Serving the Goddess of Love with Ferocity and Compassion
I led the following Beltane ritual on calling more joy into your life for my Pagan group last Sunday. Today (May 1st) is traditional Beltane. Astronomical Beltane (the official calendar midpoint between the spring equinox and the summer solstice) falls on May 4th this year. To me, Beltane is a season - I celebrate for about a fortnight centered around the beginning of May.
Gratitude is an essential part of any spiritual practice, whether it is in the context of a ritual or not. It is a part of a reciprocal relationship with the Divine - an energetic exchange with the universe that can cultivate deeper connection.
We’ve now arrived at the heart of the ritual: your Purpose. This is the Why - the driving force behind your ritual. There are a few major categories of ritual purposes (which can absolutely overlap): Holy/Sacred Days; Honoring the Divine, including deities, spirits, elements, and other energies; Working Magick; Performing Divination; Receiving Messages from the Divine; and Communing with the Divine. Read on to find out more!
An invocation is a call to a specific Deity/Energy/Spirit in ritual. This can be to ask for guidance, for a prayer or blessing, to assist in a magickal working, to honor them and perform offerings, or for channeling. An invocation is performed with respect and reference, and is always a request and never a demand.
I like to begin each of my rituals by creating sacred space. What exactly makes a space sacred? It can be many things, but the primary attribute of a sacred space is that it brings us closer to the Divine. Some spaces may have an environmental sacred element to them, like beautiful places in nature. Some sacred spaces have been established and maintained by people, such as ancient temples or even the altar area in your home. And other sacred spaces we create specifically for the purpose of ritual.
(Me. The burntout witch is me.)
As the wheel turns toward Samhain, we begin to embrace the dark. It is a time of rest and introspection. A time of releasing and letting go. A time of death and rebirth. This is the time of year when the Goddess Cerridwyn most calls to me. This is my retelling of the Tale of Cerridwyn.
Breath is a magickal thing. It keeps us alive. It is a largely unconscious activity that we can make conscious when we concentrate on it. It’s a part of our mind-body connection, and it helps regulate our sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. It can help us achieve different states of mind - including calming us down when we are panicked, upset, or anxious.
I love thunderstorms. They are one of my absolute favorite things about summer. They are nourishing, cathartic, and magickal. They are a symphony of the elements, brought together in a dynamic crescendo.
While my personal spiritual experiences form the foundation of my religion, spiritual experiences shared with others have been some of my strongest allies against doubt.
Priestess of Aphrodite 