Ostara 2011. Presented twice, both for groups of about 10 to 12 people.
Tools and Materials:
A central candle, dishes of water and salt, an athame, quarter and deity candles, a young plant, green and red face paint crayons or washable markers, a plate of snow peas, a small pitcher of chlorophyll water and a goblet for each participant.
Opening:
Everyone stands outside the space. The priest/ess lights the central candle and mixes salt into the water. S/he cleanses the space with a sprinkling of salt water, then welcomes each person into the space with a sprinkling of salt water and a hug.
Priest/ess: Be welcomed in this sacred space. Blessed be.
The Circle is cast using the athame.
On the first round, each quarter caller faces inwards:
East: We honour the first Air: the carbon dioxide we cannot breathe.
South: We honour the first Fire: our beautiful and distant Sun.
West: We honour the first Water: the earliest cauldron of life.
North: We honour the first Earth: the microscopic plants that were the first life.
On the second round, each quarter caller lights their quarter candle from the central candle on the altar as they call:
East: We welcome Air: the precious oxygen exhaled by the plants.
South: We welcome Fire: the sun’s light and energy that creates food.
West: We welcome Water: that is necessary for all life.
North: We welcome Earth: all that holds and nourishes.
On the third round, each quarter caller faces outward:
East: Be here, Air of our Voices. Blessed be!
South: Be here, Fire of our Movements. Blessed be!
West: Be here, Water of our Emotions. Blessed be!
North: Be here, Earth of our Bodies. Blessed be!
One person invokes the Goddess and another the God, each lighting one of the deity candles from the central candle after:
Goddess Call: Lady of the Sacred Earth, Mother and provider of our food and water, please be welcomed in our Circle. Blessed be!
God Call: Lord of the Powerful Sun, Father and creator of air and life, please be welcomed in our Circle. Blessed be!
Centre:
Meditation:
See the small leaves unfurling towards the new spring sunlight.
The green in leaves is chlorophyll – the stuff of life. The advent of the chlorophyll molecule was one of the great moments in the history of the Earth, as early creatures began to fashion molecules to capture the Sun. Capturing a photon of light is a very delicate process. Chlorophyll developed through the creative communion of this Earth and this Sun.
The retinal molecule with which our eyes capture photons and we experience light is a development of the chlorophyll molecule. The only reason we can see at all is because plants figured out a way to capture the Sun. First the Earth, through the plants, sees the Sun; now, through us, the Earth sees Herself.
Chlorophyll’s job is to absorb energy from sunlight and use it to transform carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and water from the soil into carbohydrates and oxygen. Fire and water are transformed into earth and air.
We take earth – in the form of food – and air and water and we change them back into fire: action, energy, passion, love.
We remember and honour what nourishes us.
Each person draws a green leaf on the back of the right hand of the person to their left.
We celebrate and honour what we create with the gifts of the Earth.
Each person draws a red flower on the back of the left hand of the person to their left.
Together, let us raise energy to magnify the miracle of life: may our passions and loves grow strong and bright this Spring.
Everyone joins hands palm to palm at about waist height. Start the “om” softly and as the energy is raised and the sound gets louder, everyone raises their hands straight up until they are above our heads.
Food and Drink:
Food Blessing: Through food, we take in earth and water, fire and air. By the elements, this food is blessed. By consuming it, may we be blessed.
The food is passed clockwise as each says "be blessed" to the next person.
One person holds the pitcher as the other blesses it with the athame:
Drink Blessing: As the athame is to the lover, so the chalice is to the loved, and joined they are one in truth.
The pitcher is passed clockwise with “thou art God" or "thou art Goddess" as the person pours from the pitcher to fill the next person's cup. Then the recipient says “blessed be” and puts the cup on the altar and takes the pitcher in turn. Once all cups are filled, all raise their cups in a toast: "May you never thirst." / "Blessed be."
Closing:
We will go clockwise around the circle and each person says the blessing as they draw a spiral on the next person’s forehead with salt water:
Blessing: May you be blessed with the energy of the Sun.
The people who invoked the Goddess and the God with thank them, each extinguishing their deity candle after:
God Thank: Without the Sun, there would be no air and no life. Thank you, Lord of the Sun, for all Your gifts and for joining us in our Circle. Blessed be!
Goddess Thank: Without the Earth, there would no water and no food. Thank you, Lady of the Earth, for all Your gifts and for joining us in our Circle. Blessed be!
As each quarter is thanked, that candle is extinguished:
North: For the first plants, for the food that nourishes us, for our bodies, we thank the Earth. Stay if you will, go if you must. Blessed be!
West: For the cauldron where life began, for the water that sustains us, for our emotions, we thank the Water. Stay if you will, go if you must. Blessed be!
South: For the sun, for the light, for the energy in each of us, we thank the Fire. Stay if you will, go if you must. Blessed be!
East: For the first air, for that which fills our lungs, for our voices, we thank the Air. Stay if you will, go if you must. Blessed be!
The Circle is opened.
Ending: The Circle is open, but unbroken. Merry meet, merry part and merry meet again!
The central candle is extinguished.
Ostara: Green Magic by Melissa Hope is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.