Vedic Protection
Rite – Baudhyavihara
Prior to this ritual, take the
time to build a hearth fire, either in a fireplace or fire pit. This fire will need to stay burning
throughout the ritual.
Purification
Purify using incense:
By the sacred fires, light of the brilliant sun, let this flame purify you. May
you enter this space with a good heart.
Initiate the Rite
Ring bell 3 times
Earth Mother
Prithvi,
sacred mother of the earth, you are the giver of life. Blossoming mother, broad and bountiful, you
who support the mountains and encompass all life, from beginning to end. Prithvi, be with us now.
Statement
of Purpose
We stand,
feet firmly upon the earth, to protect this place. We call upon the ancient rite of salagava to create a boundary
of peace. Let us pray with good fire.
Recreating
the Cosmos
We call now to the sacred fires that create the
cosmos. Sacred fire burning deep inside
the earth, mysterious and ever changing.
Sacred sun high above, bright and life bringing. Sacred hearth, fire that warms our hearts and
our homes. Let our fires be connected, and this space made sacred.
Opening the Gates
I call
now to Agni, guardian god of the flame, mouth of the Shining Ones, you who live
on the earth as fire, in the sky as the sun, and in the atmosphere as lighting,
we make these offerings to you and ask that you be with us now. Join your magic with mine. Let us step beyond the fire, and let the
gates be open.
Three Kindreds
Vanaspati, lords of the forest, spirits of nature, vrksha,
oshadhi, and virudha, you who share this realm with us, be with us now. Welcome, Nature Spirits.
Make offering
Puurvaka, you who walked this land before us, spirits who
live in our heart, you who share our blood and our story, be with us now. Welcome, Ancestors.
Make offering
Devas, heavenly divine, benevolent beings who are worthy of
worship, you who share many lessons with us, be with us now. Welcome, Shining Ones.
Make offering
Key Offering
Rudra, god of the hunt, mightiest
of the mighty. Most frightening one with
the most severe howl, you who are fierce like a formidable beast, be with us
now. Welcome, Rudra!
Make
offering
Prayer of Sacrifice
Through our praise and devotion, we honor the Shining Ones. Through our honor and respect we offer
hospitality to the Nature Spirits.
Through our remembrance and love we praise the Ancestors. Through our words and work we honor
Rudra. It is our hope that our offerings
have conveyed our hospitality to you.
Kindreds all, we honor you.
Maker
offering
Omen
Do a 3 stone draw to determine if
my offerings have been accepted and to determine if I should continue with this
working.
Blessing:
Let the blessings of the Vanaspati, growing and green flow
into these waters. Let the blessings of
the Puurvaka, wise and devoted flow into these waters. Let the blessings of the Devas, powerful and
benevolent flow into these waters. Let
the blessings of Rudra, mighty and formidable flow into these waters. Behold, the waters of life.
Drink from the cup
Working
Tonight,
we borrow from the Vedic rite of salagva to protect our home and ward against
the malevolent and malcontent. The fire
is built to bring light and warmth to this space. In salagva, a spotted cow was sacrificed to
ask Rudra to avert evil from their land.
Tonight, we instead offer this meat to him, asking that he aid us in
protecting our home. Mighty Rudra, you
with the fiercest roar, protect our boundaries and keep away those beings of
mischief.
Offer meat to the fire and let
it burn completely through until the fire is extinguished and turned to
ash. Gather the ash and wrap it in cloth
or other containers along with rice to distribute amongst the boundaries of
your property. These act as a ward, as
well as continued offerings to Rudra for continued protection
As the
sun rises upon this space, let it be bright and warm. I call upon the ancestors
to show us how to be brave in the face of adversity. I call upon the nature
spirits to show us how to be peaceful in times of hostility. I call upon the
deities to show us how to be wise and speak truth about our paths.
Mighty
Rudra, let this place be protected.
Thanking the Beings
Fierce Rudra, mighty howler and
protector, you bring peace to this space and comfort to our family. May our relationship continue to grow
together. Thank you, Rudra.
Devas, bright shining gods and
goddesses, you bring blessings to this space and lessons to our family. May our relationship continue to grow,
together. Thank you, Shining Ones.
Puurvaka, heroes, guides,
guardians, you bring wisdom to this space and love to our family. May our relationship continue to grow
together. Thank you, Ancestors.
Vanaspati, growing creatures of
this earth, you bring growth this this space and sustenance to our family. May our relationship continue to grow
together. Thank you, Nature
Spirits.
Closing the Gates
I call
once more to Agni, god of lightning and the sun, thank you for joining us
tonight. You allowed our words to carry
between the realms. Thank you,
Agni. Now, I ask that you once more join
your magic with mine. Let us step back
through the fire to return home, and let the gates be closed.
Thanking the Earth Mother
Prithvi,
boundless earth, giver of life, you bring the ever changing cycles to this
space, and life to our family. May our
relationship with you continue to grow together. Thank you, Prithvi.
Closing the Rite
Let this
space and our family be protected. Let
our work please the Kindreds. Let us
pray with good fire. And let this rite
be closed.
Ring bell 3 times