Rituals

A Space for Rituals Both Large and Small!!

This page is dedicated to the rituals that I perform throughout the year. I am going to start with Imbolc because, well, that is the first ritual I have done since I started this blog. Majority of these rituals will be either designed to incorporate myself and my son or just me. Feel free to adjust any of my rituals to suit you and your situation.

Imbolc (performed with my son)

In the home part of the ritual:

• Start by placing a pan of water on the stove, add Lavender (oils or flowers will work here) the Lavender will cleanse the air. (It was too cold here to open the windows and let all the stale air out)
• Sweep/Vacuum out the negative energies that are filling the home. Make sure to take the dirt out of the home when you are finished.
• Cleanse each of your rooms by smudging with Sage, a bubble ritual, or ringing of bells. My son and I used bells because we were out of bubbles. In each of the rooms (yes, that included the bathroom!) We rang bells while repeating 'May the Goddess Brighis bless and cleanse this room.' 3 times. (My son got a kick out of correcting me when I mixed up cleanse and bless). After which we lit a candle and turned out the lights in that room before moving on to the next.

Outside part of the ritual:

• Light alter candles (we create our altar under the skies during our rituals)
• We each ask the Goddess Brighid to bless our home and family in our own way
• Using the altar candles, burn the blessings made during our Yule ritual while repeating 'We burn these blessings to release their energy into the universe.' 3 times. (We placed our blessings in a metal bowl to burn so the flames were controllable)
• Set out food for an offering. My son spoke the words 'We offer this food to the Goddess Brighid.'
• Drink wine. (We used juice instead because I am pregnant and we do not keep wine in the house right now. And by drink wine I mean like a sip or swallow, by no means would I let my son down a glass of wine.) Offer what is left to the Goddess, pour it into the earth. My son also spoke the words 'We offer this juice to the Goddess Brighid.'
• Give our thanks to the Goddess for all our blessings and for joining us.
• Blow out altar candles and return into the house.

Safe Passage Ritual (for those who are recently deceased)

This ritual was written for my son, who recently lost his beloved cat to kidney failure. I'm going to include the prayers that each of us had written, but I encourage you to write your own to personalize this ritual.

Supplies:

• White candles for all involved in the ritual (we used white tapers)
• Lavender oil (because of it's calming properties)
• Matches (I hope this one is obvious)
• Quartz (we like having it's healing/cleansing energy with us)
• Bowl of sand or dirt (to hold the candle(s))

Ritual:

1. Anoint your candles with the lavender oil while infusing the candle with as much positive energy as you can muster.
2. Place candle(s) into the bowl, so the bowl acts as a candle holder. Light the candles.
3. Ask the Goddess to join the ritual. We used this: Goddess, we ask that you join us this night during our ritual. I keep it simple as possible when my son is involved.
4. Each person involved say a short prayer for the deceased. These are the two we each wrote (yes I made my son write his own.) My son's prayer: I would like to thank the Goddess for Diamond's safe journey into the next world. I pray that I see her again when I cross the veil. My prayer: Goddess, we come to you this night to ask for the safe passage of our beloved cat. Help her cross safely through the veil and into the next world. Help her spirit find peace.
5. Take a moment to remember some of the good times you shared together.
6. Thank the Goddess for her presence. We recited this together: Thank you Goddess for gracing us this night with your presence.
7. Take a few moments to meditate in the silence. Blow out your candles when finished.

Lammas/Lughnasadh Ritual

(This is a short condensed version of the ritual my family and I intend to do. The longer version will be posted at a later date.)

Supplies Needed:

Bread (or anything made from flour or grains)

Wine (beer, fruit punch, whatever you like to drink)

Candle (A color that reminds you of the end of summer)

Matches (should be a no-brainer, but I forget if it's not on my list... so here ya go :) )

Ritual:

Find a quiet place to sit for a moment, or gather around your table if sharing the ritual with others. Have your bread, wine, matches, and candle in front of you. Take a quick moment to think about what Lammas means to you, and what it has meant to those who have followed the season through times past. It’s the first harvest, time to offer bread in thanks for the prosperity of the crops.

Light your candle. Take a bite of the bread and a sip of the wine.

Say these words (or write your own prayers to the Lord and Lady):

On this first day of August, I light a candle to celebrate the harvest.

As the wheel of the year turns and the days start to grow shorter, I honor the Lord and Lady (or the seasons, or your specific deity) and thank them for the blessings and prosperity they have brought to me this year.

I honor those who came before me, and all things living on this earth.

Eat more of the bread, drink more of the wine, being sure to save the last bits as a sacrifice to the earth. Later pour them outside, in your garden, under a tree or into a potted plant.

If you have the time, sit for a few minutes and meditate before snuffing the candle. As you go about your day, keep negative thoughts at bay and try to mentally tally all the wonderful things that have come into your life this year.

Candle Spell to Attract Positive Energies into your life

This is designed to be a quick and easy cast that you can do in 5 minutes, or if you have the time, you can elongate the meditation part for any length of time you so desire. I've started do this spell at least 4 times a week. (I use 2 candles though, one for my family and one for a friend of mine's family... I asked her permission before starting this though. I never cast for anyone without their permission first)

Supplies:

1. white candle
2. matches

Ritual:

Before lighting the candle, clear your mind of all negative thoughts as much as possible. Sometimes there are things you simply cannot push from your mind, but try.

Speak, either in your mind or out loud, 'I light this candle in hopes of bringing the highest good into my life'. You can end the sentence there. I always add my thanks to the Goddess and ask her to bless my children and family.

Light your candle and meditate (for as long or as short as you desire) on how positive energy will influence your life.

Let the candle burn for as long as you can. (Sometimes all I have is a few minutes, other times---hours.)

Extinguish your candle, or let it burn out if you have the time. DO NOT LEAVE A CANDLE BURNING IN AN EMPTY HOUSE OR OUTDOORS!!


~Cleansing Spell Bottle~
This is a spell that a friend of mine posted on Facebook. I have yet to perform this one.

 To make an herbal cleansing bottle, pour a layer of sand in a large clear bottle.
Add layers of dried herbs, one at a time: first Rosemary; then Lemon Peel, Sage, Cedar,
Black Peppercorns, Lavender, Dill, Bay Leaf, and Rowan.

When the bottle is full, focus cleansing protective energy into the herbs and sand,
and see a golden light radiating from the bottle.
Visualize the herbs driving away negative influences.
Cork and seal the bottle with white wax.
Using a permanent marker, draw the Algiz rune (as seen to the right) on one side of the bottle, and on the other side draw a pentagram.
Set the bottle near your front or back door, and every six months, uncap, pour herbs out into the woods or your compost heap, and thoroughly wash
and dry the bottle before filling it with a new round of herbs.