May ~ Month of Mary

May Ritual to Honor the Goddess 'Mary'

Here and elsewhere, both Mary and the month of May are greeted, welcomed and celebrated on specific days in May. Later, the whole month of May became the month of Mary. On each day of this month, special devotions to Mary were organized. This custom originated in Italy (Ferrerra, 1784). It was spread widely during the nineteenth century - a century well-known for its monthly devotions (Heart of Jesus in June; Rosary in October).

One ritual performed during the month of May is known as 'The Crowning'. The crowning consists of putting a statue of Mary at the center of your altar, singing praises to her, and placing a garland of flowers on her head. More floral tributes are placed at her feet and fresh flowers are kept on the altar all month long.

What you need:

• Decorate your altar with blues and whites - blue and white candles; blue or white altar cloth; red roses, Lily of the Valley or any flowers blooming in your area at this time.


• A statue of the Goddess 'Mary' or any Goddess statue that you relate to.


• A small crown made of flowers to fit the head of your statue.


• Incense - Rose, Lily of the Valley, Orchid or any spring scent.


• Blessing water (to make your own, see recipe below)

Cleanse your ritual area and if your tradition calls for you to cast a circle, do so now. As you go around your altar lighting the candles and incense say:

"Mary, Goddess of my Heart, You have been called many names;
Ashanti, Bast, Bonna Dae, Brighid, Cybele, Demeter,
Freya, Frigga, Gaia, Isis, Juno, and Yemaya.
Throughout time, You have been ever faithful to Your children,
and I look to You now for comfort, for peace, for guidance and wisdom.
Your love shines forth on me and forever I will be guided by Your spirit.
Be with me now as I honor You, O most gracious Queen.
Blessed Be."

Take up the crown and say:

"Bring flowers of the rarest, bring flowers of the fairest
from garden and woodland and hillside and vale;
My full heart is swelling, my glad voice is telling
the praise of the loveliest Rose of the vale.

Oh Mary, I crown You with blossoms today.
Queen of the Angels, Queen of the May.

My voice is ascending, in harmony blending,
Oh, thus may my heart turn, dear Mother, to You.
Oh, thus shall I prove You, how truly I love You;
How dark without Mary life's journey would be.

Oh Mary, I crown You with blossoms today.
Queen of the Angels, Queen of the May."

"Mary, Mother and Queen, please accept my crown!"

Sprinkle the crown with Blessing Water and then pass it through the incense. Place the crown gently and reverently on Mary's head and say:

"Mary, Queen of Heaven,
Gracious Mother of us all,
I ask You to hear my prayer.
Make my heart overflow with Divine grace
and resplendent with celestial wisdom.
Render me strong with Your might
and rich in love and grace.
Pour down upon me the gift of Your love
so that I may always feel Your presence.
Help me to live in such a way
as to please You and keep Your ways.
Blessed Be."

You may now leave an offering to Mary if you like and partake of Cakes and Ale (honeybread is also a good choice). Now would also be a good time to sit quietly and meditate on what the Goddess means to you in your life. When you are done, end the ritual by saying:

"Queen of my heart, Your destiny is meant to be my destiny.
Teach me to love as You did,
to love my neighbors as You did, and above all,
to love my family as You loved Yours.
I consecrate myself to You with the ancient prayer;

My Queen, my Mother,
I give myself entirely to You,
And to show my devotion to You,
I consecrate to You this day my eyes,
My ears, my mouth, my heart,
My entire self without reserve.
As I am your own, my good Mother,
Guard me and defend me as your child.
Blessed Be."

You may also end your ritual with 'The Goddess Rosary' if you like.

How to make Blessing Water

On the evening of a full moon and before the full moon rises, set out your container of water. At midnight, under the full moon, do the following ritual. When done let the water sit out under the full moon and collect it in the morning before sun rise.

While performing the Three-Fold cross say:

"Oh, Great One, Lord and Lady of all that can be surveyed and not,
I call upon you and need your assistance in this moment.
I bring forth this water in which I request your blessings."

Hold up the container of water to show it and say:

"Bless this water with your wisdom, guidance, love, healing, purification and power."

Place the container on your altar. Hold your hands over it and say:

"I banish thee, O element of water,
of all negativity both seen and unseen,
and bless thee in the name of the Great One."

Imagine a brilliant blue-white light filling the water.

Hold up the container of salt to show it and say:

“Bless this salt with your wisdom, guidance, love, healing, purification and power.”

Place the container on your altar. Hold your hands over it and say:

"I banish thee, O element of the Earth,
of all negativity both seen and unseen
and bless thee in the name of the Great One.”

Envision the same brilliant blue-white light entering the salt.

Add three pinches of salt to the water and stir it three times in a deosil direction. Perform the Three-Fold cross over it and then with both hands, hold the container at eye level and say:

"I cleanse and consecrate this water in the name of the Great One.
May it enhance and purify all that it touches.
With the water so blessed, may this harm none,
With these final words, let it be done.
As I will it, so mote it be.
Blessed Be!”

Your Blessing Water is now ready to be poured into a pretty container and used for rituals.

Beltane

Ritual to Honor the Sacred Feminine at Beltane

This simple ritual can be performed by both men and women, and is designed to honor the feminine aspects of the universe as well as our female ancestors. If you have a particular deity you call upon, feel free to change names or attributes around where needed. Otherwise, you can use the all-encompassing name of "Goddess" in the rite.

Decorate your altar with symbols of femininity: cups, chalices, flowers, lunar objects, fish, doves or swans. You'll also need the following items for this ritual:

• A white candle
• An offering of something that is important to you
• A bowl of water
• A handful of small pebbles or stones

If your tradition calls for you to cast a circle, do so now.

Begin by standing in the Goddess position and say:

“I am (your name), and I stand before You.
Goddesses of the sky, earth and sea, I honor you,
for your blood runs through my veins,
one woman, standing on the edge of the universe.
Tonight, I make an offering in Your names
As my thanks for all You have given me.”

Light the candle and place your offering before it on the altar. The offering may be something tangible, such as bread, wine or flowers. It can also be something symbolic such as a gift of your time or dedication. Whatever it is, it should be something from your heart. Once you have made your offering it is time to call upon the Goddesses by name. Say:

“I am (your name), and I stand before you.
Isis, Ishtar, Tiamat, Inanna, Shakti, Cybele,
Mothers of the ancient people,
Guardians of those who walked the earth thousands of years ago,
I offer You this as a way of showing my gratitude.
Your strength has flowed within me;
Your wisdom has given me knowledge;
Your inspiration has given birth to harmony in my soul.”

Now it is time to honor the women who have touched your life. For each one, place a pebble into the bowl of water. As you do so, say her name and how she has impacted you. You might say something like this:

“I am Teresa and I stand before you
to honor the sacred feminine that has touched my heart.
I honor Mary, who gave birth to me and raised me to be strong;
I honor Mildred, my grandmother, who always made me feel special and who always had ice cream;
I honor Mary, my grandmother, who lost her courageous battle with cancer;
I honor Janie and Sheri, my sisters, who have themselves become mothers with great love and concern for their children.
I honor Bernie, my best friend, who has been with me through life’s ups and downs.”

Continue until you have placed a pebble in the water for each of these women. Reserve one pebble for yourself. Finish by saying:

“I am (your name) and I honor myself,
for my strength, my creativity, my knowledge, my inspiration,
and for all the other remarkable things that make me a woman.”

Take a few minutes and reflect on the sacred feminine. What is it about being a woman that gives you joy? If you're a man performing this ritual, what is it about the women in your life that makes you love them? Meditate on the feminine energy of the universe for a while and when you are ready, end the ritual.

Tips: This ritual can be adapted for a group easily. With a little planning it can become a beautiful ceremony for a number of people. Consider doing it as part of a women’s circle in which each member honors the others as part of the rite.

Source: paganwiccan.about.com