Rite of Abundance
By: Twilight Catstorm

After I did the "Rite of Abundance" I meditated for a bit since I had also done a full moon ritual beforehand. The energy was so loving and so profound that it felt like I was being embraced. A few days later I was dreaming I was talking to a Lady while I was standing on a sand dune watching the slaves build the pyramids, at least that is what I think that was being built as it was in the background. I was more captivated by the woman that was talking to me and even though I was looking at her in the face I never saw it. When I woke up I felt as if I was being held in a warm embrace and felt very safe and very loved.

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Rite of Abundance
By: Boudicca Andarta

Although this ritual is designed to embrace and evoke the goddesses of the sun and the dawn, the message that came through to me during meditation was quite the opposite; Water. Perhaps it is because Water is Fire’s opposite that I received the message, better to balance out items in my life. Perhaps, there was just a message that I really needed to hear.

I am unsure as to which divinity spoke to me, as I never saw Their face. It was as if I was watching a film or television program that was shot in such a way to film the “host” only from the neck down. The Deity that spoke to me wore simple grey robes that gave no hint as to who they were. Maybe that was best; so I would pay closer attention to what They had to say to me.

The “host” spoke to me in a voice that was neither male nor female, it was simply a voice. I was told I needed to be more like water as the Deity gestured to a rock that was beside Them. Then the “host” poured water onto the boulder from an ancient-looking bowl. Initially, the water acted as the average person would expect water to act, trickling over and down the rock. But the Deity quickly showed reminded me what I already knew about water, it has abilities to overcome and destroy obstacles.

I was shown how water can work through cracks and crevices in the boulder, making an otherwise imposing obstacle a non-issue. This, I was told is finding the path of least resistance.Then, the water froze while inside the boulder, breaking it into a smattering of shards and pieces; completely obliterating it. This reminded me of something that I see every winter (where I live up at the 45th Parallel), that water, when it becomes a solid, can wreak all sorts of havoc.

I believe this message was of a great help to me, reminding me to be more like water, especially when there are obstacles in my path. Water can wear away a boulder over time, can flow through its internal passages, or can destroy it completely. Water, which is usually considered quite benign and necessary for health, can also be destructive, so just like Fire, it needs to be respected and understood.

My goal, ever since this Divine Message has been to “think” like Water; how can I wear this problem down?, how can I work through this obstacle in my life?, how can I annihilate this negative situation? I cannot say that I have always been able to complete this goal, but it is something that I have and will continue to strive for.

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Rite of Abundance
By: Heather M. Mathieson

I performed this Rite of Abundance shortly after dawn. Cleansed, dressed in clean clothing with the rose colors of the dawn, wearing my magickal jewelry, I prepared my alter, lit my candles and incense and cast my circle. Already I could feel the energy moving around me, I had a feeling of serenity and joy, and I moved into a deep alpha state.

I began the ritual speaking the Invocation of the Sun Goddess Ama-Terasu with great feeling. When chanting Her name I could feel my body swaying slightly in rhythm with the chant. I proceeded to chant the Oracle of the Sun Goddess Ama-Teraru-O-Mi-Iami during which time my body began to sway to the point I almost lost my balance. The chant was so moving that when I reached the "Who am I? I am Love" tears came to my eyes. When I offered the grains to the Goddess a vision of lush green fields of new grain growing popped into my head.

When saying the Invocation to Ushas, Indian Goddess of the Dawn, a beautiful vision of the ocean with all the colors of the dawn reflected in the sea from the sky filled me. The sky was filled with brilliant fiery colors. My fingers tingled and the palms of my hands became very warm as if they had glowing balls of light in them.

When I rang the bell for communion with the Goddess, Isis joined Ama-Terasu and Ushas and folded me in her wings. I could smell the feathers and feel the warmth on the inside of her wings as I have experienced before. It was wonderful as it is quite chilly this morning. Placing my hands on the fossil stone of sea fauna, asking for blessings with the treasures of the earth, I felt a communion with Mother Earth and my troubles all melted away knowing they would be resolved.

After closing the circle, I felt a deep peace within me knowing the Goddess walks with me, sheltering me.

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Rite of Abundance
By: Dawn Welburn

I knew this Rite would be amazing and very relevant for me from the moment I opened it and saw how much of it was oriented towards "Dawn." I felt this would be an awakening for me and that is exactly what it was. I chose to enact this Rite early in the morning, since it had a solar/dawn energy to it. As I began to prepare for the Rite, I noticed a shift in the feel of my sun room. The sun began to peek through the trees, warming the room. I felt that "Everyone" was now present and "we" could begin the Rite. As I read the words, I could feel my heart space opening until I thought I would burst from it. Such amazing power in these words! I've heard people talk about how words and rites repeated by the same people for the same purpose over a long period of time having significant power but I had never experienced it firsthand! Wow . . . seems too small of a word to describe this, but nonetheless is all I can think of.

At this time, the details of my rite are hazy. I seemed to be in a such a different place that when it was over, the fine details don't come to mind. It was powerful, magical, and awesomely opening for me. I floated along in a warm, sun drenched haze, feeling the power of the Goddesses I was talking to and just feeling the power of it all.

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Rite of Abundance
By: Tigr Lotus SpiritBear

I chose to perform the Rite of Abundance on Samhain, the third and final harvest of the year, as well as the dawning of the New Year. It seemed a very fitting time to celebrate the Goddess’ bounty and the gifts She has given me, as well as to honor my ancestors and departed loved ones during the night when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest.

After cleansing and charging the Circle, I took some time with inviting my Ancestors, my loved ones both two- and four-legged, my animal spirits and my guardian spirits to join me in this celebration. I asked them to enter my Circle and felt their warmth and presence surround me. The only thing I did that I don’t ordinarily do is to add a drop of my blood into the water. Blood to blood, calling upon my Ancestors, my Aumakua.

With that done, I began the Rite of Abundance. During the Goddess meditation, the Lady Ama-terasu came toward me with the light of the Sun shining from behind Her. In Her hands was a small gift. I accepted it but understood it was not yet to be opened. I wasn’t ready. I first saw Grainne in a field of rolling hillsides with a narrow creek wandering down the hill nearby, the clear water rolling over the black stones in the creekbed. I dipped my fingers into it, and it was very, very cold. It is the beginning of winter after all. She pointed behind me. I turned around and saw what looked like a faery mound to my left. There was a small door set into it at an angle. I entered the mound, which was much larger than it had looked from outside. I was in a dark cavern leading to other caverns. Around a corner I saw light filtering in from somewhere and followed it. It led to a cliffside outside. I saw nothing but high cliffs and the sky as far as I could see. I stretched my arms wide, which became wings, and I jumped, soaring on the air currents, dipping and turning, free, a bald eagle. I flew for awhile, then looked down and saw the ocean below me. I wondered what it was like to be a sea otter, so I dove down out of the sky, and as I did my wings disappeared and I slipped easily into the cool water. The other sea otters were swimming above me, playing and rolling around on the surface, coming down to look into my eyes as I floated below them. I swam up to the surface and looked around. There was the side of a cliff high above us, the dark rocks disappearing under the waterline. I dove down again, slipping thru the water easily. I felt even more at home than when I was flying. A whale passed by slowly. He watched me and I must have seemed so small to him. When he finally passed I swam on, for awhile with a pod of dolphins. They smiled at me and welcomed me home, for that is what it felt like. Home. Where life began.

I had asked the Goddess for messages, and this is what She sent me: In flying above the earth I was told to not be afraid of reaching for what I want or of trying something new, because I will succeed. I learned to look forward to new changes in my life, for they will open my world to wondrous new adventures...and love. It’s not a new concept, it’s something that my close friends have told me and is something that I’ve known in my head, but now, finally, I know it in my heart.

In swimming below the waves, I learned to be at one with my ancestors and my Gods and my guardian spirits and all of those who watch over me, to not forget what the Truth is, to hold onto my beliefs, to know that I have a strong foundation and to know that with that strong foundation, there is nothing I cannot face.

Continuing with the meditation...

Swimming deep down to the ocean floor, I came across the boiling lava of new land being created. I followed the flow of fiery rock back down into the depths of the earth, traveling ever closer to the solid rocky center of the earth. I felt the heat of the lava but wasn’t burned by it. Suddenly Lady Pele was there. I saw Her from the waist up as a woman, but from the waist down She was fiery lava. She beckoned and we rose back up toward the surface. She spoke for awhile in Hawaiian. I didn’t understand the words, or at least not consciously, but there was one phrase that She kept repeating, encouraging me to repeat it with Her over and over so I wouldn’t forget.

The next day I translated the phrase. The meaning is that the breath of life, my strong foundation, will allow me to travel into future adventures in which I will shine brightly. What a wonderful message, and they keep coming! This all ties in so well to the Rite of Abundance. I’m relishing in the gifts I’ve been given by the Goddess and will continue to enjoy them throughout my life. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share this experience with you all.

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Rite of Abundance
By: Judith M.

The Rite of Abundance ritual was performed on Saturday, July 15, 2006. I had all the supplies on hand. The plant I used was an orchid cactus that was full of life. I took a long bath and then clothed myself in a dress that had the yellow, gold and orange in it. I smudged the area with sage. I lit the incense and I lit a candle on top of a Goddess statue that sits on my altar. I used an amber stone which is a stone of the Goddess. I wore a necklace made by Diane Stein who also is a Reiki Master, with really good energy. It has a charm of a Goddess drawing down the moon. I thought it was appropriate. I cast the circle, called in the 4 directions. I had read through the ritual before this and did so again out loud. It was a special ceremony and I felt really good when I completed it. On completion, I thanked the powers that were in the circle with me and released them. I could feel the energy long after the circle was ended but unbroken. I started to think that I needed to do more ritual work. I sometimes tend to forget the close feeling I have with the Goddess when I do this work. Thank you for reminding me.

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Rite of Abundance
By: Tara K.

Although I believe I have felt the Goddess' presence during meditations before, I definitely felt it while enacting this ritual. During meditation as part of the ritual, I saw a flash (behind my closed eyelids) as if the flames of the candles had become a conflagration. Then I felt behind me a strong sense of a presence in the room with me. The sensation gave me the chills and I wanted to turn and look, but I didn't want to lose the distinct feeling that the Goddess was present.

I then felt an intense warmth come over my body, soothing my muscles. It was like a non-moving massage - that's the only way I can think to describe it. In my mind at that point, I asked the Goddess if it was really Her with me, but before I even completed the question, I heard the word "Yes", sounding more like a rush of hissing air through tall rushes than an actual word. Then I heard, "Relax, it's all right."

Then I opened my eyes and spun around to see if anyone was there ( I had become a little frightened), but, of course, as I expected, I didn't see anything. I then restarted my meditation and the presence did return. I "felt" the sensation of the Goddess laughing at me gently - laughing at my doubts in a manner intended to reassure me that I didn't have any reason to doubt. This time, the presence wasn't scary at all - it was imparting to me the sense that I just have to trust and have faith and the Goddess with guide me on the correct path.

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Rite of Abundance
By: Luna

I was fortunate to be able to perform the rite outside, in the morning light of my garden, and had the sense of being bathed in rainbow-edged sunlight from the first moment of casting the circle. A golden, spectrum-flecked glow seemed to radiate from my wand, eventually surrounding me as the circle was sealed and I sat facing east. As I chanted her name, I saw smiling Ama-Terasu in my mind’s eye, and her golden face was broad featured, generous and kind as the carved face of the amber sun pendant I wore in her honor. She danced as if to tell me to lighten up, not to try so hard to press the experience in any direction but to be very still, alert, to breathe deep and to listen well.

As I meditated in the light, waves of citrus perfume enveloped me and the song of what seemed like hundreds of birds filled my ears. I felt the presence of Brigid, the Bright One, as she silently spoke the words “I am here. Are you mine?” “Yes,” I answered, and gave myself over to the sensation of the gentle warmth of her light. “Trust,” she said, and I considered the essence of the word, silently repeating it as an inner mantra of the moment: trust . . . trust . . . trust. I must trust in Her abundance, I thought. I had the sense of myself as a green, growing thing being nurtured by the sun, surrendering to the sun, and had a vision of myself as a tree woman, feet as roots deep in the earth, viny, leafy hair and fingers in bloom, fragrant as the citrus blossoms in the breeze. I understood, at least for that moment, that my fear of loss, my sadness at what I had believed was the ephemeral nature of all that I love was unfounded: that in the light of Her eternal pulse of regeneration, everyone and everything I love was and always would be at one with Her infinite, limitless Being.

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Rite of Abundance
By: Kristy

I felt a growing sense of the Goddess as I chanted. After I rang the bell, I sat quietly, waiting for inspiration. My body was inspired to move into several different positions. I stood at my window looking at the rising light on the horizon for quite a few minutes, not moving. Then I suddenly felt the need to lie down and close my eyes. I did so, still imagining the dawn sky. At this point I began to feel the Goddess.

The Goddess came into me; I was aware of all the skin on my body and where it touched my inner body. I felt a buzzing, and I still feel it. The experience was more a physical touch from the Goddess rather than a visual image, although I "saw" all other parts of the experience in great detail. The Goddess tried to pull me upward with her-I'm not sure if it worked with my physical body or not. I felt as if I were floating just a tiny bit above the ground. In another form, I flew up near the rising sun and "grabbed" some of its rays, or somehow they were on me, and I did flips and somersaults all around, spreading the light on the land around me. I did headstands and handstands on my front lawn. A yellow glow buzzed around and flew down to me through a tree. It took me on a wild fly-around to spread more light.

I said something to the Goddess like, "Thank you for this amazing light," and she said, "You helped. You did it, too." She gave me the yellow glow to reside in me and be with me forever, to help me to always remember Her, and to always Have Fun!

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Rite of Abundance
By: Barbara S.

For some reason, I wanted to do the Rite of Abundance on August 13 - on the Feast of Hecate. It was not at all similar to the Flamma Vestae Ritual. I must have been expecting something similar. When I came to the meditation section instead of something, nothing seemed to come to me. The only inner event was a sense of something heavy and ancient being moved - something like a stone wall or massive door. That un-nerved me a little. Then, really nothing. I felt very disappointed. How could I tell you that!

Then, I pointed out how special the rite was for me, that I had done everything I could to make it really special. My potted plant was an orchid. The water had some from Glastonbury Chalice Well. The incense was a precious bit from California - a very old formula. The grains formed a lovely pattern in their layers. I had my ritual cleansing, my centering and grounding. I had been filled with expectation. I had seen in my mind the rising sun as it is in the mountains, and by wilderness ocean beaches lost in their mist and forests and timeless dream. I belong to the clan that has Grainne O'Malley in it's past. The sun Goddess Grainne! A sunrise dance flowed through me at its time. I annointed myself with an imported Goddess oil blend. How could all my efforts and expectations, etc.etc.etc.

Just when I was starting to be upset, out of that place that opened up right at the beginning, I felt a Smile begin, a Smile of amusement and mystery and utterly "Other" from anything I had known. That Smile filled me, and still echoes through me. I feel that I was deliberately allowed to sense that Smile, that it was a gift - and yet also meant as it seemed, amused at me, but infinitely kind and infinitely mysterious. Today, I think it fitting that the Source of the Smile remained veiled in darkness - no sense of anything more at all. Hecate *would* smile like that, I think.

That Smile dissolved my emotional response. It was as though I was a fretful infant and mother smiled and everything was transformed. The Smile that came in the end IS an attitude/response that I have been struggling toward in my latest phase of personal growth - and what I *needed* spiritually. It is perfect, for me. That Smile was a revelation for me. On every level of my life. I'm mildly shaken at the perfection of it. And the unexpectedness. It's one of those "see a camelia blossom and know the meaning of your life" moments.

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Rite of Abundance
By: Sue C.

From the moment I began the ritual, I felt the presence of the divine descend on me. It was different from anything I've ever felt because the energy was not the soothing mother energy of wings enfolding me that I usually feel with Isis. It was very energetic; I was literally buzzing with it. And it seemed as if there were more Goddesses involved than just one. My heart was racing.

Nothing more happened beyond this barely containable energy until I began the meditation part of the ritual. Almost the moment I lay down, I felt myself traveling. I was on Ra's Solar Barge as it passed through the Underworld from dusk to dawn. I could feel many deities behind me, though I had no need to turn to see them. I felt as if I was one of them, standing at the prow of the Barge, feeling the darkness move across my skin. I didn't feel like myself anymore, but rather as if something had descended into my body. I could feel it under my skin, stretching me to make me more like it: higher cheekbones, broader forehead, thinner nose.

We traveled that way for hours until at last it was time for Ra to rise. As we came over the horizon, I became the Solar Deity. I could feel the warmth emanate from every cell of my body, reaching out to the Earth and all that inhabit it. At last, all the energy that had been building inside was released and I shone. However, this was not the end of my journey. At some point I tried to open my eyes but found I could not. The meditation was not done with me. I saw the sun shining before me with a blinding intensity. The glare made my eyes tear. I wanted to look away, but could not. And then I realized that I was not looking at the sun at all, but in a mirror. My own brightness was what was blinding me. I was that glorious. At that moment of understanding, my eyes flew open.

As I ended the ritual, I felt overwhelmed with gratefulness. The Goddess had given me a precious gift and one that I had not expected. I sang the Thanksgiving as a hymn.

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Rite of Abundance
By: Anonymous

I performed the Rite of Abundance on the night that I saw the thinnest crescent new moon in the sky, just as the moon left void of course and entered Capricorn, and during the Monday night Lyceum attunement.

During the meditation I saw myself in the temple where I usually see the Lyceum members during Monday night attunement. There was, as usual, a flame in the center of the circle of students. Then the scene shifted to the Isle of Avalon as I picture it when reading Marion Zimmer Bradley's Mists of Avalon. All of us in the circle were standing, robed in white, and gazing into a hole in the earth, like the mouth of a volcano, only on flat land. It glowed inside, although the sky was dark. A large ball of fire was inside the crater and was rising. As it rose from the earth toward the sky, there was chanting from the circle of people, although I couldn't make out the syllables. The ball lifted toward the sky.

Then my perspective shifted again, and I saw a woman flying across the sky, her dark hair and white gown fluttering behind her. As she flew toward the earth, she shapeshifted into first a raven, who uttered a loud caw, and then into a golden eagle. She landed on the edge of an eagle's nest. She changed back into the dark haired woman in white. She shrank in size, and then curled up in the nest and became an egg. The mother eagle arrived and covered the nest with her warm feathered body. I felt the warmth and safety, and the nurturing maternal feelings.

Afterwards:
I see this vision as the Sun Goddess waiting for rebirth (because this is the darkest time of the year, and the light will be reborn in about three weeks at Yule). Eagles are associated with day and the sun, while ravens are associated with the dark. But in the Pacific Northwest (where I live) the natives have a story of how Raven stole the Sun from a chief who kept it locked up. When Raven stole the Sun from the selfish chief he placed it in the sky and the people no longer lived in darkness.