Fivefold kiss

The Five-Fold Kiss is an element of Wiccan ritual which involves blessing five sacred parts of the body. With each bestowed blessing the area of the body is sealed with a kiss. Wiccan tradition practises differ, but the Five-Fold Kiss is first and foremost a blessing bestowed upon the High Priestess by the High Priest or by the High Priestess upon the High Priest. The ritual symbolises the act of honoring the person as a vessel of the female or male version of Deity.

Each kiss given is accompanied by a blessing:

Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways
Blessed be thy knees, that shall kneel at the sacred altar
Blessed be thy [womb/phallus], without which we would not be
Blessed be thy breasts/chest, formed in [beauty/strength]
Blessed be thy lips, that shall utter the Sacred Names.

This is the form of the blessing used by most Gardnerian and Alexandrian covens.[1]

In other Wiccan Traditions, the blessing is as follows:

Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways
Blessed be thy knees, that shall kneel at the sacred altar
Blessed be thy [womb/phallus], without which we would not be
Blessed be thy lips, that shall utter the Sacred Names
Blessed be thy third eye, that sees all.

The Five-Fold Kiss can be performed during Wiccan rites and ceremonies, such as handfasting or the Drawing Down the Moon Rite.

It may be the origin of the term blessed be, a well-known Neopagan greeting, also used as a general expression of blessing during ritual.

References
  1. Farrar, Janet; Farrar, Stewart (1984). A Witches' Bible: The Complete Witches' Handbook. Custer, WA: Phoenix. ISBN 0-919345-92-1.
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