
A ritual to honour the spirit of Beltane.
To perform this ritual, set up a space that feels sacred to you. Perhaps this is your bedroom, lounge room or a section of your garden. Then, read through the below instructions before practising the ritual to gain some prior insight. You will need a candle, paper, pen, mirror and a flameproof bowl.
Come sitting in a way that is comfortable to you, on a sheepskin or a cushion of your choice. Then, closing your eyes, take some deep breaths inhaling and exhaling long and slow for equal lengths. Do this several times to ground yourself, to become fully present in your body. State your name and call yourself fully present: "/ (insert name) call myself fully present."
Now, write down all the things you have overcome with your pen and paper. Write them down one at a time in as few words as possible. Such as: pain, loss, divorce, bankruptcy, illness, depression, adversity, shame, guilt, surgery etc.
Now that you have your list I ask you to begin to remove a layer of your clothing in front of your mirror as you say one of the things you wrote down, one at a time. For each thing you have written down take off another layer of clothing until the only things left is jewellery and take those off too. You are taking off one item for each experience you have written down.
Now standing or sitting in front of your mirror naked look at your body and begin to give thanks for all that is has endured and how beautiful you are to be of the flesh, from the flesh and of the spirit, from the spirit.
Take your candle and light it. Now say these words out loud as you look at your naked body:
"I come back to myself with the deepest of reverence. I return to the love that always resided deep within and reconnect and recreate all that I am passionate about."
Now take your piece of paper and carefully light it from your candle over your flameproof dish/bowl. Allow the ashes to settle and place your right index finger in your mouth to wet it, and dip your wet finger into the ashes.
Now take your ash-covered finger and place a circle on your forehead as you say the following:
"I mark myself with the mark of the Goddess of all that is sacred. I mark myself with a circle that has no beginning and no end. This circle is forever open and never broken. I stand here as the merging of opposites, the polarities of life, the darkness and the light, the sun and the moon. I mark myself as Sacred, as a returning to my true Self."
Take a few minutes and reflect on the Sacred Feminine. To see every mark, fold, line, freckle and crevice on your sacred temple to be lines of a map that join together the lifetimes of wisdom that run through your blood.
Take as long as you desire to be in this sacred space and once you feel the ritual is complete, allow yourself to bathe in a shower, bath or perhaps even flowing waters near your home, such as a creek, ocean or river.
Keep the rest of these ashes aside in a jar to add to your own protection salts. I will share with you in time.
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