THE LUSTRATION OF THE ANCESTORS

The Correllian Lustration ceremonies originated as ceremonies of Purification and Blessing performed by members of the High-Correll family. These ceremonies were much simpler and less formal than the modern Correllian Lustration, focusing primarily upon the Oracle of the Ancestors.

At the turn of the new century the Correllian Lustration ceremonies were converted into twice-yearly formal ceremonies having the character of a Correllian Festival. This was at the suggesting of Correllian High Priestess Lady Green Owl of Trianna, who felt that a public invocation of the Blessing and protection of the Holy Ancestors would be beneficial to the members of the rapidly expanding Tradition.

The Lustration is sometimes also referred to as the “Elustration” or the “Illustration” ceremony, particularly by members of the Bitterwind lineage.

The Lustration ceremonies were first held in Vermilion County, Illinois, where Correllianism originates. Today however the Lustration of the Ancestors held in the Spring, is hosted by a Correllian Temple each year, while the Lustration of the Living, held in the Fall, remains in Vermilion County. In this way the Tradition continues to honor its origins as well as its increasing diversity. 

Most Correllian ceremonies do not feature detailed "scripts". The Lustrations are a notable exception to this rule, because participants in the ceremony come from many differing geographic areas and often have had no opportunity to practice beforehand. 

None-the-less the script is regarded as a guideline, and the actual ceremony often diverges from it. The script as presented represents an ideal ceremony. Not every step seen in the script below will be used in every Lustration, as each ceremony has a strongly individual flavor.

THE LUSTRATION OF THE ANCESTORS

The Circle is prepared and made ready.

The ceremony is often introduced by a sacred dance, whose purpose is to begin the cleansing and purification of the space. The nature of this dance varies according to the hosting Temple and its personnel. Sometimes this step is omitted, or replaced with a different sort of presentation.

After the dance is completed, the dancers exeunt and the Processional entry may begin.

The first to enter is the GUARDIAN. He carries the biggest sword available. The GUARDIAN walks forward to the center of the Circle and stops there. When he is place, the GUARDIAN raises his sword, and makes a counter-clockwise circle, saying:

GUARDIAN
“Behold, the Sword of Art, the great Lightning Bolt, the Phallus of the God! Behold it and beware, all who would do harm or interfere with these sacred workings! I banish you –I cast you out! All negativity, all obstruction, all that would impede this sacred assembly I send away and forbid to return! By this holy blade and the mysteries it represents And by my will as the focus of the combined will of the Correllian Priesthood I bar this place to all that is impure or injurious to our rite!”

The GUARDIAN now plunges the sword point-down into the Earth, then kneels before it, keeping his hands on the hilt, and begins to pray softly. The Guardian recites this prayer, repeating it as a mantra until all other participants have entered the Circle.

GUARDIAN -“Darkness: Light , Herself: Himself , Oneself: Forever.”

The other ritual participants now enter, usually two by two. Each advances to salute the altar, then take their places in the Temple.

The last participants to enter are the FIRST PRIESTHOOD who salute the altar then take their positions to either side of it: FIRST PRIESTESS to the left of the altar, FIRST PRIEST to the right.

Following the FIRST PRIESTHOOD those attending the ritual but not having a speaking part enter and take their places. Some Temples provide chairs, in others the Assembly stand throughout the ceremony.

When the last people have taken their places, the GUARDIAN (who has remained kneeling) rises, and goes to his position opposite the VOCIFER. 

First
*** The SONIFER rings the Bell three times.

SONIFER -”May the Temple be cleansed and blessed.”

The AQUIFER and LUCIFER now stand before the altar. The LUCIFER discretely lights a charcoal and places it into the censor.

The AQUIFER now cleanses the Salt, making three counter-clockwise circles above it with her hand, while visualizing yellow-white light. She imagines the light forcing out all negative or unfocused energy from the Salt. She says something to the effect of:

AQUIFER -“Behold, I exorcise you, O creature of Earth, casting out from you any impurities which may lie within.”

Then the AQUIFER blesses the Salt, making three clockwise circles above it with her hand, while visualizing blue-white light. She says:

AQUIFER -“And I do Bless and Charge you to this work!”

Next the AQUIFER cleanses the Water, repeating the same process and words:

AQUIFER - “Behold, I exorcise you, O creature of Water, casting out from you any impurities which may lie within.”

Then she blesses the Water:

AQUIFER - “And I do Bless and Charge you to this work!”

The AQUIFER addresses the Salt, saying:

AQUIFER - “Behold, the Salt is pure!”

Then she addresses the water, saying:

AQUIFER - “Behold, the Water is pure!”

The AQUIFER now takes three pinches of salt and adds it to the water, saying as she does so something like this:

AQUIFER - “Purity into purity then, and purity be blessed!”

Taking the mixed Salt and Water, the AQUIFER walks counter-clockwise around the ritual space, aspersing the area as she goes. As she does this she should visualize yellow-white light filling the area and forcing out all negative or unfocused energy. As she asperses the area, the AQUIFER may wish to say something like:

AQUIFER - “I cleanse you….I cleanse you…I cleanse you…”

When the AQUIFER has finished aspersing, she returns the Salt and Water to the altar.

Now the LUCIFER turns to the censor, where the charcoal is burning.

The LUCIFER cleanses the Charcoal making three counter-clockwise circles above it with his hand, while visualizing yellow-white light. He imagines the light forcing out all negative or unfocused energy from the Salt, then speaks words to the effect of:

LUCIFER - “Behold, I exorcise you, O creature of Fire, casting out from you any impurities which may lie within.”

Then the LUCIFER blesses the charcoal making three clockwise circles above it with his hand, while visualizing blue-white light. Then he speaks words to the effect of:

LUCIFER - “And I do Bless and Charge you to this work!”

The LUCIFER now repeats this process for the Incense.

LUCIFER -“Behold, I exorcise you, O creature of Air, casting out from you any impurities which may lie within.”

Then he blesses the Incense:

LUCIFER -“And I do Bless and Charge you to this work!”

Now the LUCIFER addresses the Charcoal saying:

LUCIFER -“Behold, the Fire is pure!”

Then he addresses the Incense, saying:

LUCIFER -“Behold, the Air is pure!”                

The LUCIFER now takes three pinches of powdered Incense and sprinkles it on to the Charcoal saying as he does so something like this:

LUCIFER -“Purity into purity then, and purity be blessed!”

Taking the burning Incense the LUCIFER now walks clockwise around the ritual space, censing the area as he goes. As he does this he should visualize blue-white light filling the area and charging its energy. As he censes the area, the Priest may wish to say something like:

LUCIFER -“I charge you….I charge you…I charge you…”

When he has finished censing, the LUCIFER returns to the altar. The

AQUIFER and the LUCIFER jointly salute the altar, and now walk back toward the South-East to take up positions near the entryway.

Second
*** The SONIFER rings the Bell three times.

SONIFER -”May the Circle be cast.”

The FIRST PRIEST now walks to the middle of the Circle where the sword remains in the ground. He withdraws the sword and holds it up. The GUARDIAN steps forward and speaks:

GUARDIAN -“Behold! Inspiration! Thought! The sacred power of the East! The holy lightening bolt! In the beginning the God exploded like lightening from within the Goddess in obedience to Her command! When Earth was naught but rock and water, air and fire, it was the lightening striking the water which gave rise to the first organisms! Symbol of creation -Phallus of the God- Created and directed by the Goddess! Be now the vehicle of our focused will as we create in our turn –a place between the worlds, a time outside of time, a holy enclosure of focused energy for our rite!”

The GUARDIAN now steps back.

The FIRST PRIEST now turns in a circle with the sword, casting the Circle from the center. As he does so he says:

FIRST PRIEST -“I do cut apart a place between the worlds of humankind and of the Mighty Ones, a Circle of Art to focus and contain the power we shall raise herein!”

The FIRST PRIEST then returns to the altar where he hands the sword to LUCIFER who places it by the altar.

Third
*** The SONIFER rings the Bell three times.

SONIFER -“May the Higher Self be invoked.”

The JUNEVOCATOR now invokes the Higher Self of the FIRST PRIESTESS.

JUNEVOCATOR -“Behold, I invoke the Higher Self of the First Priestess Lady Krystel! May you be one with your Higher Self, undivided and complete, the Veil set aside as we go forward with this holy rite!”

The JUNEVOCATOR anchors the energy of the FIRST PRIESTESS’S Higher Self, then anoints her forehead.

The GENEVOCTOR now invokes the Higher Self of the FIRST PRIEST.

GENEVOCTOR -“Behold, I invoke the Higher Self of the First Priest Lord Don! May you be one with your Higher Self, undivided and complete, the Veil set aside as we go forward with this holy rite!”

GENEVOCTOR anchors the energy of the FIRST PRIEST’S Higher Self, then anoints his forehead.

The JUNEVOCATOR and the GENEVOCTOR stand to one side and take up their books.

The FIRST PRIESTHOOD turn to the assembly.

JUNEVOCATOR -“Hear then the words of Our Lady the First Priestess:
‘I am the Weaver of the Web. I am Omphale –The Inner Heart.
I am the Beloved One of Endless Years. I call unto You, O Ancient Ones,
In the name of the Great Family Who are charged with the Great Work!
We call upon You as we have called upon You from time immemorial.
Through many lives, and many times, and many places.
We called upon You from the Henges and Barrows of Old Europe!
We called to You from the Temples and Pyramids of the Nile!
We called to You from the caves of the Ice Ages and before!
We called to You from the stars before this world was ever formed!”

GENEVOCTOR -“Here now the words of Our Lord the First Priest:
‘I am the Binder and Unbinder of Time. I am Ouroboros-Ophion –the Great Dragon of the Universe. I am the Web which the Mother has woven and hung with bright Stars. I call unto You, O Ancient Ones,
In the name of Your Children, who are in truth Yourselves!
We are Your voice and Your hands: Your dance and Your song-
As it was in the beginning when the Universe took form!
From the Innermost Heart of the Goddess we are manifested
Through the steps of Her eternal dance with the God.
We are the Nine who are the One!
We are the millions of souls who are the billions of lives!
We are the children of Light and Darkness –and our bodies are the stars made flesh! We call upon You, O Ancient and Holy Ones, and bid You –Be here now!”

Fourth
*** The SONIFER rings the Bell three times.

SONIFER -“May the Seventy Gods be invoked.”

The FIRST PRIEST now takes up his Staff and holds it aloft. The GUARDIAN again steps forward and speaks:

GUARDIAN -“Behold! Movement! Action! The sacred power of the South! It is the Tree of Life –ever living, ever growing, ever changing! The Axis of the Planes, through which spirit takes flesh! It is manifestation, through which the desires of the heart take form! For when the Goddess had created Him, the God fled from Her, entering the world of matter where the contents of his heart took physical form according to his passions. It is even so for us! Symbol of the physical, through which Goddess is expressed by God, be now the vehicle of our prayer as we call upon our relations!”

The GUARDIAN now steps back.

The FIRST PRIESTHOOD now go to the Eastern Quarter. The FIRST PRIESTESS, faces the Quarter, the FIRST PRIEST standing behind her with his Staff, the EASTERN GUARDIAN in front: all face Quarter. Using