Calendar of the Sun
18 Hrethemonath
Day of Sheela-Na-Gig
Color: Earthy red
Element: Earth
Altar: On a cloth of clay-red set clay bowls of water, milk, incense, grains, stones, leaves, and
candles. A figure of the Sheela-Na-Gig should be in the center.
Offerings: Do maintenance on your physical body.
Daily Meal: Eggs or dairy, as they come from female animals.
Invocation to the Sheela-Na-Gig
Goddess of Fertility,
You stand naked and unashamed
Spreading open the doors
To the sacred tunnel of life
From which we all came
And to which we shall all return.
You speak of the holiness of the body,
Of the woman's passage that we must
Never forget was our entry
Into this world of flesh and blood.
You remind us that flesh and blood is as sacred
As mind and heart and spirit,
Even when we rail against it,
Even when it seems to betray us,
Even we wish it were otherwise.
You remind us that incarnation
Is not a prison but a privilege,
And that what seem the least
And most profane parts of the flesh
Are as sacred as those we see every day.
We are all born of woman,
We are all birthed of body,
We all came through suffering
And brought great joy.
Let us never forget the touch
Of skin on skin, even the lightest of which
Reminds us of where we are privileged to live.
(Each comes forth and embraces another, saying, "Your body is sacred." The grain and milk
and water is poured out as a libation. Ritual sex is encouraged on this day, with the emphasis on
taking care of and respecting the needs of the body as a sacred vessel.)
[Pagan Book of Hours]