Set-up
Altar should be set in the center of the area in which the circle is to be
cast. The altar should be set with the following:
- rose petals strewn over the top
- bee’s wax candles from handfasting (unlit)
- unity candle (unlit) (lighter)
- chalices
- fresh flowers
- paper and pens for all guests to write on
- cauldron (or fire pit) to burn wishes in
Creating the Circle
Before the procession, all guests should be seated or standing in circle.
Circle is cast, starting with Priest & Priestess, by each person
in turn taking the hand of the person on their left and saying “Hand to
hand, in love, I cast this circle round.”
Invocations Elements
North- Earth: “We call upon you, spirits of the Earth, Mother of us
all, to join our circle and to bless this family. Bless them with your
strength, so that like the trees they will find themselves well grounded in
your heart, yet able to reach great heights. May their love grow stronger
every day, and may that love always help them to be strong for each other.”
East- Air: “We call upon you spirits of Air, Father of us all, to
join our circle and to bless this family, Bless them with the ability to
always see each other’s point of view, so that they will always be able to
communicate well together.”
South- Fire: “We call upon you, spirits of Fire, spark of Life, to
join us in our circle and to bless this family. Bless this union, as it is
more than a union of people, but a union of spirits. May their passion for
each other always be as spiritually fulfilling as it is today.”
West- Water: “We call upon you, spirits of Water, the womb from
which all life comes, to join our circle and to bless this family. Bless
their love- let it be as deep as your oceans, and as filled with life.
Bring to them the intuition to know each others’ thoughts and feelings so
that they may always be there to support each other.”
Goddess & God
Priest & Priestess step into the center of the circle.
Priestess will invoke the Goddess:
“We call upon you, great Goddess, Maiden, Mother, and Crone, to join us in
our circle and to bless this family. Bless them with your youthful joys,
your nurturing love, and your great wisdom.
“Yours is the ecstasy of the spirit and the joy on Earth. Your law
is love unto all beings. Yours is the secret door which opens upon the door
of youth. Yours is the cup of the wine of Life, and the Cauldron of
Cerridwen which is the holy Grail of immortality.
“You are the gracious Goddess who gives the gift of joy to the
hearts of all people. You are the mother of all Living and your love is
poured out upon the Earth.
“You are the beauty of the green Earth, the white moon amongst the
stars, the mystery of the waters, and the desire in the heart of man and woman.
“You are the soul of nature who gives life to the universe, from you
all things proceed, and unto you all things must return. And before you,
our inner most divine selves shall be enfolded in the rapture of the infinite.
“Let your worship always be in the hearts of those here who rejoice
in their love for you and for each other- for all acts of love and pleasure
are your rituals. Let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion,
honor and humility, mirth and reverence within them always.
“And let us remember that our seeking and yearning for answers will
not help us unless we know the mystery- that if we cannot find what we are
seeking within our selves, we will never find it. For you have been with us
from the beginning, and you are with us at the end of desire.
Be with us Maiden, Mother, Crone.”
Priest will invoke the God:
“We call upon you, oh Great God, to join us in our circle and to bless this
family. Bless this couple with your joy of rebirth- for this is a
transformation
for them, from one life into another- from one spirit, unified in marriage,
they now become parents of a child born from their union.
“You are the Life Force, the Cycle of Life. You are the undivided
self – where we can unite mind, body, spirit, and heart.
“You are born of the Great Goddess. You are ever present in all that
grows. You are the grain, and the trees, and the flowers, and all of the
creatures on the Earth. You show us the cycles of life through your
presence in all living things. For as the leaves on the trees grow green in
the summer, they fall and die in the autumn. And though the world may seem
death-like in winter, all things are reborn in the spring.
“You are the Green-Man. You are Pan. You are the Spirit of the Forest
and the joy of nature. With you we dance the Dance of Life, rejoicing in
the world around us.
“You are the Horned-One, wild and untamed, yet gentle and tender.
You are the primal voice within us all. You are our truest emotions shown
to us undisguised. Through you this family is able to fully feel and
experience their love as the spiritual joy that it should be.
“You are the Sun-God. Your brightness and warmth shine upon us always
and fills our hearts.
“You are the loyal son, the caring father, the devoted brother, and
the lover. You are the protector, the comforter, the rebel, the shaman, the
seed sower and the harvester, the hunter as well as the hunted. You are the
brightness of our days and the darkness of our nights. You are the hidden
mystery which is shown in all that surrounds us. You are eternal and ever
changing.
“Be with us, Life-Bringer.”
Renewal of Vows Proceedings
Chris and Andrea exchange their vows
Andrea: You are the light of my life, and the reason for my joy. You
are
the other half of my Self, my Soulmate. Without you my life could not be
complete. I love you more today than I did on the day that we married, and
I will love you even more tomorrow, as my love for you grows every day.
Now we are no longer just us 2, but we have a son, our first child.
Every time I look at our child I think of our love that brought him into
the world, and the wonderful Father that he will be blessed to have. I see
you, my love, in him. I know that in you he has the best role model I could
possibly wish for him. In you he can learn to be strong, yet tender and
caring. Through you he can see that love can be so perfect, even when life
can be difficult.
I promise to always be as loving and caring as I can for you. I
promise to provide a warm, comfortable, loving home for you and our son. I
promise to be there to listen when you need to talk, to comfort when you
feel down, to hold your hand when life seems tough, to kiss away your tears
and pain, to hold you when you need a shoulder, to be your lover and your
best friend, to be there when you want me and give you space to be alone
when you need it.
I love you more than my Self, forever.
Chris:(passage not available)
Arachne (to couple): “Above you are the stars, below you the stones.
As time passes remember…”
Vinnie: “like the stars in the heavens should your love be constant.
Like a stone should your love be strong.”
Arachne: “Be close, and yet not too close, for you should share your
life’s experiences with each other, but not all of life is experienced
together.”
Vinnie: “Be patient with each other, for difficult times will occur
as part of the cycle of life, but you can pass through them stronger if you
love one another and work together.”
Arachne: “Be generous in your giving of warmth and affection to each
other.”
Vinnie: “Spread your warmth and joy to those around you, have them
share in your happiness.”
Arachne: “Keep pure your highest ideal- rejoice in the search for
spiritual fulfillment.”
Vinnie: “Always challenge each other to grow, for your love will
grow as your spirits do.”
Arachne: “May your union be the kind of marriage that sets you freer
than you can ever be alone…”
Vinnie: “…for the sum of one and one, if they are soulmates, can
be infinity.”
Baby Blessing
Vinnie: A child is created out of the union of love. One of the most
basic
forces of nature takes male and female and grows from only 2 cells a new
person. The miracle of nature.
Arachne: Let each person here give their wishes and blessing for the
future
by writing it down on a piece of paper and placing it in the cauldron.
Chris and Andrea give their blessings and wishes
Andrea: You are my little miracle. For more than 9 months you grew
inside
me, and I had the joy of feeling you move. Through your birth I have been
transformed.
I have 2 wishes for you- one is that you find your own spiritual
path, and may it always guide you and keep you happy, as mine has led me to
this very special moment. If you are one with your own Self you will always
be able to find joy in your life, no matter what difficulties you may
encounter.
Some parents wish for their children to become doctors or lawyers,
wanting a better life for them. No matter what you may become- doctor,
lawyer, assembly line worker, or grocery bagger – my hope for you is to be
always surrounded with those you love most, and who love you as much. If
you are good natured, kind of heart, true of spirit, respectful of nature
and all around you, you will be surrounded by love, and will make me very
proud.
Most of all, may you find your SoulMate, as I have in your father. I
hope more than anything else, that you may find the joy of a love as
wonderful as we have together. Though life may sometimes seem to be a
struggle, the love that is shared between us makes all of those struggles
seem easy to overcome, because in the end we will always have each other.
There is no greater joy than being able to share your life with someone
that you feel is a part of your Self.
I promise to be there for you always, to be the best Mommy, teacher,
guide, counselor, friend that I possibly can.
Chris:(passage not available)
Arachne & Vinnie: (hands held above Skylar’s head) We ask the Goddess
and
God and all of the Spirits of Nature to guide and bless this child. Help
him to find his own path in life. Lead him to his inner strengths. Help him
to fullfill all of his desires as he grows through life.
Arachne: May the Earth give him Her strength, and help him to keep
grounded
and focused.
Vinnie: May the Winds give him the gift of communication, to help him
understand others and let others understand him.
Arachne: May the Oceans and Lakes teach him to listen to his own
intuition,
and to understand the depths of love and emotion.
Vinnie: May the Flames spark within him his own passions and
creativity,
and give him the power to use both well.
Arachne: Now we will take the wishes that were written down and burn
them,
sending the wishes themselves out to the Universe.
Vinnie: As the flames engulf the paper let us ask that all our wishes
come
true for little Skylar Griffin Brenton.
All: So Mote It Be
Chris and Andrea take the bees wax candles (Vinnie lights them) and light
the papers in the cauldron.
Arachne: Are there 2 present here who have pledged to be Goddess
parents to
this child?
Sean & Deb: We are here.
Vinnie: Do you pledge, that in taking care of Skylar if his parents are
unable to, you will strive to teach him in the ways of Nature, as his
parents would?
Sean & Deb: We do.
Cakes & Wine
Chalices are filled with mead and the cakes are picked up by
quarter persons. They hold these in the center of circle.
Chalices and cakes are held in front of couple. Tree chalice is given to
Andrea.
Chris: taking wand “As the wand is to the male…”
Andrea: holding chalice “So the cup is to the female…”
Both: while placing wand into chalice “So joined they are one in
blessedness.
They then place wand into other chalices, blessing the mead.
Cakes are held in front of the couple. They place their hands above them.
Andrea: “This grain was grown from the Earth, mixed with Water,
cooked by Fire, and cooled by Air.”
Chris: “May all who partake of this cake know the joys of love as we
do.”
Chris & Andrea take the tree chalice and both drink. The chalice is then
passed to Arachne & Vinnie, then around the circle. The other chalices are
passed around to the rest of the guests outside of the circle. (Vinnie
places the wand back on the altar)
They take a cake and share it. Then pass cakes to Arachne & Vinnie. Cakes
are then passed around circle and to guests outside circle (2 plates).
Songs: “Mother & Father” chant by Jennifer Reif
“Mother & Father of all growing things
Unto my being your golden light bring.
Bless this seed to fulfill its design
Of leaf and fruit, of blossom and vine.”
Closing
The quarter persons go to their directions again. All others in circle
stand and join hands again.
Arachne: “We thank you, Great Goddess, for blessing this circle and
this union. May we always feel your presence in our hearts and lives.”
Vinnie: “We thank you, God of many names, for blessing this circle
and this union. May we always feel your presence in our hearts and lives.”
North- Earth. “We thank you, spirits of Earth, for blessing this
circle and this union. May we always feel your presence in our hearts and
lives.”
East- Water: “We thank you, spirits of Water, for blessing this
circle and this union. May we always feel your presence in our hearts and
lives.”
South- Fire: “We thank you, spirits of Fire, for blessing this
circle and this union. May we always feel your presence in our hearts and
lives.”
West-Air: “We thank you, spirits of Air, for blessing this circle
and this union. May we always feel your presence in our hearts and lives.”
Arachne & Vinnie: ” The circle is open, but never broken.”
All: “Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again.”