Friday Worship

Todays worship centres around the co-existent relationship with the feminine, she who gives birth to us and the same Goddess who also fills us with desire. Such is the paradoxical nature of the divine Goddess. The images and poem for today was provided and written by The Astral Pilgrim

Come forth to me, my child of promise
And suckle softly from the bosom of thy past
My embrace will enfold you like the infinite rapture
And you shall be as the stars for a time, as you return back to the mother



I am the creator of all, and the providor of everything
In my breast you found life and the flow of wisdom
In my arms you find peace, heaven, nirvana
In your mind you are complete



Now you are a man once more
And the bosom that once nurtured you
Now enfolds in you in all it's sexual power
What once sustained you now gives you release



Love is that in many forms
In many minds, in many souls
My love will touch all, and all love shall return to me
Come to me, and know all of me



I am mother, lover, virgin, crone
Goddess and creator
Destroyer of doubt and giver of fire
I am

Friday Worship

Welcome to Friday Worship.
(We apologize for the slight delay in publication.)

This week's Friday Worship is dedicated to the beauty, sensuality and sexuality of the mature woman.

The Holy One stands alone in the clear sky;
On all the people of the land
The Lady looks in sweet wonder from the midst of Heaven;
The People parade before holy Inanna
The Lady of the Evening, Innana is lofty
Innana I would praise as is fitting
The Lady of the Evening is lofty on the horizon

At evening the radiant star, the great light fills the sky
The Lady of the Evening comes bravely forth from heaven
The people in all the lands lift their eyes to Her
The ox in his yoke lows for her
The sheep stir up the dust in their fold
The beasts, the many living creatures of the steppe
The four legged creatures of the high steppe
The lush gardens and orchards, the green reeds and trees
The fish of the Deep and the birds of Heaven
Inanna makes them hurry to their sleeping places

The living creatures and the people kneel before her
Chosen ones prepare great quantities of food and drink for Her
The Lady refreshes Herself in the land
The people celebrate
The young man makes love with his beloved

My lady looks on in sweet wonder from the midst of Heaven
The people parade before holy Inanna

The Lady of the Evening, Innana is lofty
Inanna I would praise as is fitting
The Lady of the Evening is lofty on the horizon

Friday Worship

Welcome to Friday Worship

The beautiful words for today's Friday Worship come from the Alexandrian Wiccan Great Rite, as published by Janet and Stewart Farrar.

Assist me to erect the ancient altar, at which in days past all worshipped;
The great altar of all things.
For in old time, Woman was the altar.
Thus was the altar made and placed,
And the sacred place was the point within the centre of the Circle.
As we have of old been taught that the point within the centre is the origin of all things,
Therefore should we adore it;
Therefore whom we adore we also invoke.

O Circle of Stars,
Whereof our father is but the younger brother,
Marvel beyond imagination, soul of infinite space,
Beyond whom time is ashamed, the mind bewildered, and the understanding dark,
Not unto thee may we attain unless thine image be love.
Therefore by seed and root, by stem and bud,
By leaf and flower and fruit do we invoke thee,
O Queen of Space, O Jewel of Light,
Continuous one of the heavens;
Let it ever be thus
That men speak not of thee as One, but as None;
And let them not speak of thee at all, since thou art continuous.
Thou art the point within the Circle, which we adore;
The point of life, without which we would not be.
And in this way truly are erected the holy twin pillars,
In beauty and in strength were they erected
To the wonder and glory of all men.

Altar of mysteries manifold,
The sacred Circle's secret point -
Thus do I sign thee as of old,
With kisses of my lips anoint.
Open for me the secret way,
The pathway of intelligence,
Beyond the gates of night and day,
Beyond the bounds of time and sense.
Behold the mystery aright -
The five true points of fellowship.

Here where the Lance and Grail unite,
And feet, and knees and breast, and lip.

In the name and love of Ishtar,
Blessèd Be!

Praise to Ishtar

Praise to Ishtar

Friday Worship

Welcome to Friday Worship.

Today's prayer to Ishtar comes from Assyria by W.H. Boulton.

Unto the queen of the gods,
into whose hands are committed the behest of the great gods,
unto the lady of Nineveh,the queen of the gods,
the exhalted one,unto the daughter of the moon-god,
the twin sister of the sun god, unto her who ruleth all kingdoms,
unto the goddess of the world who deetermineth decrees,
unto the Lady of heaven and earth who recieveth supplication,
unto the merciful goddess who hearkeneth unto entreaty,
who recieveth prayer, who loveth righteousness,

I make my prayer unto Ishtar
to whom all confusion is a cause of grief.
The sorrows which I see I lament before thee.
Incline thine ear unto my words of lamentation
and let thine heart be opened unto my sorrowful speech.

Turn thy face unto me,
O Lady, so that by reason thereof
the heart of thy servant may be made strong!

I, Ashur-nasir-pal, the sorrowful one, am thy humble servant;
I, who am beloved of thee, make offerings unto thee and adore thy divinity
. . . . I was born in the mountains which no man knoweth;
I was without understanding and I prayed not of thy majesty.
Moreover the people of Assyria did not recognise and did not accept thy divinity.

But thou, O Ishtar, thou mighty Queen of the gods,
by the lifting up of thine eyes did teach me,
for thou didst desire my rule.
Thou didst take me from the mountains,
and didst make me the Door of my peoples
. . . and thou, O Ishtar, didst make great my name!
As concerning that for which thou are wrath with me,
grant me forgiveness.
Let thine anger be appeased,
and let thine heart be mercifully inclined towards me.

Praise to Ishtar

Praise to Ishtar

Friday Worship

Welcome to Friday Worship
Today's worship is dedicated to those beautiful souls who are so full with the gifts of Ishtar that one sexual partner at a time is never enough. The prayer comes from the Songs of Bilitis "translated" by Pierre Louys (Paris 1894)

HYMN TO ASTARTE

Mother inexhaustible and incorruptible, creatures, born the first, engendered by thyself and by thyself conceived, issue of thyself alone and seeking joy within thyself, Astarte!

Oh! perpetually fertilized, virgin and nurse of all that is, chaste and lascivious, pure and revelling, ineffable,

nocturnal, sweet, breather of fire, foam of the sea!

Thou who accordest grace in secret, thou who unitest, thou who lovest, thou who seizest with furious desire the multiplied races of savage beasts and couplest the sexes in the wood.

Oh, irresistible Astarte! hear me, take me, possess me, oh, Moon! and thirteen times each year draw from my womb the sweet libation of my blood!

If you would like to suggest a theme, dedication or poem for Friday Worship please doget in touch. We will be very pleased to hear from you.

We exist to serve love.