Beltane 2013 Ritual Script
{maketoc showhide=y} Script
Greeting
\<i>Three breaths to ground and center\</i>
Welcome Keepers of the Temple of Venus! Last year, we were all empowered to keep her temple alive, to nurture the eternal flame, to create a world in which the lover and beloved circle each other. It's an exciting time for our community: we've worked to keep the temple in our lives. Now we're gathered to celebrate our successes, to learn from our mistakes and to decide how we will keep Venus's temple going forward. If this is the first time you have been here, then we look forward to showing through our example how you can keep the temple of Venus alive inside your life—how you can create a world of love.
It's also a sad time. Empowering us as keepers was a big change; a great blessing, but also a great sacrifice. The rituals and the way we approach our work need to change to involve us all, to keep the spirit of last year's work going. To do this, we lose a form of rituals that those of us who have attended FOV have grown to love.
Also, it's a scary time. We were hoping to get to practice creating ritual together at this year's Fires of Venus. That didn't work out, and so we've been challenged to work together to create ritual with less preparation and under more time pressure. \<i>Person who will smudge steps to the gate.\</i>
So, yes, some aspects are sad and scary. But together, here, now, we can do it! As we walk together into the circle, please think about how you've been keeping the temple over the last year and how we can all act as keepers as we move forward.
\<i>Start "Venus, I adore You\</i>
\<i>Enter circle. Move clockwise. People making the calls to the elements drop out at the appropriate points.\</i>
Entering circle
\<i> After people enter and circle, light fire and stop singing.\</i>
Air: The Elements anchor us into our world while providing the tools we need to reach to the sacred. Through air we find the words and thoughts of love. Through air, we dream of love. With air, we hold this space sacred.
Earth: Through earth we ground to face the challenge that is love. Earth gives us solidity, stability, and power. With earth, we hold this space sacred.
Water: Flowing in water are the emotions, the feelings, the intuition of love. In water's playful embrace we find affection, we find connection. With water, we hold this space sacred.
fire: Our passion burns with fire. Our will is forged in fire. With fire, we hold this space sacred.
\<i> People giving the mystic and mirrors invocation should rotate clockwise to form a triangle with air/elemental being the third point. That is, we're transitioning from four elements to three clans and it's important that the person giving both the air and elemental invocation be standing in the same spot, but the other two clan invocations not be delivered from one of the quarters.\</i>
The four elements transition to three clans:
elemental (delivered by person giving air invocation from same position as air): The elemental clan focuses our base on the world we live in every day. The elements anchor us, they anchor our sacred space. They embody the tools we use to explore ourselves, to explore love.
mystic: The second clan in our sacred space encompasses the the mystical temples: the tools we use to examine ourselves and to connect with others. Through affection, surrender, mystery, secrets, dreams and discovery, we have delved into ourselves and reached for connection. These tools are ever-changing as our own needs change. However we can always bring the mystical exploration of self into our sacred work.
mirrors: Beyond the elemental and mystical is the mirror clan. In the mirror we see Venus and the consort reflected back at us. Through the cauldron and flame we explore the lover and beloved and their endless, ever-changing dance. Through rhythm we connect with the universe. And through the vigilance and support of the guardians we can safely choose the risks we take.
Together, the elemental, mystical and mirror clans give structure to our work. Here, in this space, through the fire of transformation, we open ourselves to change, to growth, to love.
Give Thanks!
Calling Venus
Who is Venus?
We all bring Venus with us. She is the aspects of love, the deities of love that we bring with us into sacred space. She evolves with us as we work, as new people join, as some wander away. We renew her each time we gather in ritual with her.
Join me as we call Venus to our work through a brief meditation.
Ground. Feel yourself reaching deep into the land; draw energy up from the land. Feel it rise through you.
Feel yourself reaching to the sky. Let the energy of the circle, of the air soak into you.
You are open to the earth below; the air above. Feel the power rising through you.
Slowly, reach out your awareness until it brushes against the others around you.
In this circle, you draw power from the earth. You are open to the air; reaching out within the circle, brushing against the circle, against those around you.
Now, focus inward. Focus on your heart. Reach in; find what love means to you. Find your connection with love and gods of love who matter to you. Find the meanings of love that you wish to share, that to you mean Venus.
Draw them from your heart; show them to us all. Share them with us all. Sense around you. Reach out; feel the aspects of Venus we offer each other.
Now, I take the energy, our concept of Venus and reach out and call Venus to our circle.
Venus, Welcome!
Venus, we embrace you! Join us as we explore what it means to keep your temple.
Give Thanks!
Honoring FOV
Now we will honor the work we've done at Fires of Venus as a whole. These past few years we have come together during this festival to embrace Venus fully into our lives and hearts. This experience has affected everyone differently and we want to honor those differences now. We have several questions for you to think about during this time. As you ponder these questions, if you would like you can write a message for the fire. We have paper and pens for you to do this. Once you are done place the message into the cauldron to be released at the end of the ritual.
The questions we would like to propose to you this evening are:
- What changes have taken place in your life? They can be large or small, personal or global.
- Has it changed the way you love? yourself? others? or the Goddess?
- What would you want to manifest in the community and our workings with Venus in the future?
Also, during this time we'd like to offer you an opportunity to contemplate Venus as O draws her sculpture forth from the log. Interact with her. Ask what you see emerging from her. What do you have to offer her?
Does O want to talk a bit about her and his work with her? SamHartman 18:04, 24 April 2013 (EDT)
At this time you are free to write your messages or interact with Venus. Or you can ponder the past and where it leads by joining the dance around the fire. In a few minutes we will gather together and focus our intent on the future
Moving Forward
Now, we will circle around the fire. We've called Venus, and explored what she means to us, what we've gained from her in the past. We've thought about the future, and approached Venus as O works to discover her in the log.
Together we can build the future. While we sing, as a group, we will give anyone a chance to make an offering to the future. Feel free to step into the circle and make a spoken offering to the future you will build. Please keep the song at a volume where we can hear what people have to say over the music. Together we can make that future a reality.
\<i>Start "We are the Lovers\</i>
\<i>People who have agreed to help will make their statements, spacing them to increase pacing and set an example\</i>
Revel
Give Thanks!
We've explored Venus and the future we'd like to build with her. Now it's up to us. Each of us keeps the temple in our hearts. We will walk away from this circle with the power to create a future of love, a future where we keep Venus's temple. Each of us chooses whether we will act to build that future. Each of us has the power to make the temple more real, not just in a sacred space, but in how we approach our life.
Remember: you are loved; you love; you are love!
We will end our rite by releasing the energy and intent we have gathered, we will burn the collected papers and open the circle up to revel and celebration. Let us dance, drum, make love, and celebrate in a community of love. Let us talk and explore how we've kept Venus's temple, exchange ideas and learn from each other. I'd be delighted to talk to anyone who would like to explore how to work with Venus and how to best continue the work from FOV.