Calendar of the Moon
6 Gort/Puanepsion
Oskophoria: Ariadne's Day
Color: Purple
Element: Earth
Altar: Upon cloth of purple place wreaths of grapevines, a wand wrapped in grapevines, a golden
crown made of stars, a spindle of handspun thread, a cup of wine, and the figure of a labyrinth.
Today the members of the House wear the clothing of the opposite sex, as did the Oskophoroi, in
honor of Theseus and his friends who cross-dressed.
Offerings: Labyrinths, drawn or carved.
Daily Meal: Meat and bread.
Oskophoria Invocation
Hail, Goddess of the Twining Way,
Mistress of the Labyrinth, daughter of Minos
And ill-fated Pasiphae all-shining,
Sister of the Dread Minotaur!
When your father taxed the Greeks for their children
To sacrifice to the bull-dance, a ship came bearing
Theseus and his friends, your freedom, so you thought.
Your thread was guide, guardian, brother-slayer.
Yet Theseus abandoned you on Naxos when he found
You were no mortal maiden, but a goddess made flesh
And oathbound at birth to Zeus's vine-clad son.
Lady of the Winding Road that leads far underground,
Teach us patience, like you had at Naxos,
Waiting for your divine lover until he came to you,
In the ship wreathed in grapevines. Hail, Bride of Dionysos,
Mate of the womanly one, Mistress of the Hall of Mysteries,
Holder of the lash, Bearer of the Thread that shows the way.
Lady of the Serpent, Snake-Bearer, maiden of bronze and gold,
Lady of the Island of Crete, bull-dancer on the horns,
Wearer of the Corona Borealis like a wreath of stars,
Mistress of the Labyrinth, teach us to find our way in and out
Of the dark places, and not to fear what lies at the center.
Chant: Linon Ariadnes
Choros Ariadnes
Stephanos Ariadnes
(All join hands and dance in a spiral dance, and then walk the labyrinth in the garden, which
every House should have as a meditation tool. The wine is poured out as a libation.)
[Pagan Book of Hours]