Beltaine Ritual

Coven of the Burning Waters
1 May 2001

by Rhayne

Blessing the Space:

• Purify the space with incense /Purify participants with incense saying, “By air that is her breath, and fire that is her spirit, be one with the Goddess and one with us all.”
   

• Purify the space with charged salt water/ Purify participants with water saying, “By water that is her blood and earth that is her body, be one with the Goddess and one with us all.”
   

• Charge participants with entering in a good way

Casting the Circle: 

• Grounding exercise
  “We are in a place between worlds, outside of time.  Let your minds, bodies, and souls be free here, for we meet in perfect love and perfect trust.  Blessed Be."
  (Beginning in East corner)  “Hand in hand, the circle is cast”
  (Adapted from The Spiral Dance, by Starhawk- p.71 and p.225)

Calling the Quarters:

• East -  “Spirit of the East, Spirit of Air, of morning and of Springtime- Be with us as the sun rises, in times of beginning, times of planting.  Help us be the seed that blossoms into flower.  Inspire us with the breath of courage to push forth into new frontiers like the Crocus through the snow…  Hail and welcome.  So mote it be."
   

• South -  “Spirit of the South, Spirit of Fire, of noontime and of Summer- Be with us through the heat of day, and help us, ever growing.  Nurture us and help us sink strong roots.  Warm us with strength and energy for the work that awaits us.  Hail and welcome.  So mote it be.”
   

• West -  “Spirit of the West, Spirit of Water, of evening and autumn- Be with us as the sun sets and help us to enjoy a rich harvest.  Wash us with warm rains that water our souls and quench our thirst.  Flow through us with cooling, healing, quietness and bring us peace.  Hail and welcome.  So mote it be.”
   

• North -  “Spirit of the North, Spirit of Earth, of nightime and winter- Be with us in the darkness of the Mother’s womb, in the time of gestation.  Envelope us with your dark, fertile soil wrapped as a womb around seed and root.  Ground us in the wisdom of the changing seasons and help us celebrate the cyclic journey of our lives.  Hail and welcome.  So mote it be.”
  
  (From 1996 Beltane ritual by Order of the Red Grail, Nebraska Community)

Welcoming the Realm of the Fae:

• Spirits of Nature, sprites of the Fae, dwellers in this place,
  You of the forest, of flowing waters and of stones
  You of the plants, the animals, of the land itself
  You of Earth, Air, Fire and Water
  Hear our call of welcome.
  We ask you to join our celebration and teach us of your many wonders.
   
• You who would cause mischief or harm,
  You who are addled or full of spite
  Please accept our offering and depart in peace
  May only love enter here.  Blessed Be.
  (Place offering of food outside the circle.)

Invoking the Goddess:

• Great Goddess, giver of all life and Mother of all the world, we ask you to join us here in this sacred space to bless us with the knowledge and wisdom of your teachings.  Guide our hands wisely in these magickal workings for we are but seedlings and you are the rain that nourishes us and brings us up to bear fruit.  Guide our tongues with wise words and guide our hearts in a good way.  Be with us as we celebrate your awakening in the land and give thanks for all the gifts you have blessed us with.  Walk with us as we pass lightly and quickly on this earth and help us to learn all your secrets and mysteries, that we may carry the knowledge with us into the next life.  Cradle us as infants in your arms and protect us, nurture us, and teach us compassion and kindness.  Lead us gently through a life filled with happiness and plenty.   As your flesh awakens from its cold slumber, so too let us come alive and fill us with the passion of learning and creating- bless the crops we sew now, that our harvests may yield thick and rich.  So mote it be.

Invoking the God: 

• Great God, shaper of all life and Father of all the world, we ask you to join us here in this sacred space, to bless us with the knowledge and wisdom of your teachings.  Guide us with a strong hand for we are but seedlings and you are the sun that shines upon us to bring us up to bear fruit.  Guide our thoughts and words and help us be brave and strong to manifest our desires. Let us be the smoke from your great fire, that speaks the language of your flames and ascends into an endless sky of dream.  Hold us in your arms as infants, protect us, nurture us, teach us courage and tenacity.  Walk with us as we pass quickly through this world and help us take pleasure from each day to lead a life filled with happiness and plenty.   Be with us as we celebrate your union with the Great Mother as you spark life into the land, and fire into our souls.  As the warmth of your sun rekindles the flame of life in the Mother land, so let the flames of our spirits awaken and burn brightly.  So mote it be.

Lighting the Belfire: 

• (Beltaine is one of the four Celtic fire festivals, celebrating the midpoint between Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice and marking the second half of the year.  It is a celebration of the Fire God “Bel” or “Belinos”.  It is opposite Samhain on the Wheel of the Year and is its counterpart in respect to the power of divination.  As spirits of the Otherworld may visit US at Samhain, so may WE visit the Otherworld at Beltaine.  Also known as May Eve, May Day, (Roodmas, and Walpurgisnacht in later times), Beltaine celebrates the height of Spring and the flowering of new life.  At Beltaine, all the hearth fires from the previous year are extinguished to let go old and stale energies.  New ones are kindled from the “teine eigin” or “need fires” to refresh the fire’s spirit and bring new light to home and hearth.  These fires were traditionally blessed and sparked by Druid priests on hilltops all over the country-side at sundown the night before Beltaine to honor and burn the nine sacred woods.  Livestock were driven through the smoke of the Bel-fires to purify and protect them from disease before they were turned out to pasture for the summer, and to ensure fertility for a strong and prosperous herd.  Lovers in hopes of bearing children would leap through the flames for fertility and the sick and ailing would walk through the smoke, believing it had healing properties.  Sacred objects were purified by the Bel-fires and Rowan branches were carried thrice around the fires, then placed above the threshold of the home to protect all within from disease.)

(From Beltane: www.circlesanctuary.org, and Celebrating Mayday- School of the Seasons)

• Let us now use the need-fire to bless and purify sacred things with the smoke of a new fire - to let go things we no longer need in the flames of purification. 
   
  (Light the Belfire)
  (You may write whatever it is you wish to release on this paper and send it to ashes, to be reborn into something of need or desire on the flames of the new fire…)
  (Purify sacred objects)

The Great Rite:  (Adapted by Lynna Landstreet’s from a work by Richard and Tamarra James with additional adaptation by Eilis Moonbrook)

• The God has been reborn at Imbolg and has reached manhood, desiring the Goddess, who in turn, desires him.  The sacred union of the God and Goddess is marked by the Great Rite, which brings forth new life so that the land may begin to live again.  Animals are mating and giving birth, flowers are in full blossom and we also feel the stirring of new life within us.
   
  (In times of Olde, young people would spend the night before the dawn of Beltaine “gone a-maying”, or frolicking in the woods and hills, celebrating the gifts of their sexuality.  Married couples would take off their wedding bands, and all the restrictions there implied, to rejoice in renewed desire.)
   

• As the Sword is representative of the God, so is the Cauldron representative of the Goddess.  Today we celebrate their union.
   

• As the Goddess and God have now been joined by the Great Rite, let us rejoice in the power of their creation.  Think of goals and desires within your own life and choose threads of color that represents those aspects to you.  If you are unsure of what colors may be appropriate, refer to the color chart.  Choose as many strands as you would like and either weave or braid the strands together, focusing on your intent. As you combine the threads, you bind those aspects of your life close to you.   You may attach the braid to your clothes, hair, or make a bracelet… carry it close to you.

Cakes and Ale: (From The Spiral Dance by Starhawk, p. 169-170

• All life is your own, all fruits of the Earth
  Are Fruits of your womb, your union, your Dance
  Goddess and God
  We thank you for blessings and abundance
  Join with us, feast with us, celebrate with us
  Blessed Be!

May Waters:

• We collect the early morning dews of Beltaine to be used for beauty, prosperity and health.  Any wild waters are now sacred, and we will bless wells and springs with flower garlands, ribbons, and offerings of prayer.  This is a special time for divination by scrying into pools of  May waters.  Fill a bottle and carry this water away with you, to use in your own divinations and magickal workings.

Thank the Dieties:

• Great Goddess, Bride of Spring, we thank you for joining us here today, for giving us the opportunity to experience the wonders of your creation, for your coolness and darkness that lets us rests and renew ourselves.  Bless us, your children, that we may find wisdom from your teachings and use them in our daily lives.  Go if you must, stay if you will- Blessed Be.

• Great God, Horned One, we thank you for joining us here today, for letting us touch the heart of the Sun, for giving us the strength to grow in your warmth and light and to see the beauty that surrounds us.  Bless us, your children, that we may find wisdom from your teachings and use them in our daily lives.  Go if you must, stay if you will- Blessed Be.

Thank the Nature Spirits:

• Happy fae folk, thank you for joining us today and blessing us with your songs of merriment and laughter.  Be kind to us, as we are kind in return, and may our friendship last always.  Go if you must, stay if you will.  Blessed Be.

Thank the Quarters:

• Spirits of the East, life begins with you.  We thank you for joining us here today and hope that you continue to watch over us as a precious seed, cradled in the darkness and dampness of the earth.  Go if you must, stay if you will.  Blessed Be.
   
• Spirits of the South, passion of youth.  We thank you for joining us here today and hope that you continue to watch over us as a tender saplings, experiencing the joys of a new world, testing our roots and beginning to bud.  Go if you must, stay if you will.  Blessed Be.
   
• Spirits of the West, knowledge of life. We thank you for joining us here today and hope that you continue to watch over us as mature trees, strong against the wind, providing shade and shelter for those in need, with deep roots and strong branches, growing tall and straight towards the sun.  Go if you must, stay if you will.  Blessed Be.
   
• Spirits of the North, wisdom of the soul.  We thank you for joining us here today and hope that you will continue to watch over us as ancient Oaks, having seeded the forest, being home to generations of birds and butterflies, swings and windchimes… holding within our wooded rings all the wisdom of an ancient universe.  With roots as wide and deep and strong as our branches, as above, so below.  Go if you must, stay if you will.  Blessed Be.

Call the Circle: 

• The circle is the neverending ring of life.  May it be open, but never broken.
  Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again.

Elect the May Court:

• May King and Queen (Groom and Bride)
• Spirit Couple
• Jack in the Green
• Hag

Dance the Maypole:

• The Maypole is symbolic of the manhood of the God, representative of the fertility and abundance attained by the sacred union of the Goddess and the God. 
   
  (Traditionally, trees were cut and stripped of branches, then erected on village greens and communal lawns.  Young, unmarried men would sometimes guard the pole throughout the night, until the dance the following day.)
   
• The weaving of the colorful ribbons of the Maypole is symbolic of the union of Male and Female/ God and Goddess, to ensure fertility and prosperity for the coming year.   Let us now take up the strands and celebrate the marriage of our eternal parents, that their union of love may give us bountiful plenty and bless and protect us all our days.