High Priestess: Welcome Friends! Tonight we celebrate Ostara, the spring equinox. The Sun enters the sign of Aries, and with those fires, the earth warms again! We stand in the balance between darkness and light, in a time between times, to celebrate the awakening of Spring. The Goddess and God return from their winter’s rejuvenation in the underworld.

The Maiden Goddess opens the way, waking all life once more, she is the dark soil, made fertile through last year’s compost. The Youthful God grows as the greening of the Earth, his vitality germinating the seeds who now come to bud and are sprouting. They are the new flowers, the waking animals and their new babies; we honor them as the egg and the hare, spreading their fertility upon the earth.

In the pyramid of power, we shift now to the airy powers of Wonderment. We release the stifled barriers of belief and invite the fresh breeze of ingenuity into our lives.

Let us erect the temple.

Hallowing the Temple:

Beginning in the East/Air, proceeding deosil. Maiden/summoner hands the consecrating element to each gatekeeper, by gender.

Gatekeeper then presents the element to the gate, then carries/sprinkles it deosil around the outside of the circle, chanting, “I consecrate this circle by the powers of _____.” After the first chanting, all celebrants chant along, as we visualize the element clearing the space.

Upon returning, gatekeeper addresses the elemental gate once more, “I, your brother/ sister of _____, greet you with _____, and ask that you to blow/burn/wash/ground free any baneful energy from this sacred space. So mote it be!”

All: So mote it be!

Maiden/summoner returns the element to the altar, and continues from there with the next element…

Casting the Circle with the Awen:

“Awen” is Welsh for Divine Inspiration. We chant this word in three syllables, more like ah-oo-wen.

High Priestess: We all take hands, thumbs left creating a chain that will direct energies in a clock-wise direction. We are reminded that we draw energy through the earth/sky/environment and channel that through the body, released on the breath and focused by the resonance of the voice.

We take three deep breaths, and on the third exhale, we begin a long, slow, deep chant of AH-OO-WEN. We do not stop at the end of each word, but blur them together until we run out of breath: aahoooowenaaaoooowenaaaoooowen, but with each repetition, HPs raises the note a half-step, and slightly speeds up the rhythm, celebrants follow along. After we must inhale once more, HPs slowly begins raising her linked hands, faster, faster, higher higher, all arms now at full extension to the heavens, directing into a last cone’s peak of AWEN! And all hands are released and thrown skyward.

High Priestess: Our energy dances around us at the circle’s edge. See it pulsing with light and life–all colors, all vibrations. Together we close the sphere. Hands to the sides, close it above us (bring hand to a peak above our heads) and we draw down the heavens. We close the sphere below us (sweeps hands to close them pointing to the earth) and we draw up the underworld.

The circle is cast. We charge this sphere to be an amplifier of our magick this night, but also our protective container, and magnifier; Naught but love will enter in, naught but love will emerge. We now stand in a temple of our own making, between the worlds, in a time out of time. Blessed be!

All: Blessed be!

Opening the Elemental Gates:

Call the Quarters, inviting the elemental forces to guard and empower our sacred temple between the worlds. All turn to face the direction of the gate, taking the body posture for each elemental call.

Staffbearer: Come spirits of the East, powers of Air! Sail on golden wings of dawn, bringing your wisdom. Blow free the staleness of winter and bless us with your gifts of wonderment. Be with us in our Ostara Rites! Hail and Welcome! (all echo, Hail and Welcome!) Invoking Pentagram drawn.

Swordbearer: Come spirits of the South, powers of Fire! Bring your light to lengthen our days, and heat to thaw the frozen earth. Ignite our Will with your passions; as we surrender! Be with us in our Ostara Rites! Hail and Welcome! (all echo, Hail and Welcome!) Invoking Pentagram drawn.

Cauldronkeeper: Come spirits of the West, powers of Water! Bring your daring, as our spirits flow with the fluidity of your tides. Bless the lands with rain, and our spirits with your lessons of acceptance. Be with us in our Ostara Rites! Hail and Welcome! (all echo, Hail and Welcome!) Invoking Pentagram drawn.

Besomkeeper: Come spirits of the North, powers of Earth! Hold us rooted by tree and flower. Bring the fertility of your lush green fields, as the seeds awaken from their silent slumber, and emerge from their wombs of soil. Bless us with your lessons of resonance. Be with us in our Ostara Rites! Hail and Welcome! (all echo, Hail and Welcome!) Invoking Pentagram drawn.

Evocations Above and Below: