A Visit to Sacred Malta By Drea Bradley

This ritual was designed after Drea visited Malta on holiday. She was especially entranced by the ancient sites on the island, which inspired the following rite to the Earth Mother of Sacred Malta.

Everyone gathers in a circle and joins hands. For a few moments, everyone breathes deeply together to help alter their state of consciousness.

A cauldron or bowl of clean water
Cup to dip into water
Libation bowl for offering of water
Salt
A lit candle to represent the eternal flame, which stands upon the altar
Two unlit candles on altar
Unlit candles in the four quarters
A representation of the goddess on the altar (see picture); either statue or picture.
An offering of pieces of bread smeared with honey
Small pieces of paper for each participant and a flame proof receptacle in which to burn these later in the ritual.

Set out the cauldron of water and the cup before the altar. Leave the libation bowl near the door to the ritual room. Each participant should write on a piece of paper the entreaty they wish to make to the goddess. These are folded and put into a receptacle on or beneath the altar for later use.

'We are gathered here tonight to visit the temple of the goddess in one of her earliest manifestations, as the earth mother of sacred Malta. We are not native to the isle and therefore make this visit as guest priestesses, with respect and a genuine desire to learn more of the primal lady and her rites.

Those of you who share this aim and wish to walk peacefully into the presence of our ancient mother, gather now and join this rite. Those who wish to walk no further down this path, leave now with my blessing.'

Those who remain dip the cup into the cauldron and pour a small amount into the libation bowl near the door. Then move into circle.

Draw water from the cauldron and take it to the altar, kneel. Take your athame, point it towards the water and exorcise it.

'In the name of the mother of the bountiful sea, I drive forth all impurity from this water, that it shall become the shining fluid of life.'

Again, use your Athame to bless the salt.

'In the name of the mother of the fertile land, I bless this salt that it may become for us the solid substance of all life.'

Sprinkle some salt into the water. Using the athame, focus your energy into the chalice then stir clockwise.

'In the name of she who dwells within, earth and water, I combine you into a sacred substance, which shall bless the boundaries of this temple and all that reside within.'

Sprinkle from the chalice over the altar and tools, then walk the circle and sprinkle the sacred fluid around its furthest edges.

Then pass the chalice on to another priestess, who sprinkled each present with the sacred fluid and blesses them, saying:

'In the name of she who dwells within you are blessed.'

Walk around the circle, drawing it with the athame, saying:

'With this blade I cut the veil to allow us to pass through into a time and place of magic.
A meeting place of trust and joy
I create a boundary between the current mundane world
And the magic realm of Maltese pre-history.
A guardian and protection for those who work our rite within.
This circle I consecrate to our Ancient Mother.
As I do will so mote it be. Blessed be.'

Taking a light from the sacred flame, kneel before the altar and light the candles on it. Say:

'Light from the sacred flame, that which emanates from the sacred source of all light and heat, the great Sun which illuminates our days and warms our skin. I bring this light to illuminate our passage to other places.'

Then move around the circle lighting the candles in each quarter, saying at each:

'Here do I bring light and air in at the east, to illuminate our temple and give it the breath of life.'
'Here do I bring light and air in at the south, to illuminate our temple and give it the warmth of spirit.'
'Here do I bring light and air in at the west, to illuminate our temple and give it a centre of feeling.'
'Here do I bring light and air in at the north, to illuminate our temple and build it in strength.'

(Different participants can invoke each one, or one person can invoke all.)

Stand in the east, raise arms and say:

'In the quarter of spring I call the guardian of the east The elemental spirit of air And bid you Witness our rite and Guard our circle.'

Stand in the south, raise arms and say:

'In the quarter of summer I call the guardian of the south The elemental spirit of fire And bid you Witness our rite and Guard our circle.'

Stand in the west, raise arms and say:

'In the quarter of autumn I call the guardian of the west The elemental spirit of air And bid you Witness our rite and Guard our circle.'

Stand in the north, raise arms and say:

'In the quarter of winter I call the guardian of the north The elemental spirit of earth And bid you Witness our rite and Guard our circle.'

In the centre, raise arms and say:

'I call upon the Sky spirit Guardian of our past Watcher of the day And bid you Witness our rite and Guard our circle.'

In the centre, gesture towards the ground, and say,

'I call upon the earth spirit Guardian of our future Watcher of the night And bid you Witness our rite and Guard our circle.'

Carry the chalice to each quarter in turn and present it to the quarter as follows;

'With this sacred fluid I welcome the spirit of spring and bless the east.'
'With this sacred fluid I welcome the spirit of summer and bless the south.'
'With this sacred fluid I welcome the spirit of autumn and bless the west.'
'With this sacred fluid I welcome the spirit of winter and bless the north.'

Carry the incense to each quarter in turn and present it to the quarter as follows; 'With this incense I welcome the spirit of spring and bless the east.'
'With this incense I welcome the spirit of summer and bless the south.'
'With this incense I welcome the spirit of autumn and bless the west.'
'With this incense I welcome the spirit of winter and bless the north.'

Stand in the centre, and say:

'Our temple is made; we are between the worlds
Out of time, beyond the mundane, in the world of magics.
Our ritual has begun.'

Sit comfortably and prepare yourself by breathing deeply; Look at the candle on our altar and the image of the ancient mother, which it illuminates. Breathe in for a second, then holding that image, close your eyes. As you breathe in, inhale the statue's peaceful presence. As you exhale, see the candle light expand. Breath by breath, it fills your presence, fills the room, clearing any knowledge of the room or your mundane surroundings. Your sisters (and/or brothers) remain; together they sit as though floating in an orb of light, beyond time beyond place. Let go of your physical form and become aware of your spirit self, your mind form, flowing and free.

The light around you begins to become less bright, and you are able to see a new landscape in which you and your companions sit.

You sit around the courtyard in front of an ancient temple on the island of Malta. At first, as the image forms, it is misty and vague, and only your companions seem real. The stone façade looks crumbly and ruined, but as your vision clears, you see the image as real as any you might inhabit. You have with you a gift of bread and honey for the goddess.

The façade of the temple is a curved wall, concave and forming a sheltered space before a large stone entrance with heavy wooden doors. The façade is made of gleaming white limestone almost too bright to bear in the glaring Mediterranean sun. The limestone pieces are like huge slabs butted closely together lying in horizontal rows. Many of these blocks contain beautiful fossil sea shells, linking this place to the ocean. A simple yet impressive design, which draws your eye inward towards the central door.

Beyond the top of the wall, you are aware of the great dome which forms the roof of this sacred place. The local people expended great effort to construct this place, which reflects their great love for the mother goddess who resides within. This area of the temple is a communal area, where people come to rest, pass the time of day and bring simple offerings for use in the temple rituals. Several of these people move around or sit on the stone benches at the foot of the temple façade. They are smiling and friendly folk with gentle brown eyes and skin the sun has turned to dark honey from work in the fields. A few older or infirm people sit among the others, having come for the healing touch of the goddess within. Food from the temple is eaten here after the goddess has enjoyed it on her altars. Look around and take in the details of the scene.

A priestess emerges from the temple, a broad hipped and stout woman, wearing a robe with a pleated skirt and a loose woollen shawl around her shoulders. After glancing around, she sees your party waiting and invites you to follow her inside.

The temple is divided into three parts and you will visit each in turn. The curving oval design of the chambers reflects the shape the earth mother wears in this land; an ample bosomed matronly form, with broad hips, rich with the promise of fertility and plenty.

The first room you enter is a wide space, in which several people are involved in the mundane tasks of temple life. To your left, a young woman grinds flour for the temple bread in a stone basin and quern. To your right, a sheep, which was sacrificed earlier in the morning, roasts over a circular paved hearth. A stone bench to the far left is occupied by a mother and her ailing child, while a healer priestess quietly lays her hands on its head. This room is plastered and painted bright red like the sun at midday; it has a floor made of pressed crushed pottery. It is oval in shape, with a paved area across the centre, connecting the outside door to another, which leads further into the temple. Around the edges of the room are blocks carved with spirals and foliate designs. Rope holes to restrain animals brought to sacrifice are visible either side of the central area.

Your guide leads you to a place on the far right, where an alcove holds a false door shrine. You are familiar with these from other temples, and understand that this door communicates with the realm of the gods, and through it the uninitiated send their pleas. The priestess smiles and indicates that you should ask for an audience. While your companions wait, you explain your request to the goddess, whose presence you sense behind the false door. As a priestess from another land, you ask for her blessing to enter her sanctuary and learn of her nature. You do so with great respect and with all honour to the culture of her subjects.

Hand to the priestess the gift of bread and honey you have brought for the goddess. Bow and step back. The priestess waits for a few moments, then guides you to a second door opposite the first. This door is covered with a heavy woollen drape, dyed green, which is drawn aside for you to pass.

The second room is smaller than the first, but exactly the same shape: an oval, with a rough paved central area, and a crushed pottery floor on the areas to either side. The plaster of this room is also red but darker and more sunset red. To the left, is a huge bowl containing the sacred water of the goddess. Next to this, on a small altar, burns the sacred flame. Behind this, stands a statue of the goddess in her public form. She is dressed like the priestess, but with enormous proportions. This image is almost twice your height, and gives the impression of awesome but restrained power. Her bust is so full it bulges out to the sides, and causes her arms to be pushed outward from her body. Her hips are almost barrel-like in proportion, and yet you notice the dainty and very human shape of her hands. They are hands that might sew or spin, cook or stroke a child's feverish brow. Like the priestess, this goddess has hair trimmed above her shoulders, worn in formal ringlets. Her face is calm and gentle, but with the quiet strength of all patient mothers, there for all to see. The legs, feet and hands of the statue are coloured red with ochre.

While the image is of the gentle mother, the proportions caution you that this is a lady whose wrath should be feared; great in strength and majesty, fearsome in the darkness of her rage, if that should be her will.

Behind the goddess, in the wall, is a small hole, which connects this chamber with a small cell, where a priestess can sit in darkness to channel the voice of the goddess.

Stand for a while and contemplate what this image tells you of the lives of the people who live in her lands, and what might you learn from them if you had time to linger in this place.

In turn, the priestess guides you to a sacrificial altar where your gifts of bread and honey lie. Take a moment to take in the image of the altar before you. On it are small terracotta figures, very similar to the statue to your left. On the wall above are images carved into the rock of the animals the goddess desires as sacrifice because their qualities reflect her own. The strong bull, the fertile sow, the sheep who gives milk and wool to feed and clothe the young. The altar is a slab of limestone, carved at the edges with the pattern of waves and pit-marks, each one the result of devotional hours. Just to your right is a stone hearth built into the floor, in which a sacrificial fire burns.

Open your eyes, while holding the image of the temple in your mind. In turn, take from beneath the altar your entreaty to the goddess and a piece of your offering to the goddess. Set light to the paper and toss it into the bowl for burning. Add your offering, then resume your seat. When all have sat down, close your eyes and refresh the temples image.

The priestess now guides you from the altar to stand before the image and ask the goddess one question. Stand for a few moments to hear her reply.

Remember she might not answer today, but may send an answer into your life for you to discover, if she feels that is the best way for you. Trust her judgement.

Now, the priestess guides you alone to the third doorway. This doorway is covered with a drape of the finest wool in a deep red colour. It is of the finest quality, almost gossamer in texture, and yet lets only a small amount of light through. The priestess holds the drape aside for you to pass, but does not join you. This journey you must make alone.

This third and final room is the inner sanctuary of the goddess. Here, she dwells in a shrine that houses her most primal form, the secret form only initiated priestesses know. The room is very dark, only the candle on the altar, her altar, lights your way to her. The walls are dark blood red. And the room smells faintly of blood and incense.

In this place, you ask no question, make no request. In this place, in this presence, you wait. Feel the power of this essential goddess. Seek answers only from her nature, and your experience of her.

Now it is time to leave, bow to the goddess and leave her presence quietly. Rejoin your companions. Follow the priestess as she leads you back through the outer rooms and into the sunshine. Take again your seat before the temple façade, seated with your companions in circle.

The Mediterranean sun is now at its strongest, and is so bright it hurts; its light fills your eyes. Gradually the scene changes, the people become ghostlike, shades through which you see the temple as a crumbling and roofless ruin. Despite the changes in the temple, you remain aware of the presence of she who dwells within. This scene of romantic ruin fades as your vision is filled with the bright light of the glowing orb in which you sit. Breathe in the light and out calm, grounding yourself in the mundane realm, in which your circle was cast. When you are fully returned, move your fingers and toes, and in your own time open your eyes and sit up.

The group should now feast and make toasts in the circle, and share thoughts of the visualisation.

Stand in the centre of the circle and say:

'Great Mother known by many names, the source of all, Soul of nature. We thank you for your presence at this rite, and for your blessings May we walk ever in your shadow, with your peace in our hearts Hail and farewell,'

All:

'Hail and farewell.'

Go the the east:

'In the quarter of spring I thank the guardian of the east The elemental spirit of air For your presence at our rite and for guarding our circle Hail and farewell.'

Go to the south:

'In the quarter of summer I thank the guardian of the south The elemental spirit of fire For your presence at our rite and for guarding our circle Hail and farewell.'

Go to the west:

In the quarter of autumn I thank the guardian of the west The elemental spirit of water For your presence at our rite and for guarding our circle Hail and farewell.'

Go to the north:

'In the quarter of winter I thank the guardian of the north The elemental spirit of earth For your presence at our rite and for guarding our circle Hail and farewell.'

In the centre:

'I thank the Sky spirit Guardian of our past Watcher of the day, For your presence at our rite and for guarding our circle Hail and farewell.'

'I thank the earth spirit Guardian of our future Watcher of the night, For your presence at our rite and for guarding our circle, Hail and farewell.'

Closing statement:

'Those of us who have passed through the veil into a time and place of magic. Step now into our mundane world. May the love of our mother Remain in our hearts. This ritual is ended. Until we meet again, walk in light.'