|
(October 31)
Place upon the altar apples, pomegranetes, pumpkins,
squashes and other late autumn
fruits. Autumn flowers such
as marigolds and chrysanthemums are fine too. Write on a
piece of paper an aspect of your
life which you may wish to
be free of; anger, a baneful habit, misplaced feelings,
desease. The cauldron or some simular
tool must be present
before the altar as well, on a trivet or some other
heat-proof surface (if the legs aren't long
enough). A
small, flat dish marked with an eight-spoked wheel symbol
should also be there. [This is just what it sounds
like.
On a flat plate or dish, paint a large circle. Put a dot
in the center of this circle and paint eight spokes
radiating
out from the dot to the larger circle. Thus, you
have a wheel symbol - a symbol of the Sabbats, a symbol of
timelessness.]
Prior
to ritual, sit quietly and think of friends and
loved ones who have passed away. Do not dispair. Know
that they have
gone on to greater things. Keep firmly in
mind that the physical isn't the absolute reality, and
souls never die.
Arrange
the altar, light the candles and censer, and
cast the Circle of Stones.
Recite the Blessing Chant.
Invoke the Goddess
and God.
Lift one of the pomegranates and, with your
freshly-washed Boline, pierce the skin of the fruit.
Remove
several seeds and place them on the wheel-marked
dish.
Raise your wand, face the altar and say:
On this night of Samhain I mark Your passing,
O Sun King,
through the sunset
into the Land of the
Young.
I mark also the passing of all who have gone
before,
and all who will go after.
O
Gracious Goddess,
Eternal Mother,
You who gives birth to the fallen,
teach me to know that in the time of the
greatest
darkness there is the greatest light.
Taste the pomegranate seeds; burst them with your
teeth and savour their sharp, bittersweet
flavour. Look
down as the eight-spoked symbol on the plate; the Wheel of
the Year, the Cycle of the Seasons, the End
and Beginning
of all Creation.
Light a fire within the cauldron (a candle is fine).
Sit before it, holding the piece
of paper, gazing at its
flames. Say:
Wise One of the Waning Moon,
Goddess of the Starry Night,
I create this fire
within Your cauldron to
transform that which is plaguing me.
May the energies be reversed:
From the darkness, light!
From
bane, good!
From death, birth!
Light the paper in the cauldron's flames and drop it
inside. As it burns, know that
your ill diminishes,
lessens and finally leaves you as it is consumed within the
universal fires. [The cauldron, seen
as the Goddess.]
If you wish, you may attempt scrying or some other
form of divination, for this is a perfect time to
look into
the past or future. Try to recall past lives too, if you
will. But leave the dead in peace. Honour them with
your
memories but do not call them to you. [Many Pagans do
attempt to communicate with their deceased ancestors and
friends
at this time, but it seems to me that if we accept
the doctrine of reincarnation, this is a rather strange
practise.
Perhaps the personalities that we knew still
exist, but if the soul is currently incarnate in another
body, communication
would be difficult, to say the least.
Thus, it seems best to remember them with peace and love -
but do not call them
up.] Realease any pain and sense of
loss you may feel into the cauldron's flames.
Works of magick, if necessary, may
follow.
Celebrate the Simple Feast.
The circle is released.
|
