Beltane Ritual (Submitted by Alastar)

Preparation: For decorating the altar use a vase of fresh wild flowers and daisies, and red and white ribbons or streamers. Prepare the altar with the God and Goddess candles and the supplies for casting the circle. Include a fancy, wicker basket, a Corn Dolly, a Grape Dolly, an herb sacred to the Goddess, an herb sacred to the God, and a 3' length of white ribbon. The Corn Dolly should be dressed in red as a bride. The Grape Dolly should be dressed in yellow. Begin by casting the circle.

Here I am on this day, Beltane, Walpurgisnacht, May Day, and the time of the Sacred Marriage. I am here to understand life, death, and rebirth, and to give reverence to those who have endured each.

Bow your head to think about how Beltane fits in one of the three groups above and how it fits in the Wheel of the Year.

I stand at the gate between the living and the dead on this day when the sun is aging, maturing, and looking toward marriage. I am here to witness the marriage of my God, Green Man, the waxing Lord of the Sun to his pregnant lover, Mother Earth. Union. . . a necessary transition on the Wheel of the Year.

Place the Corn Dolly and Grape Dolly next to each other with their candles close by.

Eager is the beloved Sun King, one of the three faces of my God, our Lord who is forever with us. I watch as the Goddess offers herself up for marriage to him.

Place the herbs or flowers representing femininity in the basket. Then place the herbs or flowers representing masculinity in the basket. Say:

Congratulations, beloved Sun King. Congratulations!

Hold the Grape Dolly high. Say:

The Sun King wishes to bestow upon us the gift of knowledge. Thus he shall speak. These wise words are his gifts. "Each and every soul is in fact a god or goddess. Only through the Sacred Marriage, the union of male and female, of conscious and subconscious, of positive and negative, can one utilize his or her full potential. Only then can you become truly sacred." So mote it be.

Hold the two Dollies together and loosely wrap the white ribbon around them. Place the two Dollies in the basket on the bed of herbs.

The Sun King has shown me the way. Now, on this night of Beltane, at this time of union and marriage, I shall strive to find my own path to union.

Meditate upon the goals and symbolic seeds planted at Ostara. Think about how they are stepping stones on the path to achieving your True Will. Maybe try various love divination techniques. Try the popular petal-pulling method with a daisy. Use a pendulum to determine how many children you will bear. Now is also a good time to plan for upcoming weddings, wedding showers, and baby showers. You can now conclude the ritual.

May I be triumphant in the search for my own unity and destiny. May I always know my True Will.

Close the circle. Serve yourself barley cakes, strawberries, and mead. You can leave the Marriage Basket on the altar until Midsummer to remind you of your own strive for unity.

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