Lustration of the Ancestors
May 26, Year 2 Aquarius

This was the first Lustration ceremony to be held publicly. Previously the Lustrations had been held by the Mother Temple on a closed-court basis. Usually this was done by the First Priestess and First Priest alone or with First Elder Bitterwind. 

The purpose of the Lustrations is to thank and honor the Ancestors and invoke Their Blessing upon the Tradition and its members. 

In changing the Lustration from a private to a public ceremony the basic form was enlarged upon and many parts created for additional participants.

Because the Mother Temple had not had a dedicated space for several years the Temple of the PURE Sanctuary, Headed by Rev. Becci Penry, HPS, provided space for the event.

Members of several other Correllian Temples took part including the Temples of Holy City (Chicago, Illinois), Akasha (Kankakee, Illinois) and Ascension (Hoopeston, Illinois).

In addition a number of Correllian Clergy journeyed to attend the event from as far away as St. Louis in the south and Wheaton in the North.

The Quarter Guardians, L to R, Rev. Karen Plioplys, Meghan of Akasha Temple, Rev. Stacy Paedusis, and Rev. Janet Schmidt

​This made the event an even more wonderful experience because so many Correllians got to meet each other for the first time. Some were complete strangers to each other, others had worked together online but never met face-to-face.

​Some of those who gathered to take part in the ceremony were students or Mentors at Witchschool.com, others had only a vague idea of the schools existence -for it was still fairly new at the time and many of the older members of the Tradition didn't fully understand it. This meeting face-to-face did a great deal to unify the Tradition in its support for online teaching.

First Priestess Lady Krystel and First Priest Rev. Don, joint Heads of the Correllian Tradition.

Left: L to R John Penry of PURE Sanctuary Temple, Rev. Don, and Casey Caraher of Akasha Temple

​The ceremony began with a dramatic cleansing of the sacred space by the sword-wielding Guardian, followed by a formal procession into the Temple.

Rev. Karen Plioplys, Meghan of Akasha Temple, Rev. Stacy Paedusis, and Rev. Janet Schmidt stood as Quarter Guardians. ​

Sherry Highcorrell served as Elder's Herald

Rev. Becci Penry, Head of PURE Sanctuary and husband John Penry offered the Joint Charge, combining the Charge of the Goddess and the Charge of the God, followed by the Great Rite.

Rev. Ruthann Amartiefio, Head of Akasha Temple, and Rev. Becci Penry, Head of PURE Sanctuary Temple

​Rev. Ruthann Amarteifio, Head of Akasha Temple, led the offerings to the Ancestors with the traditional peony blossoms which are sacred to the Correllian Ancestors.

Then the Ancestors were invoked and Lady Krystel brought forth Their message, and channeled Their Blessings into the lustral water prepared for the occasion.

First Elder Lady Bitterwind then used the lustral water to asperge the Book of Life and the Temple area, dispersing the Ancestor's Blessings upon all present and upon all those listed in the Book.

Then one by one the Quarter Guardians joined the First Elder at the Poteau Mitan (or central pillar of the Temple) and asperged their respective Quarters. In this way the Blessing was diffused throughout the four directions.

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Above: Sherry Highcorrell in robes as Elder's Herald stands before the Poteau Mitan of PURE Sanctuary Temple and holds the Lustratory cauldron. Sherry is the principle heiress of the Mabelline branch of the High-Correll family.

The Poteau Mitan represents the center of the world, the axis of manifestation -the Omphalos or navel-point of existence. Lady Bitterwind had decorated the Poteau Mitan with a special staff ornamented with leaves and flowers, stained glass and jewel-work. This was to represent the flowering of the Tradition under the Ancestors' care.

PURE Sanctuary is the only Correllian Temple to have a Poteau Mitan, and this was dictated by fate rather than choice, it being an architectural feature of the Temple building -but it was particularly appropriate for this ritual.

​After this a toast was shared using the Chalice earlier Blessed by the Great Rite, thanks given, and the ceremony ended.

But this was the only the beginning because then we got to socialize and get to know one another. It was a delightful occasion and many new friendships were made.

Rev. Edward Highcorrell and Lisa Tuit of Witchschool.com pose with Witchschool Mentors Rev. Janet Schmidt (second from left), Rev. Stacy Paedusis (back row center), and Rev. Karen Plioplys (lower right), as well as Rev. Don.