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A Ritual of Awakening
For the working:
1/Gold or Yellow Pillar Candle
1/White Pillar Candle
1/Black or Dark Pillar Candle
Candle snuffer (optional)
Place the candles in a triangular shape on a small altar table. The White
Pillar would be the point of the triangle with the Gold on the Left base and
the Black on the Right base. A white or gold altar cloth would be suggested.
Something plain is preferable rather than a patterned cloth. Everything should
be very simple, uncluttered and clean with the candles as the central focus.
Sacred space is prepared is whatever way is compatible with your path. Invoke
those Patrons, Guides or Deity that you work with and wish to have witness and
support this rite. For my ritual I would use RA, as the sustaining light and
Anpu as holder of the dark and the midnight Sun. I also work regularly with
Het-Heru (as the Ureaus) and would call Her forth as inner anchor for the
energy.
Make statement of your intent to enliven and awaken your Inner Sun that its
flame may burn brightly in the months ahead. You want to speak this aloud, so
that all of your subtle bodies may respond to the physical vibration of the
words you are setting forth.
Begin by lighting the Gold candle. Declare this candle as the energy of the Sun
(RA) held in its peak of potency and life sustaining properties. It is the
catalyst that bursts forth at the dawn of each day. It is the strength and
fullness of light as the midday sun. And, it is the drawing of the solar
energies into the belly of night; still burning brightly as its mysteries are
held in the Midnight Sun. Take some time to connect with these energies and
envision this solar cycle in whatever way presents and feels natural to you.
Breathe in deeply, feeling the expansion of your lungs and imagining this
expansion as the heat and warmth of the growing sun.
Next, stand before the White Candle (Het-Heru) . Make declaration that this
candle represents the pure illumined energy of your Higher Self and the power
and strength that is held within. This candle represents your Spirit and the
true nature of your being, that flows with the cycles of nature, the seasons,
the Universal and Cosmic laws. Feel its resonance within you as you speak each
work of description. You may also wish to say your mundane and magickal names,
affirming your identify in Spirit and Matter. Using the Gold pillar as Source,
light the White candle of your Being. Place the Gold pillar back on its stand.
Return your focus to the growing flame of the White candle as the brilliance of
Light that is held within the solar fires that have burned so hot and so pure
that nothing remains except that which holds All. Breathe your energy into this
candle feeling the resonance and connection to the core of your inner sun. And,
inhale deeply the reciprocity of its energetic return spreading throughout your
body. Allow this enlivened energy to move through your body as it will and
making note of where it settles. You may experience a pulsating feeling at the
center of your solar plexus or feel something like a sun-filled liquid warmth
moving gently through you. Just continue to breathe gently as you envision the
circuit you have created of inhale and exhale, receipt and return.
Move to stand in front of the Dark Pillar (Anpu) . Make declaration that this
candle represents the coming season of darkness and decrease in visible light.
This is also the power and the mystery of the Midnight Sun and the spark of
potent flame that lay within the depths of all that gives illusion of shadow.
Take a moment to feel the raw energy of this darkness and the imposing silence
that reaches long into the night. Using the White Pillar, light this candle. As
you do so, declare this as the quickening of the darkness so that it may
nurture and hold strong the spark of catalytic flame that will burst forth at
the Winter Solstice. Place the White Pillar back on its stand. Return your
focus to the Dark Candle and breathe into its flame and open to connecting
deeply to the contrast of white/blue flame and dark wax. Envision the lantern
of your own Inner Sun lighting the paths of this darkness. Envision the reality
that on this earth plane; night and day occur simultaneously with only the
designation of geographical location as the determining factor as to what we
name as dark and light.
Come to stand at center point in front of these three lit candles. Allow your
gaze to move from one to the other, remembering what each represents and the
energy of connection you have made. Soften your gaze, and allow the stream of
light emanating from each to interweave. Breathe deeply and fully as you relax
into this weaving. Soften your gaze further and see these three streams coming
to a central point directed towards you. Breathe into this co-mingling of
energy feeling its point of connection at the same place you felt the settling
of your inner flame previously when connecting to the Gold pillar. Feel the
strength of the Sun (Gold Pillar) , Your Inner Sun (White Pillar) and the
Midnight Flame (Dark Pillar) coalescing as a singular Source of Light to bring
forward and light the paths of your own inner darkness as the year wanes.
When you have received all that is needed, offer up gratitude for this
experience. Offer up service to the nurturing and tending of this Fiery energy
within and the gift and blessings of the Solar Flame you have received. Stand
once again before each of the candles and offer thanks to their individual
energies and then gently use a snuffer to extinguish each candle in turn. When
you have extinguished the Dark Pillar, take a deep breath in and gently breathe
out in exhale of release allowing whatever excess energy you may feel to gently
fall away, leaving you feeling renewed and empowered.
Thank the Deities and those seen and unseen Who have offered their witness and
support. Close down your sacred space in whatever way is in keeping with your
path. Be sure to get something to eat and drink immediately following to ground
and center. If necessary, connect with the earth or floor beneath you allowing
any excess to drain into the Great Mother.
May the blessings of Solstice Light burn ever brightly informing and infusing
all of your actions. Blessed Be
Yule/Winter Solstice 21st December (Northern
Hemisphere) Yule is midwinter. A time when all is dead and passed. The old year has died and the new year begins. From this day forward the days will begin to grow in length again and the Sun has been 'reborn'. This is the basic idea of Yule. It is a time to celebrate the return of warmth and summer and thus life.
In Egyptian myth we know Horus (Heru-sa-aset) to be the Sun God born of the mother at a correlating time to December 25th. So who else to associate with Yule than Isis (Aset) and Horus? It just so happens to work perfectly with the previous and next Sabbat too.
Imbolc 2nd February (NH)
This is the festival of Brighid in Celtic Mythology and Wiccan Theology. It is a very Celtic festival (also called Candelmass and adopted by Christians) , so why should it be brought into a Kemetic calendar? For one, it already is. This date is estimated to be the date of the birth and festival of Nuit, the starry sky mother. So was a celebrated date in Egypt anyway. But linking back to what happened at Yule and keeping to the nature of the holiday it would be a time when Isis nurtures her new baby son, the young Sun God as he grows in strength, as the Sun does at this time. This festival of light shows the Sun God growing his first rays and maturing.
Ostara/Spring Equinox 22nd March (NH)
This festival is Germanic and was not celebrated in the British Isles, where many of the Sabbats in the Wheel are based. The Equinoxes were observed in Egypt though. There are many ideas you could use for this festival of Spring, resurrection, life and birth. It would be an ideal time to rise the Djed Pillar and bring Osiris (Wesir) back to life, to reign as God of the living once again and oversee the growth of Agriculture (as he did in his living reign) . Today the day is equal to night and so it makes sense for the Goddess of Balance and Order, Ma'at to bring back to life the God of Justice and Order, Osiris.
Beltane/May Day 1st May (NH)
Beltane is the fire festival of the beginning of summer, celebration love, warmth, life, sexuality and fertility. So what better Goddess to celebrate than Hathor (Het-Hert) ? The Egyptians celebrated the marriage of Hathor and Horus (Heru-Wer) and so this is the perfect date, where the mature Sun God unites with the Mother Goddess of Love. Together their union produced Ihy, a child God of joy and music. Their marriage truly captures the meaning of Beltane, especially as they are both solar deities; so let the Beltane fires burn for them!
Litha/Summer Solstice 21st June (NH)
Litha is the longest day of the year, midsummer. The Sun is at it's most powerful, yet after this day the year will begin to wane again. Two main myths may be put in place here, such as the Power and Fall of Ra and thus myth of Sekhmet or the contending of Horus and Set. Alternatively some may choose to celebrate Wep Ronpet here but I will leave that for next. Chronology would get confusing here as you will see later as the festivals can celebrate events as they happen but not necessarily in order with the story. If you celebrate the Contendings here then you need to appreciate that Set doesn't kill Osiris until Mabon, even though the two Gods are fighting now about just that... The choice is up to the Pagan, but the main point of the holiday, for whatever myth you use is celebrating the power of the Sun and life, but also acknowledging that death will come.
Lughnasadh/Lammas 1st August (NH)
This is the first of three harvest festivals. As aforementioned the could be a time to celebrate Wep Ronpet, Egyptian New Year and the birth of the Five of the Ennead. Some may prefer to do this at Litha or on the actual rise of Sirius. If so, then this would be a festival of the fertility God Min and being thankful for any bounty received in the year. This is the idea for Wep Ronpet: The first day is obviously the first of August and it is appropriate that the God of agriculture (in his living form) Osiris should be born. We can be grateful for his bounty, like we are for Min’s. For the 2nd day it is Horus' birthday (Heru-Wer) and so we celebrate the Sun, drunkenness, and power. 3rd day is the birth of Set and we celebrate the balance of chaos, sexual prowess and strength. 4th day is Isis and we celebrate magick, wisdom and motherhood. The fifth day we celebrate Nephthys (Nebet-Het) and the death, mystery and hidden knowledge of life. The sixth and final day can be a celebration of the new year once they are all born and celebrate the gift of life by the creator and also share some time with the mother Nuit, who birthed the Five.
Mabon/Autumn Equinox 22nd September (NH)
This is the day when again night is equal to day, however now the nights will become longer than daytime. It is the second harvest and so sacrifice is made. Now that Set and Osiris have been born their myth begins again. Today Set kills Osiris and dark conquers light. It is up to you, but now Set and Nephthys rule the remaining year (or Nephthys and Osiris depending on your interpretation of the myth) . In this last period of harvest before the final one in November Isis will frantically search for her husbands body, as we reap the last crops of his natural flesh and bring it to our homes.
Samhain 31st October - 1st November (NH)
This is the festival of the dead. Correlating to the actual timing of the Egyptians in their calendar, Osiris is mummified now. Anubis (Anpu) , Nephthys and Isis come together and reassemble his body. We pay respect for the dead this day. Isis will breathe life into Osiris and lay with him, placing Horus in her womb before Osiris departs with all other souls that visit earth that day back up to Nuit in heaven, where he becomes Lord of the Underworld. Isis is now pregnant with the Sun Go
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