Eilonwy's hands shook as she tied the white cord around her waist. "This is the last time I will wear the white," she thought, her pulse racing with the excitement of the ritual to come. It was the eve of the full moon, and her Mothering ceremony was to occur tonight. She would enter the circle a Maiden and leave it a Mother, a full priestess sworn to the service of the Great Mother Ceriddwen.

As she lifted the Maiden Moon pendant over her head and settled it on her shoulders she pondered over all that she had learned during her novicehood. She had been in seclusion with the Crones for the past thirteen days preparing for the ritual that menarche had signalled her readiness for, and her course for the next forty years had been decided. She was to be a healer, first in the service of the Great Mother. Her mind was filled with dreams of daring accomplishments that she hoped to fulfill; perhaps one day she might even achieve the rank of Morgan, high priestess of the Order. A knock on the door, reminding her that it was time to begin, interrupted Eilonwy's reverie.

She grabbed her white candle, lit it at the hearth, and walked to the sacred grove. The other women were already standing in a circle around the decorated altar, their cords, candles and pendants denoting their rank in the Order of the Goddess Ceriddwen. White was the color of the pre-menarche Maidens, novices of the Order. Red was the color of the menstrual Mothers, priestesses of the Order. Black was the color of the menopausal Crones, wise women of the Order. The Morgan wore all three colors, exemplifying her service to all three faces of the Goddess and her responsibilities to the differing ranks of the Order. Adrenaline surged in Eilonwy's veins as she nervously took her place in the circle, holding her candle in front of her and her eyes on the Morgan.

Standing before the altar, the Morgan lifted a willow wand and waved it through the smoke of the incense that was smoldering in a bronze censer, dipped it into a basin of spring water, passed it through the altar candle's flame, and plunged it into a bowl of fertile soil. Walking behind the gathered women the Morgan traced the perimeter with the wand, sealing and sanctifying the circle, and then returned to the altar. The four Elder Crones chanted an invitation to the elements of air, water, fire, and earth, and the Morgan invited the element of spirit by chanting the Song of the Moon. A novice carried the censer around the circle, smudging each woman with Ceriddwen's Breath, a purifying incense. Raising her arms and turning her face to the moon the Morgan began to sing the Charge of the Goddess, offering herself as a vessel for the Great Mother's power and wisdom. As Eilonwy and the other women sang their responses energy surged in the circle, charging the air with a potent sense of expectancy.

The Morgan smiled at Eilonwy and called her to the altar. The priestess sliced open the knot of Eilonwy's white cord and let it fall to the ground. Raising a red cord, she said, "Eilonwy-daughter-of-Arienrrhod, you have reached the stage of decision. The Goddess has allowed you to share Her life-giving power, if ever you so choose. The ability to bear children is a sacred gift, and the decision to do so is each woman's to make, her womb answerable to no one save herself. Take this cord of the Mothers, symbol of the fertile womb, and think of the stages three: Maiden/Mother/Crone, closed womb/fertile womb/empty womb, and new moon/full moon/dark moon. All three stages you will pass through, the moon and the Goddess accompanying you." As Eilonwy reverently tied the red cord around her waist, the Morgan lifted a red-wrapped object from the altar. Holding it out to Eilonwy the Morgan told her, "Behold, this is a portrait of the Goddess. Gaze upon it and learn the most sacred truth." Eilonwy unwrapped the object and held it up. It was a smooth silver disk--the image that it reflected was Eilonwy's own.

Eilonwy glanced puzzledly at the Morgan, whose broad smile was echoed by those of the Mothers and Crones. "The Goddess is within all women," the Morgan said, "and the face that She presents to us is but a reflection of our own. Remember this in all that you do. As you serve the Goddess you become one with Her. Honor Her, honor yourself, and honor Her creation. Her rules are simple ones: harm none, help those that you can, and give freely of your knowledge and skills. The Great Mother Ceriddwen smiles upon you, and welcomes you to the rank of Mother." Saying this, the Morgan lifted the Mother Moon pendant and placed it around Eilonwy's neck, lit a red candle and gave it to her, and gently kissed her on the forehead. The women cheered and gathered close to Eilonwy, hugging and congratulating her on her new rank. Tears of joy coursed down Eilonwy's cheeks; her heart was pounding with euphoria and blood was singing in her ears. "I'm a Mother!" she laughed, and she knew that her spiritual journey had just begun.

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The above is fictional, though it draws on many variations of actual Goddess religions. L.W.G.

This page was last updated on - Mar. 1997. "Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore!"
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