Creating Circles and Ceremonies: Rituals for All ... - reading...
Creating Circles and Ceremonies: Rituals for All ... - reading...
Creating Circles and Ceremonies: Rituals for All ... - reading...
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112 <strong>Creating</strong> <strong>Circles</strong> & <strong>Ceremonies</strong><br />
136. Birthday C<strong>and</strong>les<br />
Here’s what to say be<strong>for</strong>e blowing out the c<strong>and</strong>les on your birthday cake:<br />
A year has come; a year has passed.<br />
I make my birthday wish at last!<br />
Magick powers, old <strong>and</strong> new,<br />
Make my birthday wish come true!<br />
(Make your wish, then blow out all the c<strong>and</strong>les with one breath!)<br />
—Morning Glory Zell<br />
Chinese New Year’s Customs<br />
IV. New Year <strong>Rituals</strong><br />
House Cleaning<br />
In China, the entire house should be cleaned be<strong>for</strong>e New Year’s Day. On New Year’s Eve,<br />
all brooms, brushes, dusters, dust pans <strong>and</strong> other cleaning equipment are put away. Sweeping or<br />
dusting should not be done on New Year’s Day <strong>for</strong> fear that good <strong>for</strong>tune will be swept away.<br />
After New Year’s Day, the floors may be swept. Beginning at the door, the dust <strong>and</strong> rubbish are<br />
swept to the middle of the parlor, then placed in the corners <strong>and</strong> not taken or thrown out until the<br />
fifth day. At no time should the rubbish in the corners be trampled upon. In sweeping, there is a<br />
superstition that if you sweep the dirt out over the threshold, you will sweep one of the family<br />
away. Also, to sweep the dust <strong>and</strong> dirt out of your house by the front entrance is to sweep away<br />
the good <strong>for</strong>tune of the family; it must always be swept inward <strong>and</strong> then carried out, then no<br />
harm will follow. <strong>All</strong> dirt <strong>and</strong> rubbish must be taken out the back door.<br />
Bringing in the New Year <strong>and</strong> Expelling the Old<br />
Shooting off firecrackers on New Year’s Eve is the Chinese way of sending out the old<br />
year <strong>and</strong> welcoming in the New Year. On the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, every<br />
door in the house, <strong>and</strong> even windows, have to be open to allow the old year to go out.<br />
Feast <strong>for</strong> the Ancestors<br />
In China, the sacrifice to the ancestors, the most vital of all the rituals, unites the living<br />
members with those who have passed away. Departed relatives are remembered with great<br />
respect because they were responsible <strong>for</strong> laying the foundations <strong>for</strong> the <strong>for</strong>tune <strong>and</strong> glory of the<br />
family. The presence of the ancestors is acknowledged on New Year’s Eve with a dinner arranged <strong>for</strong><br />
them at the family banquet table. The spirits of the ancestors, together with the living, celebrate the<br />
onset of the New Year as one great community. The communal feast is called weilu, meaning “surrounding<br />
the stove.” It symbolizes family unity <strong>and</strong> honors the past <strong>and</strong> present generations<br />
New Year’s Spell<br />
By Adella DragonStar<br />
(To be done on either Samhain or January 1)<br />
Materials needed: 12 month-stones, index card, pen or pencil, lighter, c<strong>and</strong>le, flameproof<br />
bowl (preferably cauldron) with water either in it or h<strong>and</strong>y, lighter, c<strong>and</strong>le (preferably<br />
white), <strong>and</strong> stone necklace with a stone <strong>for</strong> focus, energy, protection, etc.<br />
Be<strong>for</strong>e you begin, write the most regretted thoughts of the previous year on the index card.<br />
Set up the mini-altar in a safe place away from flammable objects. As you set up, think<br />
about what you desire <strong>for</strong> the coming year. Place the c<strong>and</strong>le on the mini-altar, the 12 monthstones<br />
surrounding it in a circle. Cast the Circle as usual <strong>and</strong> light the c<strong>and</strong>le. Pass the<br />
cleansed stone of the necklace over the fire, saying:<br />
As the new year progresses, may this stone give me ______.
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