Sacred Texts  Index  Previous  Next 

sacred-texts |  Web | Powered by Google


Internet Book of Shadows, (Various Authors), [1999], at sacred-texts.com




                         BELTANE

                This a Pagan Ritual file, of interest to Neo-Pagans,specifically
          Wiccan based religions.




               Equipment- see standard list

               Set up  a candle in each of the four cardinal directions. Lay the
          rest of the tools on  the altar cloth or near it. The altar  can be on
          the ground, a  table, a rock  or a stump. The  altar should be  in the
          center or  just north of center  of the Circle. Light  the six candles
          and the incense, start the music and begin the ritual.
               The  Beltane ritual should start before sunrise or in the evening
          of April 30th. This is to welcome the sun in and to make effective use
          of the bonfire. The party or the ritual should finish  some time after
          sunrise.


                               THE RITUAL

          Facing North,  the High Priest  and Priestess  kneel in  front of  the
          altar with him  to her right. She puts the bowl of water on the altar,
          places the point of her athame in it and says:

               "I exorcise  thee, O Creature of  Water, that thou cast  out from
          thee all impurities and uncleanliness of the world of phantasm; in the
          names of Cernunnos and Aradia"

          She then puts down her athame and  holds up the bowl of water in  both
          hands. The  High Priest puts the bowl  of salt on the  altar, puts his
          athame in the salt and says:

               "Blessings be upon this  Creature of Salt; let all  malignity and
          hindrance  be cast  forth hencefrom,  and let  all good  enter herein;
          wherefore so I bless thee,that thou     mayest aid me, in the names of
          Cernunnos and Aradia."

          He then puts down his athame and pours the salt into the bowl of water
          the  High Priestess is holding.  The High Priest  then stands with the
          rest of the  Coven outside the Circle.  The High Priestess  then draws
          the Circle  with the sword,  leaving a  gap in the  Northeast section.
          While  drawing the Circle, she should visualize the power flowing into
          the Circle from  off the end of the  sword. She draws the Circle  in a
          East to North or deosil or clockwise direction. She says:

               "I conjure thee, O Circle of Power, that thou beest a meeting
               place of love and joy and truth; a shield against all wickedness
               and  evil; a boundary  between men and  the realms  of the Mighty
          Ones; a rampart and protection that shall preserve and contain   t h e
          power     that we shall raise within thee. Wherefore do I bless  thee
          and  consecrate thee, in the names of Cernunnos and Aradia."


                                                                             464

          The High Priestess lays down the sword and admits the High Priest with
          a kiss while spinning him deosil and whispers:

               "Blessed Be" 

          He then admits a women the  same way. Alternate-male-female-male. Then
          the High Priestess  finishes closing  the Circle with  the sword.  She
          then  names three  witches to  help strengthen  the Circle.  The first
          witch  carries the bowl of  consecrated water from  East to East going
          deosil, sprinkling  the perimeter as  she/he goes. They  then sprinkle
          each  member in  turn. If  the witch  is male,  he sprinkles  the High
          Priestess last who  then sprinkles  him. If female  she sprinkles  the
          High Priest last, who then sprinkles  her. The bowl is replaced on the
          altar.  The second witch takes the incense burner around the perimeter
          and  the third takes one of the  altar candles. While going around the
          perimeter, each person says:

               "Black spirits and white,
               Red spirits and grey,
               Harken to the rune I say.
               Four points of the Circle, weave the spell,
               East, South, West, North, your tale tell.
               East is for break of day,
               South is white for the noontide hour,
               In the West is twilight grey,
               And North is black, for the place of power.
               Three times round the Circle's cast.
               Great ones, spirits from the past,
               Witness it and guard it fast."

          All the  Coven pickup their  athames and face  the East with  the High
          Priest and Priestess  in front, him on  her right. The  High Priestess
          says:

               "Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the East, ye Lords of Air;  I  do
          summon, stir, and call  you up to witness our  rites and to guard  the
          Circle."

          As she speaks  she draws the  Invoking Pentagram of  Earth in the  air
          with her athame:

                                   1,6

                                4       3
                     
                               
                                  2 7 5

          The High  Priest and  the rest  of the Coven  copy her  movements with
          their  athames. The  High  Priestess turns  and  faces the  South  and
          repeats the summoning:

               "Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the South, ye Lords of Fire; I do
               summon,  stir and call you up, to  witness our rites and to guard
          the Circle."


                                                                             465

          She does the same pentagram and then faces West and says:

               "Ye  Lords of the Watchtowers of the  West, ye Lords of Water, ye
          Lords of Death and Initiation; I do summon, stir, and call you   u p ,
          to witness our rites and to guard the Circle."

          She faces North with rest of the Coven and says:

               "Ye Lords  of the Watchtowers  of the North,  ye Lords of  Earth;
          Boreas, thou gentle guardian of the Northern Portals; thou  powerful
          God and gentle Goddess; we do summon, stir and call you     up,     to
          witness our rites and to guard the Circle."

          The Circle is completed and  sealed. If anyone needs to leave,  a gate
          must be  made. Using  the sword, draw  out part  of the Circle  with a
          widdershins or  counter-clockwise  stroke. Immediately  reseal it  and
          then repeat the opening and closing when the person returns.

          In this part  of the ritual the Goddess becomes  incarnate in the High
          Priestess.  The High Priestess stands  in front of  the altar with her
          back to it. She holds  the wand in her right hand and  the scrounge in
          her left.  She crosses her  wrists and  crosses the wand  and scrounge
          above them  while holding them close  to her breast.   The High Priest
          stands in front of her and says:

               "Diana, queen of night
               In all your beauty bright,
               Shine on us here,
               And with your silver beam
               Unlock the gates of dream;
               Rise bright and clear.

               On Earth and sky and sea,
               Your magic mystery
               Its spell shall cast,
               Wherever leaf may grow,
               Wherever tide may flow,
               Till all be past.
               O secret queen of power,
               At this enchanted hour
               We ask your boon.

               May fortune's favor fall
               Upon true witches all,
               O Lady Moon!

          The  High Priest kneels  before the High  Priestess and gives  her the
          Five Fold Kiss; that is, he kisses her on both feet, both knees, womb,
          both breasts, and  the lips, starting with the right  of each pair. He
          says, as he does this:

               Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways.
               Blessed be thy knees, that shall kneel at the sacred altar.
               Blessed be thy womb, without which we would not be.
               Blessed be thy breasts, formed in beauty.
               Blessed be thy lips, that shall utter the Sacred Names."


                                                                             466

          For the kiss  on the lips, they embrace, length  to length, with their
          feet  touching each others. When he  reaches the womb, she spreads her
          arms wide, and the  same after the kiss  on the lips. The High  Priest
          kneels again and invokes:

                          "I invokethee andcall uponthee, MightyMother ofus all,
          bringer of  all fruitfulness; by  seed and root,  by bud and  stem, by
          leaf  and flower  and fruit,  by life  and love  do  I invoke  thee to
          descend upon the body of this thy  servant and priestess."

          During this invocation he touches her with his right forefinger on her
          right breast, left breast,  and womb, repeats the set and  finally the
          right  breast. Still kneeling, he spreads  his arms out and down, with
          the palms forward and says:


                  "Hail Aradia! From the Amalthean Horn
                   Pour forth thy store of love;
                   I lowly bend Before thee, I adore thee to the end,
                   With loving sacrifice thy shrine adore.
                   Thy foot is to my lip (he kisses her right foot)
                   my prayer up borne Upon the rising incense smoke;
                   then spend  Thine ancient love, O Mighty One, descend
                   To aid me, who without thee
                   am forlorn."

          The  High Priest  stands up  and steps  backwards. The  High Priestess
          draws the  Invoking Pentagram of  Earth in the  air with the  wand and
          says:

                  "Of the Mother darksome and divine
                   Mine the scrounge, and mine the kiss;
                   The five point star of love and bliss
                   Here I charge you in this sign."

          The High Priest says:

               "Listen to the words of the Great Mother; she who of old was also
                          calledamong manArtemis,Astarte, Athene,Dione,Melusine,
          Aphrodite, Cerridwen, Dana, Arianhod, Isis and by many other names."

          The High Priestess, who should be in a trance, says as the Goddess:

               "Whenever you have need of anything,  once in a month, and better
          it be  when the Moon  is full, then shall  ye assemble in  some secret
          place  and adore the spirit of me, who  am Queen of all witches. There
          shall ye assemble,  ye who are fain to learn all sorcery, yet have not
          won its deepest  secrets; to these  will I teach  things that are  yet
          unknown.  And ye shall be free from slavery; and as a sign that  ye be
          really free, ye shall be naked in your rites; dance, sing, feast, make
          music and  love, all in  my praise.  For mine  is the  ecstasy of  the
          spirit,  and mine also is  joy on earth;  for my law is  love unto all
          beings.  Keep pure  your highest  ideal; strive  ever towards  it; let
          naught stop you or turn you aside. For mine  is the cup of the wine of
          life,  and the  Cauldron  of Cerridwen,  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  the knowledge  of the spirit
          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 things, and  my love is poured out  upon the


                                                                             467

          earth. I who am the white Moon among 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 soul 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,  let thine
          innermost divine self be enfolded in  the rapture of the infinite. Let
          my  worship  be within the heart that rejoiceth;  for behold, all acts
          of love and pleasure are my rituals. And therefore let there be beauty
          and  strength, power  and compassion,  honor and  humility,  mirth and
          reverence within you.
                          And thouwho seekest to seekfor me, know thyseeking and
          yearning shall avail thee not unless thou  knowest the mystery; and if
          that which thou seekest thou  findest not within thee,thou will  never
          find  it without  thee. For  behold, I  have been  with thee  from the
          beginning; and I am that which is attained at the end of desire."

          This declamation can be said by the High Priestess, the High Priest or
          the Coven as a whole.

                  "Hear now the words of the witches,
                   The secrets we hid in the night,
                   When dark was our destiny's pathway,
                   That now we bring forth into the light.
                   Mysterious Water and Fire,
                   The Earth and the wide ranging Air,
                   By hidden quintessence we know them,
                   And will keep silent and dare.
                   The birth and rebirth of all nature,
                   The passing of winter and spring,
                   We share with the life universal,
                   Rejoice in the magical ring.
                   Four times in the year the Great Sabbat Returns,
                   and the witches are seen
                   At Lammas and Candlemas dancing,
                   On May Eve and old Hallowe'en.
                   When day time and night time are equal,
                   When sun is at greatest and least,
                   The four lesser Sabbats are summoned,
                   Again witches gather in feast.
                   Thirteen silver moons in a year are,
                   Thirteen is the Coven's array.
                   Thirteen times at Esbat make merry,
                   For each golden year and a day.
                   The power was passed down the ages,
                   Each time between woman and man,
                   Each century unto the other,
                   Ere time and ages began.
                   When drawn is the magical circle,
                   By sword or athame of power,
                   It's compass between the two worlds lies,
                   In the land of shades that hour.
                   This world has no right to know it,
                   And the world beyond will tell naught.
                   The oldest of gods are invoked there,
                   The Great Work of Magic is wrought.
                   For two are the mystical pillars,
                  That stand at the gate of the shrine,
                  And two are the powers of nature,
                  The forms and the forces of the divine.
                  The dark and the light in succession,


                                                                             468

                  The opposites each unto each,
                  Shown forth as a God and a Goddess:
                  This did our ancestors teach.
                  By night he's the wild wind's rider,
                  The Horn'd One, the Lord of the Shades.
                  By day he's the King of the Woodland,
                  The dweller in green forest glades.
                  She is youthful or old as she pleases,
                  She sails the torn clouds in her barque,
                  The bright silver lady of midnight,
                  The crone who weaves spells in the dark.
                  The master and mistress of magic,
                  They dwell in the deeps of the main,
                  Immortal and ever renewing,
                  With power to free or to bind.
                  So drink the good wine to the Old Gods,
                  And dance and make love in their praise,
                  Till Elphames's fair land shall receive us
                  In peace at the end of our days.
                  And Do What Thou Wilt
                  shall be the challenge,
                  So be it in love that harms none,
                  For this is the only commandment,
                  By magic of old, be it done!
                  Eight words the Witches Creed fulfill:
                  If It Harms None, Do What Thou Will!




          The High Priest faces the Coven, raises his arms wide and says:
                  "Bagabi lacha bachabe Lamac cahi achababe
                   Karellyos
                   Lamac lamac
                   bachalyas
                   Cabahag sabalyos
                   Baryolos
                   Lagaz atha cabyolas
                   Samahac atha
                   famolas
                Hurrahya!"

          The High Priestess and the Coven repeat:

               "Hurrahya!" 


                                                                             469

          The High Priest  and High Priestess  face the  altar. The High  Priest
          continues:

                  "Great God Cernunnos, return to Earth again!
                   Come to my call and show thy self to men.

                  Shepherd of Goats, upon the wild hill's way,
                  Lead thy lost flocks from darkness unto day.

                  Forgotten are the ways of sleep and night 
                  Men seek for them, whose eyes have lost the light.

                  Open the door of dreams, whereby man come to thee.
                  Shepherd of Goats, O answer unto me!"



          The High Priest and the rest of the Coven then say:

                  "Akhera goittiakhera beitti!"

          And lower their hands on the second phrase.

          This is a ring dance as usual. This can be replaced or others added as
          desired.   Everyone  should  take  part.  Use   what  music  you  feel
          comfortable with.

                  Walpurgis Night, the time is right,
               The ancient powers awake.

               So dance and sing, around the ring,
               And Beltane magic make.

               Walpurgis Night, Walpurgis Night,
               Upon the eve of May,

               We'll merry meet, and summer greet,
               Forever and a day.

               New life we see, in flower and in tree,
               And summer comes again.

               Be free and fair, like earth and air,
               The sunshine and the rain.

               Walpurgis Night, Walpurgis Night,
               Upon the eve of May,
          
               We'll merry meet, and summer greet,
               Forever and a day.

               As magic fire be our desire
               To tread the pagan way,

               And our true will find and fulfill,
               As dawns a brighter day.


               Walpurgis Night, Walpurgis Night,
               Upon the eve of May,


                                                                             470

               We'll merry meet, and summer greet,
               Forever and a day.

               The pagan powers this night be ours,
               Let all the world be free,
           
               And sorrow cast into the past,
               And future blessed be!

               Walpurgis Night, Walpurgis Night,
               Upon the eve of May,

               We'll merry meet, and summer greet,
               Forever and a day.

          The  Coven spread themselves out around the  Circle. They start a soft
          rhythmic clapping. The High Priestess says:

               "Now  it is  time for  the Oak  King to  impregnate Our  Lady. No
          longer will  she be the Virgin Huntress  and Maiden. She is  now to be
          Hecate, the Queen of Elphame. But first she must catch him."

          This song is from Robert Graves "White Goddess". It is an old Scottish
          Craft song. In it, the High Priest turns into a variety of animals and
          the  High  Priestess chases  him. Starting  with  the High  Priest and
          Priestess, then  followed by the other  couples in the  Coven, the men
          are  chased by  the women.   The  ladies use  a scarf  to signify  the
          capture at the end of the song. The dancers should try to  imitate the
          animals they are playing. The dance and the tune should be slow. After
          all the couples have done so, the High Priestess and Priest repeat it.

          High Priest:    

                   "O, I shall go into a hare
                With sorrow and sighing and mickle care,
                And I shall go in the Devil's name
                Aye, till I be fetched hame."


          High Priestess: 

                   "Hare, take heed of a bitch greyhound
                Will harry thee all these fells around,
                For here come I in Our Lady's name
                All but to fetch thee hame."

          Coven:

                   "Cunning and art he did not lack
                But aye her whistle would fetch him back."


                                                                             471

          High Priest:

                   "Yet I shall go into a trout
                With sorrow and sighing and mickle doubt,
                And show thee many a merry game
                Ere that I be fetched hame."

          High Priestess: 

                  "Trout take heed of an otter lank
                Will harry thee close from bank to bank,
                For here come I in Our Lady's name
                All but for to fetch thee hame."

          Coven:

                  "Cunning and art he did not lack
                But aye her whistle would fetch him back."

          High Priest:   

                  "Yet I shall go into a bee
                With mickle horror and dread of thee,
                And flit to hive in the Devil's name
                Ere that I be fetched hame."

          High Priestess: 

                  "Bee, take heed of a swallow hen
                Will harry thee close, both butt and ben,
                For here come I in Our Lady's name
                All but to fetch thee hame."

          Coven:          

                  "Cunning and art he did not lack
                But aye her whistle would fetch him back."

          High Priest:    
           
                  "Yet I shall go into a mouse
                And haste me unto the miller's house,
                There in his corn to have good game
                Ere that I be fetched hame."

          High Priestess: 

                  "Mouse take heed of a white tib-cat
                That never was balked of a mouse or a rat,
                For I'll crack thy bones in Our Lady's name:
                Thus shall thee be fetched hame."

          Coven:          

                  "Cunning and art he did not lack
                But aye her whistle would fetch him back."


                                                                             472

          The  High  Priestess  finally catches  the  High  Priest  at the  last
          refrain. She drapes a scarf over his neck to signify her catching him.
          The Maiden and the Coven say:

                          "TheQueen of Elphame has caught herSon who is also her
          Consort. They must  mate so that  the Earth may  bear it's fruits  and
          that man and animal may live. "

          The High Priest and High Priestess, and the rest of the couples in the
          Coven, kiss with vigour. The men should wilt and fade back to the edge
          of  the Circle.   The  women gather  around the  unlit bonfire  or the
          cauldron with the candle in it. The High Priestess says:


               "The Oak King is dead. He has died of his love for the      Lady
          that the  Earth may live. So  has it been  for year after  year, since
          time began.   But the Oak King, the God of  the Waxing year, must live
          so the crops in the Earth can come forth. "

          The Coven shouts:

                          "Kindlethe Beltanefire.Maythe OakKingliveagain. Maythe
          Earth bring forth her fruits, may the animals bear their young and the
          land be fruitful again."

          The High Priestess lights the bonfire using a taper lit from the altar
          candle.  She then says:

                  "Come back to us, Oak King, that the land may be fruitful."

          The men gather around the fire, next to their partners, and the say in
          unison:

               "I am the stag of seven tines;
               I am a wide flood on the plain;
               I am a wind on the deep waters;
               I am a shining tear of the sun;
               I am a hawk on a cliff;
               I am fair among flowers;
               I am a god who sets the head afire with smoke."

          The  High Priestess  and  High Priest  lead  a ring  dance  around the
          bonfire. Start out with "A Tree Song" from Rudyard Kipling's "Weland's
          Sword" story in "Puck of Pook's Hill". The dance should be joyful.

          "Oh, do not tell the Priest of our Art,
                Or he would call it sin;
                But we shall be out in the woods all night,
                Aconjuring summer in!
          
                And we bring you news by word of mouth
                For women, cattle and corn
                Now is the sun come up from the South
           
                With Oak, and Ash and Thorn!"



          Continue  the  dance  with this  song  and/or  any  others that  sound
          appropriate. 


                                                                             473

          This chant  goes to the tune  of the old folksong,   "The Lincolnshire
          Poacher":

               Come join the dance, that doth entrance,
               And tread the circle round.
               Be of good cheer, that gather here,
               Upon this merry ground.

               Good luck to we that faithful be,
               And hold our craft so dear,
               For 'tis our delight of a shiny night,
               In the season of the year.

               Oh, 'tis our delight of a shiny night,
               In the season of the year.

               While stars do shine, we pledge the wine
               Unto the Gods of old,
               Nor shall there fail the witch wassail,
               Nor shall their fire grow cold.
               Good luck to we that faithful be,
               And hold our craft so dear,

               For 'tis our delight of a shiny night,
               In the season of the year.

               Oh, 'tis our delight of a shiny night,
               In the season of the year.

               Throughout, about and round about,
               By flame that burneth bright,
               We'll dance and sing, around the ring,
               At witching hour of night.
               Good luck to we that faithful be,
               And hold our craft so dear,

               For 'tis our delight of a shiny night,
               In the season of the year.

               Oh, 'tis our delight of a shiny night,
               In the season of the year. 



          Near the end of the dance, the High Priestess should call out the name
          of either  a person or a couple.  They should then jump  over the fire
          while making  a wish.  They should then  rejoin the  ring and  another
          couple or person do it.  When ready, stop the dance and sit down about
          the fire. After a break, perform the Great Rite.


                                                                             474

               The Coven, except for the  High Priestess and High Priest,arrange
          themselves around the perimeter of the circle, man and woman
          alternately as far as possible, facing the center.  The High Priestess
          and High Priest  stand facing each other in the  center of the circle,
          she with her back to the altar, he with his  back to the South.
            The High Priest  kneels before the High Priestess and  gives her the
          Five Fold Kiss; that is, he kisses her on both feet, both knees, womb,
          both breasts, and the lips,  starting with the right of each  pair. he
          says, as he does this:

               "Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways.
               Blessed be thy knees, that shall kneel at the sacred altar.
               Blessed be thy womb, without which we would not be.
               Blessed be thy breasts, formed in beauty.
               Blessed be thy lips, that shall utter the Sacred Names.

          For the kiss on the  lips, they embrace, length to length,  with their
          feet touching each others. When  he reaches the womb, she spreads  her
          arms wide, and the same after the kiss on the lips. The High Priestess
          then  lays  herself  down,  face  upwards,  with  her  arms  and  legs
          outstretched to form the Pentagram.

          The  High  Priest  fetches the  veil  and  spreads  it  over the  High
          Priestess's body, covering her  from breasts to knees. He  then kneels
          facing her, with his knees between her feet.

               The High Priest calls a woman witch by name, to  bring his athame
          from the altar. The woman does so and stands with the athame in her
          hands,  about a  yard to  the West  of the  High Priestess's  hips and
          facing her.

          The High Priest  calls a male witch  by name, to bring  the chalice of
          wine from the  altar. He does  so and stands  with the chalice in  his
          hands,  about a  yard to  the East  of the  High Priestess's  hips and
          facing her.  The High Priest  delivers the invocation:

               "Assist me to erect the ancient altar, at which in days past all
                  worshipped;  The altar of all things.
           For in old time, Woman was the altar.  Thus  was  the altar  made and
          placed,  And the  sacred place was the point within  the center of the
          Circle.   As we  have of old  been taught  that the  point within  the
          center is the origin of all things,

               Therefore should we adore it;
               Therefore whom we adore we also invoke.

               O Circle of Stars, Whereof our father is but the younger
               brother, Marvel beyond imagination, soul of infinite space, 
                    Before  whom time isashamed, the mind bewildered, and the   
          understanding dark,

               Not unto thee may we attain unless thine image be love.
               Therefore by seed and stem, root and bud, And leaf and flower and
              fruit do we invoke thee, O Queen of Space, O Jewel of Light,
               Continuous on of the heavens;  Let it be ever thus


                                                                             475

            That men speak not  of thee as One, but  as None;  And let  them not
          speak of thee at all, since thou art continuous.
            For thou art the point within the Circle, which we adore;  The point
          of life, without which we would not be.

            And in this way truly are erected  the holy twin pillars;  In beauty
          and strength were they erected  To the wonder and glory of all men."



          The High Priest  removes the veil from the High  Priestess's body, and
          hands it to the woman witch, from  whom he takes his athame.  The High
          Priestess  rises  and kneels  facing the  High  Priest, and  takes the
          chalice from the man witch. (Note that both of these handings over are
          done  without the customary ritual kiss. The High Priest continues the
          invocation:

                  "Altar of mysteries manifold,
                  The sacred Circle's secret point
                  Thus do I sign thee as of old,
                  With kisses of my lips anoint."

          The High Priest kisses the High Priestess on the lips, and continues:

               "Open for me the secret way,
                The pathway of intelligence,
                Beyond the gates of night and day,
               Beyond the bounds of time and sense.
               Behold the mystery aright The five true points of fellowship...."

          The  High Priestess holds up  the chalice, and  the High Priest lowers
          the point of  his athame into the  wine. Both use both  of their hands
          for this. The High Priest continues:

               "All life is your own,
               All fruits of the Earth
               Are fruits of your womb,
               Your union, your dance.
               Lady and Lord, We thank you for
               blessings and abundance.
               Join with us, Feast with us, Enjoy with us!
               Blessed Be.

          Then, draw the Invoking Pentacle  of Earth in the air above  the plate
          with the athame.

               "Here where Lance and Grail unite,
               And feet, and knees, and breast, and lip." 

          The High  Priest hands his athame  to the woman witch  and then places
          both  his hands  round those of  the High  Priestess as  she holds the
          chalice. He  kisses her, and she sips the wine; she kisses him, and he
          sips the wine. Both of  them keep their hands round the  chalice while
          they do this.


                                                                             476

               The High Priest then  takes the chalice from the  High Priestess,
          and they both rise to their feet.

               The High Priest  hands the chalice to a woman  witch with a kiss,
          and she sips. She gives it to a man with a kiss. The chalice is passed
          around  the Coven,  man to  woman, with  a kiss  each time,  until the
          entire Coven has sipped the wine.  The chalice can be refilled and any
          one can drink  from it without  repeating the ritual once  the chalice
          has gone around once.

          The woman lays  down her athame and passes the cakes to the man with a
          kiss,he passes  them back with a  kiss and they are  passed around the
          Coven the same way the wine was. Be sure to save some of the  wine and
          some cake for an offering to the  Earth and the Little Folk. After the
          meeting,leave the offering outside of the house if working indoors, or
          behind  in the  woods or  field,  when you  leave if  you are  working
          outdoors.


               The  High Priestess faces East,with  her athame in  her hand. The
          High  Priest stands  to her right  with the  rest of  the Coven behind
          them. If any  tools have been consecrated, they should  be held by the
          person furthest  to the back. The  Maiden stands near to  the front to
          blow out each candle in turn. The Priestess says

               "Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the East, ye Lords of Air;  we do
          thank you for attending our rites; and ere ye depart   t o     y o u r
          pleasant and lovely realms, we bid you hail and   farewell....Hail and
          farewell."

          As she speaks,  she draws the Banishing Pentagram of  Earth in the air
          in front of her thus, each time:

                     
                                    2 7

                     
                                 4        5

                      
                                 6 1    3               

          The rest of the Coven copy  the Pentagram and chorus in on  the second
          hail and farewell. The Maiden blows out the candle and the Coven faces
          the south and the High Priestess says:

                  "Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the South, ye Lords of   Fire;
          we do thank  you for attending  our rites; and ere  ye depart to  your
          pleasant  and lovely  realms, we bid you hail and farewell....Hail and
          farewell."

          She turns to the West and says:

                          "Ye Lordsof theWatchtowers ofthe West,yeLords ofWater;
          ye Lords  of Death and Initiation;  we do thank you  for attending our
          rites; and  ere ye depart to  your pleasant and lovely  realms, we bid
          you hail and farewell ....Hail and farewell."


                                                                             477

          She turns to the North and says:   

               "Ye  Lords of the  Watchtowers of the  North, ye Lords  of Earth;
          Boreas, thou  gentle guardian of  the Northern Portals;  thou powerful
          God, Thou gentle Goddess; we do thank you for attending our rites; and
          ere ye depart for your pleasant and lovely realms, we bid you hail and
          farewell ....Hail and farewell." 



          This ends the Circle. The party following this should be a loving one.
          If there is a May Pole available, circle the May Pole. Beltane is also
          a time  for forfeits.   The  High Priestess picks  out the  people and
          their forfeit, except the High  Priest picks out the last one  to play
          on  the  High  Priestess.  Beltane is  also  a  time  for "green  wood
          marriages" and other unbridled sexuality and such.

                    (Distributed in the public domain via Seastrider)


                                                                             478


Next: Landmarks of the Craft