Samhain05:30 Jan 27 2009
Times Read: 583
Samhain
Bell is rung 3 times
Summoner gathers coven members and guests in the east.
High Priestess and four coveners gather in the circle. HP draws circle with
athame, visualizing a brilliant blue energy emanating from his athame.
HP:
“I cast this circle to honor our ancestors, to celebrate the New Year
and to give thanks for the harvest.”
The HPS places her athame into the dish of salt.
High Priestess:
Salt of the Earth!
Salt of the sea!
Born of the pure,
So Blessed Be!
Water for our bodies,
Salt for the soul,
At home with our Mother,
Such is our goal!
The priestess then moves around the circle.
The HP adds incense to the burner and chants while smudging the circle:
HP:
“By fire and smoke,
I do invoke,
our father from above!
Bless this rite
With your might!
With sacredness and love!”
The four coveners go to their quarters and invoke the elements.
Air: guardians of the watchtowers of the east, power of air, I call upon thee, who art also mind, intellect, and imagination... grace our circle with your presence this night. Great Eagle of the eastern skies, I summon, stir, and call thee this night.
So mote it be!!!
Fire: guardians of the watchtowers of the south, power of fire, I call upon thee, who art also fiery rays of the sun, the dancing flames of the hearth fire, who art also energy, will, and passion... grace our circle with your presence this night. Red lion of the southern desert, I summon, stir, and call thee this night.
So mote it be!!!
Water: guardians of the watchtowers of the West, power of Water, I call upon thee, who art mighty river and the vast ocean and who art also feeling, emotion, and intuition... grace our circle with your presence this night. Sweet Dolphin of the western seas, I summon, stir, and call thee this night.
So mote it be!!!
Earth: guardians of the watchtowers of the north, power of earth, I call upon thee, who art the towering mountains and the fertile plains and who art also our bodies and all things material... grace our circle with your presence this night. Black bear of the northern forest, I summon, stir, and call thee this night.
So mote it be!!!
The Priest and Priestess then welcome everyone into the circle, anointing their foreheads
with oil, drawing a pentagram over their third eye. As each enters the circle, the priestess
says:
High Priestess:
For the harvest, your ancestors, and all of your relations.
Priest stands before the Priestess, who assumes the goddess position, putting her circlet
on, then he gently rests his hands on her shoulders and says:
HighPriest:
Hear ye the words of the Great Mother:
She, who was of old also called among mortals, Artemis, Astarte, Athene;
Dione, Melusine, Aphrodite; Cerridwen, Dana, Arionhrod; Isis, Bride, and
by many other names:
Priestess arises and says:
HighPriestess:
Whenever ye have need of anything, once in the month and better it be when
the Moon is Full, then shall ye assemble in some secret place and adore the
Spirit of Me, Who am Queen of all the Witches.
There ye shall assemble, ye who are fain to learn all sorcery yet have not won
it’s deepest secrets; to these will I teach things that are yet unknown. And ye
shall be free from all slavery, and as a token that ye shall be free, ye shall be
naked in your rites and ye shall dance, sing, feast, make music and love all in
My praise. For Mine is the ecstasy of the Spirit of Me and Mine also is joy
upon the Earth, for my love is law unto all beings.
Keep pure you Highest Ideals; strive ever toward them, let naught stop you
nor turn you aside, for Mine is the secret door which opens the door of youth.
And Mine is the Cup of the Wine of Life and the Cauldron of Cerridwen,
which is the Holy Grail of Immortality.
I am the Gracious Goddess, Who gives the gift of joy unto the hearts of men
and women. Upon Earth I give knowledge of the Spirit Eternal and beyond
death I give peace, freedom, and reunion with those who have gone before.
Nor do I demand sacrifice, for behold, I am the Mother of all living and my
love is poured out upon the Earth.
***pause***
HighPriest:
Hear ye the words of the Star Goddess, she is the dust of Whose feet are the
hosts of Heaven, Whose body encircles the Universe…
HighPriestess:
I am the beauty of the green Earth, and the white Moon among the stars, and
the mysteries of the waters, and the desire in the hearts of humans.
Call unto thy soul, arise and come unto Me, for I am the Soul of Nature, Who
gives life unto the Universe. From Me, all things proceed and unto Me, all
things must return. And before My face, beloved of Gods and humans, let
thine innermost divine self be enfolded in the divine rapture of the Infinite.
Let My worship be within the heart that rejoiceth, for behold, all acts of love
and pleasure are My rituals. And therefore let there be beauty and strength,
power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and reverence with you.
And thou, who thinkest to seek for Me, know that the seeking and yearning
shall avail thee not unless thou knowest the Mystery: that if that which thou
seekest, thou findest not within thee, thou shalt never find it without thee.
For behold, I have been with you in the beginning and I am what is attained
at the end of desire.
Priestess stands before the Priest, who kneels before her in the god position. She places
the horned circlet on the Priest, then places her hands gently on his shoulders and says:
HighPriestess:
Here ye the words of the Great Father, who was of old also called among
mortals, Herne, Pan, Kernunnos; Mannanon Mac Lyr, Lugh, Odin the
Wayfarer; Loki, Bran, Tyr; Thor, Zeus, and by many other names:
HighPriest:
Then you shall be taught to be wise, so in the fullness of time you shall count
yourselves among those who serve the Ancients; And you shall grow to love
the music of the Woodlands, to dance to the sound of His pipes in step with
the cloven hooves and the forest song…
And you shall learn the Mystery of Rebirth, filling your heart with Her
moonlight, growing in harmony with the Earth, as Her children, protective of
your Mother…
And you shall grow in wisdom; and you shall grow in compassion. And in
love shall you heal the sick, pursuing the arts of healing, the lore of the
Mother’s herbs, learning the psychic arts, to cure, nurture, to help Her
children grow. And in wisdom you shall give counsel, knowing the skills of
divination, seeing how the children best flow with the Universal Harmony,
understanding planetary cycles and knowing prophesy.
Thus you will be the Wise Ones, knowing the lores of Nature, the Wiccans of
the heaths, of the countryside, the pagans of the cities, knowing all are One to
the Mother; knowing all are One to the Father.
Let thy life and the lives to come be in service to the Lord and the Lady.
HighPriest:
Blessed by the power of Dana,
By the powers of Earth and Sea,
By the powers of Moon and Sun,
By the powers of starlight,
The Ancient faith lives once more!
HP:
“We are gathered here on this solemn occasion to celebrate the
bounty of the harvest and to usher in the coming year. We are also
here to honor and remember our loved ones that have passed since
last Samhain. We have set up an ancestor altar for you to write, if
you like, something to your loved ones. At the end of the ritual, we
will take the paper outside and burn it so that the smoke may carry
our wishes to them. You may also light a candle in their memory
and place it on the altar. We have prepared a dish for our loved
ones and leave the setting empty for them to visit. When we are
done with the ritual, we will have a dumb supper. For this, we will
be silent as we eat to honor those who have departed and who are
preparing for rebirth in the arms of Kerridwen.
This is a good time to express your love and well wishes to those who
have departed. The veil between the worlds is thin as the Sun God
Lugh takes his place as Arawn, the Dark Lord of the underworld to
take care of the souls of the dead and to prepare for his rebirth at
Beltaine as the Sun God. This is the time of the Dark Father and
the Dark Mother. As we head towards winter, we are reminded of
our mortality in this world as things appear to die…but we are also
reminded of the immortality of our souls as we know that although
the trees will soon appear to be dead…they, like the Sun God Lugh,
will be reborn again in the spring.
The harvest is over and we prepare ourselves for the harshness of
the coming winter. We give thanks to the gods for a bountiful
harvest and ask that we be blessed with health over the coming
months.”
HPS:
“The Dark mother, as she takes over the throne from the Dark Lord
as he ascends into the underworld, blesses her children for the
harsh months ahead. She who was once a maiden, then the green
mother of the earth, is now the crone…mother and grandmother.
She is always there as her children grow, have children of their own,
age, and eventually die and return to her embrace as she sends them
to be with her Lord in the underworld. She is always with us not
only to remind us that all grow old and die, but also that we are
loved as only a grandmother can.
We will now circle around and chant as we go by the ancestor altar
and leave our thoughts to our ancestors…”
Everyone chants:
“Silver threads
Spinning round
Ancient spirit
Newly found
Spiral web
Weaving life
Blessing us
On this night
Fires burn
Souls sing
Shadows dance
With things unseen
Birth, death
Love, life
We celebrate
Samhain tonight”
After everyone has finished leaving their remarks and candles on the
ancestor altar we circle around one more time then come to a halt. The HP
and HPS hold up the plate of food and say:
HP & HPS:
“We consecrate this plate of food to honor our loved ones that have
passed. May you enjoy this food as heartily as you enjoyed it in life!
Take our love and blessings with as you journey through the
underworld and prepare for rebirth.”
The HP and HPS place the dish on the ancestor altar and move back before
the main altar.
HP:
“We would like to thank you for joining for this celebration. As we
end this rite and begin the feast remember the ones you lost over the
past year and send your love to them. As you eat, remember the love
they gave to you and the meals you shared with them. Go in peace
and in love. Blessed Be!”
HPS:
“As our loved ones snuggle in the arms of the Dark mother,
remember that we will be reunited in some fashion with them. We
journey through our lives with our soul mates in various forms of
relationships. We journey with our family and with the Gods. Go in
peace and in love. Blessed Be!”
HP:
“Blessed Lord…guide the souls of our loved ones as they journey to
the mother to be reborn. Give them rest and sustenance on their
journey. We thank you Arawn, Lord of the Summerlands, for
attending our rite. May you pass into the realms of spirit and take those souls that are wandering so they may be reborn. Hail and
Farewell!”
HPS:
“Blessed Mother… as the souls of the departed rest in your bosom,
may you comfort them and prepare them for rebirth. May you keep
them on your path and guide them along in their quest for
enlightenment. We Thank you Lady Morrigu and Mother
Kerridwen for attending our rite. May you pass back into your
realms in peace and in love. Hail and Farewell!”
The priest moves to the east and begins to dismiss the elements, drawing a pentagram in
the air, staring on the left and going across:
HighPriest:
Lords of the East,
Creatures of Air!
We thank you this night,
For Blessings fair!
The Priestess extinguishes the candle, then they move to the south. The Priest draws a
pentagram in the air, starting on the bottom right and going up, while saying:
HighPriest:
Lord of the South,
Creatures of Fire!
We thank you this night,
For showing us growth and desire!
The Priestess extinguishes the candle, then they move to the west. The Priest draws a
pentagram in the air, staring on the right, while saying:
HighPriest:
Lords of the West,
Creatures of Water!
We thank you this night,
For bringing us Eternity’s daughter!
The Priestess extinguishes the candle, then they move to the north. The Priest draws a
pentagram in the air, starting on the bottom left and going up, while saying:
HighPriest:
Lords of the North,
Gods of the Trees!
We join in your worship,
Of Earth’s harmonies!
HighPriestess:
May we all share our love and magick in all Circles of Time. We leave for
now this Rite and close this Circle. This Rite ends in Joy, The circle is now
closed but never broken. Merry Meet, Merry Part, and may we Merry Meet
Again! Blessed Be!!!
COMMENTS
-