Beltane 2001

Purify self, Cast Circle.

____________ invoke Goddess with:

“Goddess of foxes and fire, Inari,
We now complete the sacred words,
We invoke thee here to our Circle,
To bless it, cleanse it, and to make it whole.
Hear our dearest wish:
From the heavens, to our Circle descend!”

Everyone say:

“We invoke thee here!”

____________ invoke God with:

“God of field and forest, Cernunnos,
We now complete the sacred words,
We invoke thee here to our Circle,
To bless it, cleanse it, and to lend thine aid.
Hear our dearest wish:
From the heavens, to our Circle descend!”

Everyone say:

“We invoke thee here!”

____________ chant:

“This is the time when sweet desire weds wild delight. The Maiden of Spring and the Lord of the Waxing Year meet in the greening fields and rejoice together under the warm sun. The shaft of life is twined in a spiral web and all nature is renewed. This is the time of flowering, when we turn the Wheel and dance the dance of life.”

____________ stand with wand raised and say:

“Tonight we celebrate the love of the God and Goddess and the sacredness of our own loves. We celebrate Your union as nature rejoices in a riotous blaze of color and life. From Your mating shall spring forth life anew; a profusion of living creatures shall cover the lands, and the winds will blow pure and sweet. Ancient Ones, we celebrate with You!”

Pass wand to ____________ , hold wand against the cauldron lip and say:

“The fertility of the Earth is dependent on the fruitfulness of the God and Goddess. We celebrate ecstasy; we usher in the full blossoming of Summer.”

____________ ring the bell seven times and say:

“The Goddess of Summer walks through the land with the God of the forest, and the dark time of Winter is behind us.”

____________ say:

“The animals breed and the plants pollinate, and the May Queen and the Green Man bestow Their blessings upon the Earth and all of her creatures.”

____________ say:

“We, who are Their children, rejoice with them and ask that Their happy union become the example for all humanity to live in love and harmony.”

____________ light the candle in the cauldron and say:

“May the light of the May fire bring happiness and peace, and may the victory of the King of the Wood come into our lives that we may dwell in the joy of the Lord and Lady. The dark days have now been cleared away that the May Day can now begin!”

____________ hold the chalice in your left hand, hold the athame in your right hand.
Slowly lower the point of the athame into the wine and say:

“As male joins with female for the benefit of both, let the fruits of Their divine union promote life. Let the earth be fruitful and let Her wealth be spread throughout all lands. As we enjoy the gifts of the God and Goddess may we remember that without Them we would have nothing. As freely as we have received may we also give food for the mind, body, and spirit of those who seek such from us.”

Everyone say:

“Blessed be!”

Works of magick may follow.

The Chalice and wine was blessed during the Great Rite.

____________ bless the Cakes:

“Father God, Lord of the Summer, I offer these cakes in Your honor.
As we eat them fill us with the power of Your spirit.
Blessed be.”

Eat simple feast and close Circle.

Phaedra's Notes:

This is a slightly modified ritual from my normal solitary one so that it could be used for group work. There really isn't anything terribly different from what I generally do, the most notable change is in the invoking of God and Goddess. 2001 was a year of 'searching' for a harmonious way of calling a set of Gods into Circle that would have meaning for everyone and this was a stepping stone for that. It's hard to tell, but from this I questioned the whole idea of invoking only one God or Goddess. It then struck me that whoever was High Priest/essing the ritual should invoke their patrons (or their Deities of Choice) but that also felt flat, even though we did try it.

Eventually I was struck with the inspiration that would allow all of us to invoke the God or Goddess that was personal to us or our work. I think it's important to know what Deity will be invoked so that we don't have any God-feuds going on above our heads, but to be honest that really hasn't been an issue with our group. As for Goddesses we all seem to have well behaved Ladies who get along well and with enough culture-hopping can be connected in some way. The Boys are much closer however, they are all related in some manner and by related I mean through bloodlines. Weird, huh?

As for the ritual itself, I enjoy Beltane more each year. Not so much for the sex part of it (although that is nice!) but for the absolute rush that is Beltane, fertility, and growth. I'm not sure if I'm appreciating it all more because I'm older or because I am becoming more in tune with things. Eh, I'll figure it out some day!