Full Moon and Ritual

The last full Moon, She was huge and full and beautiful a few days past.  I called to Wolfie, I said, “Hey, Wolfie, wanna go give the Moon a drink?”  He nods, and we fill our offering horn with milk and head out to the patio.  The grass, the trees, the trampoline, shine silver.  Morgan decides this is a perfect gig for him and his new guitar, and joins us, strumming quietly.  Miraculously, he is followed by Rhianon, Archer, and Rowan (Rowan!) who cradles Maeve in his arms.  We stand together, watching Her for long moments.  I ask Rowan to hold Maeve up to the Moon, and I say, “This is Maeve, o Moon.”  As I pour out the horn of milk onto the grass, I say my favorite libation line from Sparky, “Drink long, drink deep, be with us, be well.”  It’s over as quickly as it started, and we file back into the house.

This, in our family, is ritual.  We have, over the years, stripped away almost every last bit of ceremonial magic (circle casting, quarter calling, pentagram drawing, etc.) from our religious practice.  I don’t judge any of those things; they are part of any Pagan’s religious inheritance.  For us, however, these simple rituals are a veryhonest and heartfelt way to creatively express our values and understanding of what it means to be Pagans.

Did you see the last full Moon? Wasn’t She beautiful?

Author: thewitchmama

Melanie Elizabeth Hexen is a midwife, regionally famous bellydancer, homeschooling mother and matriarch of the Many Hands House. She has been a witch for 25 years, and her belief system is currently based on the writings of Terry Pratchett and the teachings of Steven Posch. With her coven, the Prärie Hexen, she is creating the Hexen Tradition of Witchcraft. View all posts by thewitchmama