Family Esbat Ritual

Esbats are lunar celebrations occurring around the various phases of the moon. Some people have rituals for the Full, New and Dark moons. In our family we just do the Full Moons. At first I was afraid that once a month wouldn't be enough, but you'll be surprised how fast Esbats come around!

A TIP ABOUT MOON TIMES

Most standard calendars list the dates of the Full Moons. It might occur at 6 in the morning or at 11:30 at night, but it will still be listed on that day. What does that mean to you? Well, it doesn't have to mean anything.

Our family likes to celebrate Esbat on the night that's closest to the actual time the moon is full. So if the moon is going to be full at 11:30 tonight, then we'd do ritual tonight at dinner. The actual full moon is still 5 hours away so we'd be under the influence of its waxing energy.

However if the moon was full at 6 this morning, then we would have done ritual last night, because by dinner time it would be almost 12 hours past full.

It's not something you need be overly concerned about. Family rituals don't involve magic or spellwork so the waxing and waning energy of the Full Moon doesn't really enter in to it. Personally I like keeping track of the actual moon times so I can tell the kids. When they look up and say, "The moon is full tonight!" I like to be able to tell them, "No, it's not really full until tomorrow morning." I think it helps them appreciate the cycle a little better. But that's me.

If it's more convenient for you to go by what's marked on your calendar, that's fine too.

Wicca is not a religion that is written in stone. It's OK to be flexible! Before our ancestors had calendars they judged the phases of the moon by sight. So it wasn't an exact science by any means. Even today many traditions consider the Full Moon's influence to last three days before and three days after the actual time.

That's a good thing to keep in mind for those harried nights when ritual just isn't going to happen. Instead of shrugging it off with, "Oh well. I missed the Full Moon. We'll have to try again next month" just move your ritual forward or back a day.

Remember, more important than when you do it is that you just *do it*!

By the way, any almanac can give you the actual moontimes; some newspapers list them too. Llewellyn's Magical Almanac is fun because it gives you moontimes, plus lots of stories, crafts and recipes around the Wheel. Just so you know, the directions for the Moon Journal and the recipe for Crescent Cookies have been posted separately.

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FULL MOON RITUAL

Special Notes: The Full Moon represents the Goddess in her aspect as Mother, full and ripe and bright. The Full Moon is the moon at its greatest power and most energy.

What You'll Need: The Moon Candle, a bell, quarter candles, safe lighter. Select a child to fill in the Moon Journal before dinner. The same child gets to be the Journal Reader. Have crescent cookies ready for the blessing.

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Begin by ringing the bell to establish Sacred Space.

The child chosen to be Bell Ringer rings the bell three times and says:

I ring the bell

To cast the spell

Let sacred time begin

1 - 2 - 3

So mote it be

Let sacred time begin.

Then an Adult casts the Circle by saying:

Great Mother,

Weave around us

A circle of radiant light

Where we can honor

Our Lord and Lady.

Protect us, guide us and love us.

Tell the kids to imagine a silvery-blue light surrounding the table to create a Circle. Explain that this "Circle of Light" means we want to make this a sacred place to honor the Goddess and God.

Explain that a Sacred Place doesn't have to be a church. It can be in your dining room, a special spot in the forest, or even at school, as long as you show the respect and honor the Goddess and God deserve by creating your Sacred Space first.

Next we "Call the Quarters." Explain that this is asking the Ancient Ones to add their powers to ours to make our Circle stronger. 

The child chosen to be Candle Lighter lights the yellow candle and says:

I call to you

Ancient Ones of the East

Guardian Spirits of Air

To witness this ritual and guard this Circle

The child chosen to be Candle Lighter lights the red candle and says:

I call to you

Ancient Ones of the South

Guardian Sprits of Fire

To witness this ritual and guard this Circle.

The child chosen to be Candle Lighter lights the blue candle and says:

I call to you

Ancient Ones of the West

Guardian Spirits of Water

To Witness this ritual and guard this Circle.

The child chosen to be Candle Lighter lights the green candle and says:

I call to you

Ancient Ones of the North

Guardian Spirits of Earth

To witness this ritual and guard this Circle.

Next the Adult says:

The Circle has been cast

The Ancient Ones have been called

Now it is time to welcome

The Goddess and the God.

Great Mother,

Whose symbol is the bright night moon,

Heavenly father,

Whose symbol is the fiery sun,

We ask you to join our family

For this Full Moon Celebration.

The Adult lights the Moon candle and says:

We light this candle in honor of Our Lady

On this night when the

Full Moon Rides high in the sky,

As a symbol of our love and respect

For the Goddess.

The Adult spreads his/her arms to the moon and says:

Once more we come together

Beneath the Full Moon

To share our joy of life.

To thank the Lord and Lady

For all they have given us

And for all that we have.

The child who wrote the Moon Journal now gets to read it.

Now serve dinner.

This is a good time to talk about Wicca with your children. Some topics you might want to discuss:

- The historical aspect. How it was our ancestors came to worship around the cycles of the moon?

- The scientific aspect. What is it, astronomically, that makes the moon look like it's changing shape?

- The myth aspect. Share stories of Moon Goddesses from different cultures.

Whatever you decide to talk about, keep it light and flowing. You want these "lessons" to be fun for your children. Let them get off the subject and take you wherever their imaginations want to go. It's their ritual too.

~*~*~*~*~

After dinner, clear the table except for the ritual tools and drink glasses. Bring in the crescent cookies and hand them to the child who will be doing the blessing. The child holds the plate and says:

We thank the animals and plants

Who gave us this food.

We thank the people

Who worked hard to grow and prepare it.

And we thank our Lady and Lord

And bless this food in their names.

Pass the cookies around the table, everybody gets one. When you're done eating, the Adult reclaims everyone's attention for the final blessing:

Mother of All,

Queen of the Night

Father of All,

Lord of the Sky

Watch over those gathered here

And keep us safe in your loving arms

Until the Moon is Full again.

The Adult then extinguishes the Moon candle saying:

Blessed Be.

Now it is time to close the ritual.

Explain to the children that the ritual is over and we need to thank The Ancient Ones for their help and guidance, and thank the Goddess and God for joining us. Then we will release the Circle, thus releasing our Sacred Space as well.

The Candle Snuffer says:

Thank you and farewell

Ancient Ones of the East

Guardian Spirits of Air

Go in Peace.

( Extinguish the yellow candle.)

The Candle Snuffer says:

Thank you and farewell

Ancient Ones of the South

Guardian Spirits of Fire

Go in Peace.

(Extinguish the red candle.)

The Candle Snuffer says:

Thank you and farewell

Ancient Ones of the West

Guardian Spirits of Water

Go in Peace.

(Extinguish the blue candle.)

The Candle Snuffer says:

Thank you and farewell

Ancient Ones of the North

Guardian Spirits of Earth

Go in Peace.

(Extinguish the green candle.)

Then the Adult says farewell to the Goddess and the God:

We thank you God and Goddess

For sharing this special time

With our family.

May we keep you in our hearts,

And follow your path of love

Every day.

Blessed be!

Now the Bell Ringer rings the bell three times to release the Sacred Space and says:

I ring the bell,

Release the spell

And Sacred Time will end.

1 - 2 - 3

So mote it be,

Until we meet again.

Explain that this is the signal that Scared Time is over. The Circle has been released and the Sacred Space is no more. That means the dining room goes back to being just a normal dining room.

Now the Adult says:

The Circle is open

And yet it remains a Circle.

Around and through us

Always flow its magical powers.

This ritual is over.

Excerpts from A WICCAN PRIMER: Rituals for Children C 1996 Wind*Dancer