What an amazing way to enter the brighter half of the year. A step from Winter into Spring, holding your breath as you hear the heartbeat of Nature, and enter the Shade.
How sad to think that for many of those who came out that day to witness this vernal eclipse will perhaps never again meet with the Earth, Sun and Moon. At least not in this lifetime. But for now, on the day of Ostara, they all noticed. For a short while, they remembered. And may the Sun, just as it was finally unveiled by the Moon, bring light into their hearts.
Vernal Equinox ritual to be performed outdoors, in the woods by the sea shore, early morning hours.
Preface [poem chosen by my daughter]
March comes at night
When the flowers still sleep
Snowdrops and saffron will have to wake
In the cold March will sing them a song
And then in silence watch the stars fall
As night gently moves to give rise to the Sun
Consecration of Time
3 x gentle bells
This is the Time of the Turning!
Night and Day, Moon and Sun
Winter end, spring has begun
Let go of your sorrows and join us this day
With light in your voice draw Winter away
Calling of the Quarters
Let there be peace in the East, where the Sun is born
Let there be peace in the South, where the Fire wakes
Let there be peace in the West, where the Kindred waits
Let there be peace in the North, where the Shadow reigns
Wardens of Space and Time, grant peace to my Grove.
Casting the Circle
I cleanse this Grove and all that it holds with Air [walk around the circle clockwise and purify it with fumes of burning resin]
I cleanse this Grove and all that it holds with Fire [light fire torch, walk around the circle and purify it with the flickering flame]
I cleanse this Grove and all that it holds with Water [sprinkle spring water and walk the circle clockwise]
I cleanse this Grove and all that it holds with Earth [take handful of grain and cast it around the circle clockwise]
Let us all be welcome to the sacred Festival of the Vernal Sun and Moon. As spring comes to life, winter still holds. But today it must give way. Behold, the Sun eclipsed by the Moon casts a long and terrifying shadow. But rejoice, my tribe, it is in this shadow that the waters of the world will start to boil.
Invocation
Hear me! Oh, Crone and Queen!
Hear me! Oh, Tribe in the West!
Hear me! Oh, Waking Spirits!
[face East, where the vernal Sun rises]
Oh, Great Mistress of Life and Death, Keeper of the Cauldron and Bringer of Knowledge! Mother Cerridwen, patron of those who never fail at their work, you teach us of the changing patterns of Nature. Bring us knowledge, vigor and persistence in everything we do, and if there is still ice in the hearts of some of us today, let them partake of the Waters of Life that boil in your Cauldron.
[Turn towards center of the circle to kindle the Vernal Fire]
With this, we honour you, Wise Cerridwen [recite the myth of Taliesin and Cerridwen]
This, we offer - to Cerridwen and Taliesin, the Transformer and the Transformed [offer whisky and eggs to the fire]
This, we offer - to all the Young Ones in our Tribe, the Newborns and Children who left us too soon [offer milk and cakes into the fire]
This, we offer - to the Land that awakens, let us aid the flowers and trees and animals in their long journey back towards life after the long and harsh winter. [offer seeds and vegetables to be left in the woods]
[meditation and accepting the blessings, using the power - this time in the form of a feast with traditional Slavic Easter season food, in the woods]. Partake from the offerings in the feast. Thanks to the Gods, Ancestors and Spirits]
Deconsecration of Time and Space [put out fire]
Final benediction: Awen.
End.
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