VE ritual

VE ritual
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VERNAL EQUINOX RITUAL

LOVE RETURNS

About This Ritual

In the myth of Demeter and Persephone/Kore that has come down to us from the ancient Greeks, the world is thrown into perpetual winter when Hades, king of the Underworld, kidnaps and rapes Persephone, the maiden daughter of Demeter, the mother goddess of all green and growing things. All that is mortal is in danger of perishing because Demeter is in mourning for her lost child. Hades is eventually compelled to give up Persephone, but because the maiden ate three seeds of a pomegranate while in the Underworld, she must return there for three months of the year. Demeter permits the earth to become fecund again, but during her separation from Persephone, winter reigns.

According to Barbara G. Walker, Persephone was originally the goddess of the Underworld, and the pomegranate was a symbol of her power. The Greek myth is, I think, an attempt to reconcile a patriarchal deity (Hades) with an earlier and still potent goddess who claims all of life and death as her domain. Demeter and Persephone were Mother and Maiden aspects of a triple goddess. This triad may have been completed by Baubo or Hecate as Crone. Persephone's hegemony over the afterlife would explain the popularity of the Eleusinian mysteries which were celebrated for thousands of years and were supposed to grant initiates certainty of immortality.

The extremity of Demeter's grief when they are parted could, I think, easily be attributed to the pain of a lover abandoned. The Greeks were misogynists, and their legends about Amazons and Gorgons show that they continued to smart after military clashes with indigenous matriarchal peoples. The reliefs of Demeter and Persephone which have survived appear to me to be images of lesbian affiliation and passion which have been recast as another sort of love. While this sort of coding contributes to lesbian invisibility, it has also allowed this powerful tale of love between women to survive. We have all seen classic paintings or drawings entitled "sisters" which upon closer investigation seem to depict a more passionate relationship. I see no reason why ancient groups of women could not have worshipped goddesses which reflected their own social structure, two women lovers and warriors raising their children.

Even if this is in fact not the case, it is good for us to stretch our imaginations and begin to create lesbian images of deity. Our sense of the sacred has often been damaged by the homophobic moralism of traditional male- centered religions. But love and desire between women is life-affirming, and has the potential to release great quantities of spiritual energy. We are sacred, the earth blesses us, and we bless her in turn.

Correspondences

The ritual is held within a circle defined by four directions and the center. My correspondences are based on traditional (?) Wicca and Steve Blamires' and John and Caitlin Matthews' work on modern Celtic magic. East = white, air, the sword. South = red, fire, the spear. West = blue, water, the cauldron or grail. North = brown or green, earth, the shield. The Center = black, and whatever symbol is appropriate to the holyday being celebrated.

This script is written for five priestesses, although it could obviously be recast for a smaller or larger group. There is no high priestess; officiating is done equally by all present. It takes about three hours to perform.

Props List

Vestments in appropriate colors for each direction and the center
Tabards, scarves, or other ornaments to be donned temporarily by those speaking for Demeter and Persephone
Altar cloths, weapons, and other appropriate decoration for directional altars and main altar in the center of the circle
Green plant and/or flowers for center altar
Athame to draw and erase circle
Water mixed with seasalt for asperging, which should be done with a flower
Slips of paper (written by each coven member) briefly describing something women can do to restore the goddess to the earth
A covered basket for these slips of paper
A shroud (dark, heavy cloth that completely covers the head and shoulders) for all but one covener
The necessary paraphernalia to mummify one covener as she emulates Persephone and journeys to the underworld: plastic wrap, a spandex mummy bag, ace bandages, a hood, a blindfold, etc.
Lots for each covener. Two of the lots should bear the symbol of a sheaf of wheat (Demeter) and a pomegranate (Persephone).
Container for the lots
Pots of earth and seeds
Drums and rattles
Pomegranate juice and cookies in the shape of a pig

Casting the Circle

Before this happens, the directional altars should be set up. A green plant should be in the center of the circle. Coven members should write on slips of paper something that women could do to restore the goddess to the earth, and put these papers in a covered basket. Everyone should bring a dark, heavy cloth which will completely cover her head and shoulders. This is the shroud that each woman will wear to join Persephone in her journey to the underworld.

Black:	By the power of the goddesses we still remember,
	And those whose names have been taken from us,
	And those who will come to lead us to freedom,
	I cast this circle to contain our holy rite.
	Let all friendly powers and presences
	Come to witness and assist us now,
	And render us invisible to any who would interfere.
	Let no element we summon here do any harm to us
	Or this hallowed space in which we work.
	By the power of three times three,
	I declare this circle cast.

All:

So mote it be!

Calling the Quarters

White:	I greet the powers of the East,
	Where the sun rises to give us hope with each new dawn.
	I salute the sacred air that gives us breath
	And carries the power of song.
	To the East belongs the power of planting,
	The intelligence to plan for the future and
	The energy to take the first step toward that goal.
	The East gives us the power to draw the eye of one we desire.
	Powers of the East, of air, of planting,
	Join us now and lend us the insight to make a strong beginning.
	I bid you draw your double-edged sword in guardianship about us.

All:

Hail and be welcome, powers of the East.

Red:	I greet the powers of the South,
	Where the world grows lush in tropical heat.
	I salute the sacred fire that holds winter at bay,
	Lifts the hem of darkness' dress to aid the poet's pen,
	And goads the cauldron of rebirth to sizzle with new life.
	To the South belongs the power of cultivation.
	Here lies the determination to persist
	When the excitement of beginning has worn off.
	Here we discover how to nourish, with water and sunlight,
	The seeds we have planted, so they may nourish us in winter.
	The South gives us the skill to please our lovers
	With caresses, compliments, and passion.
	Powers of the South, of fire, of cultivation,
	Join us now and lend us the knowledge to make desire thrive.
	I bid you aim your leaf-edged spear in guardianship about us.

All:

Hail and be welcome, powers of the South.

Blue:	I greet the powers of the West,
	Where the sun sets to tell us we must rest.
	I salute the sacred water that bathes away our cares.
	Water teaches us to bend, to change,
	To float with the rising tide,
	And schools us to decipher the quicksilver truth of our dreams.
	To the West belongs the power of harvest.
	We are entitled to reap the benefits of our labor,
	And gather in the good things that we need to thrive.
	Here is a safe place to come home to our bodies and our loved ones.
	Powers of the West, of water, and the climax that quiets lust,
	Join us now and lend us gratitude for the good things we possess
	And the ability to be fed, loved, and comforted.
	I bid you to allow the prophetic vapors of your mighty cauldron
	To envelop and protect us.

All:

Hail and be welcome, powers of the West.

Brown:	I greet the powers of the North,
	Where the earth is locked in the frigid arms of ice.
	I salute the sacred earth that cradles us,
	And tells us when to stand fast,
	And teaches us how to nurture one another.
	To the North belongs the power of laying fallow.
	In rest, the earth replenishes herself, and so do we.
	Here we are allowed to take our ease and bide our time.
	Powers of the North, of earth, of patience and recuperation,
	Join us now and give us the forbearance to allow
	Wine to ferment, bread to rise, and our agendas to ripen.
	I bid you lift your iron-embossed shield in guardianship about us.

All:

Hail and be welcome, powers of the North.

Black:	I stand at the Center,
	The place where all directions come together
	And we see what has been, what is, and what may be.
	I petition the great mother, our sister and lover, to accept our gratitude
	For bringing us safely through the Burning Times
	With our love for her intact.
	At the Center of our circle, I invoke the power of Earth.
	We do not fear the darkness. It is fertility,
	And out of the darkness comes healing, rest, and nourishment.
	With the body of our mother strong beneath our feet,
	How can we ever fail?

All:

Hail and be welcome, powers of the Center.

Asperging

Starting in the east, Blue Priestess walks clockwise around the circle, sprinkling each woman with a little water that has been mixed with sea salt or blood.

Blue:	From this circle, and from each one of us,
	I banish grief and guilt and fear.
	If sorrow has torn your heart in two,
	Let the soft hands of the goddess dry your tears.
	There is no injury she cannot heal,
	No hurt she cannot ease.
	If you are harried by the hatred
	Of misogynists and homophobes,
	Let the blazing eyes of the goddess
	Scorch their falsehoods from your soul.
	Let your own conscience be the only voice that judges you.
	If terror has made you tremble or disturbed your sleep,
	Let the goddess bring her armies to your side.
	Among us, you are protected.
	An injury to one is an injury to all.
	Together, we will make this world a safer place.
	To this circle, and to each one of us,
	I bring the gifts of joy, self-love, and courage.

Praising the Goddess

Black:	The quarters have been called,
	And the center has been honored.
	We are cleansed of grief and guilt and fear
	And put joy, self-love, and courage in their place.
	Now we stand on holy ground
	In perfect love and perfect trust.
	This is the Vernal Equinox,
	When Persephone returns from the underworld
	To her lover Demeter, and the world grows lush in celebration.

Cast lots to determine who will speak for Demeter (wheat) and Persephone (pomegranate). These priestesses then adorn themselves as the goddess they represent.

Demeter speaks of Persephone's departure

We met in fields of flowers,
And knew we were made for one another,
One of us coming from the other
As the leaf unfolds from the stem.

I had never seen anyone like you,
Clothed in black with your crown of flames,
Pale where I am bronzed,
As slender as my body is abundant.

I sing all summer long, I am so glad to make things grow.
But when I saw you, loneliness, the song died upon my lips.
In silence I came to you and could not rest
Until I had made you rejoice with me.

All that lives is mine, and by your laughter
You made it yours as well.
By the delight you gave me, the world was made
A thousandfold more fruitful.

We roamed my domain naked and
Made love in every valley, every grove.
For every time we pleased each other,
Berries sweetened, and corn put out more silk.

But you have many mansions of your own.
I knew that you would leave me
Once the grain was gathered to the barn
And grapes were tread, their blood poured into barrels.

Between the red and golden leaves of fall
And the first brief kiss of snowflakes,
You were gone, leaving my bed cold
And my heart almost frozen.

Wandering in starry midnights,
Clothed in the plumes of my own breath,
I have ached for you and cried enough
To cover mountain peaks and plains with ice.

My true love will come back to me,
But when? And does she delay
Because the treasures of the Underworld
Exceed the glory I can muster?

If you come not back to me,
My heart will break and break again
Until all of my flesh
Is given up to grief.

The world will be weighed down by mourning white
And the only flowers that bloom
Will be the ones I put in your hair
Before you disappeared.

Persephone speaks of her departure

We met in fields of flowers,
And knew we were made for one another,
One of us coming from the other
As the muscle unfolds from the bone.

I had never seen anyone like you,
Clothed in green with your crown of gold,
Nut-brown where I am bleached,
Round and curvaceous where I am angular.

You made me laugh,
I who am the steward of loss and suffering.
You filled my mouth with sweetness
And opened my heart to the light.

But generosity in a world without hunger
Becomes oppressive.
I am the force that sharpens the tooth of the wolf.
I am the spear of hunger, the whip of necessity.

You knew me too well.
You gave me too much.
It was for the sake of the world
I went away.

The earth cannot sustain forever
The urging of a goddess to bear
A riot of fruit, flowers, and grain.
It needs a time of peace, to be left alone.

Here in the quiet dark, I set
The kingdom of the dead in order,
Send dreams to those who slumber,
And inspire the sibyls in their caverns.

All that you make and unmake
Come to me in time, and so I must
Prepare a place for them.
I am a gracious host, with room for all.

Through my great throne room file
The newly-dead, and I must give each one an audience.
Hearts must be weighed, witnesses called.
I am the only judge without pity or bias.

Mercy is your gift.
I make no place for it here.
The line must move and part to left or right
About me. There is no appeal.

The right hand path takes my untarnished shades
To a land much like your own,
Where there is no blight upon the apple
Or rust upon the grain.

The left hand path goes steeply down
To the abyss where criminals must fall forever,
Doomed to be imprisoned by themselves
Until they learn to fly.

On bloody cushions I lounge, leaning on
The obsidian arm of my throne, eating
The pomegranate which is my orb of power.
And I want you because you are not here.

No separation is forever.
Love seeks out herself, omnipotent.
Your true love will come back to you
In another dress, in another's arms.

Your true love will come back to you
In fields of flowers, ready to tumble
For giddy pleasure in the oak tree's shadow.
Sleep now, and dream of me.

Demeter speaks of Persephone's return

Too long have I allowed
This cold blanket of sterile snow
To oppress my children
And damp my spirits down.

Let warm rain wash away all sorrow,
And fertile mud part to receive
The sun's embrace, which will awaken
The seeds of wheat and shoots of hardy weeds.

I love all that is green and growing,
Loved it before I met you in fields of flowers.
Come to me or stay away,
I cannot wait for you another day.

After the great love departs,
There are still the lesser loves
And as you dust off dead men's souls,
I will turn to work that has always been my own.

If I may not couple with my beloved,
Still the ram must seek his mate,
And mortal women ease the pain of lust with one another.
I will take pleasure in their pleasure.

It is better to be out in the sun
Than mourning solitary
Within my thin black mantle.
If I must be alone, let me at least be warm.

I am the goddess of vitality.
I am the fountainhead of mirth and sensuality.
Healing all the world, shall I
Refuse to heal myself?

So spring begins, hope rising with the sap.
I am wistful when your memory casts a shadow
Like a hawk that cuts between a flock of pigeons
And the sun.

But the dance of life goes on.
Its music takes me away from mourning.
If you want me, you can find me
Opening roses, building birds' nests, stealing honey.

Persephone speaks of her return

I am true to you in my own fashion.
If I were with you always,
You would come to hate me.
My absence strengthens your passion.

Did you imagine I did not suffer
When I had to leave your side?
On my light-murdering throne,
My body yearned for you, lips thirsted

For a kiss, my face burned
For a loving look from you,
My thighs and nipples trembled
Without your soothing touch.

Mortals hate death, and fear it,
And the goddess of death must mourn with them.
I pay for the power to stop a heartbeat
With three months of winter unheated by your love.

For me, as for all mortals,
An end must come to joy and
Quiet devour the play of the senses.
But nothing can alter the need I feel for you.

The fallow time is over.
Let spirits wait by the shore of the icy river
That flows uphill to my domain.
I have put the ferryman to sleep with a kiss.

Soon enough I will return
To run my red-eared hounds in quest of evil men,
Punish the cruel and greedy,
And trick oracles into warning wicked kings of their just demise.

But now I come to you as a starving child,
A woman who has been empty for far too long.
My hunger calls to the mother in you.
You cannot deny me the feast of your kisses.

This is my time to dance in the sun,
Though I am awkward as old bones.
We celebrate the animal satisfactions mortals hate
To leave behind when entering my service.

I will take you under canopies of figs,
Ravish you in thorny piles of brambles,
The Great Above wedded in bliss to the Great Below.
I will meet you in fields of flowers.

Planting

Brown:	Let us bury seeds in the earth,
	As a token of our dedication to the work
	The goddess has given each of us to accomplish
	While we wander here.
	May our creative endeavors, our work, our loves
	Flourish just as the Green World thrives with pleasure
	When the goddess feels her desire satisfied.

The Lottery

White:	We come together to release our goddess nature,
	The power of divinity which is our birthright.
	Who will risk herself within our circle,
	Pass into the hands of the Queen of Life and Death,
	And suffer a little of what she has suffered,
	To become a mouthpiece of her wisdom?

A covered container full of lots is passed around. The woman who draws the lot marked with a pomegranate will be "planted" like a seed (i.e., mummified or covered up in some fashion that includes whatever sensory deprivation she is able to tolerate). She is Persephone. The woman who draws a lot marked with a sheaf of wheat is Demeter, and she speaks the following words to Persephone. While she is speaking, everyone else in the circle covers her head and takes her own internal journey. You may also wish to have some coveners drum or use rattles to enhance this trip.

Demeter (Speaking Slowly):

We have deprived you of your five senses.
Let Persephone be your eyes and ears.
As you take the dark path downward
See what she sees, hear what she hears.

Go at her side, cling close to her,
And when guardians appear to block the way,
Remember the words of power she uses.
Whisper them after her.

The way is steep and stony,
But she will bear you up.
You will not fall.
Miles you walk, without being weary.

Deeper go, and deeper still,
Until you reach a place of utter silence
And leave all light behind.
There is true vision possible.

Who will come to speak to you?
What visions will be shown to you?
What food and drink will you sample?
What gifts will be put into your hands?

You will hear music that is not meant for human ears.
You will understand things that are hidden.
A hunger not of the body will be fed,
And riches obtained that are not currency in this world.

Refuse nothing.
Remember all.

Then come back to us,
Toward the light.
As you ascend, the words of power
You have learned will turn each guardian
Into a welcoming escort.
Step by step, you will climb to us
And return again to the mortal world.
We will welcome you,
We will care for you,
We will value your inspiration.

Persephone is unbound, and speaks of her journey.

The Quest

Red:

What will you do to restore the goddess to the earth?

She circulates with a basket full of slips of paper, with various things written on them. Each coven member takes a slip, and reads it aloud.

Red:	This is the quest that has been given to you
	Between the clasped hands of Demeter and Persephone.
	It is the seed that you must plant, water, and harvest.
	Think well and hard before neglecting this sacred obligation.
	May your quest bring you wisdom and joy.

The Feast

Blue:	As new shoots climb through black earth
	Toward the sun, we reach for what we need
	To make us whole and happy.
	The goddess has placed all before us that we need.
	Let us accept her bounty with gratitude,
	And let our pleasure in being nourished
	Serve as a sacrament to her.

Everyone in the circle is offered bread or cookies in the shape of a pig and fruit juice, preferably pomegranate.

Blue:	Bless you, goddess, for sustaining us.
	Receive us with loving kindness
	When our lives are done.

Juice and bread go around until everyone has feasted.

Dispersing the Quarters

Black:	Powers of the Center,
	Powers of generation,
	Let each woman carry what she has learned here today
	Forever in her heart.
	I disperse you with love and gratitude.

All:

Powers of the Center, hail and farewell!

Brown:	Powers of the North,
	Powers of earth and laying fallow,
	Put aside your iron-embossed shield.
	I disperse you with love and gratitude.

All:

Powers of the North, hail and farewell!

Blue:	Powers of the West,
	Powers of water and harvest,
	Cover your cauldron and let its concealing vapors fade.
	I disperse you with love and gratitude.

All:

Powers of the West, hail and farewell!

Red:	Powers of the South,
	Powers of sun and cultivation,
	Put down your leaf-edged spear.
	I disperse you with love and gratitude.

All:

Powers of the South, hail and farewell!

White:	Powers of the East,
	Powers of air and planting,
	Sheathe your double-edged sword.
	I disperse you with love and gratitude.

All:

Powers of the East, hail and farewell!

Blue Priestess walks around the circle counter-clockwise, starting in the east.

Blue:	Return to the world,
	And take the love and power of the goddess with you.
	Do not be crippled by sadness.
	Do not be destroyed by your own faults
	Or the injustice you see around you.
	Be wary, but do not be afraid.
	If you return to the world
	And take the love and power of the goddess with you,
	Magic will spring from your footsteps.
	May she guard you wherever you go.

Erasing the Circle

Black:	By the power of the goddesses we still remember,
	And those whose names have been taken from us,
	And those who will come to lead us to freedom,
	I erase this circle which contained our holy rite.
	I disperse all friendly powers and presences
	Who came to witness and assist us,
	And rendered us invisible to any who would interfere.
	I disperse you with love and gratitude.
	By the power of three times three,
	I declare this circle gone.

All:	So mote it be!
	The circle is open but unbroken.
	Merry meet, and merry part, and merry meet again.

You are welcome to perform all or a portion of this ritual. Please send me a letter or e-mail documenting the event and, if possible, a little (or a lot) about how it went for you. I'm enrolled in The Fellowship of the Spiral Path's training program for pagan clergy, and this documentation will be helpful to me in completing my training. Thanks!

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