In this post, we are reclaiming the Roman Catholic rosary as a tool for worshiping the Goddess in modern pagan traditions.
In the Roman Catholicism, the rosary is a devout and widely practiced form of prayer, consisting of a sequence of meditations that revolve around the repetition of the Hail Mary and Our Father prayers, accompanied by the contemplation of key moments in the lives of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary, known as the Mysteries. The rosary is, in fact, much older than Christianity. Prayer beads have been used to contemplate and pray to the Goddess since ancient times, and after the Roman Catholic Church rose to power, the iconography of the Virgin Mary cloaked in divine radiance served as a cleverly veiled reference to the vulva, and thus, to the divine feminine. In this way, the rosary preserved aspects of Goddess worship within the patriarchal framework of the church.
The Catholic rosary comprises five “decades” (a decade consisting of ten beads), each focused on a particular set of Mysteries, namely the Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, and Luminous Mysteries. Our Goddess rosary features five sets of nine beads (the number five representing the Four Sacred Elements and Spirit, and the number nine being the perfect number of the Goddess – three times three.) The three beads hanging from the bottom represent the Triple Goddess (Maiden, Mother, and Crone), while the pendant at the bottom represents the sacred vulva / divine feminine. The rosary is prayed by holding each bead as one recites the corresponding prayer. This practice may be combined with other meditative practices according to each person’s need.
I. Recite the Holy Mother:
1 – Holy Mother full of grace,
2 – Power is with thee.
3 – Blessed are you,
4 – Queen of the Universe
5 – And blessed is all of creation.
6 – Holy Mother,
7 – Maker of all things,
8 – Be with us now and always.
9 – Blessed Be!
II. Maiden’s Prayer:
“Hail to thee, Maiden Goddess,
I dedicate myself to You!
May my path honor Thee!
May my spirit celebrate Thee!
May my life magnify Thee!
These things I pray,
Be fulfilled this day!
Maiden Goddess help me
To know your Truth!”
III. Mother’s Prayer:
“Oh Mother Goddess,
You are the mystery of Night!
Your radiant shine is the Day!
Infinite realms cascade within You!
Abundance is Your essence of Being,
Blessings flow from You Limitlessly,
Your Universe is harmony and tension in perfect Balance!
We are each born of your Womb,
And to your Womb we will each return!”
IV. Crone’s Prayer:
“Behold the Crone…
Dancer of Time
Completion of the Sacred Cycle
She Who is Wisdom
Beloved, respected and feared
Honored as Grandmother, Ancestress and Hag
In the end ~ there is beginning,
Death brings Birth, Life renews through Her
Behold the Crone, Dancer of Time
Mother of Worlds, Maiden of Rebirth,
Child of the next generation.
Dancing through Time
She Who cuts the cords of life and death,
Grandmother of All!
The Crone comes…
Silently, powerfully, relentlessly
Crossing space and time,
Holding the threads of life and death,
Mistress of endings and beginnings
Speaking through elders
I complete the cycle: Maiden, Mother, Crone.
In me, all life renews.”
V. Mystery of the Elements:
“At one with the Universe
My spirit is free
All creation pulses in me
Floating upon the wind
Burning with the energy of fire
Flowing with the waters
Dancing the rhythms of Earth
Spinning and Spiraling
into Elemental rebirth
The magic of being renews.”
VI. Recite the Holy Mother:
1 – Holy Mother full of grace,
2 – Power is with thee.
3 – Blessed are you,
4 – Queen of the Universe
5 – And blessed is all of creation.
6 – Holy Mother,
7 – Maker of all things,
8 – Be with us now and always.
9 – Blessed Be!
VII. Mystery of Becoming:
“May clarity grow within me,
Open my eyes to life’s many Wonders!
May I feel the pulse of all creation within me!
Open my spirit to Awareness!
Fill my heart with Understanding!
May my life be of service to Earth and the Goddess!
Open my ears to the needs of those around me,
Make my hands strong & gentle in Your Service!
May I remember always, the Goddess works through Me!”
VIII. Recite the Holy Mother:
1 – Holy Mother full of grace,
2 – Power is with thee.
3 – Blessed are you,
4 – Queen of the Universe
5 – And blessed is all of creation.
6 – Holy Mother,
7 – Maker of all things,
8 – Be with us now and always.
9 – Blessed Be!
IX. Mystery of Dawning:
“Thank You for this day on Earth,
Ancient Mother who gave me birth,
Healing Mother who keeps me strong,
Crone Mother who brings each new dawn!
Thank You for the gift of being,
For blessing me with the wonders of seeing,
For the sounds and feeling of laughter,
and the wisdom learned through pain.
Spirit Mother bless me, tomorrow with a day again.”
X. Recite the Holy Mother:
1 – Holy Mother full of grace,
2 – Power is with thee.
3 – Blessed are you,
4 – Queen of the Universe
5 – And blessed is all of creation.
6 – Holy Mother,
7 – Maker of all things,
8 – Be with us now and always.
9 – Blessed Be!
XI. Mystery of Healing:
“Deep within me the Goddess is alive!
Deep within my cells, my blood, and my bones,
My Life Force is strong!
I feel the Goddess at my core,
filling me with faith and health,
Flow in me and banish all disease!
My blood, my bones, my organs, my cells:
The Goddess is in me!
Healing me now!”
XII. Recite the Holy Mother:
1 – Holy Mother full of grace,
2 – Power is with thee.
3 – Blessed are you,
4 – Queen of the Universe
5 – And blessed is all of creation.
6 – Holy Mother,
7 – Maker of all things,
8 – Be with us now and always.
9 – Blessed Be!
XIII. Mystery of Living:
“Goddess Mother help me
To be patient and strong,
To see what is truly important,
To act without selfishness or fear.
Goddess Mother help me
To trust your wisdom,
To resist the coward’s way,
To walk in faith and compassion,
To be truly human in spirit and heart.”
XIV. Recite the Holy Mother:
1 – Holy Mother full of grace,
2 – Power is with thee.
3 – Blessed are you,
4 – Queen of the Universe
5 – And blessed is all of creation.
6 – Holy Mother,
7 – Maker of all things,
8 – Be with us now and always.
9 – Blessed Be!
Spirit of the Alleghenies 