The ritual starts by casting the circle
We are a Circle within a Circle
Next, the four corners are called
Lighting our candles to the Goddess Within
The ritual leader starts and the other participants followed her example. Each woman took her individual candle to a direction that called to her and lit her candle on that caller’s candle. Then, each placed her tea candle on the altar, saying “I invoke the Goddess within (and gave her own name, either given or circle name).” In this way, we invoked the Goddess together, all of us invoking the Goddess within. When each woman had lit her candle and placed it on the altar, she returned to her seat.
Tree Grounding Meditation
We closed our eyes. One woman led us in a visualization of a tree putting its roots down deep into the heart of the Earth, drawing the energy up to the tips of its branches, reaching out to the stars, and then grounding that energy again in a full circle.
The Goddess Within the Circle
We all stood and moved close to the altar. We joined hands by crossing our left over our right arm and taking the hand of the woman on either side of us. We sang as a call-and-response:
I am a circle I am healing you
Sing this three times, and then intone the Cosmic Sound, “OM” three times as well.
The Circle Within A Circle
Led again by the ritual leader, we counted off, one, two, one, two. Those who were “one’s” stayed in the outer circle and faced in toward the altar. The “two’s” formed an inner circle, backs to the altar, facing the women in the outer circle.
As the circles moved, everyone sang:
“I am the Goddess look at me,
We are one.
You are the Goddess, look at me,
We are one”
The two circles moved in opposite directions, so that, after singing each verse of the song that follows, we each looked into the face of a different woman. Each verse was sung looking directly into the eyes of the woman opposite you in the other circle. Then, the outer circle would move to the right and the inner circle to the left, and we would repeat the song until each in the outer circle had sung to each in the inner circle.
At the heart of this ritual, we were looking at each other and recognizing the Divine in the woman across from us.
Chant and Energy Raising
Next we chant to raise energy. As we chanted, we danced around the altar, drumming and rattling and calling out names of Goddesses.
The Goddess is alive, and magic is afoot!
(Name of a Goddess) is alive, and magic is afoot!
(Your name) is alive, and magic is afoot!
When the energy had been raised, the ritual leader signaled for us to ground the energy, by saying “I am the Goddess, magic is afoot.” Which we all repeated and then we all sank down to the floor, or as we were able, and sent the energy back to the Earth.
The Feast
The feast is both a socializing event and a recognition of the blessing of the Goddess. We start the feast with a loaf of good bread. Someone hands the loaf to someone else in the circle and says, “May; you never hunger.” The one holding the loaf repeats this until everyone in the circle has been offered some bread. In the meantime, someone starts pouring cups of juice or wine, passing them in the same way, saying, “May; you never thirst.”
Next sing
Releasing the circle
“May Artemis protect you
And Hera provide you
And the woman soul within you
Guide your way home.”
Finally calling out:
“The circle is open, but unbroken. Merry meet, and merry part, and merry meet again!”
So mote it be!