As someone who is relatively new to the craft I had heard the term “Blessed Be,” but I had no knowledge of its history and usage. As a result, I didn't know it was used in the Five Fold Kiss, and in fact I didn't even know what the Five Fold Kiss was. Before researching the term “Blessed Be” I had very little knowledge of coven ritual practices, since I have always practiced as a solitary Pagan. Additionally, I've never read anything about the term “Blessed Be,” so all I knew was how it was used by other Pagans and Witches that I've encountered in on-line forums. Based on my observations, I developed the idea that it was a term used as a greeting, and employed during certain rituals. What I didn't realize is that “Blessed Be” is a sacred declaration that should be preserved for the most solemn of occasions. A key to understanding the sacredness, and the confusion surrounding the usage of the term “Blessed Be” can be found in the etymology of the word “bless.” The root of the verb “bless” comes from the Old English word “blētsian,” which means to “consecrate, or make …show more content…
Michael Ashcraft, the origin of the term “Blessed Be,” as it is used in magical practices today, is from Freemasonry. Gerald Gardner, who was greatly influenced by Freemasonry, was the first person to use the phrase “Blessed Be” in his, so called, fictional work High Magic's Aid. This book was published as a novel under his pseudonym "Scire,” due to the legal restrictions concerning witchcraft at the time, but it was the first published book to openly describe an actual Pagan coven ritual. In this book, Gardner for the first time describes the Five Fold Kiss, from which the term “Blessed Be” came into common use. The Five Fold Kiss is used primarily during an initiation or dedication rite to invoke the Goddess, and to bless five parts of the initiate's or dedicatees body. Each ritual kiss is followed by a blessing which is begun by the ritual phrase “Blessed
· Thanks – this is when we say thank you to God and Jesus in prayer
The Blessing and Invocation of God over Baptismal Water evokes the history of baptism. The sacred scripture of the Bible is the etymology of the prayer, as it accentuates the purpose; it illustrates the new birth and death the newly baptized are involved in. The prayer is structured in stanzas of four sections. The first section makes reference to God’s power and amplifies the faithful’s gratitude to God’s grace that is received, the second section relates to the Old Testament and portrays the power and role of water that baptised and immersed the evil to reveal the virtuous
The book is a poem about love the way it is meant to be, and he stresses and explains “the kiss” that is constantly being portrayed. “Shall I not find that a richer grace is poured out upon me from him whom the Father has anointed with the oil of gladness more than all his companions, if he will deign to kiss me with the kiss of his mouth” (Page 216).... ... middle of paper ... ...
“Kiss Me” becomes an anthem for Anthony and Johanna and a symbol of their true
Winslade, J. Lawton. "Teen Witches, Wiccans, and "Wanna Blessed Be's": Pop Culture Magic in Buffy the Vampire Slayer". Slayage 1. 9 Dec. 2002 http://www.slayage.tv/ essays/slayage 1 /winslade.html
Without that final little bow, things still feel open and dropped rather than finalized and done. Some prayers from other religions are quite beautiful and if I was to use them in my own practice I would change ‘amen’ to ‘so mote it be’. I am more comfortable using so mote it be, given its meaning and origin, than amen.
The Besoms general definition is a broom made of twigs tied around a stick. However in the world of Wiccan and Witchcraft the meaning of the Besom is much more than that, Magically speaking the Besom is a symbol of fertility and sexuality. The Besom represents both Feminine and Masculine aspects coming together many sources record the traditional construction of Besoms as a handle made of ash, a head made of birch twigs, with a binding made of willow. The Ash is said to represent Masculinity, protection, amorous love and is said to have command over the four elements, while the birch is a wood associated with femininity, cleansing, and is said to draw spirits to ones service Willow is sacred to the Goddess and binds all three together becoming a symbol of the unity of both Femininity and Masculinity.
You look at a person who is very sick, and you feel touched; you want to help him out. If the person who is receiving the Oneness Blessing also has the same intent, it becomes doubly powerful. To have a strong intention, the heart has to flower; you have to listen to the other person and really feel for him.
Throughout history, many societies have had secret hand signs and less secret hand signs These hand signs can have religious, political, cultural and social meanings. Hands are used to communicate or to show signs of respect or loyalty. In the religious sense, it may be to communicate with G‑d, or to make others aware of respect or obedience to G‑d. Hand signs do not play as important a role in Jewish religious practice as in some other communities. Because the signs tend to be traditional, they are used less frequently and often not at all by less traditional Jews. Of all the Jewish hand signs, the most famous is that of the priestly blessing, the Birchat Kohanim, and yet it is rarely
‘Holy Baptism is full initiation by water and the Holy Spirit into Christ’s body the Church’. These few words are the initiatory comments in the Book of Common Prayer (1979) concerning the rite of Baptism and the purpose of the service. Within them lies an understanding that, while possibly implicit, in previous Prayerbooks had not been made clear, or was deliberate...
As a form of greeting 1:28; 19:6. As being pleased or happy 22:5; 23:8. As a form of celebration 1:14; 6:23; 10:20; 13:17; 15:5,32; 19:37
Through the various calls for response made by the priests, “let us be attentive”, “let us pray to the Lord”, “peace be with you” and “servant of God” tradition is linguistically demonstrated. Each of these and other prayers was concluded with a response or “Amen” typically by the priest or the choir. Also, we saw reminders of God’s beauty in the images of those who loved and served the Lord throughout the ages as painting on the ceilings and walls.
According to the school, “The Great Rite is an ancient Pagan ritual that was created by and for farmers”. This was a means to ensure that their plants would grow. Others claim that the Great Rite is a Wiccan ritual involving sexual intercourse with the purpose of drawing energy from the powerful connection between the male and female. For the sake of the school, I am going to focus on the aspect that farmers performed the ritual in order to do one thing; survive. The ritual is general has nothing to do with sex; it’s about the fertility of the land.
Gerald Gardner is widely considered to be the father of modern Wicca. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the phrase “So Mote It Be”, that has its roots in Freemasonry, has found its way into Pagan and Wiccan ritual. In a Pagan/Wiccan context, so mote it be is typically used at the end of rituals or spells to instill added conviction or intent and is quite frequently used similarly to the word “Amen. It can also be used to express the concept that should the God/Goddess will it to be so and see fit,
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Praising God for His blessings can be found in Ephesians 1:3, and ascribing to Him all glory can be found in Romans 11:36 and also Ephesians 3:21, and affirming the Trinity comes from Matthew 28:19, have always been integral parts of