Serving the Goddess of Love with Ferocity and Compassion
The Firebird reminds us that even when life or a particular situation feels like it’s going up in flames, beautiful things can be born from the ashes. Sometimes closely-held dreams and fears have to die so that we can continue on – so that we can grow and evolve. This October Full Moon ritual invokes the energy of the Firebird for transformation.
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!
A chant (maybe bordering on a song?) for Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, for meditation, trance, ritual, prayer, and invocation.
I like to think I’ve gotten used to Aphrodite showing up in unexpected ways. I’ve written multiple posts on this blog about how my experience of Her doesn’t usually match the lore, and doesn’t jive with the frilly, superficial way She is often portrayed in modern Paganism. I no longer assume that She will fit into any mold that we humans prescribe for Her. And yet, there are still times when She surprises me.
The process and experience of connection will be different for each person. You can use what follows as a general guide, but do not feel limited by it. If you feel called to do something different, do it! As I’ve said before, pursuing a Goddess is an experimental process. You have to figure out what works for you and for Her. Your connection with Aphrodite will be unique.
Our modern society doesn’t teach us self-compassion. Quite the opposite. It teaches us self-criticism, shame, guilt, and blame. It tells us that we have to follow the rules, meet its unrealistic expectations, and practically achieve perfection before we are worthy of loving ourselves. This, quite frankly, is an utter load of crap.
I feel like we could all use an energetic reset during these troubling and uncertain times. This cleansing meditation is a version of something I spontaneously wandered into during my last deep meditation with Aphrodite. It was so powerful for me that I wanted to share it. I also made a video for the guided meditation!
Every time I make soup for Cerridwyn, the recipe is different. I used to have a recipe that I riffed off of, swapping out ingredients and adding or subtracting things. This most recent time, I had to completely abandon all hopes of using a recipe.
So, the world is a bonkers place right now. We are in the middle of a global pandemic. In times of great uncertainty, we can reach to our spiritual practice for comfort and stability. With that in mind, here are my recommendations for keeping quarantine Pagan...
If you’ve been wandering down the Pagan path for very long, you’ve likely heard the terms “grounding,” “cleansing,” and “shielding” on more than one occasion. These practices are recognized as important across many traditions, but frequently the explanation as to exactly why they are important gets lost. Grounding, cleansing, and shielding are found in many beginning books on Paganism and magick, but it wasn’t until I really started doing ritual and magick regularly that I understood their importance.
Priestess of Aphrodite 