PRIEST
PRIESTESS
PURSUIVANT
EAST
SOUTH
WEST
NORTH
PRIEST
Let us begin by clearing and releasing all excess energy. Find a comfortable position and release all of the tensions and anxieties of your day – let them flow out of you, like water flowing down through your arms, down through your legs, down and out through your hands and feet, returning to the universe to be reused in other in ways. Now, let us begin!
PRIESTESS
Imagine with me a strong yellow white light sweeping counterclockwise through this sacred space. A strong and cleansing light that sweeps out all negativity -imagine any negative or unfocused energy being carried away by this light. Behold – we do cleanse and purify this sacred space that nothing harmful may remain here and good alone may abide!
PRIEST
Imagine with me a strong blue white light sweeping clockwise through this sacred space. A strong and vibrant light that raises the vibration of all it comes in contact with. Imagine the vibration of the sacred space rising, becoming more spiritually charged. Behold, we do Bless and Charge this sacred space, directing its energy to the highest and strongest good!
PRIESTESS
Imagine now a circle of light surrounding you – circles of light surrounding us all – clear, bright white light forming a wall around us, moving upwards and downwards, over and under and all around us, a ball of light around each of us, around all of us – many balls of light and one ball of light, many circles and one circle – May our circle now be cast!
PRIEST
Behold! I do cut apart a place between the realms of humankind and of the Mighty Ones! A Circle of Art, to focus and to contain the powers we shall raise herein!
ALL
The circle is cast!
PRIESTESS
Now – Let us turn to the direction of the East, lair of birds and butterflies and all that traverse the skies! Imagine with me a column of white light arising in the direction of the East, as we invoke the Quarter!
EAST
We call to You, Dawn-Red Phoenix of the East! Power of Air!
Swift Spirit of the Winds! Arise and join us!
Share with us Your powers of inspiration and delineation
That we may have clarity of mind and thought.
As we enact our holy ritual!
We bid You Hail and Welcome!
ALL
Hail and welcome!
PRIESTESS
Let us turn to the direction of the South, lair of snakes and dragons and salamanders! Imagine with me a column of white light arising in the direction of the South, as we invoke the Quarter!
SOUTH
We call to You, Noon-White Serpent of the South! Power of Fire!
Fierce Spirit of the Flames! Arise and join us!
Share with us Your powers of creativity and courage
That our actions may be confident and effective!
As we enact our holy ritual!
We bid You Hail and welcome!
ALL
Hail and welcome!
PRIESTESS
Let us turn to the direction of the West, lair of fish and water mammals and all who swim in the deep! Imagine with me a column of white light arising in the direction of the West, as we invoke the Quarter!
WEST
We call to You, Dusk-Gray Whale of the West! Power of Water!
Sweet Spirit of the Oceans! Arise and join us!
Share with us Your powers of love and empathy
That our emotions may be open and free-flowing!
As we enact our holy ritual!
We bid You Hail and Welcome!
ALL
Hail and welcome!
PRIESTESS
Let us turn to the direction of the North, lair of creatures great and small who live upon the land! Imagine with me a column of white light arising in the direction of the North, as we invoke the Quarter!
NORTH
We call to You, Midnight-Black Stag of the North! Power of Earth!
Wise Spirit of the Forests! Arise and join us!
Share with us Your powers of focus and integration
That we may be steady and well grounded
As we enact our holy ritual!
We bid You Hail and Welcome!
ALL
Hail and welcome!
PRIESTESS
We invoke you O Great Goddess! We invoke You in the South as the Lady of Life, arrayed with flowers and with light, Who makes the Earth to bring forth life and abundance of all kinds! We invoke You in the North as the Lady of Death, arrayed with the black night and the silver stars, Who transforms all things that new life may come when old life has faded! Holy Lady of Life and Death – With love and with respect, we do invoke You!
ALL
Hail and welcome!
PRIEST
We invoke you O Great God! We invoke You in the South as the Lord of Life, crowned with golden rays, the smiling Sun that warms the Earth and causes field and forest to thrive! We invoke You in the North as the Lord of Death, crowned with branching antlers, Lord of the gate between the Worlds and of all the cycles of Life! Holy Lord of Life and Death – With love and with respect, we do invoke You!
ALL
Hail and welcome!
PURSUIVANT
O Ancestors, Beloved Ones who have gone before – we invoke you and invite you to be with us this night! You who have prepared the way – walk with us and led us forward! Join with us in our circle tonight, the living and the spirits together – hand in hand! One Circle! One Family! One People! Beloved Ones, with love and with respect, we do invoke you!
ALL
Hail and welcome!
PRIEST
Behold, we come together this night to celebrate the Sabbat of Samhain.
PRIESTESS
Behold, we come together this night to celebrate the Sabbat of Beltane.
PRIEST
In the North, Samhain brings the end of the harvest, as the days grow shorter and world slips on toward Winter. Now the mirror of life turns inward, and we open our hearts to dreams and visions!
PRIESTESS
In the South Beltane brings the onset of the growing season, as the Sun's warm moves the Earth to ever greater expression of life and love! Now the mirror of life turns outward and we, like the Earth, blossom and grow!
PRIEST
Samhain is the Feast of Death. Beltane is the Feast of Life. Each is a gate of the year – One Yin, that carries us inward. One Yang, carrying us outward. These are the cycles of life!
PRIESTESS
It is even so in all things! That which goes out must come in. That which goes up must come down. That which lives must die. And that which dies must live again!
PRIEST
For all that rises at Beltane, dies at Samhain – but all that dies at Samhain, rises again at Beltane. Thus at Beltane we celebrate the union of the God with the Lady of Life, and their union brings fertility to the Earth. Yet at Samhain we celebrate the union of the same God with the Lady of Death, and their union brings rejuvenation and eventual rebirth to the soul!
PRIESTESS
We too unite for a time with Life, and then must unite with Death, only in time to return to Life again. As the cycle of incarnation goes forward, we bring more and more of our Spiritual nature into this world, and in time there shall seem no more separation between the worlds, when this life can fully encapsulate the whole nature of our Spirit.
PRIEST
Find now a comfortable position. Relax, and allow all of the stresses and anxieties of your day pour away, running out of you like water, returning to the universe. Imagine yourself at the mouth of a cave. See the scene as clearly and vividly as you can. Feel the air, the ground beneath your feet. See the cave before you. Is the mouth of the cave large, or small? Does it seem inviting, or fearsome? As you look into the cave, is it night or day? Summer or winter? Step into the cave -walk into its darkness. At first you can see only the light entering through the mouth of the cave, beyond that all is blackness. Enter the blackness, and walk forward. In the distance, you can see a bit of light – firelight, it would seem. Walk toward the light.
As you near the light, your path becomes brighter. You enter a chamber within the cave, lit by a fire at its center. Hanging over the fire is a cauldron. How does this chamber seem to you? It is large or small? Cheerful or eerie? Is it a large fire that burns so brightly, or a small one? What does the cauldron look like? Is it a simple iron pot? Or is it intricately worked like the Gundestrop cauldron? How does it make you feel to look at it?
This is the womb of the Goddess, the cauldron of Life … and Death.
You become aware of a woman now – the Goddess. She is near the cauldron, though you had not seen Her previously. What is she like? Is She the lovely Mother Goddess of Life? Or the Wizened Crone Goddess of Death? Is She beautiful? Is She frightening? Does She seem welcoming? Or stern? Or indifferent?
Whatever the case, give Her greeting, and thank Her for the many blessings in Your life -for no matter what your condition, you have many blessings if you take the time to see them.
Now think about your life. Samhain and Beltane are gateways – one to increasing and one to releasing. They are different – yet they are the same in that each ushers in change. What is it in your life that you would like to see change? Either to increase or to release? Think about this and see it as clearly as you can. When you are very clear on what it is you desire, imagine a ball of light between your two hands, and place your desire for increase or release within it. Then throw this ball of light into the cauldron!
How does the cauldron react? Does it splash? Does it boil? Does it smoke? Does it spill over? Imagine your goal inside the cauldron, being transformed within it.
Now the Goddess will offer you a gift. It may appear as an object, or it may be a message, it may even be a knowing – or in some cases the gift may not become apparent to you until later. Whatever the gift is, accept it – whether it first appears to be or not, it is directly tied to your goal.
The Goddess now takes up a cup of some sort, and fills it with liquid from the cauldron. She hands you this cup. Imagine the cup suffused with bright white light, shining out in all directions.
O Holy Goddess – may this cup be blessed! May it be a token of the bond of love between us now and always!
Drink the liquid from the cup. How does it feel? Can you taste it? Is it warm or cold? Sweet, savory, or bitter? Drink it all, and feel its energy going into every part of your body.
How does the Goddess seem now? Has She changed or is She the same? Is the chamber the same as it was when you entered? Are you yourself the same?
Give thanks to the Goddess. Leave the chamber as you entered, and walk through the darkness back to the mouth of the cave. Step out of the cave into the open air. Is it day or night now? What do you see outside of the cave? Take a moment to savor the experience.
Now, return to yourself, and this -our ritual space. Again, release any excess energy.
PURSUIVANT
What are these things, and who do they serve? The initial scene outside of the cave represents how you feel about your life. The nature of the cave mouth represents how easy or hard it is for you to access your higher self. How you felt entering the cave represents how you feel about your own spiritual state, which is represented by the chamber within. The fire represents your connection to Deity, the Eternal Flame. The cauldron represents your own ability to manifest, or to receive from Deity. The way in which the Goddess presented Herself represents your interaction with Deity at this moment in your life. And any changes in these things during the visualization represent the affects of the working itself.
PRIESTESS
And was this the Goddess of Life or the Goddess of Death?
PURSUIVANT
The Goddess of Life is the Goddess of Death. The Goddess of Death is the Goddess of Life. When Yang has gone as far forward as it can, it must turn back and become Yin. When Yin has gone as far inward as it can, it must turn back and become Yang. Obverse and Reverse are they: Life and Death, God and Goddess, Light and Darkness -all is One.
PRIESTESS
So mote it be!
ALL PRIEST
Now, let us give thanks!
PURSUIVANT
Beloved Ancestors, You Who have gone before, Your wisdom and Your example guide us. We pray that You will be with us and aid us as we go forward, that we may call upon the strength and knowledge of the past, even as we build the future. We thank You for Your presence and Your aid this night, and at all times. May You Blessed be in all things. We offer You our love and our respect! May the Blessing Be upon you now and always! So Mote It Be!
ALL
So mote it be!
PRIESTESS
O Mighty Goddess, Lady of Life and Death, You Who are the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe, the very Soul of Existence – O Lady we do thank You for Your presence here tonight – Though we know that you are always with us, for we dwell in one another’s hearts! Beloved Mother Goddess, may the Blessing Be upon you now and always! So Mote It Be!
ALL
So mote it be!
PRIEST
O Mighty God, Lord of Life and Death, You Who are the Lord of Cycles, of Time and Space, the very Vehicle of All Things – O Lady we do thank You for Your presence here tonight – Though we know that you are always with us, for we dwell in one another’s hearts! Beloved Father God, may the Blessing Be upon you now and always! So Mote It Be!
ALL
Now turn with me to the North. See again the column of white light we erected there when we called the Quarter. As we give thanks, imagine that pillar of light sinking back down into the earth.
NORTH
We thank You, Midnight-Black Stag of the North! Power of Earth!
We rejoice in the guidance and the aid You give us!
May the Blessing Be upon You now and always!
With love and with respect we bid You Hail and Farewell!
ALL
Hail and farewell!
PRIESTESS
Now turn with me to the West. See again the column of white light we erected there when we called the Quarter. As we give thanks, imagine that pillar of light sinking back down into the earth.
WEST
We thank You, Dusk-Gray Whale of the West! Power of Water!
We rejoice in the guidance and the aid You give us!
May the Blessing Be upon You now and always!
With love and with respect we bid You Hail and Farewell!
ALL
Hail and farewell!
PRIESTESS
Now turn with me to the South. See again the column of white light we erected there when we called the Quarter. As we give thanks, imagine that pillar of light sinking back down into the earth.
SOUTH
We thank You, Noon-White Serpent of the South! Power of Fire!
We rejoice in the guidance and the aid You give us!
May the Blessing Be upon You now and always!
With love and with respect we bid You Hail and Farewell!
ALL
Hail and farewell!
PRIESTESS
And finally turn with me to the East. See again the column of white light we erected there when we called the Quarter. As we give thanks, imagine that pillar of light sinking back down into the earth.
EAST
We thank You, Dawn-Red Phoenix of the East! Power of Air!
We rejoice in the guidance and the aid You give us!
May the Blessing Be upon You now and always!
With love and with respect we bid You Hail and Farewell!
ALL
Hail and farewell!
PRIESTESS
Imagine now again that circle of light we created when we began this ritual – a circle of clear bright white light all around us, and above us, and below us. See that circle as clearly and as brightly as you can. And now, allow that image to dissipate as we release the energy of the Circle – see it fade and grow smaller and fall away.
PURSUIVANT
As above – so below!
As the Universe – So the soul!
As without – so within!
May the Circle now be open!
PRIEST
Let us come back to ourselves now. Settling back into our bodies. Back into the here and now. On the count of three we are we began. One. Two. Three. Now let us take a moment to clear and release all excess energy.
We will now pause of a station break, then return for the second half of our show.