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I had a very fitful night Thursday night. When I woke up Friday morning, wife says, "I'm mad at you, you woke me up twice." Turns out I was tossing and turning enough to really disturb her, and she said I called out something unintelligible at some point and woke her up with that."

I rolled back on my back and stared at the ceiling, closing my eyes to sort out what I was feeling, and the residuals from the night weren't pleasant.

Anger. Lots of it. And not from me, either, I haven't been that angry with someone/something in years. So, if it wasn't me, where did it come from?

I usually shield myself before I fall asleep. I have a little ritual I go through while lying there to get my shields to a level where I'm comfortable that no serious nasties will bother me while I sleep. Problem is, sometimes I crash before I can get to that, and Thursday night was a good example of that.

I've got two friends of late that I worry about and try to send positive energy regularly to. One of them has a combination of a bit of depression as well as your basic stress, so I like to fix on this person and send them the psychic equivalent of a big hug from a good friend. This is easy for me to do, since I've done a lot of work with astral projection over time. I try to get a basic geographical fix on the person, visualize them, and then go for a connection. Feedback I've received over time is that something is working right with this.

When it's simple "hug" energy, the overall implications for me are no big deal. I'll shield myself, then go out looking. True healing energy, however, takes more effort, which is why I wait usually wait until bedtime to attempt this. I cooked Thursday night, and we had a nice bottle of Pinot Grigio with dinner, and the natural impairment of a few glasses of wine clouded my process by bedtime. Instead of shielding properly, I went ahead and began to send my friend (who had a very bad day pain-wise) as much energy as I could. This drained me out, and I pretty much zonked out.

That combination left me way too open to others' influences. I think I've isolated the source of the anger, and have taken steps to block that. Here's how I make all this work from a visualization point of view:

Shielding: Start by laying down on the bed or a sofa. Relax your body from your toes up to the top of your head. Visualize yourself upright at this point, rising towards the Kether, the infinite. Open your mind to light from Kether and absorb pure white light from that source. Let that light flow through your body, then manifest it around your heart. Project that light out from your heart, letting it spill over onto your body as a protective layer. Use your will to adjust your intent regarding this shield. Is it to be a total defense, allowing nothing in or out, or something less than that?

Over time, you will want to alter the visualization of your shield from simple white light coming from your heart to a color or colors that better reflect your aura.

Blocking: Visualize the source of bad/unwanted energy. Place that person or that source in a corner of your mind, and construct a barrier between you and them. How you visualize the barrier will depend on the strength of the energy, and whether or not you want to keep contact with that person. For example, a simple chain-link fence might be all you need to make your point. If anyone was able to push into my shields to the point where I'm calling out in my sleep, I consider that a problem. In this case, I visualized a brick-and-mortar wall, building it up, row by row, until this threat was blocked out.

Try some of these if you're so inclined, I'm curious to see what mileage you get from them. Better still, tell me how YOU shield.

What we created, we must dismantle. First we thank the Guardians of the Quarters. Move to the East (or the South, if you started the Call from there), and thank the Guardians for their attendance:

(starting in the East)

In the name of Light Arising, I thank you, thou Eastern Warder! Hail and Farewell!

move to the South:

In the name of Light Strengthening, I thank you, thou Southern Warder! Hail and Farewell!

now to the West:

In the name of Light Descending, I thank you, thou Western Warder! Hail and Farewell!

finally in the North:

In the name of Light Returning, I thank you, thou Northern Warder! Hail and Farewell!

Return to the altar. Extinguish any remaining candles burning. Take up your athame or sword and go to the East.

You're now going to reverse the casting of the circle. Some traditions will walk counter-clockwise (widdershins) to reverse the clocwise (deosil) movement of the creation of the circle. Others will simply go clockwise a second time. Either way, visualize the silver ribbon of the circle returning to your blade. When you complete the breaking of the circle, return to the altar. Earth the blade to disperse the power of the circle, or hold it aloft to cast that power to the wind. Thank the Deity one last time.

You've done good Work, congratulations and blessings!

We've raised and earthed power, now it's time to break down our ritual.

If you lit Goddess/God candles on your altar, extinguish them and thank the Deity for their attendance.

No candles? Just thank the Deity. Your thanks can be a simple "Thank you, Lord and Lady!" to a formal chant.

Your ritual has raised power, and now you need to channel that power somewhere. Since Beltane is about growth and fertility, the obvious place to send the power back into the earth. If you're outside, visualize the power going into your athame, knife, or sword. Earth the blade and visualize the power running from the blade down into the depths of the earth.

If you're inside, visualize the power going into your blade, then watch it burst out into the air, to be carried off by the four winds, coming to rest where it will do the most good.

What's important here is to focus the power and do something with it. You don't need all this for yourself, and hanging onto it will most likely create more problems for you than any good you think will come of it.

Everything up to now has been preparatory for the specific work we want to accomplish in our ritual. Since this is a Beltane observance, our Work in the circle will focus on summertime, growth, and fertility.

Take your committment to doing a Beltane ritual in hand. If you have goddess/god candles burning on your altar, light one end of the paper from one candle, and the other end from the other candle. Drop this in your incense burner or cauldron, thanking the Deity for helping you keep your promise to do a ritual. As the fire burns, meditate on the warmth as the planet warms up for summer.

One of the symbols of Beltane is the Maypole. Since a solitary doesn't have anyone to dance around with, make a "mini-Maypole" for your ritual. Take a stick eight to twelve inches long. Cut four lengths of ribbon in different colors, about six to eight inches long. Tack those ribbons to one end of the stick.

After the circle is complete and you've come to this point, take the mini-maypole in hand and begin to wrap the ribbons, two in one direction and two in the opposite direction. Here are two chants you can use while "dancing" your maypole:

Here we come a piping,
In Springtime and in May;
Green fruit aripening,
And Winter fled away.
The Queen she sits upon the strand,
Fair as lily, white as wand;
Seven billows on the sea,
Horses riding fast and free,
And bells beyond the sand.

from Witchcraft for Tomorrow by Doreen Valiente

"Oh, do not tell the Priest of our Art,
Or he would call it sin;
But we shall be out in the woods all night,
A conjuring summer in!
And we bring you news by word of mouth
For women, cattle and corn
Now is the dun come up from the South
With Oak, and Ash and Thorn!"

from Eight Sabbats For Witches by Janet and Stewart Farrar

Repeat the chant you choose until you completely wrap all four ribbons. Place the maypole in the center of your altar and feel the power you've raised by this Working.

After we have created our sacred space, we then invoke the Goddess and the God. I found this invocation at www.sacred-texts.com and I like it.

If you have candles on your altar to represent the Goddess and God, light them at this time. Then begin the Invocation:

For the Goddess:

Deep within the dream of silence
Blood and passions born beyond,
Gather at the serpent's calling,
Echo to its siren song.

For deep within the cauldron's darkness
Two hearts ache to join as one,
Must answer to the serpent's laughter;
Dance within its spiral song.

For blood is called, and passions gather:
Drum beat rhythms call the blood
To dance the paths of passion's power,
To sing for joy, for life, for love.

Within the shadows of a clearing
Deep within the silent green,
Revealed through a veil of moonlight,
Caught beside a crystal stream.

A woman from the land of beauty
Dances in the silver light,
Entranced within a web of silver
Woven by the serpent's light.
The serpent's laughter, song of shadows,
Echoes through the spinning web,
Weaving dreams with songs of silver,
Calling sacred fires long dead.

Within her body, flames awaken
Beauty and her passions need
Power and a desperate yearning,
Calling to the serpent's seed.

Within the ancient forest shadows,
Roots and boughs that weave and dream,
re-echo to the serpent's laughter,
Weaving webs of dancing green.

The serpent's song now calls the Hunter;
Beast Lord, Master of the Woods.
Calls the Stag Lord from the shadows,
Woodland's Master, Lord of Love.

She dances now, her passions spiral,
Calls her love into the night;
He flies upon the wings of laughter,
Led on by her silver light.

Flesh and sinew, man and muscle,
Loins that ache now hear her call.
She hears the Hunter's horn of power,
Hears his cry and hunting call.

The Stag Lord stalks within the clearing,
She turns to flee, but cannot run.
Transformed she spreads herself for passion,
Calling with her silver song.

Both their bodies rage with passions,
Beasts now dance within their blood.
Their eyes now flash with love's own lightning
As flesh now kindles warm for love.

Her thighs remember mothers' movements,
Moments from her mother's birth,
Cries of silver golden laughter
Plough within the fertile earth.

Their song and cry a single moment,
Pain, and yet a single joy,
As Earth unites a single sunlight
Lust fulfilled, reborn as joy.

For the God:

God of the meadow, God of the hill,
God of the sap and of our true will:
Thee I invoke as Spring awakes,
Thee I invoke as the blossom breaks.

Come young God, come come with the fire,
Lissome and leaping, alive with desire.
Come with the pipe and come with the drum,
With the heartbeat's pounding, come God come!

O seeker of joy, O hunter of pleasure,
Come enter the ring, tread the pagan measure.
Be here in Thy servants, be here in Thy Priests,
Be here in the flesh, and join in the feast!

Pause for moment once the Invocation is complete. Feel the Deity come down on you.

Now you're ready for the Work of the ritual.

Wiccans create sacred space by casting a circle. There are two parts to casting the circle, defining/drawing the circle, then sealing it by "calling the quarters."

To define the boundaries of our circle, we'll "draw" it. Take your athame or magical knife in hand. Some Wiccans always start to scribe the circle in the East, where others vary the starting point based on the ritual. Since Beltane has a strong connection to Fire, starting in the South would be appropriate. Extend the arm with the knife in it (actually, I use a sword for this task), and visualize the knife tracing a silver line along the ground. See it glow in your mind's eye. Chant the Goddess- and God-names while you slowly walk clockwise around the circle. When you come back to the starting point, join the circle together and visualize it sealing itself.

Now, to Call the Quarters. There are a number of visualizations here, depending on your intent, and how you see the relationship of the basic elements to the deity. Having grown up Catholic, I still have a strong appreciation for visualizing the Guardians of the Quarters as Archangels. Others visualize Watchtowers; still others visualize the "four airts," or winds.

For Beltane, I'm going to use a variant of a quarter-call that usually calls the Archangels. If you started the circle in the east, start the call there. If you started in a different direction, start there.

Starting in the East:

In the name of Light Arising, I summon the Guardian of the Air, the Healer, thou Eastern Warder! Hear my Call and bless my Work.

move to the South:

In the name of Light Strengthening, I summon the Guardian of Fire, the Defender, thou Southern Warder! Hear my Call and bless my Work.

now to the West:

In the name of Light Descending, I summon the Guardian of Water, the Herald, thou Western Warder! Hear my Call and bless my Work.

finally in the North:

In the name of Light Returning, I summon the Guardian of Earth, the Escort of the Dead in their time, thou Northern Warder! Hear my Call and bless my Work.

Return to the center. Stand before your altar and trace a pentagram in the air with your knife or your finger, starting with the top point. Go down to the right, then up to the left side, across to the right, down to the left, and up to the top point to close the symbol. Visualize it bursting into a blue flame upon completion.

In the name of the Guardians of the Quarters, I summon the guardian of Spirit. Hear my Call. Bless and watch over my Work.

Your sacred space is now defined.