Preparation
Assemble materials
Set the altar (working candle color: brown or yellow)
Light ALL candles

Introduction
Tonight we celebrate (Ostara by) our lust and love for chocolate. Chocolate has long been a symbol of decadence and pleaseure and is often associated with the season of Spring.
(The sabbat of Ostara is named after a Celtic goddess of fertility, Ostara celebrates) the time of year when animals conceive and give birth. It is the time when we begin to see signs of the reawakening of the Earth Goddess evident in the budding of trees and the blooming of flowers. Symbols of fertility that are often used during this season are the bunny, the egg, the nest, and the budding flower and all of these are often represented in the favorite food of the season - chocolate. At this time of year, light and dark are balanced as the sun continues to grow in light and strength. In the year long cycle of the myth of the god and the goddess, this is the season in which the full grown god mates with the goddess to conceive a new god that will be born nine months later at Mid-Winter. This is the season in the middle of the time of the waxing sun. This is the time to birth new dreams by making concrete plans and taking action.
This Spring chocolate ritual is meant to poke fun at our other rituals. All ancient cultures recognized the need for humor in their practices and this has come down to us in the practice of April Fool’s Day. It is necessary that we remember the role of fun and frolic in our rituals so that we do not always take ourselves too seriously. Ours is a religious practice of joy and celebration and laughing is always an important part to being joyful. So, I invite you to have fun, relax, laugh, and consume great quantities of chocolate as we magickally remove all elements of fat, calories, and guilt for your pleasure.

If you wish to take part in this ceremony, please gather around the altar in a circle and come close enough to take hands. Please introduce yourself by offering a blessing to all, stating your title (if you have one,) your public or ritual name, and your place of origin. After each introduction, we will welcome and honor you.
For example, I would say: “Bright Blessings to you all. I am [ritual title and name] of [location].”
And you would respond: “Greetings [title and name]. We welcome and honor you.”
(Begin introductions, deosil. When done:)
Welcome one and all to this chocolate ritual. Please now take a large step backwards as I prepare our ritual circle.

State Intention
Tonight we come to celebrate this season and the joy of eating chocolate. We come to mock our own rituals in the knowledge that humor sacred to practice as is all seriousness. We gather in the spirit of fun and joy. This is our intent. (light working candle)

Banish and Purify
I will now banish and purify this space.
If any calories here be, by these sounds I banish thee
Banish old energy, ring bell at altar quarters, widdershins)
By Air and Fire, sanctify
(Place marshmellow on skewer and light with working candle)
By Water and Earth, purify
(Place milk into chalice, add chocolate powder)
Through the blessings of the Goddess and the God, we claim this space sacred.
(Place spoon into chalice and stir)

Cast the Circle
I will now go around the circle and ask if each of you wish to be part of this rite. If you do not wish to take part, feel free to watch from just outside. You are welcome here either way. When asked, how do you come to this circle, the response for tonight is, “it’s chocolate we love,it’s chocolate we lust.” After the blessing, please step forward into the circle.
(Go around the circle of people clockwise and ask:)
Do you wish to be part of this circle?
How do you come to this circle? [response]
Welcome to this circle of sweetness and decadence. Blessed Be
When done, say :
In this circle now we spin, let the magick rite begin.
May we feel hungry and thin for the work we shall begin. So Mote It Be.
I invite you to take this wand and offer your energies and blessings to the circle.
(pass tootsie roll wand around circle)

Set the Four Quadrants
We will now create a sacred space within this magickal circle by calling on the four directions and the three deities. Then, we will fill this space with our energy.

Chocolate Cake of the East, element of desire. Protect us from those who may come to steal our chocolates. Hail and welcome. Blessed Be! (place yellow M&M)

Chocolate fondue of the South, element of drippy goodness. Protect us from the evils of dieting. Hail and welcome. Blessed Be! (place red M&M)

Chocolate syrup of the West, element of hot cocoa. Protect us from all approaching fat. Hail and welcome, Blessed Be! (place blue M&M)

Candy Bars of the North, element of the hidden meals in our desks, Deliver to us forever the best chocolates from far away lands. Hail and welcome, Blessed Be! (place green M&M)

Call the Deities
We will now honor the deities through the following litanies. If you wish to join in , please respond by saying “good goddess (or god), let’s eat” after each line:

O great Goddess, {good goddess, let’s eat.}
Mother of us all, {good goddess, let’s eat.}
Blessed Mother of the Earth, {good goddess, let’s eat.}
She, whose face shines in the silver wrappers of Hershey’s kisses, {good goddess, let’s eat.}
She, who wraps her arms around truffles, {good goddess, let’s eat.}
Like the sticky goo that sits at the bottom of our Starbuck’s Mocha, {good goddess, let’s eat.}
Like the smell of hot chocolate chip cookies in the mall, {good goddess, let’s eat.}
Join us now, O sweet Lady, {good goddess, let’s eat.}
O Goddess of Ovaltine,
treat this sacred circle with the kiss of your blessing. [place Hershey’s Kiss]

O Great God, {good god, let’s eat.}
Father of us all, {good god, let’s eat.}
Blessed Father of the sky, {good god, let’s eat.}
He, whose face shines in the golden wrappers of the Toblerone, {good god, let’s eat.}
He, who fills us with the pleasures of s’mores, {good god, let’s eat.}
He who gives us the wonderful chemicals of the cocoa plant, {good god, let’s eat.}
Like the fire that melts our fondue, {good god, let’s eat.}
Join us now, O great Lord, {good god, let’s eat.}
O God of the creamy nougat,
treat this sacred circle with the kiss of your blessing. [place Hershey’s Kiss]

For the next litany, please respond with the words “Let us be eating.”
O sacred Child, {let us be eating.}
Mystery of all, {let us be eating.}
Great miracle of creation, {let us be eating.}
You, whose face shines in the little bon bons, {let us be eating}
You, who gives us the hunger to eat all the oreo cookies in the bag, {let us be eating.}
Like the silence that fills us when we consume our tarimisu {let us be eating.}
Like the center of the chocolate croissant, {let us be eating.}
With you, O great force of the eternal craving, {let us be eating.}
O Child of the Stars, great mysterious one,
treat this sacred circle with the kiss of your blessing. [place Hershey’s Kiss]

Close the Circle
And now we all this circle enclose. Within its bonds let no troubles dispose.
With love and trust shall we hold fast. For now, at last, the circle is cast.” [ring bell]

Ritual
As pagans we often incorporate ancient practices into our modern practices. We try to take the best of those practices and make them our own but we have sometimes been accused of taking bad practices on as well. For example, we are often asked if we do animal sacrifices at which time we are quick to answer no. However, the chocolate ritual is different. We recognize the need of ancient cultures to sacrifice in order to save food for the coming year. If an agricultural society, for example, were to consume all of its grown corn in the Fall, there would be none left to plant in the Spring. Thus, they recognized the need to sacrifice some of the corn by returning it back to the earth. This practice was then extended to the lives of other beings so that the deaths of those beings would appease the gods who would, in return, provide more food. In the mystery cults, the god was thought to inhabit the creature of sacrifice so that consuming the creature meant that the participants were inviting the gods within them. Though the Wiccan Rede and our own ethics forbids us from needlessly harming another living being, we can honor this practice of offering to the gods through the sacrifice of chocolate. (lift up chocolate piece) We raise this piece of chocolate to honor the Goddess, the God, and the Child. Let your spirits enter into this chocolate so that we may invite you into our own bodies and be renewed. Concentrate now on inviting your deities into this chocolate... For the good of one and all, so mote it be. And now, the sacrifice.
(cut up chocolate bunny or other chocolate piece and distribute to the circle. Also offer the chocolate or plain milk to the circle in separate cups.)

Sharing
Before we close this ritual, we will take a few moments to let you share your thoughts and feelings about this ritual or about anything you wish to express. Or, you may want to use this time to finish stuffing your face
[Allow participants to openly speak and share their experiences or other concerns.]

Completion
Now we will end this ritual:
Now this circle we undo, for the gluttonous consumption is through
Let this sacred taste befall upon the lips of one and all. So Mote It Be.

Release Deities
O Kiss of the Stars, great sticky one, with you our work here has now been done.
If you have come to bless this rite, we thank you now for your bright light.

O Kiss of the Sun, great gooey one, with you our work here has now been done.
If you have come to bless this rite, we thank you now for your bright light.

O Kiss of the Moon, great creamy one, with you our work here has now been done.
If you have come to bless this rite, we thank you now for your bright light.

Release Quadrants
Chocolate Syrup of the West depart, to your chocolate realm impart.
Bless all here gathered in true mind and heart. Hail and Farewell. Blessed Be!

Chocolate Fondue of the South depart, to your cocoa realm impart.
Bless all here gathered in true mind and heart. Hail and Farewell. Blessed Be!

Chocolate Cake of the East depart, to your confectionate realm impart.
Bless all here gathered in true mind and heart. Hail and Farewell. Blessed Be!

Candy Bars of the North depart, to your sticky realm impart.
Bless all here gathered in true mind and heart. Hail and Farewell. Blessed Be!

Ground
Before we bring this ritual to a close, I invite each of you to take a moment to ground your energy. You may do this by silently concentrating on returning your energy to the earh. You may also want to take this time to consume your favorite antacid. (Ground)

Open the Circle
Let not these chocolates we consume give our waists a chance to bloom.
For though the eating now is done, let it remind us to always have fun.
So Mote It Be. [ring bell]

Bow [place hands together]
From Mind [touch forehead] and Heart [touch center of chest]
and Body [cross hands across chest] and Soul [drop hands open in front of you],
let is now in love and peace grow.
And from the Spirit from which we all came, [bow]
Merry Meet, Merry Part and Merry Meet again! Blessed Be!

NEEDS:
brown or yellow working candle
altar
altar cloth
altar tools
deity candles
quadrant candles
marshmellows
skewers
chocolate powder
milk
cups
clear glass for chalice
chocolate animal
M&Ms
large tootsie roll