Urania - Rite 4. Lunar Magic of the Tides

Priestess: (Invocation) Divine Artemis of the Golden Bow, Whose silver arrows shoot into the brow of artist, poet and lover: under Whose powerful protection live stags and hinds, bears and wolves; bestow on us Thy inspiration. Give us understanding of all living creatures: bring us in harmony with Thy glorious Nature: remember us, though we have neglected Thee.

Oracle: You have done well. You have heard My demands. At the eleventh hour you turn to My ways. Be confident and walk forth in hope. For thousands of long earth years which to the Deities is but the passing of a moment, you have turned away from Me in the pursuit of your own artifacts. And this was intended, that you should learn the skills of Hephaestus the Smith; and the high thoughts of My twin Brother Phoebus Apollo. But now, sated with your own mechanical toys, frightened by the Nemesis of your own acts, you turn to Me.

In your wanton destruction of your fields and woods you destroy yourselves. In the death of wild creatures, you injure your own existences. In your proud separation from Nature, you alienate your souls. But you have turned to Me. Know that Nature also has a soul: that the earth is a living being too mighty for you to understand: that every creature, every stick, each atom, has its true being in the psychic realm over which I preside.

All the nature that you see is a mirage of My true nature. You gaze at that which is before your eyes: yet this is a phantasm of that which truly lies behind you. You would follow My ways? Shut your eyes that you may see. The future you will know when you gaze upon the past - and so walk backwards to the future. Use your right hand for the day and the left hand for the night. Turn to the right for the gifts of My brother Phoebus of the Sun: turn to the left three times with your eyes closed if you would travel to My Moon.

For My Moon is not the moon you see. And My arrows are not only moon beams, but rather are the shining radiations of the Spirit. Treat My children of the Wild with care and respect: not as pets, but as your equals. So you will be the friends of bats and toads: of deer and wolves: of foxes and badgers: of owls and snakes: and of My ethereal creatures that exists in the sphere of My Moon, and are seen by your young children, who are not yet blinded and deafened by your ephemeral world. The key to My sphere is through reflection.

Let there be a black or dark blue velvet covered altar with three candles upon it. All 3 candles may be silver, or, left, black; right, white and centre, gold. On the altar let there be incense, a crystal ball under a black velvet cloth (or mirror), a silver or black-and-white striped wand, and a silver bell. The Magician wears an indigo, violet or black robe with golden moon as insignia; a silver head-dress or crown and silver stole. If the Magician be a lady, she may prefer the title “Enchantress”. Participants are robed in similar colours. The ceremony may be enacted by one Magician working alone: or with both woman and man who share the working. Participants may invoke the Sidhe at the quarters: the bard wears a wreath. Magician offers incense before the altar and holds up arms in “Y” position.

Magician: I invoke the Triple Goddess of the Moon: She who Was and Is and Is to Be.

Magician: (lights left candle) I invoke the Goddess of the Waning and Dark Moon, She Who Was; Beltis.

Bard: She is mighty, She is divine, Beltis the Goddess, clothed in light Who doth pass through the heavens. She accuses and She intercedes. She humbles the rich, and vindicates the cause of the lowly: She overthrows the enemy, he who does not revere Her Godhead. She delivers the captive, and takes the hand of the fallen. Bless Thy children who honour Thy Name: Give life to Thy children, Thy offspring. Let them speak of Thy Grace; let them glorify Thy Name. Take their hands in need and suffering; In disease and distress give them life. May they go ever in joy and delight. May they tell of Thy goodness to the people of the whole world.

Priest: Goddess of the Dark Moon, give us Thy gift of compassion. May we have courage to face the deeds of our past lives: may we forgive and so be forgiven.

Magician holds a hand over the cup of water until white or blue power is seen coming from it.

Magician: May this water bring vision and healing. (Magician lights right candle.) I invoke the Goddess of the New Moon, She Who Is To Be: Cynthia. Sweet Virgin Daughter, Hope of the ages, be our guiding Light.

Bard: "Greeting to Thee, New Moon,

Kindly jewel of guidance,

I bend my knees to Thee,

I offer Thee my love.

I raise my hands to Thee,

I lift up mine Eyes to Thee,

New Moon of the Seasons.

Greeting to Thee, New Moon,

Greeting to Thee, New Moon,

Darling of Graces.

Thou dost journey on Thy course,

Thou steerest the flood-tide,

Thou lighteth up Thy Face

For us, New Moon, Queen of Guidance,

Queen of Good Fortune, Queen of Our Love,

New Moon of the Seasons."

Magician holds hand over crystal ball until colours are seen in it.

Magician: May this crystal be hallowed for true prophecy.

Magician: (lights centre candle) I invoke the Goddess of the Full Moon, She Who Is; Astarte. Goddess of faithful lovers, Bringer of all progeny and crops and fruit: bestow on us Thy lovely gifts.

Bard: "Greetings to Thee, Gem of the Night.

Beauty of the Skies, Gem of the Night,

Mother of the Stars, Gem of the Night.

Sister of the Sun, Gem of the Night,

Majesty of the Stars, Gem of the Night."

Magician: Let us rejoice in the Present Time: so may we weave our many coloured memories of the past into a noble design for our future of Destiny.

Magician holds hand over wand, until flame and green rays are seen circling round the tip.

Magician: May this wand be hallowed for the art of true magic. (Magician picks up wand and faces the West) I evoke the mystical circle of the Moon’s year as She journeys through Her twenty-eight mansions and thirteen cycles, backward through the sky.

Magician: (makes the new moon sign in the West) In the West, place of the New Moon, I invoke the Sidhe of Water. May serene emotion prevail.

Magician makes a Circle towards the South and sees a silvery light following the wand’s tip.

Magician, makes sign of the full moon, left to right.

Magician: I invoke the Sidhe of Fire. Let Vitality be given.

Magician continues silver lighted circle saying these words at the quarters:

Magician: (makes sign of waning moon, East) In the East, place of the Waning Moon, I invoke the Sidhe of Air. May we dispense our jewels to those who seek.

Magician: (makes sign the dark moon right to left, in the North) In the North, place of the Dark Moon, I invoke the Sidhe of Earth. May wisdom of the Depths be found.

Magician draws the silver circle inwards in a spiral and forms and an inner circle. Within this, with flowing light, Magician makes the ‘S’ symbol. Magician lays his wand on the altar.

Magician: Holy Goddess of the Moon, Triple Hecate of the Cross-Ways where all paths meet, come to us. In Thee, all things are reconciled. Gold, Silver, Black and White, High and Low, Left and Right, are held in harmony in Thy mysterious Sphere. Love and Truth are united in Thy Beauty. Let them reconciled in us. Give us the gift of Intuition. Bestow on us Thy vision of Thy Truth.

Magician drinks from cup of water and participants drink from it.

Magician: To adore the Goddess is good, as we gaze upon Her Beauty. But it is also necessary to allow Her to inspire us as She comes behind us, that we may act as Her daughters and Her sons. So must we look into Her reflecting mirror of vision.

Magician places the crystal ball in the centre of the circle on the black velvet cloth. Magician sits with back to the altar and gazes upon the crystal. Participants sitting in a circle do likewise. A rainbow may be seen around it.

Bard: Sweet-voiced Muses, well-skilled in song, tell us of the long winged Moon that we may see Her with the Inner Eye. From Her Immortal Head a radiance is shown from heaven and embraces earth; and great is the beauty that ariseth from Her shining light. The air unlit before, glows with the light of Her Golden Crown, and Her Rays beam clear. When ever bright Selene, having bathed Her Lovely Body in the water of the ocean, and donned Her far-gleaming raiment, drives on Her long-maned horses at full speed, at eventide in the mid-month then Her great orbit is full, and then Her beams shine brightest as She increases. So She is a sure token and a sign to mortal men. Hail, white-armed Goddess, bright Selene, mild bright-tressed Queen. Show us Thy Beauty.

Magician rings bell three times. Contemplation of the Goddess. Shining white light may be seen filling the circle from the crystal and other colours including green and violet. Participates bathe in this light and feel moon power enter them.

Magician: Let us prepare our souls for astral journeying to the Moon’s Sphere. Hear and understand the tale of Ascension of Princess Kaguya of Japan to her home in the Moon. May eyes be closed and vision paint the picture, as we join those who watch the sky.

Bard: Not a sound came from above. As midnight drew near, an unearthly brilliance, ten times brighter than ten thousand moons filled the sky, and the watchers cowered back in terror, almost blinded. From the highest point in the Heavens, a wreath of white clouds slowly massed together and gently and silently began to drift downwards. As the white cloud ship approached the watchers, they could see that many beautiful creatures were grouped upon it: some standing, some sitting, and all dressed in shining kimonos of rainbow colours.

The white ship drifted to a point just above the roof top and there rested quietly. Then the watchers saw a graceful palanquin gliding down the broad path of light. It was guided by beautiful beings, led by a young Moon God, more gracious and lovely than the rest. He descended to earth and placed ceremoniously before Princess Kaguya an ornamented box. He opened it and presented her with a shining pitcher and a flowing robe of the most delicate gossamer silk, in colours that irradiated all around her, like thousands of beads of rain. The Princess Kaguya draped the robe about her shoulders and a look of majesty fell upon her.

Divine Joy flowed into her cheeks and ethereal air surrounded her whole being. So was she revealed as the Moon Goddess. Before she ascended into the sky with the Moon God, she presented the pitcher to her earthly friend and spoke these words: “This pitcher holds a potion that, when any taste of it, they will obtain everlasting life.”

Magician uses water to anoint the brow of all present and rings the bell twice.

Magician: The time has come for us to journey in our souls to the Sphere of the Moon, called by the Goddess and guided by our Guardian Angels.

Silence

All sit with eyes closed and experience Astral travel to the moon’s sphere.

Magician: Let us slowly and tranquilly return from the realm of the Moon, bringing with us memory of all that we wish to treasure.

Magician rings bell once. As participants return to the circle and open their eyes, white light may again be seen and many colours.

Magician: Let us send forth serenity, vitality and healing to all beings: Sidhe, human, animal and plant. May the names of any we wish to aid be spoken and any colour seen be sent forth for their welfare.

Participants send forth coloured rays.

Magician: Let us share our experiences in the sphere of the Queen of the Night.

Participants share their visions and knowledge.

Magician covers crystal and returns to altar and with wand draws the spiral in reverse, left to right. Starting with the “S” in the circle and stopping before each quarter saying these words:

Magician: Thanks are given to the Sidhe of Water, in the West, for serene emotion. Thanks are given to the Sidhe of Earth, in the North, for wisdom of the depths. Thanks are given to the Sidhe of Air, in the East, for generous giving. Thanks are given to the Sidhe of Fire, in the South, for Vitality.

Magician faces altar, arms in “Y” position.

Magician: Thanks are given to the Triple Goddess, She Who Was, and Is and Is To Be. For She has drawn aside Her Veil from Her golden sandaled feet.

Magician: (faces participants and makes the Yin-Yang sign of the triple moon) In the Name of the Triple Goddess, go forth with the Divine Blessing.

Magician puts out candles left, right, centre. The water is reserved for healing and blessing amulets.

Sources: "ABC to Mythology", Helen A. Clarke, J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd., Toronto, Canada. "Babylonian New Year Ritual", trans. Maspero. "Goddesses of Chaldea, Syria and Egypt", Cesara. "A Celtic Miscellany". "Japanese Tales and Legends", as retold by Helen McAlpine and William and Joan Kiddell-Monroe, Oxford University Press, London (out of print).

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