Beltane 2006
This ritual was the Sunday church service.
Music for Gathering: (Drumming, rattles and shakers as all gather)
Opening Words: Welcome to our Beltane Celebration! This is the great Spring holiday of the Goddess. May Day happens at the beginning of May. It celebrates the height of Spring and the flowering of life. The Goddess manifests as the May Queen and Flora. The God emerges as the May King and Jack in the Green. The danced Maypole represents Their unity, with the pole itself being the God and the ribbons that encompass it, the Goddess. Colors are the rainbow spectrum. Beltane is the festival that celebrates all the living world: plants, animals and human beings. It is a festival of flowers, fertility, sensuality and delight.
Chalice Lighting:1
Flame of fire, spark of the universe that warmed our ancestral hearths agent of life and death, symbol of truth and freedom. We strive to understand ourselves and our earthly home.
Congregational Response: (sung)
Let there be light to drive away the darkness
Let there be wisdom to shine on the unknown
Let there be love to heal our aloneness
Let each of us be a light for one another
Welcome: Northwest Unitarian Universalist Church is a religious community filled with diversity. Our Minister, Kimi Reigel, is out of the pulpit this morning. Today, the Circle of the Flaming Chalice will guide us in a Ritual to celebrate Beltane. For those of you visiting with us today, this is not our usual Sunday morning Service (if we can say we ever have a usual one!). Please visit us more than once to get a feel for what this Church is all about and where you will find meaning for you.
If you are a visitor today, please join us for coffee after the Service; there will be a coffee cart in the foyer so you won't have to wait in a long line for coffee, tea and other goodies.
Our Offertory today will be received in the basket just outside the double doors as you exit the Main Meeting Room after the Ritual.
Hymn: Gathered Here 2 (With drumming, rattles and shakers accompanying singing)
Please greet your neighbors in the spirit of community
Joy And Sorrows:
Discussion About The Ritual And Teaching Of The Song To Be Sung During The Ritual:
There will be times during the Ritual for drumming, rattles and shakers. I will advise you when to begin by motioning with my hands (demonstrate) and I will advise when you to stop also using my hands (demonstrate).
We will be doing a song with movements during the Ritual and I would like to teach it to you now so we can do it in unison at that time (Go over words and demonstrate movements to Earth my body, Water my blood, Air my breath And Fire my spirit.)
Message For All Ages: Beltane is the holiday of fertility. For Pagans, one of the great gifts of the Goddess is the power of the Earth to grow wonderful flowers and fruit and all the things we eat. We are thankful for the fertility of the Earth, and our job is to keep the land and soil healthy, to protect the animals and plants and trees so that fertility can continue. The Earth is a living being, and all of Her creatures are part of her Body. Each has a place, a purpose, a special part in the great dance of life.
On Beltane, we also celebrate all the different kinds of human fertility and creativity. We give thanks for the power women and men have to make babies, to bring new people into the world. But people can create in other ways as well. When we paint pictures, make up songs, tell new stories, plant a garden or cook a dinner, we take part in the fertility of the Goddess.
Beltane is also the time when we celebrate the joys of being alive. We give thanks for all the different kinds of pleasure our bodies give us, for without our bodies we couldn't see or hear or taste or smell, run or jump or dance or sing or swim.
Beltane is the name of the month of May in modern Irish, and is also the traditional first day of summer in Ireland. Beltane means bright fire in both Old Irish and Scottish Gaelic. It is allied to the English word bale (as in bale-fire), the Anglo-Saxon bael, and also the Lithuanian baltas, meaning white or shining from which the Baltic takes its name.
Early Gaelic sources from around the 10th century state that the Druids would create a need-fire on top of a hill on this day and rush the village's cattle between the fires to purify them and bring luck. People would also go between the fires to purify themselves. This echoed throughout history after Christianization, with lay people instead of Druid priests creating the need-fire. The festival persisted widely up until the 1950s, and in some places the celebration of Beltane continues today. A revived Beltane Fire Festival has been held every year since 1988 during the night of April 30th on Calton Hill in Edinburgh, Scotland and attended by up to 15,000 people (except in 2003 when local council restrictions forced the organisers to hold a private event elsewhere).
We are not going to have a fire to jump over, but we are going to have a May Pole to dance! We are now ready to begin our Ritual.
Cast The Circle: (Include the yard outside where the May Pole is, the kitchen and the bathrooms, as well as the hallways leading to the bathrooms; using bubbles). We consecrate this circle to the God and Goddess. May naught but love enter or leave. This is a place that is not a place, in a time that is not a time.
Call The Quarters:3 (Person calling the Quarter says their lines, then drumming, rattles and shakers while flowers are being passed out to people sitting in the vicinity of the respective Quarters, then light the respective Quarter's candle).
East (yellow):
Spirit of the East, spirit of air,
of morning and springtime:
Be with us as the sun rises,
in times of beginning,
times of planting.
Inspire us with the fresh breath of courage
as we go forth into new adventures
South (red):
Spirit of the South, spirit of fire,
of noontime and summer:
Be with us through the heat of the day
and help us to be ever growing.
Warm us with strength
and energy for the work that
awaits us.
West (blue):
Spirit of the West, spirit of water,
of evening and autumn:
Be with us as the sun sets
and help us to enjoy a rich harvest.
Flow through us with a cooling,
healing quietness and bring us peace.
North (green):
Spirit of the North, spirit of earth,
of nighttime and winter:
Be with us in the darkness,
in the time of gestation.
Ground us in the wisdom of the changing seasons
as we celebrate the spiraling
journey of our lives.
Call The God (HP): Green Man, God of all growing things, we call for your presence. Be here now. (Light candle).
All: Be here now!
HPS: Listen to the words of the Great Father, who was of old called Osiris, Adonis, Thor, Pan, Cemunnos, Herne, Lugh and by many other names:
Charge Of The God (HP): My law is harmony with all things. Mine is the secret that opens the gates of life and mine is the dish of salt of the Earth that is the body of Arwyn, that is the eternal circle of rebirth. I give the knowledge of life everlasting and beyond death I give the promise of regeneration and renewal. I am the sacrifice, the father of all things, and my protection blankets the Earth.
Call The Goddess (HPS): Love Goddess, Lover of all living things, we call for you presence. Be here now. (Light candle).
All: Be here now!
HP: Listen to the words of the Great Mother, who was of old also called amongst men Artemis, Astarte, Diana, Melusine, Aphrodite, Kerridwen, Dana, Arianhod, Isis, Bride and by many other names:
Charge Of The Goddess (HPS): At my altars, the youth of most distant ages gave love, and made due sacrifice. Whenever you have need of anything, once in a month, and better it be when the Moon is full, then shall you gather in some secret place and adore the spirit of Me, who am Queen of all Witches.
There shall you assemble ye who are gain to learn all sorcery, yet have not won its deepest secrets; to these will I teach things that are yet unknown. And you shall be free from slavery, and as a sign that you be really free you shall be naked in your rites. And you shall dance, sing, feast, make music and love all in my praise; for mine is the ecstasy of the spirit, and mine also the joy on Earth, for my law is love unto all things. Keep pure your highest ideal, strive ever towards it; let naught stop you or turn you aside, for mine is the secret door which opens upon the door of youth. And mine is the cup of the wine of life and the Cauldron of Kerridwen, which is the Holy Grail of Immortality.
I am the gracious Goddess who gives the gift of joy unto the heart of man, upon Earth I give knowledge of the Spirit of eternal, and beyond death I give peace and freedom and reunion with those who have gone before; nor do I demand sacrifice, for behold I am the Mother of all living, and my love is poured out upon the Earth. Hear ye the words of the Star Goddess.
She is in the dust of whose feet are the hosts of Heaven, whose body encircles the universe. I who am beauty of the green Earth and the white Moon amongst the stars. And the mystery of the waters, and the desire of the heart of man, call unto thy soul. Arise and come unto me, for I am the souls of Nature who gives life to the universe.
From me all things proceed, and unto me all things must return. And before my face, beloved of Gods and men, thine inmost divine self shall be enfolded in the rapture of the infinite.
Let my worship be with the heart that rejoices, for behold, all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals. And therefore let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honour and humility, mirth and reverence within you.
And you who thinks to seek for me, know thy seeking and yearning shall avail you not, unless you know the mystery, that if that which you seek you find not within thee, you will never find it without thee. Behold I have been with you from the beginning and I am that which is attained at the end of desire.4
Song: (with movements)
Earth my body
Water my blood
Air my breath
And Fire my spirit
Explanation Of The God (HP): At Beltane the God is the Green Man, the Oak King, God of all growing things. The concept of the Green Man came into being as a religiously correct term during what was referred to as the burning times. He too is the lover of all that lives, the protector of the wild things and the guardian of the forest. Often he is depicted as a leafy face peering out from branches and foliage. He even appears in many old Christian churches, carved on pillars or decorating the altar screen.
One of the Green Man's ancient names was Robin Hood, the huntsman who lives under the Greenwood Tree. Sometimes He is called Robin Good Fellow. You may be familiar with the stories of Robin Hood, but did you know that he took his name from our ancient Pagan God? Robin Hood means Rob in the hood the hood worn by the Good People, the Faeries. He dressed in green and lived in the wilderness with his companions, who protected the poor and taught some hard lessons to the selfish and greedy.
Explanation Of The Goddess (HPS): We have known the Goddess as Mother and as Daughter. At Beltane, She becomes the Lover of all living things. We could call her by some of the ancient names of the Love Goddess: Aphrodite, Astarte, Flora, Maia, Oshun. In some circles, she is called Queen Maeve, the Faery Queen, who comes riding forth from the Otherworld, the realm of dreams, imagination, spirits, and visions, to teach us how to move between the worlds.
In Irish mythology, Maeve was a fierce and beautiful Goddess, who honored her husband, Aillil, because he was generous, brave, and not jealous. She was associated with the sacred hare, which brings both magic and inspiration.
Like Samhain, Beltane is a time when the veil between the worlds is thin. At Samhain, we pass though to visit our beloved dead. At Beltane, the Fey, the Faeries, come forth to visit us. To Witches, Faeries are not cute little Tinkerbell-like creatures, but powerful nature spirits that are the keepers of the magical energies that lie behind the physical world. In Ireland they are called the Sidhe (Shee), and their realm was called the Tir Nog, the Land of Youth, for they never grow old. In Wales, the magic realm was called Annwn (A-no-ven); in Britain, Avalon. In Scotland, the Faery Queen was known as the Queen of Elfland. The Faeries are called the Elder Children of the Goddess, the Fair Folk, or the Good People. We humans are the Younger Children.
Many myths speak of the separation of the magical realm from the physical world. When we lose our ability to communicate with plants, animals, rocks, and trees, when we believe that only what we can touch and count and measure is real, the realm of the Fair Folk recedes. The Earth loses life and vitality and becomes a gray and polluted place.
But when we learn to love the living creatures of the Earth, when we listen to the voices of the trees, the flowers, and the birds, when we recognize that all around us a great conversation is taking place, if we have ears to hear, then the world becomes again a place of magic. Plants and animals flourish, as do the arts of music, dance, and poetry, and remember again how to live in harmony with nature.
Dance The May Pole: Follow me outside to dance the May Pole. Those of you who feel comfortable in doing so, take hold of a ribbon and dance to the music! I will demonstrate when we get outside. Others of you are welcome to watch or when someone tires, take their ribbon when given to you and dance! The music is almost continuous, but just keep dancing!
Dancing of the May Pole
Meditation And Silence: Let's go back inside for the Blessing of the Food and the ending of our Ritual in a spirit of meditation and silence.
Food Blessing: For the fruit of the earth and the work of human hands, we thank you. For blessing and abundance, we thank you. What comes forth shall return in the eternal dance of the Goddess and God. Join with us. Blessed be.
Devoke The Goddess (HPS): (HPS and HP hold onto double terminated wand together as they devoke the God and Goddess and as the Quarters are dovoked).
Love Goddess, thank you for honoring us with your presence. Go if you must. Stay if you will. Hail and farewell. (Ring bell).
All: Hail and farewell.
Devoke The God: Green Man, thank you for honoring us with your presence. Go if you must. Stay if you will. Hail and farewell. (Ring bell).
All: Hail and farewell.
Devoke The Quarters
North: Spirits of the North, powers of Earth, we thank you for being with us and helping us celebrate Beltane. Go if you must. Stay if you will. Hail and farewell. (Ring bell).
All: Hail and farewell.
West: Spirits of the West, powers of Water, we thank you for being with us and helping us celebrate Beltane. Go if you must. Stay if you will. Hail and farewell. (Ring bell).
All: Hail and farewell.
South: Spirits of the South, powers of Fire, we thank you for being with us and helping us celebrate Beltane. Go if you must. Stay if you will. Hail and farewell. (Ring bell).
All: Hail and farewell.
East: Spirits of the East, powers of Air, we thank you for being with us and helping us celebrate Beltane. Go if you must. Stay if you will. Hail and farewell. (Ring bell).
All: Hail and farewell.
Open The Circle: (sung)
May the circle be open but unbroken
May the peace of the Goddess be ever in you heart
Merry meet and merry part
And merry meet again
Extinguish The Flame Of The Chalice:5
We extinguish this flame but not the light of truth, the warmth of community, or the fire of commitment. These we carry in our hearts until we are together again.
Announcements
1. Leslie Pohl-Kosbau, #451 in Singing the Living Tradition, Unitarian Universalist Association, 1993
2. Philip A. Porter, #389 in Singing the Living Tradition, Unitarian Universalist Association, 1993
3. Joan Goodwin, # 446 in Singing the Living Tradition, Unitarian Universalist Association, 1993
4. Doreen Valiente
5. Elizabeth Selle Jones, #456 in Singing the Living Tradition, Unitarian Universalist Association, 1993
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