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Beltane Ritual

(Performed at Ed's Farm, May 2006)

Greeting:

I greet you in the name of Jack o’ the Green, Lord of the Forest, The Horned God, also known as the Greenman. The world is awakening as Spring arrives. The birds are nesting and all the animals are producing young as the Earth itself renews and replenishes. People plant their gardens, secure in the promise of the harvest to come. This is the time for celebrating the fertility of our lives, for coming out of the Dreamtime of the Goddess and into a time of creativity. We are here today to laugh and dance, sing and rejoice in the glory of Beltane, Bel’s Fire, to welcome the returning warmth of the sun and the lengthening of the day.

We will now call the Quarters to witness our ritual:

Calling the Quarters:

EAST (air): We greet the Spirit of the East, whose season is the spring. As the sun rises in the East and each new day brings new choices and new chances, we welcome the gifts of intuition and knowledge the Spring breezes bring to us. We ask you to stand witness to this ritual today. Hail, and welcome!

SOUTH (fire): We greet the Spirit of the South, summer following spring. East’s yellow deepens into South’s red and we know that South brings the transformation that East has promised. We ask you to stand witness to this ritual today. Hail, and welcome!

WEST (water): We greet the Spirit of the West, Bringer of the rains. Water cleanses us, water brings birth to the seed in the ground. Water teaches us how to flow with life and it nourishes our very souls. We ask that you stand witness to this ritual today. Hail, and welcome!

NORTH (earth): We greet the Spirit of the North, the mighty oak tree, Ydraggsil, the Tree of Life. Body of the Mother, the source of all growing things, North is the bedrock of existence and Lover to the Greenman. We ask you to stand witness to this ritual today. Hail, and welcome!

Cast the circle:

We will now cast the circle as a group. Please hold hands with each other as you are willing and able. We are formed in a circle, with no beginning and no end. We ARE the circle and we now affirm that to each other. Repeat after me:

Welcome Spring! / Welcome O Greenman!

Welcome all ye growing things!

As the tree reaches up to the sky, so do we. (Raise hands)

As the tree reaches deep into the Earth, so do we. (Lower hands)

Each of us is a tree / And together we are a grove

Within this grove, there is no time

There is only now

Within this grove, there is birth and death

Night and day / Joy and sorrow

All are one

We are one

Welcome Spring!

The circle is cast and we are between worlds.

Welcome: (HPS)

I welcome each of you to this ritual and I am glad that you could be with us today. Beltane is the other of two Sabbats that occur at a time when the line between the worlds is thin—Samhain (or Halloween) is the other. Beltane, or Bel’s Fire is a celebration of the awakening of the Earth. The Goddess is young and in her Maiden phase. She greets Her lover, the Lord of the Forest and they are wed. Many Pagans did not marry in the month of May specifically because of this sacred union but waited until June, a traditional month for marriage to this day.

We honor fertility in all forms on this day. We see the fields being plowed and seeded; we see the young animals being born. We hope to see the blooming of the plans we made at Imbolc, the blossoming of creativity within our own lives as Spring arrives. This is a joyous day for us and I welcome everyone to share this joy.

(Group greeting…”Blessed Beltane to you” around the circle)

Invocation:

HPS: I welcome the Goddess, the Maiden who will become the Mother. I welcome the Lady to our midst and offer her this wreath of flowers. Welcome, O Queen!

HP: I welcome the Green Man, Lover of the Maiden. I welcome the Lord to our midst and offer him this cup of wine. Welcome, O King!

Statement of Purpose:

Blessing of the wine bottles:

I thank you all for bringing these bottles for Ed, our host. Empty now but destined for grapey greatness, we will now bless them.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out.

Picture the dark earth, ready for the vines. Picture the vines, growing up in the golden sunlight and the silver grey drizzle of rain. Picture the grapes, small at first and then bursting with juice. Picture the juice, pressed out of the grapes and then fermented. Picture the wine, poured into these bottles. Picture these bottles, opened and shared. Imagine the joy, imagine the love from sharing the work of the earth and Ed’s hands. Taste the sunlight, taste the rain, taste the earth.

Let your joy flow into these bottles, charge them with positive energy.

Repeat after me:

Bless these bottles, O Dionysius! Bless these bottles, O Bacchus!

Bless these bottles and all that will fill them!

Let them be a blessing to Ed as he works to fill them.

Let them be a blessing to those who taste of their contents.

Bless them, O Greenman as they hold Your wine!

And now for the most familiar part of the Beltane ritual. Please select a ribbon on the pole and prepare to dance. Those who don’t have a ribbon can certainly share, or stand in a circle around the dancers and help them chant. If you would like to, you can drum us a rhythm as we wrap the pole.

Maypole

Gather once more into a circle.

HPS:

I thank the Lord of the Forest for His presence with us today and every day. I ask that He continue to be with us as we seek out our path through the trees. Blessed Be!

I thank the Maiden for Her presence with us today and every day. I ask that She continue to be with us as we grow in knowledge and wisdom. Blessed Be!

Bidding Farewell to the Quarters:

EAST (air): We thank the Spirit of the East for being with us today as we welcome the Spring and blossoming life. Go if you must, stay if you will! Hail and Farewell!

SOUTH (fire): We thank the Spirit of the South for being with us today as we welcome the warmth of lengthening days. Go if you must, stay if you will! Hail and Farewell!
WEST (water): We thank the Spirit of the West for being with us today as we welcome the rain and days at the beach. Go if you must, stay if you will! Hail and Farewell!

NORTH (earth): We thank the Spirit of the North for being with us today as we welcome the fertility of the Earth and the assurance of the harvest it will bring. Go if you must, stay if you will! Hail and Farewell!

Please join hands as you are willing and able.

“The circle is open but unbroken

May the peace of the Goddess

Be forever in our hearts.

Merry meet and merry part and merry meet again.” (Sing)

All say: Merry meet and merry ye part, and merry ye meet again.