Beltane (Solitary)

Ground and center

Purify

Cast Circle

Invoke God and Goddess

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. In this time of flowering I turn the Wheel to dance the dance of life!”

Raise wand and say:

“Tonight I celebrate the love of the God and the Goddess! I celebrate Your sacred union as I rejoice in the sacredness of my own loves. Lord and Lady, from your mating shall spring forth life anew; I celebrate with You!”

Place the tip of the wand against the lip of the cauldron and say:

“The fertility of the Earth is dependant on the fecundity of the God and Goddess. Tonight I celebrate ecstasy; I 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 past. The May Queen and the Green Man bestow Their blessings upon the Earth and the Earth’s creatures. I, who am Their child, rejoice with Them and ask that Their happy union become the example for all humanity to live in love and harmony.”

Light an orange candle and say:

“May the light of this May fire bring happiness and peace and may the victory of the King of the Wood come into my life. The dark days are cleared away now that the May Day can now begin!”

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

“As male joins female for the benefit of both, let the fruits of Their union promote life. Let the Earth be fruitful and let Her wealth be spread through all lands. As I enjoy the gifts of the Lord and Lady of the Greenwood, may I remember that without Them I would have nothing. As freely as I have received, may I also give food for the mind, body, and spirit to those who seek such of me. So mote it be!”

Eat the simple feast

Open Circle

Phaedra's Notes:

This is the very straight-forward Beltane sabbat that I did until about 1995. Once I started interacting more with the local pagan community I began to see that there was more than one way to do things. It also helped that I started Cat's Moon and we would switch who wrote ritual, which opened me up to tailoring ritual to that particular time and season.

My rituals until 1993 were either a mix of Cunningham and Starhawk or what had been given to me by my first teacher. At this point I wasn't working with any specific Deity, I just called upon the archtypes of Goddess and God. I like the simplicity of these early sabbats, I've been thinking of going back to them for a year and see if I still get that jolt and charge of seasonal energy like I used to from them.