Lady_Elaine
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Posted Thu Jan 29, 2009 5:45 pm...
A Candlemas Rite for One
by Pagan Magic
A great time to do this ritual would be on the evening of February 1st, just before you go to bed.
Begin by cleaning your bathroom. Gather votive candles, music, incense and oils, etc. Lay out a clean robe and whatever jewelry you prefer to wear for ritual. Then throughly clean the room where you plan to hold your ritual. Set up the altar. You will need the following:
An altar cloth of red, white or both of these colors
Five unlit candles, preferably white or red, and matches
A bowl of water and a small container of salt
Incense and a burner(choose a seasonal scent)
A chalice, cup or goblet filled with pure water or a healing herbal tea such as chamomile
A picture or symbol of something you have created or the thing itself
A small stone of red (such as carnelian, garnet, ruby or red jasper) or white (such as clear quartz or selenite)
Art, writing or craft materials (your choice)
Special refreshments (your choice)
Now fill the bathtub with water, and add ingredients that make the water fragrant or cleansing. (Bath salts, bath tea or flower essences are good choices). A cup of apple-cider vinegar gets you squeaky clean and acts as a natural deodorant and moisturizer! Have your favorite relaxation music playing softly. Light a few votive candles in colorful glass holders, and set them around the bathroom. If you wish, light incense. As you soak in the tub, consciously release all the cares of the day, then the tribulations of the past year. Seek through the recesses of your mind and discover any pain, fear, anger, or disappointment; embody these feelings in a figure of snow; visualize the sun rising and the snow melting in the warmth of returning spring. Let those feelings go, and immediately replace them with emotions, memories and the dreams of the opposite sort: healing where there was pain, courage instead of fear, love to replace anger, hopes realized to banish disappointment.
When you feel clean and content, leave the bath, dry yourself and put on a clean robe. Enter the ritual room in darkness. Sit and breathe deeply and slowly for a few moments. Now light a single candle, saying:
In the midst of darkness, I create light. In the time of cold, I bring warmth. In the depth of winter, I find the signs of spring.
Ritually purify the room with Earth and Water (a little salt mixed in water), then Fire and Air (incense). Create a sacred space by casting the circle, with words of your own choosing or these:
I conjure thee, O circle of light and power, that thou may be a boundry between the outer darkness and the inner flame; a guardian and a protection, to preserve and contain the power I shall raise within; wherefore, do I bless and consecrate thee!
Call the Elemental Powers:
Facing East:
Powers of Air, I call upon thee. Winter winds, gentle breezes of spring, come to my circle. Bring the breadth of life, and the inspiration of poets and artists. So mote it be!
Facing South:
Powers of Fire, I call upon thee. Crackling hearthfire, waxing sunlight, come to my circle. Bring the warmth of the new season, and the purifying power of your flames. So mote it be!
Facing West:
Powers of Water, I call upon thee. Crystallized snow, trickling streams of snowmelt, come to my circle. Bring the healing waters from your sacred springs and holy wells. So mote it be!
Facing North:
Powers of Earth, I call upon thee. Fallow fields, first buds of tree and flower, come to my circle. Bring the knowledge of smith and artisan, the skill to shape metal and matter. So mote it be!
In your own words, invite Brigit, the great Celtic triple goddess of healing, inspiration, and smithcraft, to your circle. You may also wish to invite the male aspect of divinity; one good choice would be Dagda, the "Good Father" and god of protection and abundance.
Now be seated before the altar, and ask the Three Blessings of Brigit:
Healing: Think about your health. Resolve to take specific steps to heal any part of you that needs it; write them down. Take up the chalice, salute Brigit, say, "I ask for Your blessing of Healing," and drink it down. Light a second candle on the altar.
Inspiration: What project or problem faces you that requires inspiration? Where do you need ideas, insights, and understanding? Speak your need aloud. Lift the incense burner (carefully, if it's hot), waft some of the smoke toward your face and inhale gently, then say, "I ask for Your blessing of Inspiration. " Light another candle on the altar.
Craft: Meditate on what you want to create in the season ahead. A work of art, a piece of furniture, a new skill such as cooking or competence with a computer? Speak aloud (and write down) the first three steps you will take to achieve it. Look at the item on your altar that represents something you have already made or achieved, and remember how you did it. Take the small read or white stone and say, "I ask for your Blessing of Smithcraft." Light another candle. Carry the stone with you until you have met your goal.
Stand and speak these words:
Three blessings have asked, and now I ask one more. Brigit, goddess of sovereignty who grants power to kings, grant that I may have rulership over myself; my own imagination, my will, my emotions, my body, and my life, that I may do my part to make all blessings real. So mote it be!
(Light the fifth candle.)
Now celebrate in the way that feels best to you: write a poem, make something with your hands, dance, enjoy refreshments, or whatever you wish. When you are about ready for sleep, say farewell to the Elemental powers, thank Brigit and open the circle.
Carefully extinguish all the candles and incense, both in the bathroom and where you held your ritual. Retire to bed and sleep well.
by Pagan Magic
A great time to do this ritual would be on the evening of February 1st, just before you go to bed.
Begin by cleaning your bathroom. Gather votive candles, music, incense and oils, etc. Lay out a clean robe and whatever jewelry you prefer to wear for ritual. Then throughly clean the room where you plan to hold your ritual. Set up the altar. You will need the following:
An altar cloth of red, white or both of these colors
Five unlit candles, preferably white or red, and matches
A bowl of water and a small container of salt
Incense and a burner(choose a seasonal scent)
A chalice, cup or goblet filled with pure water or a healing herbal tea such as chamomile
A picture or symbol of something you have created or the thing itself
A small stone of red (such as carnelian, garnet, ruby or red jasper) or white (such as clear quartz or selenite)
Art, writing or craft materials (your choice)
Special refreshments (your choice)
Now fill the bathtub with water, and add ingredients that make the water fragrant or cleansing. (Bath salts, bath tea or flower essences are good choices). A cup of apple-cider vinegar gets you squeaky clean and acts as a natural deodorant and moisturizer! Have your favorite relaxation music playing softly. Light a few votive candles in colorful glass holders, and set them around the bathroom. If you wish, light incense. As you soak in the tub, consciously release all the cares of the day, then the tribulations of the past year. Seek through the recesses of your mind and discover any pain, fear, anger, or disappointment; embody these feelings in a figure of snow; visualize the sun rising and the snow melting in the warmth of returning spring. Let those feelings go, and immediately replace them with emotions, memories and the dreams of the opposite sort: healing where there was pain, courage instead of fear, love to replace anger, hopes realized to banish disappointment.
When you feel clean and content, leave the bath, dry yourself and put on a clean robe. Enter the ritual room in darkness. Sit and breathe deeply and slowly for a few moments. Now light a single candle, saying:
In the midst of darkness, I create light. In the time of cold, I bring warmth. In the depth of winter, I find the signs of spring.
Ritually purify the room with Earth and Water (a little salt mixed in water), then Fire and Air (incense). Create a sacred space by casting the circle, with words of your own choosing or these:
I conjure thee, O circle of light and power, that thou may be a boundry between the outer darkness and the inner flame; a guardian and a protection, to preserve and contain the power I shall raise within; wherefore, do I bless and consecrate thee!
Call the Elemental Powers:
Facing East:
Powers of Air, I call upon thee. Winter winds, gentle breezes of spring, come to my circle. Bring the breadth of life, and the inspiration of poets and artists. So mote it be!
Facing South:
Powers of Fire, I call upon thee. Crackling hearthfire, waxing sunlight, come to my circle. Bring the warmth of the new season, and the purifying power of your flames. So mote it be!
Facing West:
Powers of Water, I call upon thee. Crystallized snow, trickling streams of snowmelt, come to my circle. Bring the healing waters from your sacred springs and holy wells. So mote it be!
Facing North:
Powers of Earth, I call upon thee. Fallow fields, first buds of tree and flower, come to my circle. Bring the knowledge of smith and artisan, the skill to shape metal and matter. So mote it be!
In your own words, invite Brigit, the great Celtic triple goddess of healing, inspiration, and smithcraft, to your circle. You may also wish to invite the male aspect of divinity; one good choice would be Dagda, the "Good Father" and god of protection and abundance.
Now be seated before the altar, and ask the Three Blessings of Brigit:
Healing: Think about your health. Resolve to take specific steps to heal any part of you that needs it; write them down. Take up the chalice, salute Brigit, say, "I ask for Your blessing of Healing," and drink it down. Light a second candle on the altar.
Inspiration: What project or problem faces you that requires inspiration? Where do you need ideas, insights, and understanding? Speak your need aloud. Lift the incense burner (carefully, if it's hot), waft some of the smoke toward your face and inhale gently, then say, "I ask for Your blessing of Inspiration. " Light another candle on the altar.
Craft: Meditate on what you want to create in the season ahead. A work of art, a piece of furniture, a new skill such as cooking or competence with a computer? Speak aloud (and write down) the first three steps you will take to achieve it. Look at the item on your altar that represents something you have already made or achieved, and remember how you did it. Take the small read or white stone and say, "I ask for your Blessing of Smithcraft." Light another candle. Carry the stone with you until you have met your goal.
Stand and speak these words:
Three blessings have asked, and now I ask one more. Brigit, goddess of sovereignty who grants power to kings, grant that I may have rulership over myself; my own imagination, my will, my emotions, my body, and my life, that I may do my part to make all blessings real. So mote it be!
(Light the fifth candle.)
Now celebrate in the way that feels best to you: write a poem, make something with your hands, dance, enjoy refreshments, or whatever you wish. When you are about ready for sleep, say farewell to the Elemental powers, thank Brigit and open the circle.
Carefully extinguish all the candles and incense, both in the bathroom and where you held your ritual. Retire to bed and sleep well.
If you cant explain it simply, you dont understand it well enough.-- Albert Einstein
Blessings Bright and Dark,
