Full Moon Esbat Ritual

Full Moon Esbat Ritual

Tools for the Ritual:

· Silver and white altar cloths
· Silver Goddess candle
· Crystal ball or other moon symbol, for example a round mirror
· A feminine incense, for example rose or gardenia
· Four small, colored stones (gifts to the quarters)
· Small vase containing one white flower or a few green leaves
· Quarter candles
· Matches, taper and snuffer
· Simple feast - white wine and almond or vanilla biscuits


Preparation:

The Goddess candle and matches should be placed outside the place of ritual.

At the beginning of the ritual mentally cleanse and sweep the area moving
deosil. Set up the quarter candles. Decorate the altar with its cloths. At
the beginning of the ritual the lit Goddess candle will be placed at the
center of the altar so a space should be left for it there. The crystal ball
or other moon symbol is placed to the left of this space and the incense is
placed to the right. Place the vase with its flower or leaves before the
space for the Goddess candle. The four small, colored stones should be
placed on the altar in front of the vase. The taper and snuffer go front
left, place the items for the simple feast to one side.

Take a shower or splash your face with water for purification. Sit quietly
and meditate for a while, then ground and center.

Wait, become the silence.

The Ritual:

The ritual is begun outside the place of ritual in darkness. Light the
Goddess candle saying:

"I light this candle to you, my Goddess. I see you in the full moon this
night and ask you to bless me with your presence."

Wait, become the silence.

Carry the lit Goddess candle into the place of ritual and place it on the
altar in the space that has been prepared for it. Light the incense from the
Goddess candle. Wait, become the silence.

This time and space has been set aside to honor the most powerful moment in
the moon's eternal cycle. It is the full moon and she is full of fertility,
strength and Magick. I celebrate and rest in the fullness of the moon,
feeling my own cycling tides of womanliness reaching out to her. They call
to her from within me and I rest in her in this rite.
Wait, become the silence.

Mentally divide the ritual area into four so that each of the quarter
candles is at the middle outside edge of its own quarter of the circle. The
center of the circle, where the four quarters meet, is the Goddess candle on
the altar.

As you light each quarter candle in the next section of the ritual,
visualize moonlight streaming from the Goddess candle to the lit quarter
candle and then filling the whole of that quarter of the circle. Each
quarter of the circle in turn is filled with light until the whole area is
bathed in clear moonlight. The candle flames will all resonate together in
the three-dimensional space until the area becomes a complete and perfect
sphere of white moonlight.

Taking the taper, light it from the Goddess candle and taking the first
small, colored stone say:

"Spirits of Earth, I call to you now and ask you for your presence. In you
do I see the Goddess. Your strong and steady foundation on which all life
rests is her immanence in you. You gentle valleys and mighty mountains are
her undulating and awesome body. I rejoice in you."

Approach the North quarter candle, moving deosil. Light the candle, present
the gift and return to the altar. Visualize moonlight streaming from the
Goddess candle and filling the North quarter. Wait, become the silence.

Taking the second small, colored stone say:

"Spirits of Air, I call to you now and ask you for your presence. In you do
I see the Goddess. Your penetrating and boundless winds which give breath to
the creatures of life are her immanence in you. You gentle breezes and
mighty hurricanes are her all-encompassing thought forms. I rejoice in you."

Approach the East quarter candle, moving deosil. Light the candle, present
the gift and return to the altar. Visualize moonlight streaming from the
Goddess candle and filling the East quarter. Wait, become the silence.

Taking the third small, colored stone say:

"Spirits of Fire, I call to you now and ask you for your presence. In you do
I see the Goddess. Your cleansing and sweeping flames in which spirits are
transformed are her immanence in you. You gentle, flickering candlelight and
mighty burning energy are her cauldron of change. I rejoice in you."

Approach the South quarter candle, moving deosil. Light the candle, present
the gift and return to the altar. Visualize moonlight streaming from the
Goddess candle and filling the South quarter. Wait, become the silence.

Taking the fourth small, colored stone say:

"Spirits of Water, I call to you now and ask you for your presence. In you
do I see the Goddess. Your nurturing and supporting depths in which life is
born are her immanence in you. You gentle raindrops and mighty tides are her
cycles of life-giving fertility. I rejoice in you."

Approach the West quarter candle, moving deosil. Light the candle, present
the gift and return to the altar. Visualize moonlight streaming from the
Goddess candle and filling the West quarter. Wait, become the silence.

Sit before the altar in the Centrex of your sphere of moonlight, breathing
slowly and evenly. With each inward breath draw the
moonlight into your body. Let the Goddess's pure energy fill you until you
are full of her. Feel your spirit blend with hers, you are becoming one with
her. The boundaries of your physical body melt away and you and the Goddess
are one. Wait become the silence.

When you are ready to return give thanks to the Goddess. Begin to become
yourself once more, feel you edges reasserting themselves and recognize the
boundaries of your physical body. The inner light within you will always
carry the Goddess with you, but you are now yourself, back in the physical
reality. The sphere of moonlight still surrounds you, but you are yourself
within it. The Goddess is still there but you know that you are a separate
being from her. Contemplate the Goddess candle.

Proceed with the simple feast to ground yourself.

The end of the ritual.

Stand up and move slowly round the circle deosil. Extinguish the quarter
candles one by one, starting at the North quarter and seeing the moonlight
from each quarter streaming back into the Goddess candle as each candle is
extinguished. Retrieve the small, colored stones as you go round the
circle.

Thank the spirits of the quarters, asking them to go if they must but stay
if they will. Bid them hail and farewell.

Lastly, thank the Goddess for her presence.

"My Goddess, I thank you for attending this ritual and bestowing your
blessings upon me, your priestess. Your spirit is in me and mine in you. We
are eternally connected, one to the other. I offer you my humble service
once more and rejoice in your blessings. I bid you hail and farewell."

Extinguish the Goddess candle.
The ritual is ended.

By MoonSongstress