An Equinox Ritual with Friends

[child_of_the_air]

Last weekend, my girlfriend Jan visited me from Boston, and she was able to join me in a Vernal Equinox ritual I put together. I was pretty stressed out about writing the ritual, and then about leading it, because I'd never run a group ritual anything like this. I managed to get through the whole thing, but ended up making a number of small errors that hopefully bothered neither the participants nor the gods, and I got the impression that the participants though I did a really good job.

I've included the text I wrote up for the ritual below: I ended up ditching having everyone bring food as offerings, and just having a single plate of food prepared ahead of time. I still prefer the symbolism of having each person bring their own offering and add it to the communal offerings during the ritual, but logistically it just turned out to be too tricky.

Having each person present a text or story or et cetera worked well. I'd originally meant to recite Kipling's "Hymn of the Breaking Strain," but ended up deferring to a friend who could actually sing it, and instead told the story of the first cat I ever knew well, who helped me a lot when I was struggling through childhood depression. Her name was Honey and I still miss her a bit.

I don't know if I'll get to run a group ritual like this again with this group, but I hope I will, if only because I really want to have a regular cycle of high day rituals, and it doesn't seem likely that anyone else will organize such if I don't.  I still feel awkward doing it, because I don't feel a particular vocation to priesthood, and because I'm both younger and less experienced in paganism than most of these friends, and it feels very awkward to try to take charge.

Preparing the Space and Forming the Circle

Light a stick of incense and immerse it in a bowl of water, saying "xerniptosai" to make khernips.

Pass around the khernips for everyone to dip their hands in.

Light candles for illumination, and sprinkle barley on the altar table.

All join hands in a circle surrounding the altar table.

Recite:

"As our hands are joined in this circle, may our hearts be joined as around one hearth.

Hestia, first-and-last-born, who tends the hearth and guards the fire,

please accept the first drink, and bless us as we gather here."

Release hands, and pour a libation to Hestia.

Recite:

"As our deeds help create places, so places help shape us.

Whether we are from here, or have made here home, or are only visiting,

may the spirits of this place bless us and join us in our circle."

Pass a locally-sourced stone around to each person.

Invoking the Elements

Recite:

"From the sea we came, and to the sea we shall return.

Though we have left the brine, we carry it with us in our veins.

May the Ocean that surrounds us cool us and give us strength."

Pass around bowl of seawater; each person dips a finger in it and touches it to forehead and tongue.

Recite:

"As the Ocean surrounds us, Fire creates an island of order where we can live.

Though we cannot live in fire, each of our cells burns slowly with the energy of life.

May the fire that burns within us warm us and give us purpose."

Light the altar candle and pass it around to each person.

The Sharing of Words

Pour a libation and recite:

"May the Dreaming God, who observes the world while remaining outside of it,

attend to our circle with Their listening ears, and bear witness to our stories,

even when the stars have burnt out, and our protons have decayed."

Each person in turn tells a story or presents a poem or song or other work related to the theme of the High Day. [In this case, resilience and new beginnings.]

The Sharing of Food

Pour a libation and recite:

"May the gods and spirits who join us in this circle accept this food we offer them,

and may we be joined with them and with each other through this sharing of food,

that we may be nourished in spirit as well as in body."

Each person in turn places a piece of food from the plate they brought in the offering dish and then passes their plate around to the others, who eat from it if they wish.

Invoking the Elements

Recite:

"As the Ocean surrounds us, Fire creates an island of order where we can live.

Though we cannot live in fire, each of our cells burns slowly with the energy of life.

May the fire that burns within us warm us and give us purpose."

Pass the altar candle around to each person, and then extinguish it.

Recite:

"From the sea we came, and to the sea we shall return.

Though we have left the brine, we carry it with us in our veins.

May the Ocean that surrounds us cool us and give us strength."

Pass around bowl of seawater; each person dips a finger in it and touches it to forehead and tongue.

Breaking the Circle

Recite:

"As our deeds help create places, so places help shape us.

Whether we are from here, or have made here home, or are only visiting,

may the spirits of this place bless us as we go or stay."

Pass a locally-sourced stone around to each person.

All join hands in a circle surrounding the altar table.

Recite:

"Though we must now break our circle, may the fire of this hearth burn on in our hearts.

Hestia, first-and-last-born, who tends the hearth and guards the fire,

please accept the last drink, and bless us as we go or stay."

Release hands, and pour a libation to Hestia.

Extinguish the illumination candles.

 

Comments

[alexseanchai]

the ritual text is beautiful

[child_of_the_air]

Thanks! I'm glad you liked it! Please feel free to reuse any bits of it you find useful or appropriate.