| Rituals for Litha 2005 These rituals are put on this site for community use. It is an honor to have others use your ideas in their rituals. However, If you use part of all of this ritual please be sure to give credit to the appropriate person and mention where you got the ritual information. |
Altar:
Copper fire pan placed in the center of the
gathering area with four torches circling it
marking the quarters. Cleansing herbs are
thrown into the fire before the ritual begins
(on a mundane level this also helps with bugs)
-Purpose of Gathering: Honor the Sun King
at this height, Celebrate His place in the
cycle of life.
- Help Build Community
Opening Ritual
Start with helpful instructions about how the
chants will move and go over the tune and
words to each chant. Hopefully we will have
the chants written down and printed up.
Opening Chants: We will start with one chant
and as the energy of each being moves into
the community circle the
chanters/chantresses will move to the next
chant. Some may continue with the first chant
while others move into the next chant. Repeat
with the third or God energy. At this time all
three chants should be going. Then we bring
everyone back together by chanting the line
“we are one” until everyone is on that line
then end with a hum.
Chant in elemental energies:
Earth My Body
Water My Blood
Air My Breath
And Fire My Spirit
Chant in Goddess energy:
We are one
With the Soul
Of the Earth
Mother Earth
-Earthspirit Community
Chant in God energy
Mithras, Osiris, Cernunnos, Apollo,
Hunnuman, Wotan, Chango (sung to the tune
of the “Goddess chant”)
- Shadow
Bring chanting to a close:
Repeat: “We are one” until everyone is
singing these three words. End with everyone
humming energy into the center of the circle.
Silence.
In silence the Warden will move to where
each person representing an Element is
standing. He will bow and then “cut” in an
area then escort the Element to the center of
the circle (where the fire pan is). Each
Element will have a candle or lantern that
they will light. Once the light has been lit the
person will turn to face the rest of the
gathering and will hold the space until the
end of the opening ritual. Silence will be held
until each Element has moved into the center
of the circle.
Spoken Invocations:
Dragon Call:
Recast circle in preparation for Dragon
Call Drac Ar’th
“Ouoborus with endless tail; claw and tooth,
fang and scale; We feed the flame to light the
dell, as dragon’s might and powers swell.
Worm below, be not far, as we await beneath
the stars.”-Greg Getner
“Cum saxum, saxorum, In deursum montum
opearum da: In aetibulum, In quinatum,
Draconis.”
Repeat until Dragon Energy is raised. Cuj
will place a sword (or something representing
a sword) into the ground to bring chanting to
a stop and to signify that we come unarmed
and pure of heart into the presence of the
Dragon.
Faerie:
A Elbereth Gilthoniel,
Silivren penna miriel
O menel aglar elenath!
Na-chaered palan-diriel
O galadhremmin ennorath,
Fanuilos, le linnathon
Nef aear, si nef aearon!
A! Elbereth Gilthoniel!
Silivren penna miriel
Omenel aglar elenath,
Gilthoniel, A! Elbereth!
We still remember, we who dwell
In this far land beneath the trees
The starlight on the Western Seas.
From J.R. Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings pages
250 and 308
Ancestors: Ad lib
God
The Pipes of Pan
In caverns deep the Old Gods sleep:
But the Trees still know their Lord,
And it’s the Pipes of Pan that call the tune
In the twilight in the wood.
The Leaves they dance to the Goat God’s tune,
And the whisper His name to the winds,
And the Oak Tree dreams of a God with Horns
And knows no other King.
- Vivianne Crowley
Goddess: Ad lib
Purpose
Tilt your head back, close your eyes, spread
your arms wide and feel the power and
Strength of the Sun King. Let him caress your
body with his warmth and heat. But make
sure your are wearing Sunscreen for as with
any good session of love making , protection
is an important part of preparation.
Today we honor the Sun King who sails to
His Height of Power with maturity and grace.
Yet even as He looks out upon all that He
loves, all that He has helped to create He
knows that He will soon be sacrificed so that
all He loves can live.
As He looks into the eyes of His beloved
Queen He knows that it will be her hands that
will draw the dark veil over His face. It will
be his Son, the Great Child of Night, who will
replace Him on the Throne and rule over all
that He must leave behind.
While He may have married His Beloved in
the heat of Passion, He now supports Her and
that they have created together out of a
profound sense of Love. He will take His
place in the cycle of life, not with anger or
but with joy and gladness for what He offers
His children and His Beloved Queen through
His willing sacrifice.
Today we celebrate the King in his Prime and
the Great Mother who is ready to bring forth
all Her bounty. We celebrate all that flows
from the union of the God and Goddess and
we bask in the warmth of the Sun King.
Blessed Be!
Chant and Spiral Dance:
We are circling,
Circling together
We are singing, Singing our heartsong
This is family, This is unity
This is celebration, this is sacred.
Go forth, learn and frolic.
Closing ritual (after Community Bardic
Circle)
Gather to “God Chant”
Poem
Within the circles of our lives
We dance the circles of the years
The circles of the seasons
Within the circles of the years
The cycles of the Moon
Within the circles of the seasons
The circles of our reasons
Within the cycles of the Moon
Again, again we come and go
Changed, changing
Hands joined, unjoined in love and fear, grief
and joy
The circles turn, each giving into each, into
all
Only music keeps us here, each by all the
other held.
And in the hold of hands and eyes, we turn in
pairs
That joining, join each to all again.
And then we turn aside, alone.
Out of the sunlight, gone
Into the darker circles of return.
-Wendell Berry
Chant
Glorious lantern of the Sky
Gone from Dusk to Dawn
Father teach me how I can die and be reborn
-Alan Windreader
Speaker walks forward with a chalice and
says:
And what is that the Goddess asks of us?
(Slight pause)
She asks us to keep pure your highest ideals.
Let nothing stop you nor turn you aside
For mine is the secret door that opens upon
the land of youth, and mine is the cup, the
wine of life, the cauldron of Cerridwen which
is also the Holy Grail of immortality.
I am the gracious Goddess who gives the gift
of joy unto the heart of all. Upon Earth I give
knowledge of the spirit eternal, beyond death
I give peace and freedom and reunion with
those who have gone before. Spill no blood,
take no life in my name. For I am the mother
of all living and my love is poured out upon
the universe.
-Doreen Valiente
From The Charge of the Goddess
Speaker pours the contents of the chalice over
a halved watermelon (symbol of both the
Goddess and the God)
Symbolic Great Rite (Chalice and Athame)-
(volunteers needed)
“As the Athame is to the lover so the Chalice
is to the beloved, and when joined they
become one truth and there is not greater
magic than that of love in the world. “ (from:
Blue Star Tradition)
The athame is plunged into the halved
watermelon
Bless this food upon our bodies bestowing
health, sustenance, abundance and the
fellowship with which we share it. Bless this
land, the Great Mother, who has given us a
place to gather and celebrate and who gives
so graciously to all Her children.
Community “may you never thirst and may
you never hunger” (those who are not
comfortable with joining in this part of the
community ritual may opt out). Volunteers
pass out slices of Watermelon.
Farewell
“Eldest of Gods on thee we call
Blessings on your children all
Rebirth is the gift and love is the law
Hail and Farewell”
Ancestors: ad lib
Faerie: ad lib
Dragon: ad lib
Closing Chants:
The Earth, the Air the Fire, the Water
Return, Return, Return, Return
Repeat
I aye, I aye, I aye, I aye
Io, Io, Io, Io
Repeat
Start chant over again
Ending Chant
Gaia carry us home
Mother, we are one
Repeat
Descant
Remember the God, remember yourself,
remember the Goddess, remember
The circle is open, yet unbroken. May the
peace of the God and The Strength of the
Goddess go in our hearts. Merry meet, merry
part and merry meet again.
Blessed Be!
Copper fire pan placed in the center of the
gathering area with four torches circling it
marking the quarters. Cleansing herbs are
thrown into the fire before the ritual begins
(on a mundane level this also helps with bugs)
-Purpose of Gathering: Honor the Sun King
at this height, Celebrate His place in the
cycle of life.
- Help Build Community
Opening Ritual
Start with helpful instructions about how the
chants will move and go over the tune and
words to each chant. Hopefully we will have
the chants written down and printed up.
Opening Chants: We will start with one chant
and as the energy of each being moves into
the community circle the
chanters/chantresses will move to the next
chant. Some may continue with the first chant
while others move into the next chant. Repeat
with the third or God energy. At this time all
three chants should be going. Then we bring
everyone back together by chanting the line
“we are one” until everyone is on that line
then end with a hum.
Chant in elemental energies:
Earth My Body
Water My Blood
Air My Breath
And Fire My Spirit
Chant in Goddess energy:
We are one
With the Soul
Of the Earth
Mother Earth
-Earthspirit Community
Chant in God energy
Mithras, Osiris, Cernunnos, Apollo,
Hunnuman, Wotan, Chango (sung to the tune
of the “Goddess chant”)
- Shadow
Bring chanting to a close:
Repeat: “We are one” until everyone is
singing these three words. End with everyone
humming energy into the center of the circle.
Silence.
In silence the Warden will move to where
each person representing an Element is
standing. He will bow and then “cut” in an
area then escort the Element to the center of
the circle (where the fire pan is). Each
Element will have a candle or lantern that
they will light. Once the light has been lit the
person will turn to face the rest of the
gathering and will hold the space until the
end of the opening ritual. Silence will be held
until each Element has moved into the center
of the circle.
Spoken Invocations:
Dragon Call:
Recast circle in preparation for Dragon
Call Drac Ar’th
“Ouoborus with endless tail; claw and tooth,
fang and scale; We feed the flame to light the
dell, as dragon’s might and powers swell.
Worm below, be not far, as we await beneath
the stars.”-Greg Getner
“Cum saxum, saxorum, In deursum montum
opearum da: In aetibulum, In quinatum,
Draconis.”
Repeat until Dragon Energy is raised. Cuj
will place a sword (or something representing
a sword) into the ground to bring chanting to
a stop and to signify that we come unarmed
and pure of heart into the presence of the
Dragon.
Faerie:
A Elbereth Gilthoniel,
Silivren penna miriel
O menel aglar elenath!
Na-chaered palan-diriel
O galadhremmin ennorath,
Fanuilos, le linnathon
Nef aear, si nef aearon!
A! Elbereth Gilthoniel!
Silivren penna miriel
Omenel aglar elenath,
Gilthoniel, A! Elbereth!
We still remember, we who dwell
In this far land beneath the trees
The starlight on the Western Seas.
From J.R. Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings pages
250 and 308
Ancestors: Ad lib
God
The Pipes of Pan
In caverns deep the Old Gods sleep:
But the Trees still know their Lord,
And it’s the Pipes of Pan that call the tune
In the twilight in the wood.
The Leaves they dance to the Goat God’s tune,
And the whisper His name to the winds,
And the Oak Tree dreams of a God with Horns
And knows no other King.
- Vivianne Crowley
Goddess: Ad lib
Purpose
Tilt your head back, close your eyes, spread
your arms wide and feel the power and
Strength of the Sun King. Let him caress your
body with his warmth and heat. But make
sure your are wearing Sunscreen for as with
any good session of love making , protection
is an important part of preparation.
Today we honor the Sun King who sails to
His Height of Power with maturity and grace.
Yet even as He looks out upon all that He
loves, all that He has helped to create He
knows that He will soon be sacrificed so that
all He loves can live.
As He looks into the eyes of His beloved
Queen He knows that it will be her hands that
will draw the dark veil over His face. It will
be his Son, the Great Child of Night, who will
replace Him on the Throne and rule over all
that He must leave behind.
While He may have married His Beloved in
the heat of Passion, He now supports Her and
that they have created together out of a
profound sense of Love. He will take His
place in the cycle of life, not with anger or
but with joy and gladness for what He offers
His children and His Beloved Queen through
His willing sacrifice.
Today we celebrate the King in his Prime and
the Great Mother who is ready to bring forth
all Her bounty. We celebrate all that flows
from the union of the God and Goddess and
we bask in the warmth of the Sun King.
Blessed Be!
Chant and Spiral Dance:
We are circling,
Circling together
We are singing, Singing our heartsong
This is family, This is unity
This is celebration, this is sacred.
Go forth, learn and frolic.
Closing ritual (after Community Bardic
Circle)
Gather to “God Chant”
Poem
Within the circles of our lives
We dance the circles of the years
The circles of the seasons
Within the circles of the years
The cycles of the Moon
Within the circles of the seasons
The circles of our reasons
Within the cycles of the Moon
Again, again we come and go
Changed, changing
Hands joined, unjoined in love and fear, grief
and joy
The circles turn, each giving into each, into
all
Only music keeps us here, each by all the
other held.
And in the hold of hands and eyes, we turn in
pairs
That joining, join each to all again.
And then we turn aside, alone.
Out of the sunlight, gone
Into the darker circles of return.
-Wendell Berry
Chant
Glorious lantern of the Sky
Gone from Dusk to Dawn
Father teach me how I can die and be reborn
-Alan Windreader
Speaker walks forward with a chalice and
says:
And what is that the Goddess asks of us?
(Slight pause)
She asks us to keep pure your highest ideals.
Let nothing stop you nor turn you aside
For mine is the secret door that opens upon
the land of youth, and mine is the cup, the
wine of life, the cauldron of Cerridwen which
is also the Holy Grail of immortality.
I am the gracious Goddess who gives the gift
of joy unto the heart of all. Upon Earth I give
knowledge of the spirit eternal, beyond death
I give peace and freedom and reunion with
those who have gone before. Spill no blood,
take no life in my name. For I am the mother
of all living and my love is poured out upon
the universe.
-Doreen Valiente
From The Charge of the Goddess
Speaker pours the contents of the chalice over
a halved watermelon (symbol of both the
Goddess and the God)
Symbolic Great Rite (Chalice and Athame)-
(volunteers needed)
“As the Athame is to the lover so the Chalice
is to the beloved, and when joined they
become one truth and there is not greater
magic than that of love in the world. “ (from:
Blue Star Tradition)
The athame is plunged into the halved
watermelon
Bless this food upon our bodies bestowing
health, sustenance, abundance and the
fellowship with which we share it. Bless this
land, the Great Mother, who has given us a
place to gather and celebrate and who gives
so graciously to all Her children.
Community “may you never thirst and may
you never hunger” (those who are not
comfortable with joining in this part of the
community ritual may opt out). Volunteers
pass out slices of Watermelon.
Farewell
“Eldest of Gods on thee we call
Blessings on your children all
Rebirth is the gift and love is the law
Hail and Farewell”
Ancestors: ad lib
Faerie: ad lib
Dragon: ad lib
Closing Chants:
The Earth, the Air the Fire, the Water
Return, Return, Return, Return
Repeat
I aye, I aye, I aye, I aye
Io, Io, Io, Io
Repeat
Start chant over again
Ending Chant
Gaia carry us home
Mother, we are one
Repeat
Descant
Remember the God, remember yourself,
remember the Goddess, remember
The circle is open, yet unbroken. May the
peace of the God and The Strength of the
Goddess go in our hearts. Merry meet, merry
part and merry meet again.
Blessed Be!
She Changes
everything she
touches and
everything she
touches changes.
She Changes,
She changes,
Everything she
touches changes...
-Chant
Home
Classes for 2009
Full Moon Hafla
Clan of the Healing
Wells
DeMyth-afing
the Wiccan Coven
"An ye harm none" on a
global scale
Recommended Books
Basic Definitions
Eulogy
Rituals for Litha 2005
Meditations
About Me
Chants
Classes for 2009
Full Moon Hafla
Clan of the Healing
Wells
DeMyth-afing
the Wiccan Coven
"An ye harm none" on a
global scale
Recommended Books
Basic Definitions
Eulogy
Rituals for Litha 2005
Meditations
About Me
Chants
Music: Songs from the
Wood" by Jethro Tull
Wood" by Jethro Tull