Use a green or brown cloth on the altar
and decorate it with a picture of Althera, pebbles, crystals, seeds, nuts,
leaves and flowers. In the centre place an earthenware bowl of black soil.
Cast a circle, being
especially conscious of where your altar is in relation to the Australian
landscape – the plains, the deserts, the hills, the forests etc. In each
direction invoke an aspect of Althera: her fertility in the rich fields, her
majesty in the mountains, her physicality in the rainforests, her cycle of life
death and rebirth in the seasonal cycles.
Play gentle background music
while you sit quietly, feeling the throbbing life of the earth merging with the
beating of your own heart, the pulsing of your blood.
Use the bowl of soil
to bless each other (or yourself), with the words: 'May the Goddess of the earth
bless you.' Tip the remaining soil onto the earth, or onto a plant, with a
prayer of blessing and thanks to Althera.
Recite the Charge of the Goddess,
adding the names of the Australian Goddesses: Althera, Aqualena, Hattannah and
Areia.
Reflect on times and places
in your own life when you have encountered the Goddess of the earth in
Australia. Think about the feelings that your favourite earth places invoke in
you. Acknowledge that in these places you meet Althera, the Goddess of the
earth. What was significant about the encounter? Think about how you can get to
know Her more, how you can deepen your relationship with Her. Share some of
these insights with others in the group.
Name the many ways that we
meet Althera, with the invocation: Althera, Goddess of the earth I/we see you in
……' (Repeated by one person, with others completing the sentence, as many
times as desired). When all the invocations have been said, offer thanks:
Goddess of the earth I/we thank you'.
Cut red apples in half
crossways
for all to share, revealing the five pointed star of Althera hidden in each
apple. Offer a prayer of thanks to Althera for her gift of fresh fruit.
Walk bare footed on the grass,
gathering a few leaves, flowers or seed pods. As you pick each of them, give
thanks to the plant that nurtured their life. Place these on the altar, offering
them back to Althera with thanks. When the ritual is ended leave these on your
altar for a few days.
Make a commitment to work
for Althera in some practical way e.g. to plant more native trees and shrubs in
your garden, to recycle even more of your rubbish, to eliminate plastic bags
from your household etc.
Open the circle, thanking
Althera for her presence.
