Various Blessings, Charms, and Prayers
A Censing Prayer
The fire is laid, the fire shines;
The incense is laid on the fire, the incense shines.
Your perfume comes to me, O Incense;
May my perfume come to you, O Incense.
Your perfume comes to me, you gods;
May my perfume come to you, you gods.
May I be with you, you gods;
May you be with me, you gods.
May I live with you, you gods;
May you live with me, you gods.
I love you, you gods;
May you love me, you gods
~ The Pyramid Text, Utterance 269, September-October, 2005 Issue
"All life is your own
All fruits of the earth
Are fruits of your womb
You're union, your dance.
Goddess and God,
We thank you for blessings
And abundance.
Join us, feast with us,
Enjoy with us!
Blessed be!"
~ Unknown Author, December 2004 Issue
Anglo-Saxon Charm
"Hail to thee, Earth, mother of men. Be thou fruitful in God's embrace, filled with food for the use of men."
~ From an Anglo-Saxon land fertility charm, February 2005 Issue
"As in the bread and wine, so it is with me.
Within all forms is locked a record of the past
And a promise of the future.
I ask that you lay your blessings upon me, Ancient Ones,
That this season of waning light
And increasing darkness may not be heavy.
So Mote It Be!"
~ Faille, Lammas Ritual, July-August 2005 Issue
Astarte's Hymn
"He has sprouted; he has burgeoned;
He is lettuce planted by the water.
He is the one my womb loves best.
My well-stocked garden of the plain,
My barley growing high in its furrow,
My apple tree which bears fruit up to its crown,
He is lettuce planted by the water.
My honey-man, my honey-man sweetens me always.
My lord, the honey-man of the gods,
He is the one my womb loves best.
His hand is honey, his foot is honey,
He sweetens me always.
My eager impetuous caresser of the navel,
My caresser of the soft thighs,
He is the one my womb loves best,
He is lettuce planted by the water."
~ Hymn of Inanna to Tammuz, August-September, 2005 Issue
Blessing for a Meal
Goddess, bless this food you have given me.
Let it be filled with your divine energy so that I will be healthy
And live a long and happy life.
Goddess bless. Blessed be.
Excerpted from the book "Goddess Bless! Divine Affirmations, Prayers and Blessings", by Sirona Knight.
All rights reserved. January 2003 Red Wheel/Weiser, February 2005 Issue
Brigit Buadach - hymn to Brigit
Victorious Brigit,
Glory of kindred,
Heaven-King's sister,
Noble person,
Perilous oath,
Far-flung flame.
She has reached holy Heaven,
Gaeldom's foster-mother,
Support of strangers,
Spark of wisdom,
Daughter of Dubthach,
High-minded lady,
Victorious Brigit,
The living one of life.
~ Danta Ban: Poems of Irish Women Early and Modern, January-February, 2006 Issue
Demeter
I begin to sing of rich-haired Demeter, awful goddess, of her and of her daughter lovely Persephone. Hail, goddess! Keep this city safe, and govern my song.
~ Homeric Hymn 13 to Demeter, August-September, 2005 Issue
Frigga
From the darkness of earth you arise,
Fjorgvin's first daughter, bending like the birch tree at the bounds of the glacier.
You are the stillness at the heart of the world, you are its silence.
Rams with white fleeces roam free round your dwelling:
In your hall stands a loom;
Norns spin the thread for your weaving.
It is warped with the fates of the world - only you see the pattern.
You sit at the head of the hearth, twelve maidens blaze around you, sparks spun from your brightness.
In their faces you are reflected;
You are all the women of all the worlds,
You are the Beloved.
Giver of Law are you, and High Seat of Sovereignty.
All-Father counsels kings, but it is you who choose them.
You teach magic to queens;
You give names to the nations.
Golden the god you gave birth to, but Laufey's child betrayed him.
Your son will return when all else you love is ended.
All this you know, but you say nothing.
All-mother, around your altar now we are gathered, women together, wanting your wisdom.
Holy one hearken, hasten to help us.
These are the faces of the goddess - candles lit from her hearthfire, water flowing from her well:
Saga ... who knows the names of the ancestors and all the old tales;
Eir ... the silent, child of Audhumla, ancient healer;
Gefion ... who gives before we even know our need;
Fulla ... who guards the secret of the mysteries;
Sjofn ... the one who inclines the heart to love;
Lofn ... giving us permission to follow our dreams;
Sin ... our advocate, who wards the doors we need to close;
Hlin ... the protector who shields us from harm;
Var ... who hears all oaths by the holy hearth;
Vor ... who knows all secrets, expanding awareness;
Snotra ... the wise one, who always knows what to do;
Gna ... who soars high carrying Frigg's words throughout the worlds
From Diana Paxton's article Beloved, May 2005 Issue
"Frigga, Constant One,
Goddess of fireside and home.
Teach me the lessons of commitment and contentment, service and celebration.
Warm me within and without.
I light this candle in fiery offering to you,
Frigga, Goddess of Home."
To bring Frigga's blessings into your home, light a candle to her each night with this invocation. Offerings of grained bread and beer or mead are also suitable.
Found at Owlsdottir's Website, May 2005 Issue
Goddess Prayer
Our Mother who art the Earth
Nourishing are thy ways
Thy web of life be woven
Thy ways be found within
As it is all around.
Thank you this day for our bread and sweat
And forgive us our misuse of you
As we forgive others their misuse of us
And lead us not into exploitation
But deliver us from lording it over you
And over each other and over fellow creatures.
For thine are the waters of life
The feeding, breeding, seeding ground
For now and as far as close to forever
As we shall ever come.
Blessed Be!
Prayer from Zsuzsanna Budapest's Dianic University Online, June-July 2005 Issue
"Hallowed herbs all ill dispell
As fuel on the fire,
As smoke on the wind.
With broom of birch I sweep this circle round
Within this space no evil shall be found -
With strength of Syn I guard the door
Hlin's help now wards each wall
Peace and protection I invoke
for all inside this hall.
Nordhri and Sudhri, Austri and Vestri
Dwarves in all directions dwelling,
From the center here we summon,
Watchers of the world, now ward us.
Hail, and be welcome."
(All speak) "Hail, and be welcome!"
From Diana Paxton's article Beloved, May 2005 Issue
"Hekate Enoidia, Triodite, lovely dame,
of earthly, watery, and celestial frame, sepulchral, in a saffron veil arrayed,
pleased with dark ghosts that wander through the shade;
Perseia, solitary goddess, hail!
The world's key-bearer, never doomed to fail;
in stags rejoicing, huntress, nightly seen, and drawn by bulls, unconquerable queen;
Leader, Nymphe, nurse, on mountains wandering,
hear the suppliants who with holy rites thy power revere,
and to the herdsman with a favouring mind draw near.
~ Orphic Hymn, April 2005 Issue
"Holy mother earth,
yours is the power
to grow,
to destroy,
to give birth.
We conjure you now,
by seed and by shoot,
by flower and fruit,
by light and by love,
from below and above,
in your ancient names:
Kore, Demeter, Persephone.
Grant us the blessings of your body.
Thank you for the blessings of your body."
~ From the Church of All Worlds, December 2004 Issue
Homeric Hymn to Gaia
Her I praise, the mother of all
The foundation, the oldest one
I sing to the mother of the Earth
The nourisher, she upon whom everything feeds.
Of Gaia I sing.
Wherever you are on her sacred ground
She feeds you, nourishes you fom her treasure store.
Through her bountiful harvests, beautiful children come
The giving life, the fullness of life
The taking of life, these are hers.
Praise her.
~ Homeric Hymn, July-August 2005 Issue
"I look to the East, and I see you in the early morning dawn. I feel you in the fragrant wind that sweeps across the prairie in the springtime of the year.
I look to the South and I see you in the high sun of noon. I feel you in the rippling heat that shimmers in the desert lands in the summer of the year.
I look to the West and I see you in the twilight of the evening. I feel you in the waterfalls that tumble down the mountainside in the autumn of the year.
I look to the North and I see you in the starry skies of night. I feel you in the standing stones left by glaciers long ago in the winter of the year.
~ Karen's "Warm-Up" prayer for use with Prayer Beads, August-September, 2005 Issue
In the Fields Grows the Rye
In the fields grows the rye, rye that is green, is green -
"Tell me, my lover, how livest thou, when never my face is seen?"
"Out in the fields, down-beaten, rye lies upon its face -
So do I live without thee, the good Lord giving His grace."
On the crest of the hill is the rye, cut high on its blooming stem:
Down below is a well where the horses drink water drawn for them.
"With thy breath the water is blown; pray why dost thou not drink?"
"Of what, O young black-browed girl, of what now dost thou think?"
"I think and I think all day: I wonder if I shall wed -
Nay, surely this may not be!" the black-browed maiden said.
"For who would marry me? No oxen nor kine have I,
Black brows, blue eyes - such wealth what lover would satisfy?"
"Fret not thyself, Sweetheart, some one will come to woo,
Caring naught for gold or kine - caring all for eyes of blue!"
~ Rye Harvest Song, July-August 2005 Issue
Invocation of BrighidProtector of the Hearth
I will bank the hearth
As Brighid the Fostermother would bank
The Foster-mother's holy name
Be on the hearth; be on the herd;
Be on the household all.
~ Carmina Gadelica , January-February, 2006 Issue
Invocation to Hekate
Hekate the Beauteous, you I invoke:
You, of roads and crossways,
Of heaven, of earth, and sea as well.
You, the saffron-clad, among the tombs,
Dancing with dead souls the Bacchic rite.
You, daughter of Perses, lover of desolation,
Taking joy in deer and dogs, in the night.
You, terrible Queen!
Devourer of beasts!
Ungirded, possessed of form unapproachable!
You, bull-huntress, universal sovereign Empress:
You mountain-roaming guide, and bride, and nursemaid,
I entreat, O Maiden, your presence at these sacred rites,
With grace to the Oxherd and a joyful heart eternal.
~ Orphic Hymn, trans. by Shawn Eyer, September-October, 2005 Issue
Invocation to Hermes
Servant of the Moirai,
guide us on the path
to the other world.
Son of Dionysos
and Aphrodite,
guide us to Persephone.
You lead the wretched,
sodden with mud,
into long rest in the dark.
A touch of your wand
brings sleep
or wakes the deceased.
Guide of souls
forever flowing
to the other side,
we honor you
Hermes,
guide us.
~ Orphic Hymn, September-October, 2005 Issue
Invocation to the Horned One
By the flame that burneth bright, O Horned One
We call Thy name into the night, O Ancient One
Thee we invoke by the moon-led sea
By the standing stone and the twisted tree.
Thee we invoke where gather Thine own
By the nameless shrine, forgotten and lone
Come where the round of the dance is trod
Horn and hoof of the Goat-foot God
By moon-lit meadow on dusky hill
When the haunted wood is hushed and still
Come to the charm of the chanted prayer
As the moon bewitches the midnight air
Evoke Thy powers that potent bide
In shining stream and secret tide
In fiery flame by starlight pale
In shadowy host that rides the gale
And by the fern-drakes fairy haunted
Of forests wild and woods enchanted
Come? O Come! To the heartbeat's drum!
Come to us who gather below
When the broad white moon is climbing slow
Through the stars to the heavens height
We hear Thy hoofs on the wind of night
As black tree branches shake and sigh
By joy and terror we know Thee nigh
We speak the spell Thy power unlocks
At Solstice, Sabbat, and Equinox.
~ Lady Sheba's Book of Shadows, August-September, 2005 Issue
Invocation of Isis
O Isis, Beautiful in All Thy Names,
I call Thee with the breath of my body,
I call Thee with the beat of my heart,
I call Thee with the pulse of my life,
I call Thee with the words of my mouth,
I call Thee with the thoughts of my mind.
I call Thee Power and Life and Creation.
I call Thee, Isis, Isis, Isis!
~ by M. Isadora Forrest, Author of Isis Magic, February 2005 Issue
Iolach Buana (Reaping Salutation)
Each ridge, and plain, and field,
Each sickle curved, shapely, hard
Each ear and handful in the sheaf,
Each ear and handful in the sheaf.
Bless each maiden and youth,
Each woman and tender youngling,
Safegaurd them beneath Thy shield of strength,
And gaurd them in the house of the saints.
Encompass each goat, sheep and lamb,
Each cow and horse, and store,
Surround Thou the flocks and herds,
And tend them to a kindly fold,
Tend them to a kindly fold.
For the sake of Michael, head of hosts,
Of Mary fair-skinned branch of grace,
Of Bride smooth-white of ringleted locks,
Of Columba of the grave and tombs,
Columba of the graves and tombs.
~ Scottish Marymass chant appropriate for Lughnasadh activities, July-August 2005 Issue
Litany of Neith - hymn to Neith
Neith, the Great, the Divine Mother, Lady of the country of Esna, the great Cow, the fashioner of Ra, greater is her name than of all gods and goddesses... All belongs to her; life and death are under her surveillance; the earth is under her order....
...the cobra who rose in Nun, the living Ancestor, the sovereign; the length of the Earth is under her orders; she who came solemnly, she who created the million; she who has no equal, not one god is not within her form; she who knows that which came before; she who was at the beginning...
...the primordial One, eldest of the primeval gods, she who made that which is, she who created that which exists... she who rises in the primal Waters, she who fills Heaven and Earth with her beauty, the mother of millions, the mother of hfnw, she who supplies Earth with good grain, who contains in herself her son as a light illuminating the Two Lands, Neit, the great Lady of Sais.
... To Neit who rose in Nun while the Earth was in darkness. To Neit the living ancestor who took origin in Nun, before the creation of Earth and the raising of Heaven. To Neit the genitrix, the cobra who was in the beginning, the Mother of the primordial time, she who created her own birth...To Neith who was at the origin and created those who are on high and those who are below. To Neit the mysterious who made the beings and created all that which is by her existence. To Neit who made eternity, whose mystery is in her form, who created... To Neit in all her names. To Neit in all her forms. To Neit in all her mysteries.
~ Litany of Neith found at African Sanctuary, March-June, 2006 Issue
May Blessing
Mother Earth awaken with the touch of Father Sun
Let his warmth stir your senses
Bringing life to the sleeping seeds
So that your children may eat.
Father Sun glory in your strength
And give us your protection.
Mother Earth revel in your power
Shelter us within your arms.
Nourish us
Cherish us
Sanctify yourself and become fecund once more
Shower upon us your blessings
~ by Axiom, May 2005 Issue
Midsummer Bael-Fire Prayer
As I light this fire I call upon our Father:
I ask that you bless this space.
I ask for your protection against harm.
I ask for your passion in my life.
Purify hearth and home with your fire.
Bring light to all the corners,
And luck to our actions.
Father, in your time of strength, bless me with your love
That I might do unto others as you have done for me.
As I light this fire I call upon our Mother:
I ask that you bless this space.
I ask for your gifts to feed my family.
I ask for your joy in my life.
Let hospitality grow in home and hearts,
Peace flourish within these walls,
And joy to our lives.
Mother, in your time of bounty, bless me with your love
That I might do unto others as you have done for me.
~ by Catherine M., June-July 2005 Issue
Midsummer Day Herb Gathering Spell
"Herbs of magick, herbs of power,
Root and bark, leaf and flower,
Work for me when charms are spoken,
Potions brewed and curses broken!"
~ Unknown Author, March-June, 2006 Issue
"Mother, Father and Spirit of this food
For your gifts and sacrifices accept my gratitude."
~ by Axiom, December 2004 Issue
Samhaine Blessing
Night's darkest hour brings forth winter's chill -
A hint of tomorrow
That echoes within your heart -
Even as the stars bestow
The gift of sight to show your way.
The earth which lies beneath your feet
Crawls into your veins
And fills your soul with power.
There it shall remain
To strengthen you this year and one day.
You hear the silence in the wind
And feel it touch your face.
Breathe deep of that quiet,
And embrace it -
Let it flow into your innermost mind.
The rain that falls so soft tonight leaves you free
Of all within that might torment
Or wound you -
Let go your laments
Only this way can you yourself unbind.
Watch closely as this night passes into day.
The year turns once again
And we are renewed within our vows -
Both mundane and arcane.
As it is above, so shall it be below.
Blessed be,
Blessed be,
Blessed be.
~ Catherine M., September-October, 2005 Issue
Soil Fertility Incantation
"Hail to thee, Earth, mother of men!
Be fruitful in nature's embrace, filled with food for the use of honorable men and drink for the blood of the just."
Use a consecrated metal tool to carve into the earth as if using a plow to plough the field. As the earth is turned over, pour out a libation to the Earth Goddess, and recite this invocation.
~ Old Anglo-Saxon Charm, May 2005 Issue
Solstice Blessing
Great Father, as we enter the darkening hours we ask for your blessing
Turn your breath aside from us and strengthen us in this time of sleep.
Release us from your wintery grip so we might waken once more.
Great Mother, as we feel the cold fingers of winter about our bellies we ask for your blessing.
Cradle us within your arms and strengthen us in this time of need.
Carry us in your dreams of summer so we might remember what is to come.
Child born this night when the sun stands still, we ask for your blessing.
Take our hands and strengthen us with your love.
Let us feel the warmth within your touch so we can share it with those we love.
Bless us this holy night
~ Axiom, November-December, 2005 Issue
Summer Blessing
As the sun spirals its longest dance,
Cleanse us
As nature shows bounty and fertility
Bless us
Let all things live with loving intent
And to fulfill their truest destiny
~ a Wiccan blessing for Summer, March-June, 2006 Issue
"Thank you, Great Mother, whose rich bounty lies before us
- bless us as we eat.
Thank you, Heavenly Father, whose vitality fills this food
- bless us as we eat.
We acknowledge the sacrifice made that we might live, and offer thanks
- let the wheel turn."
~ by Axiom, December 2004 Issue
"This table is an altar upon which we lay this meal -
About it we gather in gratitude and communion.
May the Great Mother and Bright Father bless this meal.
Let us rejoice, and offer thanks for all we have
(things you are grateful for)
- and this food before us."
~ by Axiom, December 2004 Issue
To Demeter
To Demeter Eleusinia.
O universal mother, Deo famed, august, the source of wealth, and various named:
great nurse, all-bounteous, blessed and divine, who joyest in peace;
to nourish corn is thine.
Goddess of seed, of fruits abundant, fair, harvest and threshing are thy constant care.
Lovely delightful queen, by all desired, who dwellest in Eleusis' holy vales retired.
Nurse of all mortals, who benignant mind first ploughing oxen to the yoke confined;
and gave to men what nature's wants require, with plenteous means of bliss, which all desire.
In verdure flourishing, in glory bright, assessor of great Bromios bearing light:
rejoicing in the reapers' sickles, kind, whose nature lucid, earthly, pure, we find.
Prolific, venerable, nurse divine, thy daughter loving, holy Koure.
A cart with Drakones yoked 'tis thine to guide, and, orgies singing, round thy throne to ride.
Only-begotten, much-producing queen, all flowers are thine, and fruits of lovely green.
Bright Goddess, come, with summer's rich increase swelling and pregnant, leading smiling peace;
come with fair concord and imperial health, and join with these a needful store of wealth.
~ Orphic Hymn 40, August-September, 2005 Issue
Unfolding the Rose
It is only a tiny rosebud,
A flower of the Goddess's design;
But I cannot unfold the petals
With these clumsy hands of mine.
The secret of unfolding flowers
Is not known to such as I.
The Goddess opens this flower so sweetly
- When in my hands they die.
If I can not unfold a rosebud,
This flower of the Goddess's design,
Then how can I have the wisdom
To unfold this life of mine?
So, I'll trust in her for leading
Each moment of my day.
I will look to her for guidance
Each step of the pilgrim way.
The pathway that lies before me,
Only the Great Mother knows.
I'll trust her to unfold the moments
Just as she unfolds the rose.
~ unknown author, March, 2005 Issue
We Remember Them
In the rising of the sun and in its going down, we remember them.
In the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter, we remember them.
In the opening of buds and in the rebirth of spring, we remember them.
In the blueness of the skies and in the warmth of summer, we remember them.
In the rustling of leaves and in the beauty of autumn, we remember them.
In the beginning of the year and when it ends, we remember them.
When we are weary and in need of strength, we remember them.
When we are lost and sick at heart, we remember them.
When we have joys we yearn to share, we remember them.
So long as we live, they too shall live, for they are part of us.
~ The Gates of Prayer, a Reform Jewish prayerbook, August-September, 2005 Issue
The Winter Solstice - a prayer
We kindle this winter fire
In memory of our ancestors
And of those who guard the world.
May the flame warm our hearts
And may the light remind us
Of the ever-returning sun.
The sun gives us flowers and plants.
The sun warms the earth.
The sun lights up our beautiful world.
The sun gives us energy.
I wish for everyone's health and happiness.
I wish for peace and kindness.
~ The Winter Solstice, by Ellen Jackson, March-June, 2006 Issue
|
2004-2006