Ride the Dragon
Twentieth Anniversary
January 11, Year 11 Aquarius
Below is the text of the Ride the Dragon ritual as performed on Pagans Tonight on January 11, 11 Aq. You can hear the ritual in the Pagans Tonight archive HERE. This was in celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the original Ride the Dragon performance in Chicago, IL, on January 9, '91 Pi.
Ride the Dragon is a mystery play about the Turning of the Age as well as a ritual of attunement to the changing energies of the turning Age. The ritual includes the blessing of a stone for the Crystal Web, in order to help carry forward these energies. You can learn more about the Crystal Web HERE or at the HERE. If you are in need of a stone you can find stones HERE.
Ride the Dragon is a mystery play about the Turning of the Age as well as a ritual of attunement to the changing energies of the turning Age. The ritual includes the blessing of a stone for the Crystal Web, in order to help carry forward these energies. You can learn more about the Crystal Web HERE or at the HERE. If you are in need of a stone you can find stones HERE.
Ride the Dragon
INTERLOCUTOR
Who comes?
ALL
We come: the children of Gaia
INTERLOCUTOR
Why do you come?
ALL
To open the gate!
INTERLOCUTOR
So Be It!
Who comes?
ALL
We come: the children of Gaia
INTERLOCUTOR
Why do you come?
ALL
To open the gate!
INTERLOCUTOR
So Be It!
EAST
Behold! I am Air, the child of Gaia, and I open the Gate of the East!
May the Red Lady of the East bless us all!
May the Golden Lord of the East protect us all!
I call forth my children of Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius!
May we stand together in the Gate of the East!
SOUTH
Behold! I am Fire, the child of Gaia, and I open the Gate of the South!
May the White Lady of the South bless us all!
May the Red Lord of the South protect us all!
I call forth my children of Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius!
May we stand together in the Gate of the South!
WEST
Behold! I am Water, the child of Gaia, and I open the Gate of the West!
May the Grey Lady of the West bless us all!
May the Blue Lord of the West protect us all!
I call forth my children of Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces!
May we stand together in the Gate of the West!
NORTH
Behold! I am Earth, the child of Gaia, and I open the Gate of the North!
May the Black Lady of the North bless us all!
May the Green Lord of the North protect us all!
I call forth my children of Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn!
May we stand together in the Gate of the North!
EAST
Air I am!
SOUTH
Fire I am!
WEST
Water I am!
NORTH
Earth I am!
ALL
Air I am! Fire I am! Water, Earth, and Spirit I am!
Air I am! Fire I am! Water, Earth, and Spirit I am!
Air I am! Fire I am! Water, Earth, and Spirit I am!
INTERLOCUTOR
Behold! The four powers dance and by their dance a circle is formed!
A circle of art to focus and to contain the powers we shall raise herein!
Imagine now a circle of light surrounding you –circles of light surrounding us all –clear, bright white light forming a wall around us, moving upwards and downwards, over and under and all around us, a ball of light around each of us, around all of us –many balls of light and one ball of light, many circles and one circle –May our circle now be cast!
EAST
The circle is cast!
SOUTH
The circle is cast!
WEST
The circle is cast!
NORTH
The circle is cast!
ALL
The circle is cast!
MOTHER
We invoke you O Great Mother in Your form as Gaia, Soul of the Earth and of the Universe and of existence in all its forms. You who are the origin and sustenance of all things, the inner nature of reality, we your children call to you! We know that you dwell always within our hearts, yet from love and from respect we bid you Hail and Welcome!
PISCEAN
We invoke you O Father God in Your form as the Great Dragon of the Universe –Ophion, Ourobouros, Danballah- You are the Son and Consort of the Mother and you Turn the Wheel of Life at Her command. We your children call to you! We know that you dwell always within our hearts, yet from love and from respect we bid you Hail and Welcome!
INTERLOCUTOR
We come together now at the Turn of the Age, children of Gaia our mother, seeking to attune ourselves to her cycles –the cycles of the World, the cycles of the Universe. The Wheel is turning and the old cycle is passing away, the new cycle is dawning. The world is reforming itself –not for the first time, nor for the last time but one time among many. We who are midwives to the birth of the New Age seek to ease the birth pangs of the world, seek to attune ourselves to the new energies and to guide them in the most positive and painless paths which they can follow, while still making the needed changes which the mother requires.
To illustrate this change of Age we shall enact a Mystery Play –This play is called Ride the Dragon and through it we shall indeed ride the dragon into the New Age! Join us now in a secluded courtyard where a noble Queen confronts her own mortality even as her daughter enters the flower of her womanhood…
MOTHER
I am Gaia. I am grown old. I carry the weight of an aeon upon my shoulders, and I am hemmed in by the accustomed patterns that I have long tread. These patterns rise like walls around me, cutting off all other options and forcing me to follow always the same well-worn paths. These patterns served me once and gave me joy when they were created. Now they bind me and restrict me. I cannot go on as I am! Change must come to the world!
MAIDEN
I am Gaia. I arise reborn and renewed for a New Age. The patterns and structures of the Old Age I throw off, and open myself to new influences. I begin again. I cleanse myself and release all that binds me, that I might take a new shape and tread new roads into the future. I am the Maiden dancing in the dawn, and I renew the world even as Spring renews the year. All that has been is past. All that shall be remains to be seen.
MOTHER
Daughter I am reborn in you and I rejoice. All that has bound me is released as the Old Age passes. All the knowledge I have accumulated in the Old Age I pass on to you. In you the world shall be renewed and a New Age shall unfold –but what will you do with your New Age? How will you live? What new world will you bring to pass?
MAIDEN
Mine shall be an era of love and peace, of justice and of plenty. Wisdom shall flourish and Spirit shall be manifested yet more fully in the world. It shall be the Season of the Witch and the Old Gods shall be honored anew, magic and spirituality shall be the natural companions of humankind, and Nature shall be revered and protected once more!
MOTHER
But heed my words my daughter –you cannot manifest this all alone. You must have help. Those who live in the world must be willing to embody these qualities. The movement of the universe must flow with you -and you must flow in harmony with it. Only then can you create the New Age you desire…
AQUARIAN
My Lady –I will help you build your New Age. I am Aquarius and mine is the energy of inspiration and insight. New ideas and new forms are mine! I will be your consort if you will have me and together we will build a new world.
MAIDEN
I will take your help gladly!
PISCEAN
No –you cannot have her for she is mine! I am Pisces and I will not let go of world. Madam the rebirth you seek cannot be, for I will not allow the world to change and you must remain as you have been! Aquarius –no New Age will turn so long as I can hold it back!
INTERLOCUTOR
And behold –the two men fought over the noble Maiden! The old lord Pisces and the young lord Aquarius did battle for the soul of the world. They lunged and parried, their swords ringing out as they clashed! Though he was old Pisces was strong with a strength and a tenacity born of many years in power. As for Aquarius he was young and had quickness and flexibility on his side. Yea, Aquarius crashed against Pisces like the waves of the ocean, but as for Pisces he was as the rocks of the shore, and neither could defeat the other.
MAIDEN
What shall I do? My father fights my only love and all my future is at stake?
MOTHER
I must call forth the dragon. Ophion! Ourobouros! Arise! Carry forward the New Age and secure it in peace and strength and harmony! Let the Old Age pass away now that its time is done! May the new Sun rise and a new day begin!
Darkness, Light
Himself, Herself
Oneself, Forever!
[Repeat at a whisper throughout the visualization]
INTERLOCUTOR
Behold –we call the Dragon! Arise O Dragon! We call to you! Rise up and carry forward the energies of the New Age! May the change go forward –and may all paths open to it! May all barriers be transcended –may all resistance melt away! May love guide the dawn of the New Age and may fear fade away! May the change take the most positive forms and cause the least pain possible!
And as the two men fight on, a change comes over the Aquarian lord –he grows stronger, and larger, transforming and taking on the shape of the dragon! Aquarius rises as the Red Dragon, and spreads his wings! Pisces is vanquished and flees the field!
PISCES
Aaaaiiieee!
INTERLOCUTOR
Darkness, Light
Himself, Herself
Oneself, Forever!
AQUARIAN
I arise as the Red Dragon of the New Age! The New Age dawns and Gaia is reborn! The world is made new and all things are possible! I flap my wings and rise into the sky and as I fly I carry forward the energy of change and growth! The limitations of old forms are released so that new forms can be built. Fear is vanquished and love triumphs. We step into a new world and our hearts are opened, our spirits soar. Transformation comes to the world and we flow with it, adapting to new conditions and renewing ourselves!
Carry forth the energy of the New Age O Red Dragon and carry our hopes and aspirations with it! As the New Age dawns may we move in harmony with it and attune ourselves to its energies –may these energies flow through us and be expressed through us to the highest good! Carry us forward O Dragon and may the world be reborn and may we be reborn with it!
We call the energy of the dragon into ourselves and we are one with it! Imagine the Dragon coming down upon you, entering through the crown of your head and centering itself in your heart! Feel the power of the Dragon and the newness of the Age –it is a time of transformation and rebirth! We align ourselves to that rebirth and open our hearts to a new and renewed world!
Now take up your crystal if you have one and hold it before you! Above the crystal imagine a tetrahedron –a three dimensional triangle of white light slowly spinning clockwise. Let the energy of the Dragon move within you. Let it move through every part of you. Feel its strength. Feel its power. Feel its love – for this is the Tao, the movement of the universe renewing itself! Let that energy fill every part of you, and when it has done so imagine a slender beam of green light projecting from your heart and connecting to the tetrahedron of light! Send the energy of the dragon from your heart into the tetrahedron –let it be filled and suffused with the green light. Send more and more light into the Tetrahedron. See the Tetrahedron spin faster and faster –see it glowing green with the light sent from your heart –shining and glowing and glowing and shining until it can hold no more! And you will see it change from a tetrahedron into a cube of green light, spinning ever-faster clockwise –and when that happens you will feel the energy flow reverse and green light will flow back into your heart from the cube. Let that light fill you and flow throughout your body, going into every part of you. Let the green light fill your chest and arms and legs and hands and feet and head and every part of you –Now see the green light flow through your arms and hands into the crystal. Let it fill the crystal until the crystal is totally suffused with the green light –until it is shining in your hands like a green sun! O crystal we charge you to attune to this energy –attune to the energy of the Red Dragon –attune to the energy of the New Age and carry this energy forward that the transformations which shall unfold shall do so in the most beneficial and joyful manner possible –may the world be renewed and reborn –may a new and better age unfold!
Now O crystal we link you to the Crystal Web, that you may fill the web with the energy of rebirth! And imagine one or more beams of white light shooting out from the crystal to link to the nearest Access Points –you may see many beams, you may see one, you may not even perceive exactly where the crystal links, but it links now into the Crystal Web! By Our Will So Mote It Be!
Now you may use the crystal we have blessed as part of a Remote Crystal Web Access Point, or bury it as an Access Point in its own right, whichever you desire.
Now take a moment to release all excess energies –let them flow out of you like water, running down your body like a wave, running out through your feet and hands and returning to the Earth Our Mother to be reused in other ways.
AQUARIAN
And see the Red Dragon rise into the sky –carrying forth the energies of renewal and transformation! May the Red Dragon carry us forward into a new world and may we ride the dragon in safety through the change of the Age!
MAIDEN
We give thanks to you O Gaia –you who are ever renewed and reborn in new and different ways! Mother of All Being we thank you now and always!
AQUARIAN
We give thanks to the God –you who turn the wheel of existence and carry all things forward! Lord of Transformations we thank you now and always!
NORTH
May the Black Lady of the North Rejoice! May the Green Lord of the North Rejoice! We thank all those of the North for your presence and your aid!
WEST
May the Grey Lady of the West Rejoice! May the Blue Lord of the West Rejoice! We thank all those of the West for your presence and your aid!
SOUTH
May the White Lady of the South Rejoice! May the Red Lord of the South Rejoice! We thank all those of the South for your presence and your aid!
EAST
May the Red Lady of the East Rejoice! May the Golden Lord of the East Rejoice! We thank all those of the East for your presence and your aid!
Behold! I am Air, the child of Gaia, and I open the Gate of the East!
May the Red Lady of the East bless us all!
May the Golden Lord of the East protect us all!
I call forth my children of Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius!
May we stand together in the Gate of the East!
SOUTH
Behold! I am Fire, the child of Gaia, and I open the Gate of the South!
May the White Lady of the South bless us all!
May the Red Lord of the South protect us all!
I call forth my children of Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius!
May we stand together in the Gate of the South!
WEST
Behold! I am Water, the child of Gaia, and I open the Gate of the West!
May the Grey Lady of the West bless us all!
May the Blue Lord of the West protect us all!
I call forth my children of Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces!
May we stand together in the Gate of the West!
NORTH
Behold! I am Earth, the child of Gaia, and I open the Gate of the North!
May the Black Lady of the North bless us all!
May the Green Lord of the North protect us all!
I call forth my children of Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn!
May we stand together in the Gate of the North!
EAST
Air I am!
SOUTH
Fire I am!
WEST
Water I am!
NORTH
Earth I am!
ALL
Air I am! Fire I am! Water, Earth, and Spirit I am!
Air I am! Fire I am! Water, Earth, and Spirit I am!
Air I am! Fire I am! Water, Earth, and Spirit I am!
INTERLOCUTOR
Behold! The four powers dance and by their dance a circle is formed!
A circle of art to focus and to contain the powers we shall raise herein!
Imagine now a circle of light surrounding you –circles of light surrounding us all –clear, bright white light forming a wall around us, moving upwards and downwards, over and under and all around us, a ball of light around each of us, around all of us –many balls of light and one ball of light, many circles and one circle –May our circle now be cast!
EAST
The circle is cast!
SOUTH
The circle is cast!
WEST
The circle is cast!
NORTH
The circle is cast!
ALL
The circle is cast!
MOTHER
We invoke you O Great Mother in Your form as Gaia, Soul of the Earth and of the Universe and of existence in all its forms. You who are the origin and sustenance of all things, the inner nature of reality, we your children call to you! We know that you dwell always within our hearts, yet from love and from respect we bid you Hail and Welcome!
PISCEAN
We invoke you O Father God in Your form as the Great Dragon of the Universe –Ophion, Ourobouros, Danballah- You are the Son and Consort of the Mother and you Turn the Wheel of Life at Her command. We your children call to you! We know that you dwell always within our hearts, yet from love and from respect we bid you Hail and Welcome!
INTERLOCUTOR
We come together now at the Turn of the Age, children of Gaia our mother, seeking to attune ourselves to her cycles –the cycles of the World, the cycles of the Universe. The Wheel is turning and the old cycle is passing away, the new cycle is dawning. The world is reforming itself –not for the first time, nor for the last time but one time among many. We who are midwives to the birth of the New Age seek to ease the birth pangs of the world, seek to attune ourselves to the new energies and to guide them in the most positive and painless paths which they can follow, while still making the needed changes which the mother requires.
To illustrate this change of Age we shall enact a Mystery Play –This play is called Ride the Dragon and through it we shall indeed ride the dragon into the New Age! Join us now in a secluded courtyard where a noble Queen confronts her own mortality even as her daughter enters the flower of her womanhood…
MOTHER
I am Gaia. I am grown old. I carry the weight of an aeon upon my shoulders, and I am hemmed in by the accustomed patterns that I have long tread. These patterns rise like walls around me, cutting off all other options and forcing me to follow always the same well-worn paths. These patterns served me once and gave me joy when they were created. Now they bind me and restrict me. I cannot go on as I am! Change must come to the world!
MAIDEN
I am Gaia. I arise reborn and renewed for a New Age. The patterns and structures of the Old Age I throw off, and open myself to new influences. I begin again. I cleanse myself and release all that binds me, that I might take a new shape and tread new roads into the future. I am the Maiden dancing in the dawn, and I renew the world even as Spring renews the year. All that has been is past. All that shall be remains to be seen.
MOTHER
Daughter I am reborn in you and I rejoice. All that has bound me is released as the Old Age passes. All the knowledge I have accumulated in the Old Age I pass on to you. In you the world shall be renewed and a New Age shall unfold –but what will you do with your New Age? How will you live? What new world will you bring to pass?
MAIDEN
Mine shall be an era of love and peace, of justice and of plenty. Wisdom shall flourish and Spirit shall be manifested yet more fully in the world. It shall be the Season of the Witch and the Old Gods shall be honored anew, magic and spirituality shall be the natural companions of humankind, and Nature shall be revered and protected once more!
MOTHER
But heed my words my daughter –you cannot manifest this all alone. You must have help. Those who live in the world must be willing to embody these qualities. The movement of the universe must flow with you -and you must flow in harmony with it. Only then can you create the New Age you desire…
AQUARIAN
My Lady –I will help you build your New Age. I am Aquarius and mine is the energy of inspiration and insight. New ideas and new forms are mine! I will be your consort if you will have me and together we will build a new world.
MAIDEN
I will take your help gladly!
PISCEAN
No –you cannot have her for she is mine! I am Pisces and I will not let go of world. Madam the rebirth you seek cannot be, for I will not allow the world to change and you must remain as you have been! Aquarius –no New Age will turn so long as I can hold it back!
INTERLOCUTOR
And behold –the two men fought over the noble Maiden! The old lord Pisces and the young lord Aquarius did battle for the soul of the world. They lunged and parried, their swords ringing out as they clashed! Though he was old Pisces was strong with a strength and a tenacity born of many years in power. As for Aquarius he was young and had quickness and flexibility on his side. Yea, Aquarius crashed against Pisces like the waves of the ocean, but as for Pisces he was as the rocks of the shore, and neither could defeat the other.
MAIDEN
What shall I do? My father fights my only love and all my future is at stake?
MOTHER
I must call forth the dragon. Ophion! Ourobouros! Arise! Carry forward the New Age and secure it in peace and strength and harmony! Let the Old Age pass away now that its time is done! May the new Sun rise and a new day begin!
Darkness, Light
Himself, Herself
Oneself, Forever!
[Repeat at a whisper throughout the visualization]
INTERLOCUTOR
Behold –we call the Dragon! Arise O Dragon! We call to you! Rise up and carry forward the energies of the New Age! May the change go forward –and may all paths open to it! May all barriers be transcended –may all resistance melt away! May love guide the dawn of the New Age and may fear fade away! May the change take the most positive forms and cause the least pain possible!
And as the two men fight on, a change comes over the Aquarian lord –he grows stronger, and larger, transforming and taking on the shape of the dragon! Aquarius rises as the Red Dragon, and spreads his wings! Pisces is vanquished and flees the field!
PISCES
Aaaaiiieee!
INTERLOCUTOR
Darkness, Light
Himself, Herself
Oneself, Forever!
AQUARIAN
I arise as the Red Dragon of the New Age! The New Age dawns and Gaia is reborn! The world is made new and all things are possible! I flap my wings and rise into the sky and as I fly I carry forward the energy of change and growth! The limitations of old forms are released so that new forms can be built. Fear is vanquished and love triumphs. We step into a new world and our hearts are opened, our spirits soar. Transformation comes to the world and we flow with it, adapting to new conditions and renewing ourselves!
Carry forth the energy of the New Age O Red Dragon and carry our hopes and aspirations with it! As the New Age dawns may we move in harmony with it and attune ourselves to its energies –may these energies flow through us and be expressed through us to the highest good! Carry us forward O Dragon and may the world be reborn and may we be reborn with it!
We call the energy of the dragon into ourselves and we are one with it! Imagine the Dragon coming down upon you, entering through the crown of your head and centering itself in your heart! Feel the power of the Dragon and the newness of the Age –it is a time of transformation and rebirth! We align ourselves to that rebirth and open our hearts to a new and renewed world!
Now take up your crystal if you have one and hold it before you! Above the crystal imagine a tetrahedron –a three dimensional triangle of white light slowly spinning clockwise. Let the energy of the Dragon move within you. Let it move through every part of you. Feel its strength. Feel its power. Feel its love – for this is the Tao, the movement of the universe renewing itself! Let that energy fill every part of you, and when it has done so imagine a slender beam of green light projecting from your heart and connecting to the tetrahedron of light! Send the energy of the dragon from your heart into the tetrahedron –let it be filled and suffused with the green light. Send more and more light into the Tetrahedron. See the Tetrahedron spin faster and faster –see it glowing green with the light sent from your heart –shining and glowing and glowing and shining until it can hold no more! And you will see it change from a tetrahedron into a cube of green light, spinning ever-faster clockwise –and when that happens you will feel the energy flow reverse and green light will flow back into your heart from the cube. Let that light fill you and flow throughout your body, going into every part of you. Let the green light fill your chest and arms and legs and hands and feet and head and every part of you –Now see the green light flow through your arms and hands into the crystal. Let it fill the crystal until the crystal is totally suffused with the green light –until it is shining in your hands like a green sun! O crystal we charge you to attune to this energy –attune to the energy of the Red Dragon –attune to the energy of the New Age and carry this energy forward that the transformations which shall unfold shall do so in the most beneficial and joyful manner possible –may the world be renewed and reborn –may a new and better age unfold!
Now O crystal we link you to the Crystal Web, that you may fill the web with the energy of rebirth! And imagine one or more beams of white light shooting out from the crystal to link to the nearest Access Points –you may see many beams, you may see one, you may not even perceive exactly where the crystal links, but it links now into the Crystal Web! By Our Will So Mote It Be!
Now you may use the crystal we have blessed as part of a Remote Crystal Web Access Point, or bury it as an Access Point in its own right, whichever you desire.
Now take a moment to release all excess energies –let them flow out of you like water, running down your body like a wave, running out through your feet and hands and returning to the Earth Our Mother to be reused in other ways.
AQUARIAN
And see the Red Dragon rise into the sky –carrying forth the energies of renewal and transformation! May the Red Dragon carry us forward into a new world and may we ride the dragon in safety through the change of the Age!
MAIDEN
We give thanks to you O Gaia –you who are ever renewed and reborn in new and different ways! Mother of All Being we thank you now and always!
AQUARIAN
We give thanks to the God –you who turn the wheel of existence and carry all things forward! Lord of Transformations we thank you now and always!
NORTH
May the Black Lady of the North Rejoice! May the Green Lord of the North Rejoice! We thank all those of the North for your presence and your aid!
WEST
May the Grey Lady of the West Rejoice! May the Blue Lord of the West Rejoice! We thank all those of the West for your presence and your aid!
SOUTH
May the White Lady of the South Rejoice! May the Red Lord of the South Rejoice! We thank all those of the South for your presence and your aid!
EAST
May the Red Lady of the East Rejoice! May the Golden Lord of the East Rejoice! We thank all those of the East for your presence and your aid!