{"id":1157,"date":"2015-06-30T23:07:13","date_gmt":"2015-06-30T23:07:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.elderfaiths.org\/?page_id=1157"},"modified":"2015-06-30T23:11:15","modified_gmt":"2015-06-30T23:11:15","slug":"renewal-and-blessing-ceremony","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/elderfaiths.org\/renewal-and-blessing-ceremony\/","title":{"rendered":"Renewal and Blessing Ceremony"},"content":{"rendered":"
Set-up<\/strong><\/em><\/span>
\nAltar should be set in the center of the area in which the circle is to be
\ncast. The altar should be set with the following:<\/h5>\n
    \n
  • rose petals strewn over the top<\/li>\n
  • bee’s wax candles from handfasting (unlit)<\/li>\n
  • unity candle (unlit) (lighter)<\/li>\n
  • chalices<\/li>\n
  • fresh flowers<\/li>\n
  • paper and pens for all guests to write on<\/li>\n
  • cauldron (or fire pit) to burn wishes in<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Creating the Circle<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

    Before the procession, all guests should be seated or standing in circle.<\/p>\n

    Circle is cast, starting with Priest & Priestess, by each person
    \nin turn taking the hand of the person on their left and saying “Hand to
    \nhand, in love, I cast this circle round.”<\/p>\n

    Invocations Elements<\/h3>\n

    North- Earth:<\/b> “We call upon you, spirits of the Earth, Mother of us
    \nall, to join our circle and to bless this family. Bless them with your
    \nstrength, so that like the trees they will find themselves well grounded in
    \nyour heart, yet able to reach great heights. May their love grow stronger
    \nevery day, and may that love always help them to be strong for each other.”<\/p>\n

    East- Air:<\/b> “We call upon you spirits of Air, Father of us all, to
    \njoin our circle and to bless this family, Bless them with the ability to
    \nalways see each other’s point of view, so that they will always be able to
    \ncommunicate well together.”<\/p>\n

    South- Fire:<\/b> “We call upon you, spirits of Fire, spark of Life, to
    \njoin us in our circle and to bless this family. Bless this union, as it is
    \nmore than a union of people, but a union of spirits. May their passion for
    \neach other always be as spiritually fulfilling as it is today.”<\/p>\n

    West- Water:<\/b> “We call upon you, spirits of Water, the womb from
    \nwhich all life comes, to join our circle and to bless this family. Bless
    \ntheir love- let it be as deep as your oceans, and as filled with life.
    \nBring to them the intuition to know each others’ thoughts and feelings so
    \nthat they may always be there to support each other.”<\/p>\n

    Goddess & God<\/h3>\n

    Priest & Priestess step into the center of the circle.<\/p>\n

    Priestess will invoke the Goddess:<\/b><\/p>\n

    “We call upon you, great Goddess, Maiden, Mother, and Crone, to join us in
    \nour circle and to bless this family. Bless them with your youthful joys,
    \nyour nurturing love, and your great wisdom.<\/p>\n

    “Yours is the ecstasy of the spirit and the joy on Earth. Your law
    \nis love unto all beings. Yours is the secret door which opens upon the door
    \nof youth. Yours is the cup of the wine of Life, and the Cauldron of
    \nCerridwen which is the holy Grail of immortality.<\/p>\n

    “You are the gracious Goddess who gives the gift of joy to the
    \nhearts of all people. You are the mother of all Living and your love is
    \npoured out upon the Earth.<\/p>\n

    “You are the beauty of the green Earth, the white moon amongst the
    \nstars, the mystery of the waters, and the desire in the heart of man and woman.<\/p>\n

    “You are the soul of nature who gives life to the universe, from you
    \nall things proceed, and unto you all things must return. And before you,
    \nour inner most divine selves shall be enfolded in the rapture of the infinite.<\/p>\n

    “Let your worship always be in the hearts of those here who rejoice
    \nin their love for you and for each other- for all acts of love and pleasure
    \nare your rituals. Let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion,
    \nhonor and humility, mirth and reverence within them always.<\/p>\n

    “And let us remember that our seeking and yearning for answers will
    \nnot help us unless we know the mystery- that if we cannot find what we are
    \nseeking within our selves, we will never find it. For you have been with us
    \nfrom the beginning, and you are with us at the end of desire.<\/p>\n

    Be with us Maiden, Mother, Crone.”<\/p>\n

    Priest will invoke the God:<\/b><\/p>\n

    “We call upon you, oh Great God, to join us in our circle and to bless this
    \nfamily. Bless this couple with your joy of rebirth- for this is a
    \ntransformation
    \nfor them, from one life into another- from one spirit, unified in marriage,
    \nthey now become parents of a child born from their union.<\/p>\n

    “You are the Life Force, the Cycle of Life. You are the undivided
    \nself – where we can unite mind, body, spirit, and heart.<\/p>\n

    “You are born of the Great Goddess. You are ever present in all that
    \ngrows. You are the grain, and the trees, and the flowers, and all of the
    \ncreatures on the Earth. You show us the cycles of life through your
    \npresence in all living things. For as the leaves on the trees grow green in
    \nthe summer, they fall and die in the autumn. And though the world may seem
    \ndeath-like in winter, all things are reborn in the spring.<\/p>\n

    “You are the Green-Man. You are Pan. You are the Spirit of the Forest
    \nand the joy of nature. With you we dance the Dance of Life, rejoicing in
    \nthe world around us.<\/p>\n

    “You are the Horned-One, wild and untamed, yet gentle and tender.
    \nYou are the primal voice within us all. You are our truest emotions shown
    \nto us undisguised. Through you this family is able to fully feel and
    \nexperience their love as the spiritual joy that it should be.<\/p>\n

    “You are the Sun-God. Your brightness and warmth shine upon us always
    \nand fills our hearts.<\/p>\n

    “You are the loyal son, the caring father, the devoted brother, and
    \nthe lover. You are the protector, the comforter, the rebel, the shaman, the
    \nseed sower and the harvester, the hunter as well as the hunted. You are the
    \nbrightness of our days and the darkness of our nights. You are the hidden
    \nmystery which is shown in all that surrounds us. You are eternal and ever
    \nchanging.<\/p>\n

    “Be with us, Life-Bringer.”<\/p>\n

    Renewal of Vows Proceedings<\/h3>\n

    Chris and Andrea exchange their vows<\/p>\n

    Andrea:<\/b> You are the light of my life, and the reason for my joy. You
    \nare
    \nthe other half of my Self, my Soulmate. Without you my life could not be
    \ncomplete. I love you more today than I did on the day that we married, and
    \nI will love you even more tomorrow, as my love for you grows every day.<\/p>\n

    Now we are no longer just us 2, but we have a son, our first child.
    \nEvery time I look at our child I think of our love that brought him into
    \nthe world, and the wonderful Father that he will be blessed to have. I see
    \nyou, my love, in him. I know that in you he has the best role model I could
    \npossibly wish for him. In you he can learn to be strong, yet tender and
    \ncaring. Through you he can see that love can be so perfect, even when life
    \ncan be difficult.<\/p>\n

    I promise to always be as loving and caring as I can for you. I
    \npromise to provide a warm, comfortable, loving home for you and our son. I
    \npromise to be there to listen when you need to talk, to comfort when you
    \nfeel down, to hold your hand when life seems tough, to kiss away your tears
    \nand pain, to hold you when you need a shoulder, to be your lover and your
    \nbest friend, to be there when you want me and give you space to be alone
    \nwhen you need it.<\/p>\n

    I love you more than my Self, forever.<\/p>\n

    Chris:<\/b>(passage not available)<\/p>\n

    Arachne (to couple):<\/b> “Above you are the stars, below you the stones.
    \nAs time passes remember…”<\/p>\n

    Vinnie:<\/b> “like the stars in the heavens should your love be constant.
    \nLike a stone should your love be strong.”<\/p>\n

    Arachne:<\/b> “Be close, and yet not too close, for you should share your
    \nlife’s experiences with each other, but not all of life is experienced
    \ntogether.”<\/p>\n

    Vinnie:<\/b> “Be patient with each other, for difficult times will occur
    \nas part of the cycle of life, but you can pass through them stronger if you
    \nlove one another and work together.”<\/p>\n

    Arachne:<\/b> “Be generous in your giving of warmth and affection to each
    \nother.”<\/p>\n

    Vinnie:<\/b> “Spread your warmth and joy to those around you, have them
    \nshare in your happiness.”<\/p>\n

    Arachne:<\/b> “Keep pure your highest ideal- rejoice in the search for
    \nspiritual fulfillment.”<\/p>\n

    Vinnie:<\/b> “Always challenge each other to grow, for your love will
    \ngrow as your spirits do.”<\/p>\n

    Arachne:<\/b> “May your union be the kind of marriage that sets you freer
    \nthan you can ever be alone…”<\/p>\n

    Vinnie:<\/b> “…for the sum of one and one, if they are soulmates, can
    \nbe infinity.”<\/p>\n

    Baby Blessing<\/h3>\n

    Vinnie:<\/b> A child is created out of the union of love. One of the most
    \nbasic
    \nforces of nature takes male and female and grows from only 2 cells a new
    \nperson. The miracle of nature.<\/p>\n

    Arachne:<\/b> Let each person here give their wishes and blessing for the
    \nfuture
    \nby writing it down on a piece of paper and placing it in the cauldron.<\/p>\n

    Chris and Andrea give their blessings and wishes<\/p>\n

    Andrea:<\/b> You are my little miracle. For more than 9 months you grew
    \ninside
    \nme, and I had the joy of feeling you move. Through your birth I have been
    \ntransformed.<\/p>\n

    I have 2 wishes for you- one is that you find your own spiritual
    \npath, and may it always guide you and keep you happy, as mine has led me to
    \nthis very special moment. If you are one with your own Self you will always
    \nbe able to find joy in your life, no matter what difficulties you may
    \nencounter.<\/p>\n

    Some parents wish for their children to become doctors or lawyers,
    \nwanting a better life for them. No matter what you may become- doctor,
    \nlawyer, assembly line worker, or grocery bagger – my hope for you is to be
    \nalways surrounded with those you love most, and who love you as much. If
    \nyou are good natured, kind of heart, true of spirit, respectful of nature
    \nand all around you, you will be surrounded by love, and will make me very
    \nproud.<\/p>\n

    Most of all, may you find your SoulMate, as I have in your father. I
    \nhope more than anything else, that you may find the joy of a love as
    \nwonderful as we have together. Though life may sometimes seem to be a
    \nstruggle, the love that is shared between us makes all of those struggles
    \nseem easy to overcome, because in the end we will always have each other.
    \nThere is no greater joy than being able to share your life with someone
    \nthat you feel is a part of your Self.<\/p>\n

    I promise to be there for you always, to be the best Mommy, teacher,
    \nguide, counselor, friend that I possibly can.<\/p>\n

    Chris:<\/b>(passage not available)<\/p>\n

    Arachne & Vinnie:<\/b> (hands held above Skylar’s head) We ask the Goddess
    \nand
    \nGod and all of the Spirits of Nature to guide and bless this child. Help
    \nhim to find his own path in life. Lead him to his inner strengths. Help him
    \nto fullfill all of his desires as he grows through life.<\/p>\n

    Arachne:<\/b> May the Earth give him Her strength, and help him to keep
    \ngrounded
    \nand focused.<\/p>\n

    Vinnie:<\/b> May the Winds give him the gift of communication, to help him
    \nunderstand others and let others understand him.<\/p>\n

    Arachne:<\/b> May the Oceans and Lakes teach him to listen to his own
    \nintuition,
    \nand to understand the depths of love and emotion.<\/p>\n

    Vinnie:<\/b> May the Flames spark within him his own passions and
    \ncreativity,
    \nand give him the power to use both well.<\/p>\n

    Arachne:<\/b> Now we will take the wishes that were written down and burn
    \nthem,
    \nsending the wishes themselves out to the Universe.<\/p>\n

    Vinnie:<\/b> As the flames engulf the paper let us ask that all our wishes
    \ncome
    \ntrue for little Skylar Griffin Brenton.<\/p>\n

    All:<\/b> So Mote It Be<\/p>\n

    Chris and Andrea take the bees wax candles (Vinnie lights them) and light
    \nthe papers in the cauldron.<\/p>\n

    Arachne:<\/b> Are there 2 present here who have pledged to be Goddess
    \nparents to
    \nthis child?<\/p>\n

    Sean & Deb:<\/b> We are here.<\/p>\n

    Vinnie:<\/b> Do you pledge, that in taking care of Skylar if his parents are
    \nunable to, you will strive to teach him in the ways of Nature, as his
    \nparents would?<\/p>\n

    Sean & Deb:<\/b> We do.<\/p>\n

    Cakes & Wine<\/h3>\n

    Chalices are filled with mead and the cakes are picked up by
    \nquarter persons. They hold these in the center of circle.<\/p>\n

    Chalices and cakes are held in front of couple. Tree chalice is given to
    \nAndrea.<\/p>\n

    Chris:<\/b> taking wand “As the wand is to the male…”<\/p>\n

    Andrea:<\/b> holding chalice “So the cup is to the female…”<\/p>\n

    Both:<\/b> while placing wand into chalice “So joined they are one in
    \nblessedness.<\/p>\n

    They then place wand into other chalices, blessing the mead.<\/p>\n

    Cakes are held in front of the couple. They place their hands above them.<\/p>\n

    Andrea:<\/b> “This grain was grown from the Earth, mixed with Water,
    \ncooked by Fire, and cooled by Air.”<\/p>\n

    Chris:<\/b> “May all who partake of this cake know the joys of love as we
    \ndo.”<\/p>\n

    Chris & Andrea take the tree chalice and both drink. The chalice is then
    \npassed to Arachne & Vinnie, then around the circle. The other chalices are
    \npassed around to the rest of the guests outside of the circle. (Vinnie
    \nplaces the wand back on the altar)<\/p>\n

    They take a cake and share it. Then pass cakes to Arachne & Vinnie. Cakes
    \nare then passed around circle and to guests outside circle (2 plates).<\/p>\n

    Songs: “Mother & Father” chant by Jennifer Reif<\/p>\n

    “Mother & Father of all growing things<\/p>\n

    Unto my being your golden light bring.<\/p>\n

    Bless this seed to fulfill its design<\/p>\n

    Of leaf and fruit, of blossom and vine.”<\/p>\n

    Closing<\/h3>\n

    The quarter persons go to their directions again. All others in circle
    \nstand and join hands again.<\/p>\n

    Arachne:<\/b> “We thank you, Great Goddess, for blessing this circle and
    \nthis union. May we always feel your presence in our hearts and lives.”<\/p>\n

    Vinnie:<\/b> “We thank you, God of many names, for blessing this circle
    \nand this union. May we always feel your presence in our hearts and lives.”<\/p>\n

    North- Earth.<\/b> “We thank you, spirits of Earth, for blessing this
    \ncircle and this union. May we always feel your presence in our hearts and
    \nlives.”<\/p>\n

    East- Water:<\/b> “We thank you, spirits of Water, for blessing this
    \ncircle and this union. May we always feel your presence in our hearts and
    \nlives.”<\/p>\n

    South- Fire:<\/b> “We thank you, spirits of Fire, for blessing this
    \ncircle and this union. May we always feel your presence in our hearts and
    \nlives.”<\/p>\n

    West-Air:<\/b> “We thank you, spirits of Air, for blessing this circle
    \nand this union. May we always feel your presence in our hearts and lives.”<\/p>\n

    Arachne & Vinnie:<\/b> ” The circle is open, but never broken.”<\/p>\n

    All:<\/b> “Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again.”<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    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 … Continue reading Renewal and Blessing Ceremony<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1157","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","no-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/elderfaiths.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1157","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/elderfaiths.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/elderfaiths.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elderfaiths.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elderfaiths.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1157"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/elderfaiths.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1157\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1162,"href":"https:\/\/elderfaiths.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1157\/revisions\/1162"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/elderfaiths.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}