VARIATIONS
ACT OF POWER '>2
John Barleycorn
John Barleycorn is a name given to the God in His form as Lord of the crops
–just as Green Jack or Green George is a name given to the God as Lord of
foliage.
John Barleycorn is also a name given to images made of grain to represent the
God as Lord of the crops.
There are a variety of ways to make a John Barleycorn image, but for the
purposes of this Act of Power we recommend making him from corn bread, biscuit
dough, or sheet cake –cut, arranged, and decorated in the shape of a man. A
large, man-shaped cookie will also work well.
If you are creative, you can have a lot of fun in making your John Barleycorn.
You can make him virile and bearded, crowned with a solar crown like Apollo: Or
you could make him folksy and cute, like a gingerbread man: Or you could make
him look like the Cerne Abbas giant –or whatever inspires you. But he doesn’t
need to be complicated or highly artistic, as long as he is recognizably
supposed to be the God.
After you have cast the Circle, invoked, and spoken about the nature of Lammas,
present your John Barleycorn to the people. Again, as with the First Fruits,
the presentation can be very creative. Perhaps John Barleycorn can be
ceremonially marched around the Circle while a chant is sung extolling the
virtues of the God, before being placed on the altar. A good chant might be:
"There is a Spirit in the corn
There is a Spirit in the wheat
There is a Spirit in the in the fields
And in everything we eat
It is the Spirit of the Sun
It is the Spirit of the flame
It is the Spirit of the God
Of Ten Thousand Names
We honor now the God
In His name as Sacred King
As He lays down His life
With the fields reaping!"
Once John Barleycorn is on the altar, you might say something like this:
“Behold John Barleycorn, spirit of the fields. This is the God, our Lord,
Who lives in the plants and growing things. He is represented here before us to
remind us that we are not the only ones alive. All things which exist live. The
plants and animals are no less alive than we. They too are manifestations of
Divinity. They too live and have souls, however different they may be from us.
In a world where we no longer see the plants of the field as they grow, where
food is more often obtained from supermarkets than from farms, it is easy to
forget that life comes with a price. That price is death. All life feeds on
life –the plant feeds on the Earth, the animal feeds on the plant, one living
thing takes sustenance from another living thing, because all things are
living. Each thing in its turn makes its sacrifice that the others might live.
“At this time of year the God makes His yearly sacrifice. The fields are
felled. The autumn overtakes the summer and the plants begin to die off. The
Sun slowly sinks toward its death in Winter. Let us be thankful then for this
sacrifice. Let us not take it for granted but rejoice in it and be grateful.
Let us give thanks for the sacrifice that give us our food, and for the other
harvests of our life, those things which make our lives sweet and through which
our existence is enriched. Let us each consider reflect upon what we have to be
grateful for and give thanks for it.”
As with the First Fruits, you might want to do a gratitude circle at this
point. Name something that you are thankful for –something that is important to
you and which you are grateful to Deity for. Then go deosil around the Circle
each person naming something they are thankful for. Take an appropriate amount
of time, but remember not to let it get too long, so that everyone stays
excited. Boredom is death to a ritual.
When you have completed your gratitude circle, it is time to Bless John
Barleycorn. Place your hands over the image and speak. You might say something
like:
“Oh God, You make Your sacrifice for us, that we might live. Let us be ever
mindful of it. All things we eat have at one time been living, have made their
sacrifice for us. May we in our turn make our sacrifice as graciously. In the
name of the Goddess and of the God may this image be blessed as a token of the
bond of love and life which exists between all things! So Mote It Be!
Now draw down energy into the image –imagine it as a shower of light falling
upon and filling the image. Let the image fill with energy and radiate with
light, shining out in all directions. Now you might want to offer a chant in
honor of the God. A suitable chant might be:
Let a woman of the group represent the Goddess in Her role as Lady of the
Harvest –Creator and Destroyer. Let her use an Athame, or if you have one, a
ritual sickle. Let her stand over John Barleycorn and say something to this
effect:
“I am the Goddess Your Mother. I am the Lady of Life, from Me all things are
born. I am likewise the Lady of Death, by My will all things die. I brought You
into the World O God, and I take You out of it. For it is My will that for one
thing to live another thing must die, that life may continue and never grow
stagnant. Therefore John Barleycorn, I take Your life for the sake of My
children!”
Using the Athame or ritual sickle the woman portraying the Goddess now cuts up
the figure of John Barleycorn. She should make as many pieces as there are
people present, plus one more. Then she continues:
“Behold! The God is dead! Long live the God! For death is an illusion –only the
body dies for the soul goes ever onward. Therefore let all things which live
make their sacrifice cheerfully in the knowledge that life never ends. And in
token of the bond, which is never ending, here now the sacred words of the
charge:”
The woman portraying the Goddess now either continues and gives the charge, or
another may do it in her place. While this is being read, the body of John
Barleycorn should be passed out among the people.
“Hear now the words of the Great Mother, Who was of old called many names by
the hearts of humankind
Selv, Diana, Brighid, Laksmi, Yemaya, Kuan Yin, and many others both known and
unknown;
“Whenever you have need of anything, once in a month and better it be when the
Moon is full: Then you shall assemble in some sacred place and adore Me, Who am
the spirit of the Moon.
“And you shall sing and dance, make music and make love, all in My name, Who am
the Queen of all the Wise. And you shall be free from slavery and as a sign
that you are truly free, you shall be open in your rites.
“For Mine is the ecstasy of spirit, and Mine too the joys of the senses: and My
law is love unto all beings. Nor do I demand ought of sacrifice, for I am the
Mother of All Living, and My love is poured out upon creation.
“Keep pure this highest ideal, strive ever towards it: Let nothing turn you
aside. For Mine is the cup of the wine of life, the sacred cauldron which is
the grail of immortality.
“On Earth I give knowledge of the Spirit Eternal, and beyond Death I give peace
and freedom -and reunion with those who have gone before: For I am the Gracious
Goddess, Who gives joy unto the human heart.”
“Hear now the words of the Star Goddess in the dust of Whose feet are the Hosts
of Heaven and Whose body encircles the Universe;
“I am the beauty of the Green Earth and the White Moon among the stars, and the
Mystery of the Waters. I call unto your soul; ‘Arise and come unto Me,’ for I
am the Soul of Nature, Who gives life to the Universe.
“From Me all things proceed, and unto Me all must return. Before My face –O
beloved of Gods and humankind- let your Highest Self rejoice and be enfolded in
the rapture of the Infinite.
“For My worship is in the Heart that rejoices and behold –All acts of love and
pleasure are My rituals. Therefore let there be beauty and strength, power and
compassion, honor and humility, mirth and reverence within you.
“And you who seek to find Me in the depths of the sea or the shining stars,
know that your seeking will avail you naught unless you know the Mystery;
“For if that which you seek you find not within yourself, You will never find
it. For behold –I have been with you since the beginning, and I am that Which
is attained at the end of desire.”
Now move on to the toast, using the body of John Barleycorn as the food.