Imbolc ceremony for the Lady of Flowers (by Diana L. Paxson)
Thou Earth, thou Sky, thou Sun, thou Sea
I am the center of thy circled cross,
be thou represented equally in me!
Who is this that appears with the dawning?
She is clothed in mist, Her hair is pearled with dew.
She emerges from the sea, She rides upon the wind,
Her strength is the strength of the seedling surging toward the sun;
Her beauty blinds the eye.
Her beauty is as clear as water,
Her fragrance stirs the heart like a distant song.
When the wind whispers in budding branches and the new moon swings through the sky, She is here.
When blossoms open to the sunlight and earth receives the gentle rain,
She is here.
Oh, my brothers and sisters, we are gathered here to celebrate the coming of spring and to invoke the blessing of the Lady of Flowers. But winter's sleep was peaceful, demanding nothing.
Are you willing to wake, to grow, and with the world both to face the joy and the pain life brings? Is it your will to call the Lady here?
I am the kernel of the husk and the seed in the ground.
I am the shoot piercing the stone and opening its leaves to the sun.
Come to Me, and grow.
I am the rain in the cloud and the tides of the sea.
I am the wind of heaven that bears the seed to the earth and inspiration to men.
Come to Me and bring forth beauty.
I am the lightning in the storm and the star in the dark.
I am the fire of earth in the coal and the fire of love in the heart. Come to Me, and I will light the eternal flame within your soul.
The Lady blesses you; what will you give to Her?
O Shining One, who from afar bears beauty like the morning star, lend us Thy light who linger here, imprisoned in our pain and fear.
O ye who wander in a barren land
Behold, the Lady stretches out Her hand
All that was comfortless passed away
She leads the world rejoicing into the day
Behind Her trail, the lengthening daylight hours
And in Her footsteps spring the rainbowed flowers
Wise as the owl and tender as the dove
Her handmaidens are light and life and love
Hers is the rain that nourishes the soul
Her mirror shows us to ourselves, made whole
Out of death's sleep She rises with the morn
And, waking to Her kiss, we are reborn
From Diana L. Paxson’s first book in the Westria series; Lady of Light (1982).
We hail thee, brother sun, whose conquering light
Hath captured for the day so many hours,
And dance our triumph over dwindling night,
Surrounded and constrained by daylight’s powers.
*
Think not, oh, man, because the sun is now
Triumphant, that his power must still increase;
For it is not in nature to allow
Growth unchecked, or motion without cease.
*
And yet it is the sun whose burning kiss,
Touching earth, makes fruitful wood and field;
Lord of life, by whose bright power it is
That this world in its beauty is revealed.
*
But that same sun whose splendour fills the sky
At noon, must sink upon the evening’s breast
When the force that lifted him so high
Has drawn him once more downward to his rest.
*
Though he may rest, his warmth enfolds the land
In witness to his power. The barren cold,
Night’s offspring, is overcome. On every hand
The orchards redden, and the corn turns gold.
*
Maturity is followed by decline,
And in the eternal cycle of the years,
Earth will sleep in darkness yet again
As the sun’s power grows less and winter nears.
*
If this must truly be, then on this fire
Sun’s image - herbs of fortune let us lay,
And as we make it greater, may this pyre
Retain some power to guard each lessening day.
*
Oh, worshippers, fear not, for one thing dies
So that another may be born.
The sun, from his defeat at last, will rise
And make the darkest night give way to morn.
- from Diana L. Paxson’s first book in the Westria series;
Lady of Light (1982).
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I am Earth, the foundation, the sphere in which all the elements are conjoined.
“Hail, Lady of Earth, in whom all things take form!”
I am Earth. My body is the living soul, the rocks are my bones, the metals flow in my veins. The waves may beat against me, the winds buffet me, the fire sweep over me, but I abide.
I am Earth. I am the Bride and the Mother. Sun and rain quicken me; life springs from my womb to ascend into the heavens once more. From me come all green and growing things.
Child of the Earth, from Me all your substance comes.
Until the end of time when I am united with the Lord of Heaven once more, Earth I am and will remain.
“As you have seen and understood, so shall you be consecrated.”
(Seeker is sprinkled with salt, dressed in brown linen)
I am Water, water of the sky, waters of the sea, water of life in man’s blood, of death in his tears.
“Hail, Lord of the Waters, nourisher of all things!”
I am the mist on the mountains, the rain that soaks the earth, and the storm that washes all away.
Drop by drop I conquer the hardest rocks; my floods overwhelm the nations; I sink forests and fill plains; from the shores I carve new dominions for the sea.
“As you have seen and understood, so shall you be consecrated.”
(Seeker is drenched with water, dressed in silky sea green)
I am Air, the wind of heaven and the breath of life.
I draw both heat and cold across the world, carrying the clouds from the sea to give their blessing to the land, to bear seed to the earth and pollen to the flower.
Terrible as thunder I can be, or softer than a feather on a breeze.
And yet, I also bear the sounds that stir your soul, the words by which you understand the world.
“As you have seen and understood, so shall you be consecrated.”
(Seeker is incensed, dressed in orange robe)
I am the fire of light and life, and love.
I am the fire at Earth’s core, the fire of life in man or animal, the fire of passion and redeeming love.
(Initiate is dressed in priestess’ black robe)
From Diana L. Paxson’s first book in the Westria series; Lady of Light (1982).
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