[CedarLight Grove, ADF]
CedarLight Discussion => CedarLight Announcements and CedarLight Events => Topic started by: Aleja on September 03, 2015, 04:14:22 PM
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Moon Rite Proposal for Sunday, October 25th, 2015
(Actual Full Moon: 10/27. Also a Super Moon!)
Ritual Execration at Sunset to Bast and Sekhmet, as Eyes of Ra
(Probably aim to start at 5pm)
Open to the Public; Open to Children
Ritual Purpose: To get rid of that which does not serve us.
Ritual Format: Not exactly ADF. Basic Outline as follows.
1. Purification with salt water
2. Opening Statements: Why are we here and what are we doing? Brief explanation of execrations (probably will put more info online, and will explain in more depth at pre-ritual brief before handing out paper)
3. Anointing of those gathered (this probably needs a song)
4. Opening Prayer: Calling Ra to assist us in this work, asking his permission to call upon his Daughters (also probably Ma'at)
5. Invocations of Bast and Sekhmet
6. Offering of food as thanks: all the food brought by the folk to be ritually offered first to the Netjeru
7. Omen taken – is the offering accepted, can the execration begin? If Y, proceed, if N, additional offerings made, likely toning or song and dance. I'll have things on hand if need be.
8. The things to be execrated are offered to the fire: mainly red ½ sheets of paper with THINGS THAT DON'T SERVE THEM written on them/drawn on them, etc. The folk can talk or explain if they want.
9. Final Prayer: Calling upon Bast and Sekhmet, Eyes of Ra, and their Seven Arrows to remove these things from our lives
10. Powdered incense of some variety to be put into the fire to send them wherever they need go.
11. Closing statements... but not exactly “the end”, because the Revels are a super important part of this. During this part, I plan to pass out lit red candles to the participants, so that they may take the scorching heat of the Eyes of Ra back to their own altars.
11. Revels... because the food must be consumed by participants. Some wine served to those of age during revels, but folk not encouraged to bring their own alcohol, as everyone's getting kicked out before 10.
Sources and Further Reading:
1. A good place to start when understanding Kemetic Execrations:
https://thetwistedrope.wordpress.com/2012/09/18/devo-magix-execrations/ (https://thetwistedrope.wordpress.com/2012/09/18/devo-magix-execrations/)
2. Outline of Ritual Based Vaguely on This:
https://persebek.wordpress.com/practices/rites/general-solitary-kemetic-ritual/ (https://persebek.wordpress.com/practices/rites/general-solitary-kemetic-ritual/)
3. Really basic Kemetic Wiki entry on Bast:
http://wepwawet.org/wiki/index.php?title=Bast (http://wepwawet.org/wiki/index.php?title=Bast)
4. Really basic Kemetic Wiki entry on Sekhmet:
http://wepwawet.org/wiki/index.php?title=Sekhmet (http://wepwawet.org/wiki/index.php?title=Sekhmet)
5. Really astoundingly short Kemetic Wiki entry on the Eyes of Ra:
http://wepwawet.org/wiki/index.php?title=Eye_of_Ra (http://wepwawet.org/wiki/index.php?title=Eye_of_Ra)
I will track down more sources for people to get a better feel for the Netjeru, but that's a start. As a note, I'm not planning on there being a journey to meet Bast and Sekhmet, but if that's something a lot of people want we can discuss it. I am more than willing to write up a script, though, so that people can journey to meet them on their own if they want to.
So, what do I need from YOU, you ask?
Supplies: (I will probably purchase, but if the ritual team wants to pitch in I'd be forever grateful)
Red copy paper (1 ream should be more than enough)
Red votives (how many depends on likely # of participants)
Powdered incense (in the amber/musk/sandalwood sort of scent family)
Oil for anointing (I'm thinking mineral oil with a few drops of essential oil in it, maybe sandalwood)
Red wine (a couple bottles... depends how many people are coming)
Ritual Team Positions:
Bast Invocation (also probably anointing people, and passing out red candles)
Sekhmet Invocation (also probably anointing people, and passing out red candles)
Fire Warden
Hearth Warden
MC – to help with music and to keep the execration offerings moving
General Set-up Helpers
So, WHO'S WITH ME?
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This sounds great. I would like to attend.
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YAASSSSS I am WITH YOUUUU
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I'm glad to see more interest (I've talked to a few people in person, too), but I could really use some volunteers, if anyone knows they will be able to attend!
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You tell me where you would like me to help. Im interested in all of this.
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Hmm. Well, do you know either Bast or Sekhmet? I was hoping John Weller would invoke Sekhmet if he can make it, but I've really got no other "plans" for any role. You could always help with the fire and/or set up - you make beautiful main altars and I may need some decorating help!
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I know one is a protector of children and the other is along the lines of destruction? So I shouldnt call any deities because Im unfamiliar but I can help with the little things.
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The hubs' patron is Bast. I'll have to let him know about this so we can both attend. Do you want me to see if he'll invoke Bast? I keep nagging him to get an account on the board, but I'm not sure if he's actually done it.
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Dragonfaerie: I have John Weller penciled in for Sekhmet but sure, if he wants to do Bast I would love that! Though honestly I can't remember who you are... I'm not on the forum enough to remember everyone's username, it seems!
Debbie: Sure, I'll put you down for set up and decorating help! And sorta but they're honestly both very destructive and protective... Which reminds me, I was going to find a few more resources/links for them...
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More Resources on Bast:
http://www.per-bast.org/bast/ (http://www.per-bast.org/bast/)
http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/bast.html (http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/bast.html)
http://egyptian-gods.org/egyptian-gods-bastet/ (http://egyptian-gods.org/egyptian-gods-bastet/)
http://www.egyptianmyths.net/bastet.htm (http://www.egyptianmyths.net/bastet.htm)
http://www.crystalinks.com/bast.html (http://www.crystalinks.com/bast.html)
More Resources on Sekhmet:
http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/Sekhmet.html (http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/Sekhmet.html)
http://egyptian-gods.org/egyptian-gods-sekhmet/ (http://egyptian-gods.org/egyptian-gods-sekhmet/)
http://www.egyptianmyths.net/sekhmet.htm (http://www.egyptianmyths.net/sekhmet.htm)
http://www.crystalinks.com/sekhmet.html (http://www.crystalinks.com/sekhmet.html)
http://www.per-bast.org/bast/essay9.html (http://www.per-bast.org/bast/essay9.html)
Another Resource on Eyes of Ra:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_of_Ra (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_of_Ra)
Most of the information in these is good, but some of it needs to be taken with a grain of salt, so browse through. And the pairings/conflations and other forms of hyphenated Kemetic (Egyptian) deities are really confusing at first, so don't worry about it unless you want to continue working with them later.
The BIGGEST THING is this: Bast is NOT the "softer" version of Sekhmet. They are frequently paired, but not as each other's foil. They have different personalities, but they can are both destructive forces if they need to be. And it is exactly that aspect of them that we are calling for in this rite.
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So, I've already written prayers to Bast and Sekhmet, and I figure we'll use these for their invocations:
PRAYER TO BAST:
Bast, Lady of the East,
We give you praise!
You walk with us in the sunlight,
You guide us through the shadows,
And we are blessed.
Lady of Ointments, Lady of Perfumes, Lady of the Flame,
We make offerings to you!
I light candles in your name,
I offer sweet smelling incense to you,
That you may be pleased with us.
Eye of Ra, Devourer, Avenger, Protector,
Watch over us!
May we be protected from harm,
and may we live in good health,
and may our paths provide abundance.
Lady of Cats, Lioness, Invisible Paw,
We delight in your emissaries!
Unseen, they surround us,
They walk beside us and guide our steps,
They share our homes and hearths.
You call us to serve you,
and willingly we respond.
Dua Bast!
PRAYER TO SEKHMET:
Sekhmet, Lady of the West,
We give you praise!
I light a candle and incense for you
And I pour out red drink
In your honor.
Lady of Slaughter, Mistress of Dread, Furious One,
Evil trembles before you!
You bring justice to the deserving,
And destruction to those
Who seek to do harm.
Eye of Ra, Mighty One, Lady who Dances in Blood,
You are our Protector!
You walk before us
You stand beside us
and we am defended.
Bright Flame, Gracious One, Golden One,
You protect us even from ourselves!
The terror and awe you inspire
Keeps our inner demons at bay
So that we may better serve you.
Mistress of Life, Lady of Enchantments, Great One of Healing,
There is no plague unknown to you!
You know both sickness and cure,
Both poison and antidote,
and there is nothing you cannot ease.
You call us to serve you,
And willingly we respond.
Dua Sekhmet!
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If you'd still like Jess and I in on this in some ritual team capacity, let us know. We'd be honored to work with them.
I have all the components for my "Sacred Sun" incense--a formula I designed specifically for solar deities and for solar-based work. Can't wait to give it a spin.
This is the first time I've had everything for it, so should be fun. Will bring it by ay some point soon and let you get a feel for it to see if it meets with approval.
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Oh, and yes, having read back over things, I'm glad to invoke Sekhmet! Though I'd say Jess is equally able in this capacity and has worked with her longer (this time around) than I. So, stuff to consider.
Either way, sounds like all is lining up!
As to Dragonfaerie's husband, that's (oh hell, not sure if we should break and give out actual names on here as we need to be somewhat careful to those still closeted--and not sure if he/she/they are--but I know who he is, and his wife. I can tell you in person this Sunday).
They are good people. Had actually forgotten he had a Bastet connection but if I end up calling Sekhmet, I think we'd make an excellent team!
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I added them on FB, and I'll reach out to ask about the rite once they've added me back.
What if you and Jess invoke Sekhmet together? I chose you partly to not put her on the spot, but then I'm kind of putting you on the spot, aren't I, since you're leading a high rite the next weekend? If you do it together you could sort of split the work, maybe, and be each other's understudy in case one of you gets sick/overwhelmed/whatever?
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As long as I'm not working I would love to participate in this.
I like the use of Moon rituals as extracation ceremonies.
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So Dragonfaerie's husband is going to invoke Bast, yay!
And cool, Moira!
Do you want to help with something, or just participate?
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Because I had to type this up for the upcoming (!) facebook event, here's my quick-and-dirty on Execrations, with help from https://thetwistedrope.wordpress.com/2012/09/18/devo-magix-execrations/ (https://thetwistedrope.wordpress.com/2012/09/18/devo-magix-execrations/).
"Back in antiquity, execrations were a daily practice in the temples. It’s considered that they might have occurred multiple times daily, even. Execrations were considered integral to keeping the kingdom and all of the Created world safe. Execrations were generally exacted against agents of A/pep [the serpent Ra battled in the underworld after sunset, and against whom he had to prevail for the sun to rise in the morning] and all enemies of the king and/or ma’at [the divine order of the universe; balance, justice]. These rituals weren’t optional - they were mandatory. Ma’at, and all of creation, was always at risk to being undone."
In modern times, we tend to take the sunrise as a given, and the battle against the forces of isfet [destruction, uncreation, injustice] is not something we actively engage in. We may try to fill ourselves with love and light, but sometimes there are things we need to be rid of, first, to make space. As thetwistedrope says, "Execrations are good for letting go, for moving on, for destroying bad habits, or for getting negative things out of your life. Anything and everything that could eat away at the happiness in your life could be counter acted with an execration. Don’t like that you’re broke? Execrate anything and everything that is in your way (you could use a ‘foes of Ra’ approach to this). Don’t like that you’re overweight? Execrate your bad eating habits, laziness, or other factors that could be holding you back. Heavy shadow work that you’re trying to work through? Blast that stuff away with a strong execration. Anything and everything can really be enhanced via execration. Execrations are there to demolish things that are blocking your path."
So this is what we're going to do! Write down that which we do not need, that which does not serve us, that which holds us back, and we're going to BURN AWAY those things, and add our power to Ra as he sinks into the underworld to do battle with A/pep, so that as he prevails over the forces of isfet, so we might prevail over the isfet in our own lives.
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Sorry... I was butt-deep in running a conference this past weekend for my Trek org.
Yes, Chris is happy to invoke Bast. I suggest catnip as an offering. Not exactly Egyptian, but it's what we usually offer at home. We have plenty we can bring. I need to check with him tonight to see if he actually has a log-in on here. He usually relies on me to do all that stuff for both of us. ::)
And I'm not in the closet at all... I just figured it was easier to use Dragonfaerie so as not to confuse Karen and Caryn. Which is ok in print, but not so much when someone's yelling out the back door at the Grove. ;)
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Catnip is good - I dunno if you read the prayer I put up, but I've got "a candle" and "sweet smelling incense". I'll provide the altar candles, so he should light one of those, and then catnip-as-incense either in a little censer if we can find one, or just directly in the fire.
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Aaaand, we now have a companion thread: http://www.cedarlightgrove.org/board/index.php?topic=5461.0 (http://www.cedarlightgrove.org/board/index.php?topic=5461.0)
For a list of things to execrate, so that we know what we'll be writing on that red paper I still need to buy!
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I can take point with Sekhmet, and will have Jess join me, as we discussed in person, there will be a lot of offerings poured/lit/etc. So she can certainly if nothing else assist with that while we invoke and quite possibly more.
Am working on the incense, and also a special candle made from two votives and some of the incense sprinkled inside.
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Thinking about using this for the background music whilst attendees are anointed. Thoughts?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3W80ZVnsig&index=6&list=PL2pLg0GsoF3p_3JYje9y-2vWh2HANTI-B (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3W80ZVnsig&index=6&list=PL2pLg0GsoF3p_3JYje9y-2vWh2HANTI-B)
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So I have almost everything written up now, yay, and I have a couple more position-things... if anyone is interested.
1) Hailing Anubis, to keep space for us as we do this work.
2) Invoking Ra (I have this one written up already, if someone is interested I'll post it here)
Also I still need:
1) at least one fire warden
2) at least one hearth warden
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I do love the meditation music! Are you still looking for other music selections?
Just asking mainly so you can let us know if so and others can help with that... I don't think I'll be much help in that respect--I do have one song I always think of Sekhmet with, but it is modern hard rock from the 90's (Soundgarden's Black Hole Sun: the original video is ridiculous to the point of being disturbing, even though it gets some things right as per Sekhmet imagery you can find a lyrics only version on Youtube).
It links in well with her aspect as the solar eclipsed sun, which, to me anyway, ties in very well with her role as eater of plagues. It would be jarring I think in this ritual though, so I don't think it will be appropriate--even though I almost wonder if it wasn't written as an invocation to her sometimes, I'll probably listen to it a bit to raise my energy prior to calling her.
Anyway, we should probably get that nailed down.
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I'll have to look up that song. But I don't think so, except maybe something a bit more upbeat at the end, as a release to revels (which are of course an important part of this rite). What do you think?
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Yeah like I said too jarring, and kinda out there. That was kinda my point, just wanted to know if we still had any gaps that needed to be taken care of in the music so someone else might suggest something a tad more in keeping with the rest of it :)
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http://youtu.be/dNoTvg0t52c
The above is a song by Epica that has great cathartic elements. My suggestion for at the end 😉
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I will be there, I can help inside as hearthwarden.
Caryn
What are folks bringing for food? Trying to figure out what to bring.
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To bad there isn't a reflections thread for moon rites. There was a lot to talk about after this one I think. It went over very well! Congrats Aleja!
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Why not reflect here?
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Good point.
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Reflect away!
My reflection: that went well, but we probably should have rehearsed... if we could have found the time (doubtful, with everything else going on).
Also, if anyone wants the whole ritual outline and prayers, I've just posted it to my tumblr: http://tuiliel.tumblr.com/post/132156610698/tuiliel-kemetic-execration-ritual-went-well (http://tuiliel.tumblr.com/post/132156610698/tuiliel-kemetic-execration-ritual-went-well)