Cakes & Wine
and The Leave to Depart
After your Magickal work is done, it is
time to ground out and join with the Lady and Lord in celebration. Take
a plate of food and hold it up toward the altar, saying: "Lady and Lord
of Life, we thank you for your good gifts. come and share them with us."
Break off a piece of food, and place in
the bowl of salt water on the altar as a libation, then take a bite yourself
and pass the plate clockwise around the circle.
Take the chalice of wine and bless it likewise,
pouring a little into the salt water as a libation and passing it clockwise
around the circle. If you are celebrating outdoors with a fire in the
center of the circle, throw the libations into the fire instead of the
bowl. One nice variation on wine is a mixture of milk and cream sherry
(delicious and not very alcoholic), which may be blessed thus:
"Lady of Life, we thank you for the milk
from the breasts of the Mother of All. Lord of Life, we thank you for
the intoxicating fire of the vine. As these two marry in the cup, we celebrate
your mingling, which gives life to all. Come and share with us."
This particular blessing would be appropriate
for Beltane or for a handfasting.
I'm sure you need no instructions on how
to feast and clebrate. The Lady says that all acts of love and pleasure
are her rituals, so keep it in mind that, in enjoying yourselves, you
are acting exactly as religiously as you are at any other part of the
ritual, and conversely.
THE LEAVE TO DEPART
is extremely important, and, even though it may be getting drunk out,
must not be omitted. Close all parentheses: when you have set up a Circle
as Magickal space, you must take it down before you leave. The presiding
priest/ess must first take the chalice and drain it dry in one draught.
Then, face the altar, athame in hand, in the invoking position, and say:
"Lady and Lord of Life, we thank you for
being with us, and we ask your blessing ere ye depart to your lovely realms.
Blessed be." (All repeat.)
Face the center of the circle, saying:
"Ye Lords of the Watchtowers, spirits of
the Four Directions, we thank you for being with us, and we ask your blessing
ere ye depart to your lovely realms. And may the Peace of the Goddess
be between us, now and forever. Blessed be." (All repeat.)
Face the others present, and, sheathing
your athame and crossing your hands over your breast, say: "The circle
is open but unbroken."
Open your hands, saying "May the Peace
of the Goddess go in your hearts. Merry Meet and Merry Part."
All respond: "And Merry Meet Again. Blessed
Be."
A group hug is in order at this point.
The party may go on as long as desired. We generally sing a rousing chorus
of "Happy Trails To You", but this is not obligatory.
When you clean up, be sure to throw the
contents of the libation bowl into a running stream (flush it down the
toilet or the sink if you don't happen to have a river handy.) The chalice
should have been drained dry by the HPs. Do not blow the point candles
out, but let them burn down; or if you have to extinguish them, do it
by clapping your hands over each flame, so that the air makes them go
out. (This takes practice.) Large point candles can be used over again;
candles that were used for a specific purpose should be allowed to burn
down, or clapped out and re-lit at another time for the continuation of
the same rite. Candlesticks should be cleaned before re-use.