23 July saw the Romans celebrate the annual festival of Neptunalia. A polytheistic society, they worshipped multiple gods and had many different rituals and feasts dedicated to various deities. 23 July was Neptune’s day.

The Romans were highly literate, which means we have a reasonably good idea of what happened at various festivals. However, despite the wealth of written evidence, there will always be things that were misremembered or inaccurately recorded, either by accident or on purpose, so any modern reconstruction will never be able to completely recreate what the Romans were doing. For example, while sacrificing a bull to Neptune was commonplace back then, it’s frowned upon these days!

Nevertheless, it is the intent which matters more than the ritual itself, and any devotional work with Neptune will always be appreciated by Him.

If you’d like to honour the Neptunalia, here’s a little ritual you can adapt for your own purposes.

Neptunalian Ritual

You will need:

A source of water. If you can go to a stream, river, pond or lake, this is ideal, but if this is not an option for you, a bowl of water will suffice.

Pink flowers to decorate the altar and use as an offering.

Slices of beef (or vegetarian equivalent) and wine.

For the most part, this is a silent ritual.

Create an altar to Neptune. Make it as beautiful and pleasing to the eye as possible. Have a representation of the god on the altar, either a statue or image of Him or a symbol to represent Him. Place pink flowers on the altar, setting some aside to use as an offering during the ritual.

Cast circle to create sacred space. Walk clockwise round the boundaries of where you will be working or, if this is not possible, visualize a bubble of protective energy surrounding you. As you do this, imagine the sea following you, the saltwater washing away any negativity or bad influences.

At each quarter, draw an invoking pentagram of water in the air, welcoming in the element of water to your circle. (Start at the top left side, drawing the line to the right and then completing the five-pointed star as usual.)

Sit by the water, whether it be a natural source or a filled bowl, and gaze into it. Let your focus drift, feeling yourself becoming one with the element. As you do so, chant in your mind: “Neptune… Neptune… Neptune…” Let the susurration of his name become like the sea crashing against the shore as you welcome the god to your ritual.

You will feel the god’s presence.

When you know that He is with you, let your chant die away and simply sit with Him. Listen to any messages he may have for you or simply accept His blessings.

When you are ready, take the flower you have set aside as an offering and throw it into the water.

Now sketch an invoking water pentagram over the food and wine, blessing it in Neptune’s name. Eat and drink slowly in quiet contemplation, thanking Neptune for His bounty.

When you are ready, go to each of the four quarters and draw a banishing pentagram of water in the air.

Walk the boundaries of your ritual space in an anti-clockwise direction, visualizing the sea water flowing away to return to its source or visualize the bubble surrounding you dissolving into the earth.

Say:

My rite is at an end, yet Neptune will always walk with me. Hail Neptune!

We’d love to know about your experiences with this ritual. Let us know in the comments how it worked for you or email us.