Scorpio Full Moon Esbat

Purify self and cast Circle

_______________ invoke the Goddess with:

“Mother of all living, Queen of Earth and sky, by whatever names we call Thee – ______________ – we know that You hear us. We see your beauty this night in the bright full Moon above us and we invoke and call Thee, O Lady of the Moon, to descend to our Circle here. Fill us with You wisdom that we may share the special meaning of this night. Hail and Welcome!”

_______________ invoke the God with:

“Father of the Universe and father of our souls, by whatever names we call Thee - _______________ - we know that You hear us. We feel strength and security in your increased light and we feel Your vitality in the growth of Spring. Hear our wish to join us in our Circle and through us shine touch the hearts of all. Hail and Welcome!”

_______________ chant:

“This is the time of fullness, the flood tide of power, when the Lady in full circle of brightness rides across the night sky, arising bearing fruits of change realized. The great Mother pours out Her gifts in abundance. The Hunter draws near the Brilliant One, She who awakens yearning in the heart and is the end of all desires. Once again we meet in the fullness of the moon, it is the season of growth, as new life begins to take root in the Mother. Feel Her strength beneath our feet and savor Her beauty. Within the love and protection of this Circle, may we feel and sense the truths that will guide us steadily upon our paths of growth as we direct the energies we shall raise according to our will. So mote it be.”

Everyone lay a hand over your heart and say:

“May the blessings of the Mother Goddess be upon me. May she grant me a compassionate heart and fire me with passion. May she teach me the joys of creation and the reward of loving parenthood. I honor the power of my birth, I honor my mother. May others see the Mother within me through my warmth, in my ability to nurture and heal. Through me runs the love of the God and Goddess.”

Everyone envision the moon in the center of circle, full and round, and see a beam of moonlight expand from the moon and enter your chest, filling you with Her light.

_______________ say:

“The bright moon reflects the strong and steady light of the Lord of Day, and the words of our ritual celebrate the virtues of the spring time energy that courses through us all. Yet this is night and we must be reminded that we call upon the Goddess in the sign of Scorpio, which means that any message we receive from Her may sting just a bit, if you are too complacent in your needs for security.”

_______________ (as the Goddess) say:

“Tell us who You are, O great Horned God of springtime…”

_______________ (as the God) say:

“I am a plant that has firmly taken root and grows with strength…”

_______________ (as the Goddess) say:

“And I am the hoe that uproots you and tosses you aside.”

_______________ (as the God) say:

“I am the blue speckled eggs that are warm in a nest…”

_______________ (as the Goddess) say:

“And I am the storm that dislodges that nest and causes the eggs to fall and crack.”

_______________ (as the God) say:

“I am a carefully worked out plan…”

_______________ (as the Goddess) say:

“And I demand revisions.”

_______________ (as the God) say:

“I am a persistent work in progress…”

_______________ (as the Goddess) say:

“And I am the circumstance that necessitates change… and what then?”

_______________ say:

“We all have the power to begin anew when we must, and we have the power to build on that renewal. Sometimes we must hold on, and sometimes we must let go. The challenge is in knowing which will serve us best at any given time. The Goddess is there to support us, not to give us easy answers, because it is through experience and trials that we learn and grow. She does let us know through our feelings – if your decision causes you to feel great fear your choice may be the wrong one; but if you feel the power and the flow your choice is the right one for you.”

_______________ say:

“Feel the power of holding on: plant your feet firmly on the ground and tense your muscles. Feel the tension and the strength of the Mother move up through your body, take a deep breath, make a fist, hold yourself like a solid rock and feel the power.”

Everyone take a moment to hold this position.

Then _______________ say:

“Now let go! Relax, let out the breath, lift up, be free, soar like an eagle – and feel the power.”

Everyone release the built up energy into the earth to help rouse it from winter’s slumber. Envision the moonlight that is filling you is returning to the moon, shrinking back and leaving you refreshed and relaxed.

_______________ say:

“Now in the warmth of the energy we have raised, each of us will share an one thing we are holding on to or letting go of. What you share might touch a similar chord in another and help them, or you might find that sharing will help you find new insight with the support of the Circle.”

Works of magic may follow.

_____________ bless the Chalice with:

“Mother Goddess, Giver of life,
I offer this cup in Your honor,
In Your names, bless this wine and infuse it with Your love.
Blessed be.”

______________ bless the cakes with:

“God of the Harvest, consort of the Goddess,
I offer this plate in Your honor,
In Your names, bless these cakes and infuse them with Your love.
Blessed be.”

Eat the simple feast.

Phaedra's Notes:

I wrote this for the spring full Moon in 2004. From a book I was reading at the time, I had the idea to write a ritual that would coincide with what zodiac sign the moon was in for a full year. As you can see, that didn't happen.

However, I really enjoy this esbat and the idea to do more like it is still going round in my head, so you may see more here someday. If I do come back to this idea, it is something that I think would take much longer than a year to complete. Mainly because this ritual was kind of draining and I wouldn’t want every full moon esbat to be as strenuous. I found that I like that this one was simpler than some of my other rituals, since it didn't require any extra props or tools for it. I also enjoyed that it engaged us physically, something I feel that I don't use enough of.

I was worried that it would be too God-centric for an Esbat, but it seemed to help remind us that there is a balance between them, they are opposite yet not opposing. Everything that happens, happens in harmony with them.