6). SUNNY BELTANE 2007
O.O.O.
BELTANE
(ESBAT), OPEN GROUP RITUAL 2007 Avebury,
THE
bELTANE RITE BEGINS, ALTER SET IN CENTRE & CIRCLE IS CAST BY THE hp
The
High Priest/ESSES face THE WEST, AND ALL
3 STANDING IN THE CENTRE OF THE CIRCLE, HIGH PRIESTESS 1 (tAMAR) TO HIS RIGHT
AND 2 (MOONLIGHT) LEFT.
OTHER
PERSONS SPREAD themselves out around the Circle.
hp raises his arms wide and
says:
"Great
God OSIRIS, return to Earth again!
Come to my
call and show thy self to men.
Forgotten are
the ways of sleep and night
Men seek for
them, whose eyes have lost the light.
Open the door
of dreams, whereby man come to thee.
O answer unto me!"
High Priestess 1 THEN says:
"Now
it is time for the Oak King to impregnate Our Lady. No
Longer
will she be the Virgin Huntress and Maiden. She is now to be
Hecate, the Queen of Elphame. But first she must catch him."
STARTING WITH THE HIGH
PRIEST BEING CHASED BY BOTH PRIESTESSES.
THE GROUP SAY, "Cunning
and art he did not lack, but aye her whistle would fetch him back."
The
High PriestessES finally catch the High Priest at the last refrain. TheY drape a
GREEN scarf over his neck to signify TheM catching him.
Then followed by any other couples in the group, the men are chased
by the women. The ladies use a green scarf to signify the capture at the end of
the chant. After all the couples have done so
The
GROUP say:
"The
Queen of Elphame has caught her Son who is also her Consort. They must mate so
that the Earth may bear its fruits and that man and animal may live. "
The
High Priest and High PriestessES, and the rest of the couples in the GROUP, ALL
kiss EACH OTHER. The men should wilt and fade back to the edge of the Circle.
The women gather around the unlit bonfire or the cauldron with candleS WITHin it.
The
HPs 1 says:
"The Oak
King is dead. He has died of his love for the Lady
That the Earth may live. So has it been for year
after year, since Time began. But the Oak King, the God of the Waxing year, must
live so the crops in the Earth can come forth."
The GROUP (ALL) shout:
"Kindle
the Beltane fire. May the Oak King live again! May the Earth bring forth her
fruits, may the animals bear their young and the land be fruitful again."
The
HP lights the bonfire (CAULDRON)
using a taper lit from the altar
candle. he then says: "Come back to us, Oak King, that the land may be fruitful".
The
High PriestessES and High Priest lead a ring CW around the bonfire.
theY
should BE THE FIRST 3 TO jump over the fire
(HOLDING HANDS while making a wish) FOLLOWED BY THE OTHER COUPLES?
They should then rejoin the ring and another couple or person DOES it.
When ready, stop AND sit down about the fire & MEDITATE. After aNY OTHER
BUSINESS AND A break, perform the wine & cakes blessing:
This
Part is for Coven members only to perform, and have notes for:
BOTH
High PriestessES hold up the chalice, and the High Priest lowers the point of
his SWORD into the wine. (ALL TO use both hands). HP continues:
“Lady and
Lord, We thank you for blessings and abundance.
Join with us,
Feast with us, Enjoy with us! Blessed
Be”.
HP Then, drawS the Invoking
Pentacle of Earth in the air above the plate, OR PLATES OF FOOD with the SWORD.
The HP puts down the sword and then places both his hands round those of the HPS 1 as she holds the chalice. He kisses her (on cheek), saying “May you never thirst” she sips the wine; she kisses him, and says “May you never thirst” and he sips the wine. Both of them keep their hands round the chalice, while they do this.
The HP
takes the chalice from the HPS 1, and
offers it to HPS2 He kisses her, and
says, “May you never thirst” she
sips the wine; and they all three rise to their feet.
The HPS2
hands the chalice to a man witch, and says
“May you never thirst” and he sips, and he gives it to a woman witch and
says “May you never thirst”. The
chalice is passed around the group, man to woman, each time saying,
“May you never thirst”, until the entire group has sipped the wine. The
chalice can be refilled and any one can drink from it without repeating the
ritual once the chalice has gone around once.
HPS 1
then passes the cakes to the HP with
a kiss saying “May
you never hunger”, he takes one and passes them on to HPS
2 with a kiss saying “May
you never hunger”, and they are passed around the group saying “May
you never hunger”, the same way the wine was previously.
HPS1 FACES
East, with her athame in her hand. The HP
stands to her LEFt ALL 3 AS AT THE
START with the rest of the GROUP behind
HP says: "We thank our Lord & Lady for attending our rites.
We bid you farewell till next we call upon you.”
"Blessed Be."
While the Quarters are closed the banishing pentagram for that Quarter is drawn, and the whole Coven visualizes the pentagram lines being drawn back into the blade of the sword with you, starting with: Then the HP goes to the centre of the Circle and raises the sword to the Air and say's: "The Circle is open, but unbroken may the peace of the Goddess go our hearts as we depart". The atheme is then touched (Earthed), to the ground. Be sure to save some of the wine and some cake for an offering to the Earth and the Little Folk. After the meeting, leave the offering outside of the house if working indoors, or behind in the woods or field.
ALL: “MERRY MEET AND MERRY PART AND MERRY MEET AGAIN!” End
B
