Beltane altar and ritual……….

Merry Meet my friends!  Hope you all had a good weekend and your week is going well so far.  We had some amazing rainstorms come thru here last night and today…Nature releasing her energy in the form of thunder, lightning, heavy rains and even flooding in our area.  I could not believe how hard it rained..and yes, I was out in it LOL….there were literally rivers across the roads and forming in yards in the low areas.  Creekbeds flowing over the banks, grocery stores and basements filled with water.  It was something else.  Also, there is more coming tonight!  So far at least, we have kept our power so that is a good thing.

A busy week here too..as my extended family is christian, we celebrate “bunny day” on Easter sunday with them.  Today I shopped for goodies for my granddaughters basket and egg hunt and I’m planning the menu as everyone is coming to my house.  Thursday is also my 53rd birthday….so I have plans with my family for that as well.  So the last few days I got busy and got my altar maypole done and got my Beltane altar ready.  Thought I’d post a few pics here for those of you who always ask to see my altars.  Now keep in mind, this altar is set up indoors for pics and for a rainy day, but it will be moved outdoors..by a roaring fire on Beltane night!  Can’t have Beltane inside and without a fire..thats just all there is to it!

This is the close-up of my maypole..which my dear husband was quite eager to help me with.  I got a wooden base, dowel rod and candle cup I turned upside down for a top.  The base was painted green and the dowel and cap red.  Hubby also screwed the dowel rod to the base for me.  Then I got out glue gun, silk flowers and ribbons and just started glueing!  Easy Peasy!  and I think its really cute.

Sorry about the fuzzy picture..I think the candles were throwing it off a bit.  Left side has my Gaia statue, my goddess statue, crystals are bloodstone, red carnelian and red jasper, sunstones and rose quartz (for love).  My large cherry quartz point….just cause its red and looked great! 🙂   Daisies are one of my favorite flowers so had to have them.  Cauldron, always there.  and the Maypole.

The left side has my working tools, a new stone heart my friend Mossie sent me (thank you Mossie) ..I thought the heart was more then appropriate for Beltane!  One of my herb seeds in its pot..sprouting well…Sage..my plant ally.  Bird feathers to represent Spring and the critters who are running all over the place now.  Greenman, my chalice, and bell.  The glass pentacle my daughter got me for Yule. 

The full view.  The green altar cloth, lots of  red candles, elemental representatives..all there.  Still to come will be strawberries, may wine, a dish of honey, and oatmeal cake.  So there you go.  What will be on your altar?  I love seeing pics of altars..I find witches so creative when it comes to their altars.

Ok so on to a ritual.  As I posted in my previous post Countdown to Beltane, I talked about the Beltane being about lust and fertility and the union of the Lord and Lady…..The Great Rite.  I decided to post this lovely solitary ritual celebrating just that.  I think its a beautiful ritual.

Solitary Beltane Ritual

 Items Needed:

One tall Green candle (for God)

One tall White candle (for Goddess)

4 corner candles

Cauldron for Balefire (if performed outdoors, make a Bonfire)

Red candles (as many as you’d like)

Rose incense and sage  to burn in cauldron

chalice of wine or juice

bread

Athame (for The Great Rite) and/or wand

Spring and Summer flowers to decorate altar

 

*Cast circle and call the corners then light the incense

 INVOCATION OF THE GOD: (light  tall Green candle)

“I now do call upon the eternal God in the ancient way, as Young Lord and Oak King – Horned One of the Forests. I bid Ye welcome and ask Thee to come forth and join Thy Lady Goddess in the Holy Rite of Sacred Union. As it is willed, so mote it be!”

 INVOCATION OF THE GODDESS: (light tall White candle)

“I now do call upon the eternal Goddess in the ancient way, as Lovely Maiden, Mother and Crone – Three-fold Goddess be. I bid Ye welcome and ask Thee to come forth and join Thy Lord God in the Holy Rite of Sacred Union. As it is willed, so mote it be!”

 “Blessed be this day of Beltane,

 Wedding day of the Goddess and God;

 Holy day of sacred marriage,

 Holy night of sacred union.”

* Light the surrounding green rituals candles and say –

 “Tonight  I celebrate the union of our Mother Earth to Her consort, our Father God, the Green Man and Great Lord of the Forests, as nature rejoices in a blaze of color and life.”

* Go to the altar and pick up chalice,  hold upwards and say –

“Blessed be the sacred union which manifests all creation!

 Behold the womb of the Mother,

The entity from which all life flows,

Blessed be the Lady!”

*Put down the chalice and  pick up the athame, hold upwards and say –

“Behold the phallus of the God,

 Fruitful principle of the universe,

 Blessed be the Lord!”

 THE GREAT RITE (Symbolic) –

 *Pick up the chalice

 “Blessed be you, my Lady,

 The Holy Bride of Heaven and Earth,

Come unite with Thy Lord in the ancient rite of sacred marriage!”

*Pick up athame and then say-

 “Blessed be you, my Lord,

 The Holy Groom of Heaven and Earth,

 Come unite with Thy Lady Goddess in the ancient rite of sacred marriage!”

* While slowly dipping the athame into the chalice, repeat:

 “Chalice to athame,

 As Goddess is to God;

 Father is to Mother,

 As man is to woman,

 Behold the sacred union of The One!”

* Replace the chalice and athame back on the altar and say:

 “By this act of love, all life comes to be;

 By this act of faith, I proclaim my place on the eternal cycle of life,

 The Lord and Lady reign eternal!”

* Now toast to the Lord and Lady by drinking from the chalice and breaking off a piece of the bread – setting aside a portion to give back to the Earth later.

 “I am a child of deity,

 I am part of the creative life force which moves the universe;

 I am part of all that is –

 Though we are apart we are always together,

 For we are one in the spirit of our Goddess and God;

 Merry meet, merry part and merry meet again –

 Blessed be!”

 *Close ritual, thank the deities and remember to give back to the Earth.

I love this ritual..I find it to be very sacred, very beautiful and very meaningful.  You may of course change the words, use different colored candles, burn a different incense.. whatever you wish..make it your own ceremony!

Now, I’m hoping you did this ritual outside, by a roaring fire.  That you are drinking wine, and that you are thinking about celebrating more with YOUR  loved one this night 🙂  After all, its not just our God and Goddess who can  be joined together in love  on this night.   Make it special.  Have a beautiful bath ready for the two of you.  A simple fresh meal…some wine….rose petals in your bed..red candles lit all over your bedroom.  Its a night for romance!  If you find yourself solitary at this time…well you can do the same for yourself…the bath, the meal, the wine, the candles…make it a special night for yourself….you deserve it either way!!

Blessings and love, Autumn

*Sources….my altar, my photography.  The ritual is from my own BOS but I don’t claim to have written it..but I have had it for a long time and no idea where I got it from..if you know, please tell me.