The Vestalia

Vestalia
Ritual to be Performed on June 9, 2024
By Foxlyn Wren
ADF COoR Style

Supplies:
  • Offerings:
    • Vesta and the Vestals: Herbs from Pantry or Garden, Salted Flour, Cornmeal, Olive Oil, Real Candle Flame.
    • Earth Mother: Silver Bead
    • Shining Ones: White Wine
    • Nature Spirits: Cornmeal
    • Ancestors: Rum, Whiskey
  • Hallows: Hearth Stone, Crystal Pitcher of Spring Water, Candle
  • Lighter
  • Sage
  • 9 Day Candle
  • Vesta and Vestal Statue
  • Blessed Black Salt
  • Gatekeeper Bee
  • Elen's Blade
  • Hellenic Prayer Beads
  • Drinking Horn of Water
  • Wooden Offering Bowl for Dry Offerings
  • Ceramic Offering Bowl for Wet Offerings
  • Spirit Staff
  • Hestia-Vesta's Broomstick
  • Pendulum
  • Everyday Witch Oracle by Deborah Blake and Elisabeth Alba
  • Garb: White veils, dress, skeleton key necklaces, barefoot.
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Ritual:

1.  "Today marks the first day of the Roman Festival Vestalia–today I honor the Living Flame, the Goddess of Hearth, Lady Vesta and Her priestesses, the Vestals! It's also my 10th year of celebrating the Vestalia."

2.  Inviting Hestia-Vesta: Light the Candle: "Hestia-Vesta, First and Last, The Living Flame, I light this candle to show my love and gratitude for all that you've done, do, and continue to do for myself, my family, and community.
Hestia-Vesta, accept this offering!" Sprinkle Salted Flour into the flame.

3.  Purification: Light the sage. "In the name of my Hearth Entities, I cleanse this sacred space of all unwanted energies and entities. May only love, harmony, healing, and peace remain."

4.  Earth Mother: "We call to the Earth Mother. Earth Mother, She from whom we have emerged and to whom we shall return. We ask that you hold and protect us during this Vestalia Rite.
Earth Mother, accept this offering!" Drop the silver bead into the Well.

5.  Let us connect to the Sacred Center: "Now I want you all to close your eyes and take three deep breaths. Imagine that your feet are tree roots. Plunge those roots into your floor and into the ground. Push them deep into the earth, until they reach the cool waters below. With each inhale, bring those waters up your roots. Up your legs. Into your hips--here there is a cauldron. Fill the cauldron with the waters. Let the cauldron overflow and fill another cauldron in your heart center. Let the waters rise once more, filling your entire body with this cool, cleansing sacred water. Rising up to your head, to fill another cauldron. When you are ready, open your eyes.

The Waters support and surround us,
The Land extends about us,
The Sky stretches above us.
At our center burns a living flame.

May our worship be true.
May our actions be just.
May our love be pure.
Blessings, honor, and worship to the Holy Ones."

6.  Open the Gates: "We call now to Gatekeeper Bee! Guardian between our world and the Other. Accept this offering and be welcomed in this rite!

Gatekeeper Bee, I ask that you guide and protect us, joining your magiks with ours, and help us open the Gates!

(Touch Elen's blade to the Flame) May this candle become the Cosmic Fire!

(Touch Elen's blade to the Well) May this crystal pitcher become the Cosmic Well!

(Touch Elen's blad to the Mountain) May this brick become the Hearth Stone!

Bee! Let the Gates be Opened!" Open hands up.

7.  Now we invite the Kindreds:
"Ancestors of blood and spirit, culture and place, I invite you to this rite.
Ancestors, accept this offering." Pour the alcohol into the wet offering bowl or the ground.

"Nature Spirits of land and air, fire and water, I invite you to this rite.
Nature Spirits, accept this offering." Sprinkle the cornmeal into the dry bowl or around on the ground.

Gods, Goddesses, Godden, I invite you to this rite.
Shining Ones, accept this offering." Pour the wine into the wet offering bowl or the ground.

8.  Being of the Occasion: "I invite now Vesta and the Vestals! Roman Goddess and Spirits of Fire and Hearth Keeping, come now to this rite for today is the Feast Day of the Vestalia, the festival of You–a time of purification of body, mind, home, and spirit.
Vesta and Vestals, I accept this offering!"
Since I don't have the experience to safely pour olive oil into a fire, I'll be anointing a 9 Day Candle with olive oil and light it.

9.  Omens: "We have made our offerings to the Kindreds and so we shall ask for blessings in return.
Vestals, what blessings do you offer?
Nature Spiritus, what blessings do you offer?
Vesta, what blessings do you offer?

Are the omens good?
Are they accepted?

10.  Hallowing the Waters: Hold the Drinking Horn."We ask the Kindreds to bless these waters. May they fill our cups with Their healing, protection, guidance, and compassion.
See the omens fill these waters.

Behold the Waters of Life!

Drink deep and know we are blessed by our Kindreds."

11.  The Working:    
- Maybe I could do a rededication since this is my 10th Vestalia?  Or since I am a Vestal I could just do some divination and ask Vesta or Rhea what They want me to do?
- Cleansing my home and property with Holy Water.
- Blessing Black Salt and sprinkling it around my property for protection.
- Smearing Blessed Ash or Black Salt on family's foreheads.

12.  Thanking the Kindreds: "Vesta, Vestals, Kindreds and Spirits All! We thank you for attending this rite and lending us some love, protection, and guidance. Hail and Farewell!"

13.  Closing the Gates: "Gatekeeper Bee! Thank you for guiding us and mixing your magiks with ours. Help us now to close the gates!

(Touching Elen's blade to the Flame) May this cosmic fire be but a candle flame.

(Touching Elen's blade to the Well) May this cosmic well be but a crystal pitcher.

(Touching Elen's blade to the Mountain) May this Hearthstone be but a brick.

May the Gates be closed!" Close hands.

14.  Thanking the Earth Mother: "Earth Mother we thank you for your support this day and every day. Our thanks and blessings. Hail and farewell, Earth Mother."

15.  Thanking Hestia-Vesta: "Hestia-Vesta, First and Last, The Living Flame. We thank you for attending this rite, and helping to light the way with inspiration, warmth, and love." Blow out the candle.

16.  Closing the Rite: "This Vestalia rite has ended. Go in peace and in fellowship."

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Resources
  1. Ar nDraiocht Fein: Our Own Druidry. 2024. https://ng.adf.org/ (newer site); https://www.adf.org/about (older cite)
  2. Macleod, Debra. Flamma Vesta. http://flammavesta.com/
  3. Macleod, Debra. The New Vesta Secret. November 20, 2014.
  4. Macleod, Debra. The New Vesta Home. November 20, 2014.
  5. Macleod, Debra. Debra May Macleod: Vesta Today. https://debramaymacleod.com/vesta-today
  6. Serith, Ceisiwr.
  7. Sheldon, Natasha. The Vestalia: Celebrating Vesta and Purifying Rome. June 10, 2014. https://decodedpast.com/the-vestalia-celebrating-vesta-and-purifying-rome/
  8. Stone Creek Grove, ADF. Standard Liturgy. November 22, 2021. https://stonecreed.org/rituals/standard-liturgy/
  9. Three Cranes Grove, ADF. Ritual Scripts. https://threecranes.org/category/ritual-scripts/
  10. Wigington, Patti. Learn Religions: What Was the Vestalia? March 31, 2018. https://www.learnreligions.com/the-roman-vestalia-festival-2562247

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