Blessed Be Research Paper

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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

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