sophiaserpentia (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sophiaserpentia) wrote2003-04-03 01:41 pm
sophiaserpentia) wrote2003-04-03 01:41 pm
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April New Moon rit
New Moon rit, performed Tuesday night with CUUPS. Many of the ritual details are different from my usual working style (well, such as it was when I was an active ritualist), geared towards the language they are accustomed to.
The Priestess' portion of the guided meditation was written by Melissa Holder. The rest was me, taking some pretty obvious inspiration in many places. The simple feast portion is a modified form of the bread-and-honey dedication I performed during![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lady_babalon's ritual on Mardi Gras.
CC. The circle is cast. We stand between the worlds, in a time that is not a time, in a place that is not a place. May the spirits protect us in our task.
EAST. Spirits of air in the east, forces of intellect and reason, give us your clarity and aid us in our working this evening. So mote it be.
SOUTH. Spirits of fire in the south, forces of transformation and growth, give us your willpower and aid us in our working this evening. So mote it be.
WEST. Spirits of water in the west, forces of love and purification, give us your grace and aid us in our working this evening. So mote it be.
NORTH. Spirits of earth in the north, forces of stability and protection, give us your steadfastness and aid us in our working this evening. So mote it be.
PS. Goddesses of Wisdom and Mercy, be with us this evening, to clarify our intellect, and strengthen our hearts, so that our minds and hearts can face the task that is to come. Guide our thoughts and emotions so that we are sure and true. So mote it be.
P. Gods of Strength and Will, be with us this evening, to strengthen our flesh, and purify our spirit, so that our bodies and souls can face the task that is to come. Flow through our veins and brighten the spark of spirit within us, so that we are bold and faithful. So mote it be.
P and PS. Root of All, potential at the heart of the cosmos, guiding force that never acts yet leaves nothing undone, give us your luminous presence and aid us in our working this evening. So mote it be.
[Guided meditation. Take a few moments to center.]
P. Close your eyes, and picture all of the cares and concerns of the day, aches and yearnings, disappointments and stresses, money woes and relationship troubles and computer crashes and flat tires. All of that is like a swirl, a chaotic, turbulent swirl that ebbs and peaks. Without warning a new woe rises like a wave, crashing against you, picking you up and carrying you out to sea.
The sky overhead is dark and ominous, lightning crashes again and again, sometimes near, sometimes far, sometimes accompanied by deafening cracks, sometimes by distant, rolling rumbles full of latent malice.
You are far now from the shore, carried by wave after wave, unable to see your safe haven on the sand. Fear fills you; your body tenses; the darkness within threatens just as much as the darkness outside.
Between the crashing of wave, the roar of rain, and the crashing of thunder, you catch a chance glimpse during a lightening flash of -- was it a fin? was it a tentacle? Whatever it is, it cannot mean well. Another lightening flash, and you see it clearly this time -- a tentacle, reaching high up out of the waves, much closer than the one before.
A moment later you see it on the other side of you -- another tentacle, rising and curling and falling back into the water. Whatever beast it belongs to knows you are here, helpless, tossed about by the waves. Despair and fear begin to fill you. Will it consume you? Your demise seems almost certain.
But you remember a thing you heard long ago, and it seems almost foolish now, as you face drowning in the sea of your fears and despairs. Someone close to you at some point said, "The fates never give us more than we can handle." It seems almost ludicrous now, as you face certain doom, but then you realize... I made it this far.
PS. The turbulent seas pick you up and toss you in the air, sling you like an empty bottle. You are weightless for a moment before you are plunged back into the sea and pushed onto solid ground.
As the water recedes, you become aware of the warm sand underneath and the sun on your back. The wind blows and whispers, Let go.
Tension flows from you into the sand: fear, anger, hate, frustration leave you. You can feel it drain away.
(pause)
As the tension leaves, relaxation takes its place. You feel boneless, every part of you feels loose. You open your eyes and see the inviting shade offered by the jungle. Again the breeze blows and whispers, Come.
You enter the jungle and see a brightly colored macaw sitting on a tree branch, preening its feathers. Welcome, it says, Follow me.
It flies off and leads you down a path worn smooth by the passage of many feet. There is a break in the trees and you see a waterfall. Water tumbles over rocks and into a still, clear pond framed by palmettos. You can see small fish darting through the water, sunlight making their scales glitter.
The peace of this place touches you, makes you aware of how calm it is after your journey. The macaw perches on a rock and gestures with its wing. Peace awaits.
You enter the pool until you are completely immersed. It is silent and you find you can breathe the water as if it was air. Peace within, peace without.
(pause)
You break the surface and the macaw nods. It leans over to speak to you. Listen to its words and remember them.
(pause)
You have found Peace, The Island of Calm. You do not need a map to find it nor can you direct someone else to it for it is within.
When the seas are rough, close your eyes and stand on the shores.
[take a few moments to ground]
PS. What is below is like that which is above; what is above is like that which is below; to accomplish the miracle of the One Thing. As all things were formed from one, by the one thought, so all things are born from this One Thing, by choice. Its father is Fire, its mother is Water, it is borne by the Wind and nourished within the Earth. Let us now feel theEarth beneath our feet, the Sun above our heads, the Cosmos around us, at the wind flowing within and among us.
P and PS. Let the Root of All breathe upon our honey, that it may be for us the substance of Divine Grace.
PS. Let the Goddesses of Wisdom and Mercy breathe upon our wine, that it may be for us the substance of Divine Love.
P. And let the Gods of Strength and Will reside within the bread, that it may be for us the form of Divine Presence.
Let us turn our minds inwards and contemplate together.
Divine Root of All, who dwells in repose at the heart of the Cosmos,
We make sacred your many names.
Our minds will harmonize with your working, so that we will flow in accord with you in body as in spirit. Provide for us each day, and help us to heal our shortcomings as we heal rifts with those around us.
[Simple feast]
P and PS. Root of All, thank you for your presence and assistance. Go if you must, stay if you will. Blessed be.
P. Gods of Strength and Will, thank you for your presence and assistance. Go if you must, stay if you will. Blessed be.
PS. Goddesses of Wisdom and Mercy, thank you for your presence and assistance. Go if you must, stay if you will. Blessed be.
NORTH. Spirits of earth in the north, forces of stability and protection, thank you for your presence and assistance. Go if you must, stay if you will. Blessed be.
WEST. Spirits of water in the west, forces of love and purification, thank you for your presence and assistance. Go if you must, stay if you will. Blessed be.
SOUTH. Spirits of fire in the south, forces of transformation and growth, thank you for your presence and assistance. Go if you must, stay if you will. Blessed be.
EAST. Spirits of air in the east, forces of intellect and reason, thank you for your presence and assistance. Go if you must, stay if you will. Blessed be.
CC. The circle is open, but ever unbroken. Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again. Blessed be!
The Priestess' portion of the guided meditation was written by Melissa Holder. The rest was me, taking some pretty obvious inspiration in many places. The simple feast portion is a modified form of the bread-and-honey dedication I performed during
lady_babalon's ritual on Mardi Gras.CC. The circle is cast. We stand between the worlds, in a time that is not a time, in a place that is not a place. May the spirits protect us in our task.
EAST. Spirits of air in the east, forces of intellect and reason, give us your clarity and aid us in our working this evening. So mote it be.
SOUTH. Spirits of fire in the south, forces of transformation and growth, give us your willpower and aid us in our working this evening. So mote it be.
WEST. Spirits of water in the west, forces of love and purification, give us your grace and aid us in our working this evening. So mote it be.
NORTH. Spirits of earth in the north, forces of stability and protection, give us your steadfastness and aid us in our working this evening. So mote it be.
PS. Goddesses of Wisdom and Mercy, be with us this evening, to clarify our intellect, and strengthen our hearts, so that our minds and hearts can face the task that is to come. Guide our thoughts and emotions so that we are sure and true. So mote it be.
P. Gods of Strength and Will, be with us this evening, to strengthen our flesh, and purify our spirit, so that our bodies and souls can face the task that is to come. Flow through our veins and brighten the spark of spirit within us, so that we are bold and faithful. So mote it be.
P and PS. Root of All, potential at the heart of the cosmos, guiding force that never acts yet leaves nothing undone, give us your luminous presence and aid us in our working this evening. So mote it be.
[Guided meditation. Take a few moments to center.]
P. Close your eyes, and picture all of the cares and concerns of the day, aches and yearnings, disappointments and stresses, money woes and relationship troubles and computer crashes and flat tires. All of that is like a swirl, a chaotic, turbulent swirl that ebbs and peaks. Without warning a new woe rises like a wave, crashing against you, picking you up and carrying you out to sea.
The sky overhead is dark and ominous, lightning crashes again and again, sometimes near, sometimes far, sometimes accompanied by deafening cracks, sometimes by distant, rolling rumbles full of latent malice.
You are far now from the shore, carried by wave after wave, unable to see your safe haven on the sand. Fear fills you; your body tenses; the darkness within threatens just as much as the darkness outside.
Between the crashing of wave, the roar of rain, and the crashing of thunder, you catch a chance glimpse during a lightening flash of -- was it a fin? was it a tentacle? Whatever it is, it cannot mean well. Another lightening flash, and you see it clearly this time -- a tentacle, reaching high up out of the waves, much closer than the one before.
A moment later you see it on the other side of you -- another tentacle, rising and curling and falling back into the water. Whatever beast it belongs to knows you are here, helpless, tossed about by the waves. Despair and fear begin to fill you. Will it consume you? Your demise seems almost certain.
But you remember a thing you heard long ago, and it seems almost foolish now, as you face drowning in the sea of your fears and despairs. Someone close to you at some point said, "The fates never give us more than we can handle." It seems almost ludicrous now, as you face certain doom, but then you realize... I made it this far.
PS. The turbulent seas pick you up and toss you in the air, sling you like an empty bottle. You are weightless for a moment before you are plunged back into the sea and pushed onto solid ground.
As the water recedes, you become aware of the warm sand underneath and the sun on your back. The wind blows and whispers, Let go.
Tension flows from you into the sand: fear, anger, hate, frustration leave you. You can feel it drain away.
(pause)
As the tension leaves, relaxation takes its place. You feel boneless, every part of you feels loose. You open your eyes and see the inviting shade offered by the jungle. Again the breeze blows and whispers, Come.
You enter the jungle and see a brightly colored macaw sitting on a tree branch, preening its feathers. Welcome, it says, Follow me.
It flies off and leads you down a path worn smooth by the passage of many feet. There is a break in the trees and you see a waterfall. Water tumbles over rocks and into a still, clear pond framed by palmettos. You can see small fish darting through the water, sunlight making their scales glitter.
The peace of this place touches you, makes you aware of how calm it is after your journey. The macaw perches on a rock and gestures with its wing. Peace awaits.
You enter the pool until you are completely immersed. It is silent and you find you can breathe the water as if it was air. Peace within, peace without.
(pause)
You break the surface and the macaw nods. It leans over to speak to you. Listen to its words and remember them.
(pause)
You have found Peace, The Island of Calm. You do not need a map to find it nor can you direct someone else to it for it is within.
When the seas are rough, close your eyes and stand on the shores.
[take a few moments to ground]
PS. What is below is like that which is above; what is above is like that which is below; to accomplish the miracle of the One Thing. As all things were formed from one, by the one thought, so all things are born from this One Thing, by choice. Its father is Fire, its mother is Water, it is borne by the Wind and nourished within the Earth. Let us now feel theEarth beneath our feet, the Sun above our heads, the Cosmos around us, at the wind flowing within and among us.
P and PS. Let the Root of All breathe upon our honey, that it may be for us the substance of Divine Grace.
PS. Let the Goddesses of Wisdom and Mercy breathe upon our wine, that it may be for us the substance of Divine Love.
P. And let the Gods of Strength and Will reside within the bread, that it may be for us the form of Divine Presence.
Let us turn our minds inwards and contemplate together.
Divine Root of All, who dwells in repose at the heart of the Cosmos,
We make sacred your many names.
Our minds will harmonize with your working, so that we will flow in accord with you in body as in spirit. Provide for us each day, and help us to heal our shortcomings as we heal rifts with those around us.
[Simple feast]
P and PS. Root of All, thank you for your presence and assistance. Go if you must, stay if you will. Blessed be.
P. Gods of Strength and Will, thank you for your presence and assistance. Go if you must, stay if you will. Blessed be.
PS. Goddesses of Wisdom and Mercy, thank you for your presence and assistance. Go if you must, stay if you will. Blessed be.
NORTH. Spirits of earth in the north, forces of stability and protection, thank you for your presence and assistance. Go if you must, stay if you will. Blessed be.
WEST. Spirits of water in the west, forces of love and purification, thank you for your presence and assistance. Go if you must, stay if you will. Blessed be.
SOUTH. Spirits of fire in the south, forces of transformation and growth, thank you for your presence and assistance. Go if you must, stay if you will. Blessed be.
EAST. Spirits of air in the east, forces of intellect and reason, thank you for your presence and assistance. Go if you must, stay if you will. Blessed be.
CC. The circle is open, but ever unbroken. Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again. Blessed be!
random bird talk
Re: random bird talk
Re: random bird talk