Blessing of the Waters - A Full Moon Rite

Items needed: wand, a bottle of water, and black permanent magic marker.

_________ points toward the Western altar with the wand and says:

“Be far from us all who may ever wish ill, for the approach of the Goddess is at hand. We enter into her presence with clean hands and pure hearts.”

__________ invoke Goddess with:

“Full Moon Mother, by whatever names we call Thee - __________- we know that You hear us. Grant us your serenity and blessings in our everyday lives as we endeavor to integrate the qualities of Your divine Motherhood into ourselves. Hear our wish and descend to our Circle tonight. Hail and Welcome!”

__________ invoke God with: “Horned Solar Lord, by whatever names we call Thee - _________ - we know that You hear us. Grant us the knowledge to accept change gracefully as through Your light You show us the changing phases of the Goddess. Hear our wish and descend to our Circle tonight. Hail and Welcome!”

__________ ring bell three times.

__________ say:

“We come to offer You our selves
For, eight words the ancient law fulfills:
An harm it none, do what you will
Love is the Law, Love under Will.”

Move to stand in front of the Western altar.

_________ say:

“We stand in the West, to invoke the All-Mother,
Mighty queen of the nights, brilliant rider of the waves
We call to the Watchers – take note of our presence.
We call to the Winds – carry our voices.
We call to the Dragons – support our Will.
We call to the Elements – Make clear our paths.

We stand beneath the stars, in awe of their splendor
And reach up to them to drink in their light.
Holy Mother of all on Earth and in the heavens,
Send forth Your power; let us feel Your might
Of tides, and changes, of surges, and quiet.

We reach to You, send down Your strength
Let it pour through our bodies and into the Earth
Like a coursing fall of brilliant-hued water.

We are the sacred and hallowed vessels
Built to hold Your water of life
Like fountains of light, we stand in the darkness
Holy Mother of Night, we call Your names:”

Say together:

“Isis, Astarte, Her-on-High,
Hecate, Demeter, Inari,
Rhea, Bridget, Gaea, Pan-ge,
Innana, Tiamat, Kali.
These, and many more,
Are all Your names
With them we call to You!”

_________ say:

“The Temple of the Goddess is built of black marble
And hung with silver throughout.
She, Herself, sits veiled in the innermost sanctum
She, the Goddess, we worship in our hearts.
She, who is many and yet one under many forms.
Goddess of Nature, She who wears horn on Her brow
Goddess of the skies is the moon, who rides through the night,
Goddess of the depth is the Sea Mother, from which all life arises.
She is the ancient and forgotten One
From whom our roots arise
On Earth, she is ever fertile
In Heaven, She is ever queen.
Mistress of the tides that rise and fall
Mistress of the night that darkens the sky
Mistress of the moon that waxes and wanes
Mistress of all that ebbs and flows
She ever changes, yet never ceases the cosmic rhythm.”

_________ say:

“Oh most holy and adored Goddess,
Who, no matter where She resides, is the supernal Mother
Who on Earth is the Lady of Nature
Who in the skies is the ever-changing moon.

Ruler of all that moves and changes
Keeper of the Rhythm in the hears of all.
You, who we symbolize in the turning moon,
You, who are the deep seas that reflect that moon,
You, who are the keeper of the Gates of Life and Death.

We see You crowned in silver in the heavens,
And garbed in green on the Earth,
And robed in your gown of many colors at the Gates.

Oh shining silver that answers the celestial gold,
O Green that rises from the grey,
O Rainbow of glory of all lives,

Goddess, Goddess, Goddess!”

_________ rings bell three times.

_________ says:

“O, You who were before any worlds were formed
O, timeless, boundless, soundless, bitter sea
We are Your children and we come to You –

O arching sky with the earth beneath
Giver of life and bringer of death,
The moon moves beyond the clouds
The living form from among the dead,
The star above the storm.

Harmony of Nature’s art
Wonder, and beauty, and terror,
Wellhead of joy, harbinger of song,
Mirror of all, in all glory.

Incline; incline Your art divine
Lay bare all that is hidden
Make manifest all as yet not spoken
Come, Holy Grove
Come, Secret Mother

Holy Queen of the Night
Spread wide Your pinions
And hold us within Your wings."

________ say:

“Aid us, gracious Goddess,
With Your power to protect
Aid us, mighty Goddess,
With Your power to awaken
Show us the vision that we may see
Show us the balance so that we may be
Show us the judgment so we may know
O You who were, and are, and shall be
All woman and all Goddess
You who are our beginning,
And that which we attain at the end.”

________ hold the bottle of water in front of your heart and envision moonlight
pouring into it, filling the water and empowering it. When you feel the bottle glowing hand it to the next person who will do the same thing.

Whoever is in charge of the rite, hold the bottle up. Everone gather around and at
least try to touch the bottle and say together:

“Feel the wings of the Goddess surround us and protect us
Feel the wings of the Goddess carry us through our days

Bring forth, bring forth, the living waters
Renew the dried and lifeless
Grant healing and peace
Envelop and balance us.

Bless and prepare this water
That it may become a potent remedy
For all ills.

Bless and prepare this water,
That its power may call to our
Innermost being.

May it wash our wills in the
Universal sea of Spirit
That we may be blessed with
Beauty of heart,
Purity of will,
Tranquillity of soul,
And enlightenment of spirit.”

Place the bottle of water on the central altar, hold your hands over it and say
together:

“We call upon You, O mighty Goddess of the Living Waters
Who nurses all lives with the laws of Nature,
To enter into this, Your element of water
Open to us the depths of wisdom
Let all tides and waves and currents of spirit
Bear our consciousness onward
Hear us, O creature of water
Consecrated, faithful creature of water,
Let the fullness of your nature
Make your whole substitute
Fruitful for regeneration.
Breathe; breathe upon these waters,
O Goddess, Goddess, Goddess!”

___________ bless the wine with:

“Goddess of the Full Moon, we offer this wine in Your honor.
As we drink it, fill us with the nectar of your love.

Pour a small amount of wine into the libation dish, then take a sip and pass the chalice deosil around the Circle.

_________ bless the cakes with:

“Horned Lord of the Sun, we offer these cakes in Your honor,
As we eat them, fill us with the power of Your spirit.”

Place one of the cakes in the libation dish, then take one and pass the plate deosil
around the Circle. When everyone has one, eat the cakes.

Open Circle.

Phaedra's Notes:

This is on that we have used several times over the years, usually with a group but most recently to make sacred water for my well in ADF. I don't know who wrote the original but it was intended as an offering of water to Isis, I simply changed and adapted it so that we could create blessed water on a full moon night. Heh, ain't I clever!

Parts of this I feel are bogged down, but I don't know how to change it without loosing the majesty of the ritual. Other parts are wonderfully poetic and evocative - a perfect counterpoint. It is also very Goddess-centric, if I didn't feel a strong pull towards Her I don't think I would perform this. However, my husband is very male-god centric and he really enjoyed this ritual. So... what do I know?

While this esbat isn't as celebratory as some, I still think that it honors the full moon and the Goddess very well. It certainly does help to create a bond with Her as you can feel your connection with Her as you bless and purify the water. This is a definite keeper!

Last little bit of rambling - this doesn't have to be used in conjunction with anything. It can be a ritual on its own, with the blessed water being kept for later use, or you can even anoint yourself with it at the end of the ritual. This was performed at Ostara 2003 and the bottle lasted until Nov. '05. I find that I use this water the most in situations where there is an unfriendly spirit to remove from an area. It also is an excellent anointing tool, especially for those who don't want to use oil or are allergic to it.