BELTANE
Festival of the Divine Courtship of Psyche and Eros
(by Lady Svetlana)
Guitar or mandolin introduction - or lyre if possible.
Priestess: ((in Hearthroom)
"The Beltane Festival of Psyche - Eros or Salmakis – Hermes falls around May 5th in the Willow Month of Saille. We dedicate this day and this
season to Psyche-Aphaia, Salmakis, and to Her Landscape Love Body of Gardens, Faerie Palaces, Sacred Plazas, Temples and Elfin landscapes
and all Fey Beings therein.
We also dedicate this day and season to Her Paramour; Eros-Hermes; and to His Landscape Body of shores, marshes, swamps, ecotones, all
micro – organisms, decomposers and assimilators of the raw elements."
The Charm of Beltane
(by Fred McLaren Adams)
Priestess: (The charm is to be sung with appropriate mime)
“This is the Charge and Charm of Beltane
The Festival of Full Flowering.
Sex crowns the Holy Nakedness of blossoming flesh.
By sex the Two are divided only to be moulded closer in bliss.
All glistening, dewy and hot,
The Holy Pair announce Their Engagement.
Quivering for the naked clasp
Soft dewy petals unfold pungent Male and fragrant Female.”
Opening of the Temple:
Unsealing the Astral Doors
(by Fred McLaren Adams)
Priestess:
She crosses her arms over her breast, right arm over left, her hands open and palms down against breast. She intones the following recitation:
"Sun Door, Sun Door!
Thorn and Oak crossed with Holly! Open!
Revealing azure golden Day and archetypal Light."
She may draw a point - upward pentagram.
Her right arm and open palm swing out to the right to open the great Sun Door. With powerful radiance of kinaesthetic energy she intones:
"Moon Door, Moon Door!
Ash and Alder crossed with Willow! Open!
Revealing silver celestial seas in the Mystery Night! "
She may draw a point - upward pentagram.
Her left arm and palm swing out to the left to open the great astral Moon Door with the same windy blast of etheric force.
During the proceedings, the instructed should entertain inner ‘telesmatic’ imagery of humming spheres, trilling stars and the resounding road of the Galaxy:
the so called ‘Music of the Spheres’.
Priestess:
"The inner pneumatic precincts of this great Temple of Love,
Koreion (* name of your own Temple),
Have been opened and hermetically unsealed.
May all great and harmonious Spirit Beings
who attend these Sacred Rites
Assist us in our devotions of Love!"
She enters the Ring.
Evocation of the Four Cross-Quarters
(by Fred McLaren Adams)
Adelpha, or ‘Sister’, evokes the Cross-Quarters upon the four Cross-Quarter Points (points due Southeast, Southwest, Northwest, Northeast).
In accord with ancient Greek tradition, from Anaxagoras and Empedocles to the School of Hippocrates, Feraferia assigns the four Elements to the four
Quarters in the following arrangement:
Air – East; Fire – South;
Earth – West; Water – North.
For cross-quarter ceremonies such as Beltane, the seasonal Fays may be evoked facing the cross-quarter (or inter-cardinal) stones: North-east; South-east;
South-west and North-west.
The evocateur always begins her or his circumambulation of the Quarters at the stone, post or station immediately following the stone of the present season,
so as to terminate the round at the Quarter of the season being celebrated. Thus the ‘atmospheric body’ of the current season is granted the strongest tincture.
Adelpha:
Facing Southwest or Lammas she intones:
"Salamanders of Fire bless this earth and sky
with the essence of cleansing heat.
Lea come forth."
Sense of sight; go around with candle or lamp.
Facing Northwest or Samhain she intones:
"Gnomes of Earth bless this planet and her surroundings
with flora and fauna of soil.
Scorpia come forth."
Sense of taste; go around with rich humus on ceremonial platter.
Facing Northeast or Oimelc she intones:
"Nyads of Water bless this whole planet and its environ
with your clarifying moisture.
Aquaria come forth."
Sense of sound; go around with cup.
Facing Southeast or Beltane, she intones:
"Sylphs of Air bless this whole planet and its surround
with your purifying air announcing new birth of love.
Tauria come forth."
Sense of smell; go around with incense. Fan to waft currents of fragrance over faces and bodies of celebrants. With fingers, celebrants agitate water
in cup so it splashes and tinkles.
Evocation of Centre
(by Fred McLaren Adams)
Adelpha:
"Zenithides Kai Nadirides
Join hands and lips, bellies and hips
Here upon the White Weddingstone of Earth
Beneath the starry shade of the Cosmic Mill Tree,
Where all souls press into the echoing root of touch,
There to enclasp Living Altar
And to kiss throbbing Omphalos of the Bride
From Whose shimmering Flesh, now and forever,
The Four Rivers of Faerie unto all worlds flow."
Sense of touch of the Cross Quarters. With fingers and palms, celebrants caress surfaces of stones.
|
