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OSTARA 2002
Ostara, the Spring Equinox, is a time of balance. A time when day and night are equal and when our bodies become as active as our minds as we return from physical slumber. As pagans of America we are connected to a ritual where children of varing faiths parttake in the mysterious hunt of the sacred symbols of spring. These symbols are that of the egg and the hare representing fertility and innocence. We too will join in this ritual today in honor of the needed fertility of the earth and to honor our American heritage. Candle/Lamp of Art: lite the candle and say, �The candle/lamp of art is lit, the ritual has begun� Cleansing: Take three pinches of salt, mix into the water and say: �Blessed be thou creature of earth, blessed be thou creature of water, conjoined to purify� Starting in the north, walk the circle deosil (clockwise) and say: �With salt and water, I cleanse the north�east/south/west.� After returning to the North say, �The circle is purified, so mote it be.� Charging: Add incense to the charcoal and say, �blessed be thou creature of air and fire, conjoined to create the charge.� Starting in the North, walk deosil saying, �With Fire and Air, I charge the north/east/south/west�� After returning to the North say, �the circle is charged, so mote it be.� Casting: Starting in the North, walk deosil saying, �I hereby cast the sacred circle on sabbat of Ostara, we gather between the worlds, beyond the bonds of time, in honor of Spring the great balance, where night and day are equal.� After returning to the North say, �The circle is cast, so mote it be.� -Invoking- North/Earth:
East/Air:
South/Fire:
West/Water:
Center/Akasha:
Goddess:
God:
Let us evoke the myth of Alice, the child-like goddess captured in a book whom took us on a journey into the mysteries in order to restore balance in the world. She too hunted the sacred in the form of a white rabbit. The rabbit reflected her innocence in order to show her the ignorance that kept her unbalanced. The first step into the rabbit hole, the first step in making Alice whole, was to ground and center� let us do so again. (group ground and centers, when group is ready continue�) The journey into the rabbit hole was not an easy task. Alice�s curiousity lead her into a whirlpool of darkness and confusion. She had fallen into mysteries of the Goddess. Whirlpool meditation:
In this bowl contains water, the element of that purifies and cleanses. We will use this to bring clarity in our lives, perhaps understand the mysteries of the darkness, of the veil we wear. When the water is calm, the surface allows you to see to the bottom clearly. (begin to stir slowly) But as things go in life, the water will begin to spiral. At the top of the spiral lies confusion, where things happen in sudden and spontaneous ways, this is the place of the unexpected changes. This is where days and nights go by unnoticed, you may even feel �sea sick� and your body may react violently to this change. This is what happens when you are not grounded. Further down the water�s journey, as it becomes a noticeable whirlpool, things begin to narrow. This is where questions appear, �why did this happen?� �How can this be?� �what�s going on?� �why now?� �what�s wrong with me?� This is where we begin to ground by trying to reason out the confusion or by grabbing on to others for support or to blame. Perhaps we are getting used to the spinning as we funnel down further and further� After a time we reach the bottom where we find steady ground. This is a focal point. A moment of clarity. There is something here that only you will know. It is that thing which will ground you. A point of stability� a balancing point. Like Alice, just before she returned to the world, we are unable to grasp onto all the experiences of the journey and things around us may still be unclear. But when we look within and embraced all that we are, we will find balance. (But for those who have done so, perhaps the balance will be brought when they look to help others.) Cauldron of Transformation:
Once we know who we are and where we stand, we can make changes in our lives. We may look to the cauldron of transformation. Those things we no longer want in our lives are placed in the fires of the cauldron. The fire will transform those things into ashes and smoke, which represent the new qualities in life that we need. For every one thing that is placed in the fire, let us state an affirmation, something to balance out what we don�t need with something we appreciate.
With Water and Fire we bring balance to ourselves and by balancing ourselves we balance the earth. Cakes & Ale: Farewells: Post Ritual Activities:
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