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Bel-Summer Opening Ritual Soul Retrieval, Strengthening, and Healing Of Self and the World Soul
By Kyril Oakwind (revised 2001)
"We are a Circle" �by Rick Hamouris, Above and Below verses by Phoenix Four Leaf and Aeona Silversong.

(Materials needed: altar candles, matches, ashtray, incense, water bowl/crystal, staff or stang, God and Goddess symbol, any personal or nest altar items, Soul Symbols placed under tree or in center of circle, Beads, 7 directional/soul torches and streamers of black, green rainbow, yellow, blue, red, and silver/white, libation plate and cup for Faeries, water and goblet, cakes. Set up altar, torches, prepare space ahead of time. Light torches just before ritual. Do ritual smudging of people as they enter space.)

(Circle Opening)
Say: As above so also below. The Gods are both within and without. So we evoke from within both Female and Male deity. Take a moment to call up the best of yourself, the deity that is you.

(Cast the circle hand to hand, passing the energy, until surrounded by a circle of light. Person aspurging and person censing go behind the people and do it while people are singing. Visualize circle expanding out to the border of our land. It will remain all weekend. If someone needs to leave before the closing they should go up to the tree, touch it, take their leave, and be aware of leaving ritual space.)

Sing:

We are a circle within a circle
With no beginning
And never ending

(Then do verses for each direction while calling quarters. Go to each quarter and draw invoking pentagram.)

East:

You hear us sing, you hear us cry
Now here us call to you
Spirits of Air and Sky!

Chorus: We are a circle within a circle with no beginning and never ending

South:

Within our hearts
There glows a spark
Love and Desire, A burning Fire!

(Repeat chorus)

West:

Within our blood, within our tears
There lies the altar, 0f living Water!

(Repeat chorus)

North:

Take our fear, take our pain
Take our darkness
Into the Earth again!

(Repeat Chorus)

Below:

The roots and worms,
The stones and bones
Graves of the ancients
We call the Great Below

(Repeat Chorus)

Above:

The stars on high,
Shine cosmic love
Infinite night sky
We call the Great Above

(Repeat Chorus)

Center:

Within the center ,
There beats the heart
The realm of mysteries
It is the place of art

(Repeat Chorus)

Final Verse:

The Circle forms between the worlds
To mark this sacred space
Where we come face to face.

Say: With love and will, with joy and strength We have built this sacred place

(Call in Lord and Lady)

Say: Gentle mother, we call to thee. Maid of the Moon who spins destiny, Mistress of the Earth and Walker of the Sea, Lady of life and love and mystery.

Say: Great Lord, we call to thee. Walker of the wild and shepherd of the lea, Lord of the vine who brings ecstasy, King of the unknown, Keeper of the key

Both: We call to you 0 gentle Goddess, 0 Horned God,
Be with us now.

(Soul retrieval --Walk around the circle while talking. Say:)
Some cultures belief we have 7 souls or 7 different parts to our spirit. These souls can be lost and they say that a loss of power indicates a loss of one of these souls. In our modern society, we have many opportunities for power losses, whether it is working in a place that doesn�t nurture your spirit, toeing the line, struggling to make enough money to make ends meet, or hiding our inner self from a disapproving society, or just the stress of rush hour traffic. Day after day we face assaults to our spirit.

All of us have had those times when it seemed like a piece of who we were was lost, perhaps a cherished dream, a goal, a loved one. Each of us has, at one time or another, been wounded to the core. The Earth, our home, our Mother, has been wounded, just as we have. The soul of the World needs healing, too. As we heal ourselves so we heal the World, our Earth.

Let us call back those parts of us from where ever they have wandered. Let us strengthen the souls that we have, reuniting ourselves, and healing. Let us take back our power. Let us join with the Earth and heal.

(Each soul is invoked. They stand at their point in the circle. They say the line and then add what seems right. Afterwards they take up their position on the perimeter until all have been called.)

Say: I invoke and evoke the Ancestral Soul, With my bones I call to you to rise up From the deepest down layers of our soul, Reaching back into time, into the Dreamtime, The time before time. Return to us, now.

(Sing the soul return song once through--lyrics by Phoenix Four Leaf, music by Phoenix and Barney)

Old Soul, New Soul, Return to thy home,
Old Soul, New Soul, Guide me as I roam,
Reside within me, Brightly Light my Path,
Bring me to wholeness is what I ask.

(The Ancestral Soul comes out from people takes up the symbol and moves to the center and says the following with any additions that seem right.)

Ancestral Soul: I am the first soul, I cut to the bone. I am wisdom of experience, The fertile darkness of all that came before.

(When finished Ancestral Soul takes up a position near edge of circle at North West).

Say: I invoke and evoke the Soul of our Body, With the flesh of my body I call to you Oh Soul of this incarnation, Our experiences in this body, this life. Return to us, now.

(Sing the soul return song once through.)

(The Body Soul comes out from people takes up the symbol and moves to the center and says the following with any additions that seem right. )

Body Soul: I am the Soul of Being. I am the means of interacting in the world, Of touch, of nurture. I am the body�s wisdom.

(When finished Body Soul takes up position near edge of circle at North.)

Say: I invoke and evoke the Soul of Mind, I call to you mind to mind, you who are our ability to communicate, to join in friendship. Return to us, now.

(Sing the soul return song once through, see above, and the Mind Soul comes out from people takes up the symbol and moves to the center and says the following with any additions that seem right. )

Mind Soul: I am the Soul of Mind, With thought I move beyond the boundaries of the Body to the mental realms. I am clarity of vision.

(When finished Mind Soul takes up position near edge of circle at East.)

Say: I invoke and evoke the Soul of Will, I call to you with the fire of my spirit You who are our creative energy, And heart�s passion. Return to us, now.

(Sing the soul return song once through and the Will Soul comes out from people takes up the symbol and moves to the center and says the following with any additions that seem right.)

Will Soul: I am the Soul of Will. I combine body and thought through action. I am the warrior self.

(When finished Will Soul takes up position near edge of circle at SouthWest.)

Say: I invoke and evoke the Soul of the Heart, I call to you with loving heart You who are our ability to feel emotion, to dare. Return to us, now.

(Sing the soul return song once through.)

The Heart Soul comes out from people takes up the symbol and moves to the center and says the following with any additions that seem right.)

Heart Soul: I am the Soul of the Heart. With dreaming I move beyond the boundaries of the Self into mystic realms. I open the way.

(When finished Heart Soul takes up position near edge of circle at West.)

Say: I invoke and evoke the Soul of Divinity, I call to you with my sacred nature Through you we become all. Return to us, now.

(Sing the soul return song once through, see above, and the Divinity Soul comes out from people takes up the symbol and moves to the center and says the following with any additions that seem right.)

Divinity Soul: I am the Soul of Divinity, The spark of Deity within. I am that I am.

(When finished Divinity Soul takes up position near edge of circle at South East, opposite Ancestral Soul.)

Say: I invoke and evoke the Soul of Center, I call to you in the heart of Faery You who are the magick that weaves all our souls together. Return to us, now.

(Sing the soul return song once through.)

The Center Soul comes out from people and moves to the center next to Oak tree and says the following with any additions that seem right.)

Center Soul: I speak for the Center, the Axis Mundi, The World Tree, with roots reaching down into the Ancestral Soul, Branches reaching up to the Soul of Divinity.

(When finished Center Soul takes up position on the perimeter of circle at NorthWest. After 7 point star is drawn move to center next to Namesake Oak.)

(Draw 7 pointed star by with wand going to first soul and draw a line connecting them to the next soul, etc., overlaying star on circle. When that is complete move into Soul strengthening/healing of self and World)

Let each of us approach that Soul we want to call back or strengthen within us. We can use the symbols they hold to aid us, speak to them aloud or silently, go to only the one we most need to work with or all in any order. When we have finished we will return to a place on the perimeter.

(When everyone has finished the soul work they choose to do say:)

Now as we have healed ourselves let us raise the cone of power to heal the World Soul.

(Drumming begins more of a dance beat. The 7 Souls come out and dance one circuit alone. Then the people join them for one circuit. For the last circuit people join hands and continue to dance as the drums pick up the beat. Then release the cone. Devoke souls. Give out beads.)

WaterSharing

Say: The life blood of the earth, sweet water of life. We are all Earthkin. Water shared is Life shared. May you never thirst.

(Pass cup. When cup returns salute the faeries and pour water into their cup. Share water with Tree. Hold up cookies to sky and say.)

May the peoples of the Earth be fed. May you receive all you need and some to share.

(Pass cookies and give one to the Faeries and one to the Tree.)

Remember that the circle will remain up for the Gather so that we are in sacred space all weekend. Let us behave and treat each other as the divine beings that we all are. Thank you all for coming to play with us and let�s have fun all weekend!

Bellsummer site

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