Full Moon Ritual - April 2008
Written by Aratha and Lady Annabelle
Self purification with oil and water
Then return to circle and sit down for chanting to harmonize with the Goddess
Chant :
We all come from the Goddess and to Her we shall return
Like a drop of water flowing to the ocean
Casting Circle
Calling quarters
[Tammy East, Brigit South, Aratha West, Laira North, God CB, Goddess Lady Annabelle]
Flower Moon who sails the skies,
Lighting fields and mountains high,
Shower us with love this eve
As woods with bloom and forest leaves
The Charge of the Goddess adapted by Starhawk
B:
Listen to the words of the great mother, who was of old also known among humankind as Diana, Artemis, Astarte, Brigid, Dione, Melusine, Aphrodite, Cerridwen, Arionhod, Bride and by many other names.
Lady Annabelle:
"Whenever ye have need of anything, once in the month, and better it be when the Moon is full, then gather ye in some secret place and there adore the spirit of me, who am Queen of all the Witcheries.
"There shall ye assemble, who are feign to learn all sorceries who have not as yet won my deepest secrets. To these will I teach that which is as yet unknown. And ye shall be free from all slavery and as a sign that ye be really free, ye shall be naked in your rites and ye shall sing, feast, make music and love, all in my presence.
"For mine is the ecstacy of the Spirit and mine is also joy on earth. For my law is love unto all beings. Keep pure your highest ideals, strive ever toward them. Let none stop you or turn you aside. For mine is the secret that opens upon 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 heart of man upon the earth.
"I give the knowledge of the Spirit Eternal, and beyond death I give peace and freedom and reunion with those that have gone before. Nor do I demand aught for sacrifice, for behold I am the Mother of all things, and my love is poured out upon the earth."
B:
"Hear the words of the Star Goddess. She, in the dust of whose feet are the Hosts of Heaven, whose body encircleth the Universe.
Lady Annabelle:
"I who am the beauty of the Green Earth and the White Moon amongst the stars and the mystery of the waters, and the desire of the heart of man,
I call unto thy soul to arise and come to me. For I am the soul of Nature who giveth life to the Universe; from me all things proceed and unto me all things must return.
"Beloved of the Gods and men, whose innermost divine self shall be enfolded in the raptures of the Infinite, let my worship be in your heart. Rejoiceth, for behold, all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals; therefore, let there be beauty and strength - power and compassion - honor and humility, mirth and reverence - within you. And thou who thinkest to seek me, know that thy seeking and yearning avail thee not unless thou knowest the mystery, that if that which thou seekest thou findeth not within thyself, thou wilt never find it without thee.
"For behold - I have been with thee from the beginning, and I am that which is attained at the end of desire."
All: "Blessed Be!
Today we are celebrating the Taurus moon. Taurus being an earth sign, we are seeing the Earth green, bud and blossom as Spring comes into its own. This moon is sacred to Hathor the Goddess of writing, poetry and song.
[With Her inspiration we will each create a chant for blessing the home in Her honor.]
This is a time of new beginnings, a time of fresh starts. This time reminds us that no matter what our age, what our circumstances, we are to be always growing, always learning, for all things have a time to grow anew. As the trees and flowers which have sloughed off that which is no longer used during the winter months now renew themselves becoming new creations which, although combining elements of what has gone before, have in their individuality never been precisely duplicated in the history of the world.
This is a time for our new abilities to blossom forth.
Grove Tree meditation – flowering of your capabilities
Feel the sleepiness of winter falling away as you begin to sense the springtime all around you. Within your roots, trunk and branches are all of your undeveloped potentials. They begin to awaken within you, just needing the right conditions to come forth.
Feel the warmth of the sun on the soil around you as you stretch and start to reach up. Feel the warm rains moistening your parched lips and as the nourishing rain washes over you deep within the soil, you feel the urge to stretch out in greeting of spring as you begin to stretch forth flowering branches. Feel your roots reaching down to where the soft rain has gone below, finding a source of that life giving water as they stretch deep down into the earth. Drink in that water and be nourished by it. [pause] Though your roots rest solid within the earth, you feel the rest of yourself rising now higher and higher, as arms become like powerful branches breaking into the warm sunlight which feels glorious on their awakening flowers. Feel your head extend into the dazzling and loving light. Drink in the sunlight and the warmth. [pause]
You now feel those unexpressed capabilities surging upwards within you as they now course through your veins and come to full flower, blossoming forth, wondrously beautiful. Know that these new capabilities are part of you now and can be easily accessed whenever you have need or desire to find them. Explore the beauty of these new capabilities and get to know them well. Explore their colors, their sweet fragrances, their subtle colors. [pause]
All stand. Lady Annabelle leads the Tree exercise. (Each an individual beautifully flowering tree, reaching together, swaying together)
Slowly, draw those essences back within you. Let them permeate you. Realize that they are part of you now. Slowly feel your roots, trunk, branches and flowers, these new capabilities be integrated within you as you draw up your flowering trees slowly back inside and become once again the person you were before with these new abilities now easily available.
Craft – creating incense for offerings to Our Lady
We are going to be creating some incense for an offering to the Goddess in return for all the gifts that we are currently receiving from Her – the beauty of the fields and flowers, the fertility of the land bringing forth anew all the crops on which we and all animal life require for our sustenance. For just as when we breathe it is not just inhaling or receiving the gifts of the air that we do, but it also requires that we give back - giving our breath back as a gift to the trees and plants in exchange for their nourishment. In this way the balance of nature sustains itself.
[Crushing herbs and incenses with mortar and pestle for our use]
Cone of power chanting …
The Witches’ Rune
Darksome night and shining moon
Hearken to the Witches Rune
East then South, then West then North
Here I come to call thee forth
Earth and water, air and fire
Conjured by the witch’s blade
Move ye unto my desire
Aid me as the charm is made
Queen of heaven, Queen of Hell
Send your aid unto this spell
Queen of witches and of night
Work my will by magick rite
By all the might of moon and sun
Chant the spell, and be it done
By all the powers of land and sea
As I do will, so mote it be.
(--Written by Doreen Valiente --Adapted by Lady Annabelle)
Cakes and ale
Hail and farewell to guardians of the quarters
Opening circle