Beltane ritual 15 saille-willow (1 May) in the year of our Lady 2007
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Needs: A Beltane tree or pole, pastel candles of choice, rose, patchouli, or vanilla incense, charcoal block if using loose incense, censer, matches, caldron to hold the Beltane fire or several red, yellow, and orange candles to use as a Beltane fire, candlesticks, pastel colored altar cloth (again, the color is up to you). Lots and lots of pastel ribbon, preferable still on its roll, kindling and wood for the fire if you're building one, drum * Set up altar * Tie one end of your ribbon to the tree or pole. Let the other end lie on the ground. Build your Beltane fire in your cauldron or in some other safe place. You will be jumping over the fire, so don't use anything tall. Place your candles in an attractive arrangement on the altar and place the censer in the middle. Place your Beltane fire or facsimile well away from the altar and well away from your Beltane tree. * Cleanse space by drumming. If you are using red, orange, and yellow candles instead of a fire, light them now. Light your charcoal and allow it to heat Cleanse aura by drumming Close the circle. Your circle will be big to accommodate all that fire and dancing. Walk it. And call on the Goddesses at each point. Wait at each point until you know the Goddess is there. * Blodewedd, Welch Goddess made of flowers, we welcome you into our circle this night. Come, beautiful Lady, for tonight we celebrate you.
* Tonantzin, Love Goddess of Mexico, we welcome you into our circle this night. Come, passionate One, for tonight we celebrate passion and fecundity.
* Oshun, African Goddess of love and passion, you for whom women dance with joy, we welcome you into our circle this night, for tonight we celebrate you and love and reawakening.
* Flora, Roman Goddess of beauty and women's passion, you who embody all that is floral and sexual, we welcome you into our circle this night, for tonight, with you, we celebrate our sexuality.
* Aphrodite, Greek Goddess who rules Beltane, Goddess of beauty and of love and of passion, we welcome you into our circle this night. Come, Lady, for tonight we celebrate you.
* This is the night of Beltane, the fullness of spring. This is the time to open up to the love that is around us and to thrive on it. Lean toward that love as a flower seeks the sun! Persephone has become a woman now, and she bleeds as women do. She plays in the flowers, and all her wishes come true. She draws love to herself, just as we do. All acts of love and pleasure are her rituals.
* Light the candles on your altar.
* Whenever you need anything, once a month and best when the moon is full, and eight times more in the year, you shall meet in some safe place to celebrate my spirit, who am the queen of all women. You shall meet in freedom, and as a sign of trust you shall be naked in your rites. Sing, feast, dance, make music and love, all in my presence, for mine is ecstasy of the spirit and joy on earth. My only law is love unto all. Mine is the secret that opens on the door of birth and mine is the mystery of life that is the Cauldron of Hecate, the womb of immortality. I give knowledge of the all -creative spirit, and beyond death I give peace and reunion with those gone before. Nor do I ask any sacrifice, for I am the mother of all things and my love is the breast milk that nourishes the earth. I who am the beauty of the green earth and the white moon among the stars and the mysteries of the waters, I call upon your soul to arise and come unto me. For I am the soul of nature that gives life to the universe. From me all things proceed and unto me they must return. Let my worship be in the heart that rejoices, for behold- all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals. Let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and reverence within you. And you who seek to know me, know that your seeking and yearning will avail you not unless you know the mystery: for if that which you seek, you find not within yourself, you will never find it without. For behold, I have been with you from the beginning, and I am that which us attained at the end of desire.
* It's traditional to do a weaving around a Beltane tree for this ritual. However, when you're a solitary that's not really possible. Therefore, understand that this is not a traditional Beltane ritual. Grab the free end of your ribbon and dance around your Beltane tree. As you do sing or chant the following:
* We are the flow. We are the ebb. We are the weaver; we are the web. We are the weaver; we are the web. We are the spider; we are the thread. We are the spider; we are the thread. We are the witches back from the dead! (by Shekhinah Mountainwater)
* Sing this as often as you want. Sing it as loudly as you want. Wrap your ribbon around the tree as often as it will go. If you run out of ribbon keep singing and dancing if you want. Beat your drum if you want. Make a racket of joy if you want! This is Beltane, a time to celebrate passion!
* Light your incense now. Know that this incense will draw love to you and that all your wishes will come true.
* Jump over your Beltane fire, and as you do, cast for the manifestation of all your wishes. State the wishes as if they're already true (i.e. I have perfect health). Jump as many times as you want. Make as many wishes as you want! This is Beltane! There are no limits! Reach for the moon! After all, don't we do that at every full moon ritual?
* When you have made all the wishes you want to make throw the incense from your censer into the fire to send your love to the four winds. If you are using candles as your fire, blow the incense smoke to the four winds or wait until the charcoal cools and throw the ashes to the four winds
* Ground and remember those who are less fortunate than you. Send your excess energy into the earth so that they may be blessed as well.
* Open the circle. Thank the Goddesses beginning with Aphrodite and ending with Blodewedd. Let your candles burn out on their own. If you are using a Beltane fire, make sure it is well and truly out before you leave the site.
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