The Order of the White Moon Presents:

Aphrodite

  Goddess of Love, Sexuality, Joy, and Beauty

  By Maeve MoonBird

 

Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of Love, Sexuality, Joy, and Beauty. She is related to the Roman goddess Venus. She is associated with intense beauty, all types of love and especially romantic love, fertility, pleasure, marriage, sexual passion, and sexual awakening.

 

The god Uranus was castrated by his son Cronus who threw his severed genitals into the sea. From the sea foam Aphrodite was created, born, arose, and floated in on a shell to the land of her home in Cyprus, Greece. Her name Aphrodite comes from the Greek word “aphros”, which means “foam born” or “water born”. She is also considered the Goddess of the Sea, which symbolizes the interconnectedness of all life and fertility. Aphrodite had no childhood. She was born a very beautiful, fully developed adult woman. She is often depicted nude on a scallop shell in the sea and also in an erotic depiction in art.

Seeing Aphrodite’s stunning beauty, Zeus was afraid she may cause violence among the gods due to jealousy. He had her married off to the non threatening and unattractive Hephaestus, the skilled God of Smithing. Hephaestus was a devoted husband to her and forged her lovely jewelry in her honor including a gold girdle that made her even more attractive to the other gods. Aphrodite however was unhappy in her marriage and took many other lovers including the gods Adonis and Ares. It is said that because of Aphrodite’s great beauty she could make any man fall in love with her just by them laying eyes on her.

 

Aphrodite is also considered the Goddess of Joy and was attended by the three Graces Euphrosyne or Joyfulness, Algaia or Brilliance, and Thalia or Bloom.

 

Since 1300 B.C.E. she has been the main goddess worshiped to inspire passion, intensify romance, increase sexual pleasure, enhance inner and outer beauty, for good luck in fertility, and to improve sexual confidence. When Aphrodite is present in ritual she helps kindle or rekindle love, passion, sexuality, and generates new life.            

 

The Greeks celebrated Aphrodite in a yearly festival called Aphrodisia all over Greece. It was a day to celebrate love and fertility with related rituals and for love magick and divination. The word “aphrodisiac”comes from her name, which means to incite sexual arousal. 

Sacred to Aphrodite

 

Sea:  Scallop Shell, Clams, Pearls

 

Food: Apples, Pear, Pomegranate

 

Animals: Hare, Dolphin, Horse

 

Birds: Phoenix, Sparrow, Dove, Swan,

 

Stones and Metals: Copper, Malachite, Turquoise

 

Scents: Sandalwood, Rose

 

Trees: Cypress Tree, Palm Tree

 

Flowers: Roses, Myrtle          

 

 

Aphrodite Ritual for Self Love and Inner Beauty

 

Need:

 

Altar Cloth: red

 

Candles: two red and two white

 

Incense: rose

 

Stones: turquoise

 

Oil: rose

 

Flowers: rose petals

 

Food: red apple and pomegranate juice

 

Symbols: scallop shell, heart, image of Goddess Aphrodite

 

Matches

 

Bath Sea Salts

 

Two Pieces of paper and pen

1. Set of altar cloth with two red and one white candles anointed with rose oil, incense, rose oil, stones, symbols, rose petals, paper and pen, food and drink.

 

2. Run hot bath and sprinkle bath sea salts, rose oil, and rose petals in the water.

 

3. Place one white candle on tub, anoint with rose oil, and light.

 

4. Take this luxurious bath by candlelight allowing yourself to be purified in the bath water of all negativity. Enjoy the beauty of the rose petals, candle, and scents around you.           

 

5. After you feel fully purified and relaxed step out of the bath and blow out the candle.

 

6. Stand in front of the altar either nude or in a clean, special piece of clothing such as a ritual robe you feel beautiful and nurtured in.

 

7. Call the five directions:

 

I call the spirits of the north elements of earth to be with me in this circle.

 

I call the spirits of the east elements of air to be with me in this circle.

 

I call the spirits of the south elements of fire to be with me in this circle.

 

I call the spirits of the west elements of water to be with me in this circle.                 

 

I call the spirits of the center the goddess to be with me in this circle.

 

The circle is cast.

 

8. Light incense.

 

9. State the invocation to the Goddess Aphrodite and light white candle in honor of her:

 

“Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, Sexuality, and Beauty I ask you to be with me in this circle and guide me in this ritual for greater self love and celebrating my inner beauty.”

 

10. Conduct self blessing by anointing each area of your body with rose oil on the chakra saying the following blessings:

 

I bless the soles of my feet for their guiding me along the path and walking upon the earth.

 

I bless my root chakra for grounding me to the earth.

 

I bless my womb chakra for connecting me to passion, expressive sexuality, and my life force.

 

I bless my power chakra for accomplishing daily activities and self confidence.

 

I bless my heart chakra for being open to receiving love and giving love.

 

I bless my throat chakra for self expression and creativity.

 

I bless my third eye chakra for intuition and wisdom.

 

I bless my crown chakra for connection the spirit world and the Goddess.

 

I bless the palms of my hands for creating and the power of touch.

 

11. Light one red candle and state:

 

“Goddess Aphrodite, goddess of Love guide me to always be self loving everyday of my life.”

 

12. Meditate on ways you can be self loving daily to yourself now. Write these down on a sheet of paper.

 

13. Take a bite of the apple visualizing the Goddess Aphrodite’s spirit within you and state:

 

“ I promise to be self loving to my self everyday in the following ways-(read the list your wrote out loud)”             

 

14. Light second red candle and state:

 

“Goddess Aphrodite, Goddess of Beauty guide me in always remembering and being in touch with my inner beauty.

 

15. Meditate and feel connected to your inner beauty inside you radiating out into the circle.

 

16. Take a sip of the pomegranate juice visualizing you are embodying the beauty of the Goddess Aphrodite and connecting with your own inner beauty.                   

 

17. Close the circle saying goodbye to all five elements and thanking the Goddess Aphrodite for joining you and guiding you in the circle.

 

References:

  Ostara, by Edain McCoy

  Midsummer by Anna Franklin

  Lammas, by Anna Franklin and Paul Mason       

Altars Made Easy, by Peggy Streep

 365 Goddess, by Patricia Telesco

  Woman’s Magic, by Sue Bowes        

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphrodite