The chalice is often the centerpiece of many religious altars. In form it is a curvy ornate goblet, some people prefer plain, others prefer their chalice to be decorated with jewels, that part is personal preference. Silver is the traditional color for a pagan chalice, representing the silver moonlight and the Goddess.
The chalice is a tool that has been used in pre-christian, neo pagan and in christian ritual. In Christianity and Paganism both it holds libations, however, in Christian ritual the wine symbolizes the blood of Christ and the chalice, the cup that Jesus used at the last supper.
For Pagans however, the chalice is symbolic of the womb of the Goddess, the form in which the force of the God is given shape. Energetically it is aligned with the element of water and the womb of the Goddess. It represents the fullness of feminine energy. In the great rite, the athame is placed into the chalice while both the Lord and Lady are invoked. This symbolizes sexual intercourse and the union of male and female from which all creation has sprung.
The chalice, as a tool of water, is placed on the west of the altar and contains the wine that is poured out in libations to the Gods during a ritual. Near the end of a ritual it is blessed and passed from celebrant to celebrant often with the whispered blessing of “may you never thirst' as each sips from the Chalice. This small ritual is performed to unite the members of a coven as each shares in the blessing of the Goddess.
Leave a comment