magickal skills takes drive, ambition, and passion. Work with Eros to discover just how much enthusiasm, inspiration, and drive he can bring into your days, for the imagination is a place where dreams flourish and ideas come to fruition.

Call on these fertile and romantic powers, and create your own unique spells and charms. Just think of all the magickal information that you can now add to your repertoire of witchery. Lastly, remember this: when you combine imagination and a loving heart with magick, you’ll succeed every time.

Book of Witchery – Spells, Charms & Correspondences For Every Day of the Week

Ellen Dugan

Friday’s Witchery

Love magick is a perennial popular topic. However, there is more to this topic than meets the eye. There are many enchanting layers here for us to explore on this day of the week. What about creating a loving home, or producing a loving and nurturing family? What about keeping your intimate relationships vital and on track? How about promoting happy, healthy, and eduring friendships? See, there is more to be considered than just the “You shall be mine….” type of fictional love spell.

Don’t forget that many of the deities associated with Fridays are also parents. So, yes, while this is the day to work on romance, sex, and love spells, there is additional magick to be considered here, which makes Fridays a more well-rounded and bigger opportunity for witchery than many folks ever truly realize. The truest, strongest magick always comes from the heart.

Book of Witchery – Spells, Charms & Correspondences For Every Day of the Week

Ellen Dugan

Friday

Friday: Is associated with Venus and the colors of – Green, Pink and White

Friday is the best time to deal with such matters as: Affection, Alliances, Architects, Artistic Ability, Artists, Balance, Beauticians, Beauty, Change , Chiropractors, Cosmetics, Courage, Courtship, Dancers, Dating, Decorating, Designers, Engineers, Entertainers, Fashion, Fertility , Friendship , Gardening, Gifts, Grace , Harmony, Herbal Magick, Household Improvements, Income, Luck, Luxury, Marriage, Material Things, Music, Painting, Partners, Peace, Physical Healing, Planning Parties, Poetry, Prosperity, Relationships, Romantic Love, Shopping, Social Activity, Soul-mates, Success

Practical Magick for the Penny Pinching Witch

Carol Moyer

Today Is…..

Today Is …

Beltane~Rowan Witch Day~Kalends of May~May Day~Cetsahmain

April Showers Bring May Flowers! Leave a bouquet of May flowers at a friend or loved ones door today!

May gets its name from the Roman Goddess Maia, who embodies the earth’s renewal during spring. Next to New Year’s Eve, May Day (Beltane) was among the most popular holidays in the old world, marking the time when the sun’s warmth and nature’s fertility began appearing in the land. Later, well over 100 nations chose to celebrate Labor Day on May 1, giving everyone a much-needed rest from winter’s tasks.

For the purpose of your magical escapades, the theme is definitely blossoming and liveliness. Use as many flower parts as possible in spells and rituals, and go outside frequently to get closer to nature. Energies emphasized by this month include creativity, inventiveness, fertility, health, and metaphysically “spring cleaning” any area of your life or sacred space.

Between the Beltanes – Children born between the Beltanes (May 1 and May 8) have “the skill of man and beast” and power over both. Kightly, Charles, The Perpetual Almanack of Folklore, Thames & Hudson 1987

Bona Dea – This was the day of dedication for the Aventine festival of the mysterious and generically named Good Goddess. Her cult was older than that of Heracles, which was itself pre-Roman. She was known as the wife of Faunus, a rustic god of woods and flocks, and she governed fertility and healing. Her rites were for women only and her oracles were revealed only to women.

Also on May 1st, the priests of Vulcan sacrificed a pregnant pig to Maia. Since a pig is the appropriate sacrifice for an earth goddess, Maia was equated with the earth by some Roman writers, as was Bona Dea. Blackburn, Bonnie and Leofranc Holford-Strevens, Oxford Companion to the Year, Oxford University Press 1999

Lei Day – Apparently in Hawaii this is a day for wearing leis and honoring the spirit of the lei: friendliness and good will. It seems appropriate to me to do this on May Day and in the middle of the Floralia, the festival in honor of flowers and sexuality.

Snake Festival – On the first Thursday in May, the town of Cocullo, Italy is full of snakes, in honor of San Domenico. Snake handlers gather the snakes on March 19 (St Joseph’s Day or equinox) when they are first emerging into the warmth of the spring sun and store them in jars of bran. On the feast day they bring them out and people get their photograph taken with a snake draped around them. Previously they took the snakes to Mass and waved them over their heads when the Host was elevated. Now they carry them in procession, along with the image of San Domenico. The festival used to end with the snakes being killed or sold to pharmacists to be made into ointments and cures. Now they are let loose.

San Domenico, a Benedictine monk, who was born in Umbria in 951 protects people from the bites of venomous snakes and rabid dogs, perhaps because of the story of how he tamed a fierce wolf that was about to steal a child. The story says he came to Cocullo when it was plagued by an invasion of snakes and charmed them out of their nests, just like St Patrick. But before San Domenico arrived in these parts, the Etruscans, the indigenous people in this part of Italy, worshipped the Goddess Angizia, a snake enchantress who lived in a nearby sacred wood and protected people from serpents. She was said to be a sister of Circe. She may be connected with Isis who mated with a serpent. Until some time in the last century, the people of Abruzzo believed the serpent copulated with all women.

Just as in the story of St Patrick driving the snakes from Ireland, this legend may record the transition from the earlier times when snakes were associated with the goddess and the bad reputation they acquired under Christianity. At one time, snakes were symbols of wisdom, and brought the gifts of prophecy and healing, which is why they appear on the caduceus, the symbol of the medical profession. They were also associated with fertility, since they penetrate the earth, and with rebirth, because of the way they shed their skins.

Ciambellone, special breads shaped like a snake biting its tail, are made to decorate the poles which support the statues in the procession. Treats called ciambelle, made from little twisted wreaths of bread, flavored with anise seed, look like snakes wrapped around each other. These sweets that are shaped and coiled like snakes occur only in regions of Italy where the Etruscans lived. Field, Carol, Celebrating Italy, William Morrow 1990 From School of Seasons

Floralia and Beltane ~ Ancient Roman Floralia (Florales Ludi) was a festival from April 28 – May 2 which began in Rome in 238 B.C. Floralia was originally a Spring Festival which honors Roman Goddess of Flowers, Flora (Chloris) another manifestation of the earth-goddess which includes Fauna, Maia and Ops. The temple of this goddess was founded on this day on the Aventine. Offerings of milk and honey were made on this day and the surrounding five days, which comprise the Florifertum. The city would have been decorated in flowers, and the people would wear floral wreaths or flowers in their hair. Games would be celebrated on this day. The celebration of this day survives in many cultures where it is known as May Day. 28 – May 3:The three day Festival of Flora and Venus, or the Florialia in Rome; Goddess of Sexuality and Spring flowers.

30: Walpurgisnacht celebrated by German Witches

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Courtesy of GrannyMoonsMorningFeast

Seasons of the Witch – Legends and Lore, Ancient Holidays And Some Not So Ancient!

Beltane Comments & Graphics

Seasons of the Witch – Legends and Lore, Ancient Holidays And Some Not So Ancient!

Remember The Ancient Ways and Keep Them Holy!

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Goddess Month Month of Maia begins 4/18 – 5/15 Celtic Tree Month of Willow April 15 – May 12

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May Moon Phases Full “Flower” Moon falls on Sunday, 03 May, 2015 at 11:44 PM Last Quarter falls on Monday, 11 May, 2015 at 6:36 AM New Moon falls on Monday, 18 May, 2015 at 12:15 AM First Quarter falls on Monday, 25 May, 2015 at 1:20 PM

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The Year Is Divided Into Four Seasons: The first season is of a frigid complexion, and this is “Winter”; The second is of the complexion of Air, and this is “Spring”; Then follows the third, which is “Summer”, and is of the complexion of Fire; Lastly, there is the fourth, wherein fruits are matured, which is “Autumn”. ~The Turba Philosophorum, ca. 12 century

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Courtesy of GrannyMoonsMorningFeast

Did You Know….

“May Day is related to the Celtic festival of Beltane and the Germanic festival of Walpurgis Night. May Day falls exactly half a year from November 1, another cross-quarter day which is also associated with various northern European pagan and neopagan festivals such as Samhain. May Day marks the end of the unfarmable winter half of the year in the Northern hemisphere, and it has traditionally been an occasion for popular and often raucous celebrations. As Europe became Christianized the pagan holidays lost their religious character and either changed into popular secular celebrations, as with May Day, or were merged with or replaced by new Christian holidays as with Christmas, Easter, Pentecost and All Saint’s Day. In the twentieth century, many neopagans began reconstructing the old traditions and celebrating May Day as a pagan religious festival again.”
– Wikipedia

The Witches Almanac for Friday, May 1st, Beltane

Friday (Venus): Love, friendship, reconciliation and beauty.

Beltane • May Day

Waxing Moon

The Waxing Moon is the ideal time for magick to draw things toward you.

Moon phase: Second Quarter

Moon Sign: Libra

Libra: Favors cooperation, social activities, beautification of surroundings, balance, and partnership.

Incense: Rose

Color: Coral

Did You Know….

Beltane Comments & Graphics

“Walpurgis Night (Walpurgisnacht) is a traditional spring festival on 30 April or 1 May in large parts of Central and Northern Europe. It is often celebrated with dancing and with bonfires. The current festival is, in most countries that celebrate it, named after the English missionary Saint Walburga (ca. 710–777/9). As Walburga was canonized on 1st of May (ca. 870), she became associated with May Day, especially in the Finnish and Swedish calendars.

The eve of May day, traditionally celebrated with dancing, came to be known as Walpurgisnacht (“Walpurga’s night”). The name of the holiday is Walpurgisnacht in German and Dutch, Valborgsmässoafton in Swedish, Vappu in Finnish, Volbriöö, (Walpurgi öö) in Estonian, Valpurgijos naktis in Lithuanian, Valpurģu nakts or Valpurģi in Latvian, čarodějnice or Valpuržina noc in Czech, chódotypalenje Lower Sorbian and chodojtypalenje in Upper Sorbian.”
– Wikipedia

Tasha’s Day by Day Astro Planner

Beltane Comments & Graphics

Tasha’s Day by Day Astro Planner

Fri. 5/1 Loving Libra Moon sets the tone for May Day frolic and fun.

Sat. 5/2 Indecisive Libra Moon suggests multi tasking for best results.

Sun. 5/3 Passionate Full Moon in Scorpio encourages lovers and seekers. Mercury conjoined with Saturn steadies the mind.

Mon. 5/4 Energetic Scorpio Moon pushes the envelope. Sun Square Jupiter suggests play, be happy and avoid excess.

Contact tashahal@gmail.com

Courtesy of GrannyMoonsMorningFeast

Lunabar Moon Almanack for Friday, 01 May, 2015

Waxing, Gibbous Moon Age: 13 ¼ days.

Moon in Via Combusta, at Ascending Node.

Moon in 18th degree of the Sign Libra, the Balance; also in 25th deg. of the Constellation Virgo, the Virgin.

Moonset: 4:54 morn. Moonrise: 5:40 eve. Souths: 11:39 eve.

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Aspects of Libra:

Yang, Masculine, Solar, Positive, Diurnal, Airy, Cardinal, Semi-fruitful, Horary Western, Autumnal, Austral, Obeying, Equinoctial, Moist, Vocal, Sweet, Hot

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Spells and rituals involving the Air Element should be performed when the Moon is in the Air sign: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius.

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Moon Moon, Mother Moon Lunar Lore

What’s this midsummer moon? Is all the world gone a-madding? ~ Dryden, “Amphitryon,” iv. 1. • • • •

The Moon is in the Lunar Mansion

Al’awwa, The Barker in the Kennel, also known as Canis, The Dog. Marked by the fix’d Stars: Zavijava, Vindemiatrix, &c.

*** Virgin August! come in thy regal state With soft majestic grace and brow serene; Though the fierce Lion’s reign is overpast The summer’s heat is all thine own as yet, And all untouched thy robe of living green By the rude fingers of the northern blast. ~ R.J. Philbrick, “Virgo.”

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Courtesy of GrannyMoonsMorningFeast

Did you know…..

“Many Wiccans and Pagans celebrate Beltane. It is one of eight solar Sabbats. This holiday incorporates traditions from the Gaelic Bealtaine, such as the bonfire, but it bears more relation to the Germanic May Day festival, both in its significance (focusing on fertility) and its rituals (such as May pole dancing). Some traditions celebrate this holiday on May 1 or May day, whiles others begin their celebration the eve before or April 30th. Beltane has long been celebrated with feasts and rituals. The name means fire of Bel; Belinos being one name for the Sun God, whose coronation feast we now celebrate. As summer begins, weather becomes warmer, and the plant world blossoms, an exuberant mood prevails. In old Celtic traditions it was a time of unabashed sexuality and promiscuity where marriages of a year and a day could be undertaken but it is rarely observed in that manner in modern times. In the old Celtic times, young people would spend the entire night in the woods “A-Maying,” and then dance around the phallic Maypole the next morning. Older married couples were allowed to remove their wedding rings (and the restrictions they imply) for this one night. May morning is a magickal time for wild water (dew, flowing streams, and springs) which is collected and used to bathe in for beauty, or to drink for health.”
– Beltane by Herne

Lunabar Sun Almanack for Friday, 01 May, 2015

Sunrise: 6:10 morn. Sunset: 8:00 eve.

Length of Day: 13h. 50m.

Dawn: 5:42 morn. Dusk: 8:28 eve.

Length of Twilight: 0h. 28m.

Sun in 10th degree of the Sign Taurus, the Bull; also in 12th degree of the Constellation Aries, the Ram;

Solar Lore

If the sun appear concave at its rising, the day will be windy or showery; windy, if the sun be only slightly concave, and showery, if the concavity is deep. ~Francis Bacon, “Historia Ventorum”.

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Aspects of Taurus:

Yin, Feminine, Lunar, Negative, Nocturnal, Earthy, Fixed, Semi-fruitful, Horary Southern, Vernal, Boreal, Commanding, Feral, Bestial, Animal, Four-footed, Dry, Cold.

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Courtesy of GrannyMoonsMorningFeast

Beltane to Litha

Beltane (a greater Sabbat named for a Celtic God, which is otherwise known as either May Eve or May Day) hails the coming-together of the Horned God, now in the Phallic Lord, and the irresistible Godddess in a rapturous celebration of light and life. It is as though all of nature—not least the birds and bees—is abuzz at this time of year, energized by a potent combination of irrestible physical attraction and an equally compelling urge to procreate.

—-The Wicca Book of Days

May Eve

Beltane Comments & Graphics

May Eve

“O do not tell the priests of our arts

For they would call it sin.

For we will be in the woods alll night

Aconjuring, conjuring summer in.

And we bring you good news by word of mouth

For women, cattle and corn.

The sun is coming up from the south,

With oak and ash and thorn.”

The Book of Shadows (1949)

Gerald Gardner

Wake Up! Wake Up! It’s Beltane! What A Glorious & Beautiful Day The Goddess Has Blessed Us With! Blessed Beltane To All!

Beltane Comments & Graphics
Good Morning & A Very Blessed Beltane to Each and Everyone of Our Brothers & Sisters Here Today!

Before we get this celebration started, let’s take a moment to say a prayer for our country and the turmoil that is currently in.

Please join us in this moment of silence and prayer….

Divine Mother

Loving and Wise

Help the people of Boston and

Anywhere unrest, violence and cruelty

to our fellow man exists.

Let go of their hatred and unrest

Open their hearts to compassion instead.

Let them be patient for the truth

And the shortcoming of others.

And let them have tolerance

For those who are different from themselves.

Help us to remember

That we are all your children

More alike than not

And equally loved in your eyes.

Banish the darkness

and negativity from their thoughts

Wash away prejudice

With the purity of your waters.

Let them love others

Let them love theirselves

As all are loved

By your encompassing spirit.

Most of all, let them realize when matters are

Placed in your hands, justice and peace will

Once again prevail across our land.

Let them know we are all of the Human race

Brothers, sisters, no matter what the color of the skin

We are all your children and must remember how to

live in peace once again.

Restore our compassion, our love and our tolerance

Bless us all, dear Mother, for we are all your children.

And your blessings are needed now more than ever.

So Mote It Be

Information on The Great Rite

The Great Rite

Understanding The Rite

The Great Rite IS NOT for everyone and like all rituals it can be used as positive act just as easily as it can be used to abuse. While modern attitudes about sex are puritan in many circles, within the pagan world, it is simply part of nature. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t used without accountability. This energy of the union between partners is part of the miracle of love between two people. It’s energy is more than just physical gratification, it can become a prayer, a method of worship, and in honoring the Great Spirits in the form of the God and Goddess joining to form the God Head (Spirit).

In addition, the Great Rite is not always a physical act. While it may have started out that way in ancient cultures, societies and understandings evolve. So too do spiritual rites and ceremonies. Whither conducted as a physical act, or a symbolic act, the Great Rite can be a very beautiful and powerful event when conducted with the utmost respect and reverence.

But as with ANY ritual, it can be misused as well. And all practitioners MUST understand the rights they hold within a group and within any ritual. Sexual harassment is a misuse of power, regardless of how it’s invoked. Demanding sexual favors in return for something badly needed, or desired is abuse and criminal, both in a spiritual sense as well as a physical accountability. Demanding a coupling for an initiation when the initiant is not comfortable with the union, is intimidation and rape. The causing of pain, terror and humiliation is a criminal act and is more than a misuse of power, it is a spiritual sin even within the pagan world. It is the desecration of the first grail, the womb of a woman and a disrespect to the spiritual path of any religion.

In ancient times, the GreatRite dealt with the union of the Goddess to the God to win favor or blessings from the Divine Universe. It was a ritual of survival that promoted fertility of fields, flocks and family.

Today the Great Rite deals with the essence of feminine and masculine energy as it relates to the God and Goddess. The idea is that in order to establish true Divinity within oneself, you need to accept and join your two natures together. We are all part masculine and part feminine within our being. Only when we learn to accept the nature of both can we discover the true divinity within.

Sex and Magik

Sex and magik have long gone hand in hand. This is nothing new and contrary to ‘moral’ attitudes, it’s not something that’s done just to get laid. Linking the sexual act with divine forces was an easy leap for early humans. Not understanding the medical process of copulation and conceiving. Prehistoric tribes documented their divine rituals through cave paintings which depict this idea fairly well.

These early paintings, carvings and figurines such as the ‘Venus of Willendor’ are perfect examples of the early reverence for fertility of a woman and her ability to give new life. This miracle of life was seen just as that, a miracle given to a woman by a deity, typically a Goddess. A woman who was extremely fertile was considered to be favored by the God/Goddess and elevated within her tribal structure. Some cultures viewed such a woman as the embodiment of the tribal Goddess who granted favor over the tribe. If this great Mother was fertile and brought new life to the tribe, that favor was also granted to the growing, harvest and hunting seasons of the tribe as well. In ancient times, all these events were strongly linked and each affected the other.

When early humans realized it took two to create life, the pendulum slowly switched from focusing on the matriarch to the patriarch. As long as a woman could bear children, she still held great power within her tribe. When she grew older and less fertile, she often chose her successor. But her singular power as ‘Mother Goddess’ shifted and was soon to be shared with a deserving male of the tribe.

In these ancient times, the fertility of a woman was seen as a blessing or as the Goddess living through the woman. The strength and ability of a man to provide food and housing for the tribe was seen as the God blessing or working through the physical hunter. Some suggest this is the early concept of the Horned God seen throughout legend and myth.

It is clear however, that the Goddess and Mother of the tribe was just as important as the God and the Hunter. Without both, the tribe will suffer and die. There cannot be abundance and sustenance for the whole society without the work of both the Goddess and God to provide fertility of the fields, the herds and even the tribe itself. From this early concept of survival, the reverence of ritual celebration and the union of male and female was born.

A Little History

From the beginnings of recorded history, we know that in Mesopotamia and Chaldea, Prostitution was a sacred profession, unlike today. Sacred Prostitution was seen as holy and practitioners were providing a service of the Goddess to the cultures of their society. A man would go to the temple and with an offering, he would request service of a Priestess within. His purpose was to gain favor of the Goddess for more children back at home with his wife, or an extra bit of fertility for his fields, or herds of sheep, cattle or camels. In lying with the Priestess he might feel blessed or honored, and go home full of confidence. He might dig extra irrigation ditches for his fields, or be more encouraged to lay with his wife.

The myths of the Greeks, to a greater or lesser extent are concerned with sex and the union of Deities with the lowly humans they rule over. The Greek pantheons constantly sought out human partners who’s conceived children often became revered demi-gods. These myths had both a good and bad side of their tale. On one hand, divine unions were seen as gifts from the Gods and often became ritualized. They became honored experiences even if they didn’t yield a child, but still gained abundance in the fields or herds.

On the other hand some tribes such as the Samothraki, involved the sacrifice of young men at one point in their history. Some Priestess would lay with a young man and to ensure she would become pregnant, she carried a very sharp, leaf-shaped knife which she used to take the life of the man she lay with. Sacrificing his life would ensure his essence was transferred to her womb.

There is even evidence of Sex and the Goddess in Biblical Times. It is held by some historians that the Hebrew God Yaweh was originally a phallic deity. In fact it is an accepted historical belief that the Hebrews were not always a monotheistic society. Phallic pillars were set up for worship in many of those early Hebrew villages, along with images of the Goddess Anat or Anath. Even today, the lineage of the faith is passed through the feminine side of the family. If a Jewish woman marries outside the faith, her children can be counted as Jewish, but if a man marries outside the faith it’s not so straight forward.

Through many passages of the Bible we can see evidence of Goddess worship. In Judges V, the Song of Deborah is a clear example. The story of Susanna and the elders is another example. If you can find an early version of the bible, you can see the ritualistic venues and importance of women such as Queen Esther who is another ‘goddess’ symbol. If read with a perspective of the Great Rite, it becomes clear that this queen was also a priestess of the Goddess. Through his reign, her husband the king had to prove his virility and therefore his right to lay with her. This is a very clear connection between the earliest Great Rite rituals and the bible. And don’t forget the Songs of Solomon, which have been considered one of the most glorious love poems ever written.

Other Biblical considerations revolve around the use of language of the time. The use of rock or stone, didn’t refer to the stability of God in ones life, but rather phallic symbology of the God. From early historical times, even up to the middle ages, ‘rocks’ or ‘stones’ often referred to the male testicles, and of course, pillars to the penis. “Of the rock that begat thee thou are unmindful” Deuteronomy 32:18. “For who is God save the Lord? And who is a rock save our God” Samuel 2:32. In this case God’s rock provided mankind with a son, the Lord Jesus.

The bible also provides one of the biggest examples of the reverence between the Divine and human coupling through the conception of Jesus. Early variations of the bible come right out and say “God lay with Mary and she conceived a son”. That translation has changed over the years thanks to the French and the first use of the term “immaculate conception” (meaning without sin or blemish) in 1497.

During the middle ages, oaths, promises and sworn statements were made ‘with a hand laid upon the sacred stone’. When taking the oath of office and loyalty, the right hand of the official was placed beneath the testicles of the king. In parts of the Middle East, this is still practiced today.

All this began to change after the fall of Rome and with the rise of Christianity. Sex began to be denied both as a source of magikal power and of pleasure between partners. Where as sex was seen as a gift from the gods, it was now becoming a sin and to find pleasure in the act of sexual copulation, was to accept the influence of the Devil. By this time, women were seen as the temptress who could drag a man down into the pits of hell and the only way to keep her from having that control, she must be subservient to her husband, brother, or even her son. Her sole value became her ability to bear children which quickly became a bargaining point as a bride or as a prize of war.

Items such as a Chastity belt became common place, but were deadly for the women who wore them. After years of being forced in such contraptions, a woman would develop various diseases, including blood poisoning. During this time, a woman’s life expectancy was no more than 30 years. Her entire value, power and favored desires were forgotten and tossed aside. She was property and her only value was the ability to provide a male heir to her husband and his family line. What a sad turn of events that diminished both the value of women and the sanctity of the physical pleasure and spiritual connection of the sexual union.

The Great Rite – Physical vs. Symbolic

The Great Rite is probably the most well known or heard about pagan rituals. Today it is a rite of sexual intercourse that pays homage to the polarity of male/female; god/goddess, priest/priestess. The rite can be performed “in-true” form, meaning the actual physical act of intercourse. Or “in-token” form, meaning a symbolic act of the union between God and Goddess.

This polarity exists in all things in and around the universe. The Great Rite therefore expresses the physical, mental, spiritual aspects of the Divine through the astral union between a man and woman as representations of the God and Goddess. Ok..say what? In other words, the energy created between a man and woman during the physical act of intercourse is an expression of spiritual energy from the God and Goddess.

To many the Great Rite is the Hieros Gamos, The Sacred Marriage or the Holy Matrimony, which results in the creation of the God Head (spirit). It’s the top of the spiritual trinity, whose base is the God and Goddess. This concept is nothing new and dates back to neolithic periods. Ancient kings required Hieros Gamos, which was a union with a priestess representing the Goddess, in order to rule. The King represented the God, the priestess the Goddess and through their Union his reign was both approved and blessed by the Divine Spirit. From this perspective it takes both the God and the Goddess to create the greater Divine Spirit and attain favor of that Spirit.

Depending on the tradition, the Great Rite was performed within a Magik Circle between the High Priest and Priestess. It is sometimes also performed for seasonal festivals, and especially handfastings between the newly married couple.

At times it has been used as an Initiation into a coven (such as 3rd degree initiations in the Gardnerian and Alexandrian traditions). Representing the inner marriage of the soul and spirit, ego and self. It is the gateway to becoming a whole being. In these type of initiations, the Rite is performed between the initiant and the High Priest, or High Priestess. This is done either “In token”, which is symbolically using ritual tools, such as an athame inserted into a chalice. Or “in true”, which is the physical sexual act.

When the rite is performed as a celebration of the season, it is often conducted “in true” form by a couple who are already intimate partners. The public display of the union varies between traditions. For instance, a portion of the rite maybe performed within the ritual circle in front of the coven, and the intimate union is performed in private.

Gerald Gardner established an open and public display of the Great Rite with the coven watching. The Coven members would form the circle edges and the couple would copulate in the center. He also favored ritual scourging as part of the rite, a practice which has fallen greatly out of favor.

Other covens perform a portion of the ritual with everyone watching and then those forming the circle would turn their back on the couple in the center. Others Covens instruct the circle members to walk backwards out of the sacred ritual space, then turn and file out clockwise leaving the couple in private. And still other groups form a closed circle, and then open a doorway allowing the couple to exit the ritual circle and enter their own private space, which is typically a circle that was earlier prepared by the couple.

Because of the puritanical influence over sexual encounters, many modern groups practice the Great Rite “In-Token”. What’s important about any ritual is the energy it pulls in and creates. There’s no denying that many people are uncomfortable with the physical display of sexual unions. Making everyone feel at ease creates a calm peaceful energy for the spiritual gathering. So In-Token rituals are becoming more popular. The main point to the Great Rite is the creation of energy between the male(physical being) and female(spiritual being) to form the whole(the Divine Creation). That can be just as easily done through symbolic means as it can through a physical act.

There are several items that can be used to represent the Goddess in these forms of the Great Rite. A ritual cup is the most common, but a ritual bowl, a cauldron or even a fire bowl can be used. The corresponding item to represent the God can be a ritual athame, a wand, a sword or a staff. I have seen a carved tree (about 3ft in length) used as the God, and a fire bowl as the Goddess. The log was placed in the bowl and set on fire to represent the union. The gathering than danced by the light of the fire, honoring the spirit that moved within and through everyone present.

There are many variations that can be conducted for this ritual. There is no single or right way.

The Great Rite – The Ritual

The Rite maybe performed in many methods or formats. There are several rituals performed with the Great Rite for varying purposes, here are just a few.

The Rite of Pan
The Rite of the Horned God
The Rite of the Moon Cup
The Dance of Love
The Ritual of the Hawthorn Tower
The Raising of Osiris
The Two of Swords
The Grail of Grace
The of Crystal
The Calling of a Soul
The House of the goddess
The Adoration of the Pillar
The Rite that is Left Undone

Each of these empowers the rite with the energy of the union for specific purpose, but can be for different meanings. The Rite of the Horned God honors the great hunter and provider of a Tribe for instance.

In the Rite of Pan, the male force is the hunter and the female force the prey. Through out the ritual the struggle between male and female is established, but before the rite is realized, an understanding is gained that while the male is strong on the earth/physical sphere, the female is equally strong on the above/spiritual sphere.

In the Rite of the Moon Cup, the woman is the summoner, and the man her target. She is the daughter of the Moon, her representation on earth. He is Lord of the Forest who pays homage to the Goddess (the moon) for his domain.

The Dance of Love is often a ritual performed by a committed couple in private. The idea is to generate Divine energy for a specific purpose, such as to favor the couple with fertility or abundance of their individual family. In this ritual, the couple spends time in meditation prior to their union to connect with the Divine Universe. This act raises their energy to a higher level of reverence to distinguish this moment as something more special and important than other acts of love making. This also helps empower the partners to express their energy as the representations of the God and Goddess during physical contact. All of which culminates in the creation of energy for their specified intent, and it’s release into the ethereal world for manifestation.

The Great Rite – Straight or Gay

The concept of straight or gay is not an issue in Pagan communities in general. Same sex encounters are common in nature and being that humans are part of nature, it is seen as a common practice there as well. The Great Rite is not about the ‘physical’ aspects of a man and woman, but rather their expression of energy as the God and Goddess. This can be easily accomplished between same sex couples just as it can be expressed through heterosexual couples.

Feminine energy is not something that only women have. Men have too. By the same token, masculine energy is not specific to men. Women have it too. The Great Rite can be expressed through same sex couples simply by choosing which side of the polarity coin (masculine vs. feminine) is going to be represented by which partner.

Further Reading

This posting is ONLY an introduction into the concept behind the Great Rite and a few of the rituals which use it’s energy. Further reading prior to anyone practicing this rite is required. I have purposely made this post a high level explanation and have intentionally left out how the ritual is invoked. Primarily because of the ease to misuse this rite.

For further reading, I recommend the following:

Vivianne Crowley “Wicca: The Old Religion in the New Millennium”
Janet and Stewart Farrar “A Witches Bible- Complete”
Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki “The Tree of Ecstasy”

Beltane Planting Ritual for Solitaries

This ritual is designed for the solitary practitioner, but it can easily be adapted for a small group to perform together. It’s a simple rite that celebrates the fertility of the planting season, and so it’s one that should be performed outside. If you don’t have a yard of your own, you can use pots of soil in place of a garden plot. Don’t worry if the weather is a bit inclement – rain shouldn’t be a deterrent to gardening. Just be sure you’re past the safe planting date for your region.

You’ll need:

Packets of seeds, or seedlings if you have them started already
Water
Pots of dirt, if you don’t have a garden
Gardening tools, such as a shovel

There is no need to cast a circle to perform this ritual, although if you prefer to do so, you certainly can. Plan on taking some time with this rite, though, and not rushing through it.

To begin, you’ll prepare the soil for planting. If you’ve already gotten your garden tilled or mulched, great – you’ll have a bit less work. If not, now’s the time to do so. Use your shovel or tiller to loosen the soil as much as possible. As you’re turning the earth over, and mixing it all up, take time to connect with the elements. Feel the earth, soft and moist beneath your feet. Take in the breeze, exhaling and inhaling calmly as you work. Feel the warmth of the sun on your face, and listen to the birds chattering in the trees above you. Connect with nature, and with the planet itself

If your tradition includes a deity of agriculture or land, now is a good time to call upon them. For instance, if your tradition honors Cernunnos*, a fertility god, you might choose to use the following:

Hail, Cernunnos! God of the forest, master of fertility!
Today, we honor you by planting the seeds of life,
Deep within the womb of earth.
Hail, Cernunnos! We ask you to bless this garden,
Watch over it, and grant it abundance,
We ask that these plants grow strong and fertile
Under your watchful eye.
Hail, Cernunnos! God of the greenwood!

When you have finished turning the soil and preparing it, it is time to plant the seeds (or seedlings, if youstarted them earlier in the spring). While you can do this easily with a shovel, sometimes it is better to get down on your hands and knees and really connect with the soil. If you’re not limited by mobility issues, get as close to the ground as you can, and use your hands to part the soil as you put the seeds in place. Yes, you’ll get dirty, but that’s what gardening is about. As you place each seed into the ground, offer a simple blessing, such as:

May the soil be blessed as the womb of the land
Becomes full and fruitful to bring forth the garden anew.
Cernunnos*, bless this seed.

After you’ve gotten the seeds in the ground, cover them all up with the loose dirt. Remember, this could take a while if you’ve got a large garden, so it’s okay if you want to do this ritual over the course of a few days.

As you’re performing all the different actions of gardening – touching the earth, feeling the plants – remember to focus on the energy and power of the elements. Get dirt under your fingernails, squash it between your toes if you don’t mind being barefoot outside. Say hello to that worm you just dug up by accident, and place him back in the ground. Do you compost? If so, be sure to add the compost to your plantings.

Finally, you’ll water your freshly planted seeds. You can either use a garden hose for this, or you can water by hand with a can. If you have a rain barrel, use the water from the barrel to start your garden.

As you’re watering your seeds or seedlings, call upon the deities of your tradition one last time.

Hail, Cernunnos*! God of fertility!
We honor you by planting these seeds.
We ask your blessing upon our fertile soil.
We will tend this garden, and keep it healthy,
Watching over it in your name.
We honor you by planting, and pay you tribute with this garden.
Hail, Cernunnos, master of the land!

You may also wish to include a general Garden Blessing.

Once you have completed watering, take a look through your freshly planted garden one last time. Did you miss any spots? Are there any weeds you forgot to pull? Tidy up any loose ends, and then take a moment to savor the knowledge that you have planted something new and wonderful. Feel the sunlight, the breeze, the soil beneath your feet, and know you have connected once more to the Divine.

*Cernunnos is used as an example in this rite. Use the name of the appropriate deity for your tradition.

From: http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/beltaneritesandrituals/a/Beltane-Planting-Ritual-For-Solitaries.htm

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