We will select from things mentioned below to create our sacred space.

What does not represent Aphrodite? Anything that moves or grows, anything that blooms or flourishes, anything beautiful and shining-the symbols of Aphrodite are myriad.

Flowers are especially sacred to the goddess of love, as merchants even today recognize. And why not? Flowers are the sexual organs of plants. Thus Aphrodite is shown in art holding, wearing, stepping on, or surrounded by flowers. 

The lily, poppy, myrtle, narcissus, and crocus are among the flowers sacred to her. But no flower appears more consistently associated with Aphrodite than the rose. Fragrant, beautiful, and vivid, it still symbolizes passionate love today. The red rose-as courting lovers know-especially signifies Aphrodite, being the color of the heart's blood.

Fruit, too, is a symbol of Aphrodite's power, for she is the goddess who, drawing bees to flowering branches creates the bountiful harvest. Among fruits, the pomegranate and the apple are her special favorites. Trees that give forth fragrance, like myrrh and cinnamon, also are sacred to her.

As she is a sea-born goddess, water is naturally a symbol of Aphrodite, especially salt water; all the salty fluids of our bodies are similarly under her domain. Pearls, born in water, are a perfect emblem for Aphrodite. Similarly, water birds appear as the goddess's servants. 

Geese, ducks, and swans are some of her symbols; sometimes she rides on them, sometimes they are yoked like horses to a chariot that bears her. A few non-aquatic birds are also associated with her-especially the sparrow, who was thought by the Greeks to be especially sexually active.

Of all symbols of Aphrodite, however, the one most consistently associated with her is gold-not just yellow metal, but Boldness as a quality of light. She is often called "the golden one," or simply, "the golden." 

In very ancient times, Aphrodite was connected with the sun and the dawn, whose golden light she embodies. Although we now connect love with the night, this goddess reminds us that we are drawn to each other in Aphroditian sunlight. 

And whenever we are filled with desire, our beloved seems glittering, radiant, and all aglow. 

Golden rings and neckbands are beautiful-she is always described and depicted as wearing golden jewelry-but Aphrodite's real gold is found in the graceful movements of lovers toward each other.

Aphrodite had a shrine at Mount Eryx, where the Goddess's fetish was a golden honeycomb. Pythagoreans perceived the hexagon as an expression of the spirit of Aphrodite whose sacred number was six. She worshipped bees as her sacred creatures because they understood how to create perfect hexagons in their honeycomb. In Her temple at Eryx, the priestesses were Melissae, "bees" and the Goddess herself was entitled Melissa, the Queen Bee. 

"What time they fed on honey fresh, food of the gods divine, the holy madness made their hearts to tell the truth incline, but if from food of honeycomb they needs must keep aloof, Confused they buzz among themselves and speak no word of sooth."

The Ritual

Let us create our Circle here together, by speaking our names and joining hands. Please repeat what I say, using your own name….

I am Bendis. I am a beautiful and lusty Goddess. I offer you my hand and together we create a strong Circle.

(All repeat)

Invocation of the Elements

Flowing sensual waters, bathe me in your sweetness. Connect me with my desires, opening me to love.

Nurturing Earth, you offer all of life's abundance. My body is your body, connected and grounded in beauty.

Sweet Air, blow away all blockages that keep me from expressing who I am. Your breath is my breath, you breeze my inspiration.

Bright flames of desire, arouse in me my fiery spirit that I might open to love and passion in my life.

Once more standing in the flowing tides and rhythms of water, I now seal this space.

We are now within a Circle of protection. Within this space, know you are safe and surrounded by Her love.

This Circle is closed to the outside world and we are now between the worlds.

Our Circle is consecrated with invocation in the name of Aphrodite, Queen of passionate pleasure.

Aphrodite is often called the goddess of love. There are many kinds of love, including those that Aphrodite does not rule. 

Aphrodite rules physical attraction. It is too coarse to just call her the goddess of lust or even of sex, for physical passion can stir us when we look at splendid art or at nature's magnificence. 

Who is she? She is served by handmaidens called the Graces, and sometimes she is called the chief Grace. And that is her secret: she is the goddess of gracefulness, of that which draws us to be closer, of whatever pulls us nearer to itself. 

She can be found in the fragrance of a summer rose as much as in the drooping eyelids of an attractive stranger. She is in the brilliant night sky as well as in the curving bodies of entwined lovers. 

She is a mythic symbol of all that binds us together-with each other, with our world, with the cosmos.

We will pose some questions for you. Please copy these questions down in your journal to be answered later.

1. Remember the first time you felt the stirring of love. What did it feel like? What did you do? What was the result?

2. Remember the first time you felt sexual desire. (This may or may not be related to the occasion you remember in the first question.) What did you do? What was the result?

3. Remember the first time you had a sexual experience. (This may or may not be different than the earlier memories.) 

Was this a happy or unhappy occasion for you? Was there coercion or force involved? How did you feel during the experience? How did you feel after? How do you feel about it now?

4. Have you ever been forced or coerced into having a sexual relationship or experience? How did it make you feel then? How do you feel about it, and yourself, now?

5. Have you ever fantasized about lovemaking? If you have, what was the experience like? Did you feel any shame? If you did, who suggested to you that your desires are shameful?

6. As a young person, were you encouraged to believe yourself attractive and worthy of love? If not, what other messages were given to you, and by whom? Do you still believe them now? If so, why? How can you step past them?

7. What ways, other than sexual desire, does life's force speak in you? What draws you deeply and passionately toward itself? How do you respond?

8. How do you feel about other people's sexuality? What makes you feel excited; what makes you feel frightened? What does this tell you about yourself?

9. What images of powerful passion come readily to mind, from books, movies, television programs, or real life? The fact that these images come to mind suggests that they are significant to you. What do they tell you about your desires?

Let us turn again to Aphrodite ….

Beautiful she may be, but Aphrodite is not an easy goddess. For she is amoral not immoral necessarily, simply beyond consideration of whether any specific passion is appropriate or lasting. 

She can as easily bring pain as joy, as easily cause trouble as create harmony. She may be the chief of the Graces, but don't mistake that for a promise that all will be smooth in your life if you simply call on her.  She enlivens life; feeling the energy of attraction flow through us can be most enjoyable even if we don't act on it. 

Aphrodite will offer you the salty juice of love, but it is up to you to decide whether or not to drink it.  Thus it is important, before offering invocations or petitions to Aphrodite, to strengthen yourself so that you may deal responsibly with the energies you'll set loose. 

This is not a goddess to take lightly: never forget the Trojan War. Yet she is not necessarily destructive, so don't hesitate to invoke her when life seems dry or loveless. Just be prepared to deal with the rush of feeling and desire she provokes. Just be prepared to watch as your life is transformed like a burgeoning apple tree in spring.

As goddess of the senses, Aphrodite is honored whenever you open to the beauties around you.

Listen now to the invocation of Aphrodite. Feel Aphrodite move within you; listen to her promptings and act on them as you feel her passion within you.

I sing of Aphrodite, the lover's goddess, beautiful, gold-crowned, a blossom riding the sea foam, resting on wind. She comes ashore, and women in gold bracelets meet her, bearing silken garments for her lovely body, copper rings for her shell ears, and chains of gold for her silver breasts. They lead her from the seashore. Do not look upon her! Your eyes would dazzle from such beauty. But you do not need to see her. 

You already know her. It is she who moves you in your dance. She is the music of your life. Do you need to ask her name? Call her Love. Call her joy. Call her golden Aphrodite. She is the moment when body knits to body and the world flowers. She enlivens everything: plants in the meadow, the ocean's fish, animals hidden in the forest, birds tumbling on the wind. 

She is our darling, she who under the wheeling stars makes all things blossom and bear fruit. At her approach storms clear, dark clouds dissolve to blue, sweet earth and all the oceans smile, and her light dances brilliant through the flourishing world.

She came to Ida, flowing Ida, Ida of the streams, with grey wolves behind her and bright lions and thick bears and quick hungry panthers. They moved like dancers around her. She moved like a woman in love. And when they saw this, they grew hot and full of longing-even animals grow hot and full of longing in her presence and two by two they left her, following each other into the valleys to mate, their bodies hot and full of longing. And so, we too. And so, we too.

The golden one has left us, gone to her island, gone to her temple there, gone to her shrine with its incensed altar. She has left us behind and closed the door. If we could see her now how beautiful she would be! Imagine her there, the Graces bathing her-those lovely handmaids and oiling her with fragrant sweetness, covering every curve of her bountiful body with sacredness and the green scent of olives, and dressing her in filmy silken robes, and roping her neck with golden chains, dropping gold from her ears, ringing her fingers with gold. She is laughing. 

How our darling loves to laugh! And now look! she is leaving her temple again, coming back to bring us more joyous trouble, laughing and laughing, cutting a path right through the stars.

I will build you, goddess, an altar high up on the mountain peak, where everyone can see it, and each season I will cover it with the richest offerings. Think kindly of me therefore, grant me a long and sunny life, let me be happy among my loves, and prosperous up to the ripe edge of age.

She has come back, piercing us all with her sweetness, her power. Birdsong swells, the antelope leaps swift mountain streams, the west wind wraps us in honeyed warmth. She has returned, our golden one. She moves laughing through our world and we follow her. Through the forest, through the fields, across the hills, we follow her, all of us in love, loving each other, in love with her. 

When she returns, it is always summer. Don't you hear the swallows and cicadas? Don't you hear the nightingale? Don't you hear the brooks running silver, the rivers running darkly to the sea? Don't you hear the whole world singing her praises? 

Everything is singing, everyone
is in love, because our goddess has come home.

Dance the feelings that are stirred by the images within the hymn. Let the dance begin from within and move outward. 

Please stand and let the dance begin……

Women dance until they are ready to sit and be present with themselves and their feelings. They may record their thoughts and feelings in their journals as well as ponder the questions written there.

When all appear to be done, the Circle is quietly closed around them.

Flowing sensual waters, you bathed me in your sweetness and connected me with my desires, opening me to love. Blessed Be.

Nurturing Earth, you offered all of life's abundance. My body is your body, connected and grounded in beauty. Blessed Be.

Sweet Air, you have blown away all blockages that keep me from expressing who I am. Your breath is my breath, you breeze my inspiration. Blessed Be.

Bright flames of desire, you aroused in me my fiery spirit. I am open to love and passion in my life. Blessed Be.

Aphrodite has come back, piercing us all with her sweetness, her power. Birdsong swells, the antelope leaps swift mountain streams, the west wind wraps us in honeyed warmth. She has returned, our golden one. She moves laughing through our world and we follow her. Through the forest, through the fields, across the hills, we followed her, all of us in love, loving each other, in love with her. 

And when she returns, it will always be summer. We will hear the swallows and cicadas. We will hear the nightingale and the brooks running silver, the rivers running darkly to the sea. The whole world will sing Her praises? 

Everything will sing, everyone will be in love, because our goddess has come home.

Thanks you Aphrodite. Blessed Be