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USAGE: Wiccan Birth
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***Consecrate the salt and water***
(Priestess takes her athame, plunges the blade into the container of salt, "So that you may be fit to dwell in this Sacred Space, I bless this salt, in the names of our Lord and Lady, I bless this salt "then transferring three' knife-full' to the container of [in this case water taken from the beach where we held the ritual] water" So that you may be fit to dwell in this Sacred Space, I consecrate and bless this water" and stir the salt into the water.)
-Purify work space with [salt-] water
(Priestess walks the diameter of the Circle and casts the [salt-] water along its perimeter)
-Purify work space with incense and candle...
(Priest traverses the perimeter of the Circle with frankincense & myrrh and then a candle)
Priest hands athame to Priestess who casts the Sacred Circle:
"With earth and air draw forth all that is fair
by fire and sea of ill stay free
O Circle, be thou a meeting-place of love and joy and truth
A shield against all wickedness and evil
A rampart of protection that shall preserve
the powers that we may raise within thee.
Wherefore do I bless and consecrate thee.
Priestess welcomes all gathered into the Circle space:
"May your mind be free, may your heart be free, may your body be free."
Invoking the Watch-towers:
The Priestess takes the bowl of water to the East and says:
"O cool lakes and deep seas of the East
Waters soft and giving of fresh life
Join with us--
Cast your blessings upon this child
And become a friend to him/her!
Blessed Be."
All echo: "Blessed Be!"
(the water is placed at the east gate)
The Priestess takes a candle to the South and says:
"O warm sun and warm skies of the South
Bringing life anew, the growth of all things,
And promise of the future,
Join us--
Cast your blessings upon this child
And become a friend to him/her!
Blessed Be!
All echo: "Blessed Be!"
(the candle is placed at the south gate)
The Priestess takes the censor/sage to the West and says:
"O Winds of the East
Who bring forth freshness, life, and joy...
Join us--
Cast your blessings upon this child
And become a friend to him/her!
Blessed Be!"
All echo: "Blessed Be!"
(the censor is placed at the west gate)
The Priestess takes the bowl of earth to the North and says:
"O mighty mountains and endless steppes of the North
Meadows of green and the creatures that therein dwell
Join us--
Cast your blessings upon this child
And become a friend to him/her!
Blessed Be!"
All echo: "Blessed Be!"
(The bowl is set at the north gate)
The Priestess holds the alter Wand aloft and asks:
"Repeat after me....
As above so below
As the Universe, so the soul
As with out so within.
Blessed and Gracious Ones
-On this night do we consecrate to you our minds, our bodies, and our spirits.
Blessed Be!"
INVOKING THE GODDESS AND GOD
The Goddess:
Dewy Sky
-Sailing Pregnant Moon
Who shines for all
Who flows through all
Light of the world which is yourself
Maiden mother crone
The weaver, the green one
O most gracious and magnificent Lady
We ask that some portion of your presence
Be here among us now
Give protection and shelter to the small and sacred ones
Who are here to be dedicated in Your honor.
God:
Seed sower, grain reborn
Antlered One come!
Bright sun, Dark death,
Lord of winds, lord of the dance
sun-child, winter born king
Hanged one
Untamed, untamed!
Stag and stallion, goat and bull,
Sailor of the last sea, guardian of the gate
Lord of the two lands
ever-dying, ever-living, radiance
O ancient lord of the universe
We ask some portion of your presence here among us now.
Shield and strengthen the children who shall be dedicated in your honor!
THE BLESSINGS and PURIFICATIONS:
Maiden (in this case an un-attached and close aunt of the child, as she sprinkles the child with barley):
"Dearest ones, may you never know hunger or poverty for material or spiritual things. I bless you with the barley of the Spirits, for nourishment and wealth."
Mother (as she sprinkles the child with water):
"I bless you in the name of the Spirits of all life and healing, with the waters of the Earth, that you may be healthy and strong in body, mind, and spirit. Let love be your treasure, may you be happy in your heart."
Crone (the Priestess's mother and the grandmother of the child, as she sprinkles the child with salt):
"Dearest ones, may you have access to your own wisdom and that of others. May you be protected from foolishness and self-destruction. May you know the essence of things; may you be bright and find it easy to learn and teach."
The Antlered One(the Priest, who is the father of the childrenm, fire/sage incense):
"With the Fire of the Universe to spark your temper, I would ask that you may find joy and a sense of merriment In all that you accomplish - to see the lighter side Of life's journey and find happiness in your work."
THE DIVULGENCE OF THE NAMES (explained to the Witnesses):
Ancient European peoples believed that you must have two names, one public and one a secret name that only those present at the blessing ceremony know of. This second name is for use after puberty, when the soul changes into its first adult self, when it can be uttered once more, and made public. The purpose of the first public name was to divert the evil eye, to gain favor with the fates, to keep away sickness, and to help the child reach adulthood.
Priestess:
"Great Spirit of Nature, protect and guide these young souls among us. May the Blessings of the wise and joyous Father of the Gods far-seeing and far-knowing be upon thee. May the blessings of the Triple Goddess, of Maiden, of Mother, of Crone, and all their power be upon thee."
The following blessings/invocations were spoken and followed by the child being immersed in the ocean water of the beach where the ritual was held:
FOR GIRL'S DUNKING
"Great Goddess, Mother of All envelope this daughter of yours in the waters of your womb. Grant her protection from wrong - doing wash away the memories of her pain shower her with your blessings in a life everlasting…
Bless [speak public name]!
So Mote it Be!"
FOR BOY'S DUNKING:
"Great Goddess, Nurturer and Bearer of all Men, great and small without whose womb they would not be Mother of Gods, of Sacrificial Kings, Presidents, Emperors, and beggars welcome this son of Yours into Your Light and as you have taught us, let him find "Beauty and strength, power and compassion, mirth and reverence, honor and humility" within his heart. Wash his fears away with your caress!
Bless [speak public name]!
Blessed Be!"
(explained to the Witnesses:)
The second names chosen were decided upon for both whimsical and serious reasons - for personality and for circumstance.
"Forth is newest arrival, a small girl/boy-child who was given to us as a gift by the gods [speak inspiration of his/her name…]…may s/he be eternally blessed by all those that surround him/her. May he/she be presented at this time to the Lord and Lady as [speak private name]. Blessed be!"
Priestess:
"O Lady of the Starry Heavens, Wise All-Father, behold this lovely child [private name] who was conceived and brought forth in love. Bless and protect him/her and grant the gifts of wisdom, inspiration, and wonder, adorn him/her with your enduring and eternal strength and stead fastness. May s/he ever have spirits that seek the stars, and roots that hold tight deep within thy loving breast."
SHARING OF THE BREAD AND WINE:
Priestess blesses the wine, dipping the athame into the chalice:
"As the cup is to the female so the athame is to the male, and conjoined they bring blessed creation"
"Offering to the Mother:
Hail Earth, Mother of All!
May your fields increase and flourish.
Your forests grow and spread,
And your waters run pure and free!
Accept my offering, O Earth Mother!
Bring forth that which is good, and sustaining,
For every living thing!"
The Bread:
As the bread is passed around, the Priestess asks for its glorification:
"Let us join hands and purify ourselves breathing in the life force of the universe and expelling all evil from us. Take now of the bread and know of the grain of which you partake as the latest of countless generations growing to fruitfulness and in dying, giving of the seeds from which new life shall spring. Know that every seed, every grain are the cords of times most ancient and a promise of all that shall be.
Partake of the bread and know of life eternal and of Immortality. With this knowledge are our souls sustained."
-The Wine:
As the Chalice of wine is shared around the Circle, the Priestess asks for it's glorification, also:
"Drink now of the wine and know of the transformation of simple fruits to sparkling elixir. As this wine has under gone change so by life's cauldron shall we. As this wine gives the enchantment of the Divine or a basement into the lower realms, so do all humans rise or fall in each life As the iron will and strength determines."
--The Story telling:
Choose a story to tell.
--OPENING THE CIRCLE:
All join hands, Priestess says:
"Lords of the Winds, the Fires, the Seas, and the Fields, before you depart to your fair and lovely realms, we thank you for your presence this evening! Blessed be...
May the Circle be open but not broken
May the Beauty of the Goddess and the Strength of the God dwell in our hearts.
Merry meet, and merry part, and merry meet again. Blessed Be!"
