The Fivefold Kiss is an element of
Wicca
Wicca () is a modern Pagan religion. Scholars of religion categorise it as both a new religious movement and as part of the occultist stream of Western esotericism. It was developed in England during the first half of the 20th century and w ...
n 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:
This is the form of the blessing used by most Gardnerian and Alexandrian covens.
In other Wiccan Traditions, the blessing is as follows:
The Five-Fold Kiss can be performed during Wiccan
rite Rite may refer to:
* Ritual, an established ceremonious act
* Rite of passage, a ceremonious act associated with social transition
Religion
* Rite (Christianity), a sacred ritual or liturgical tradition in various Christian denominations
* Cath ...
s and ceremonies, such as
handfasting
Handfasting is a traditional practice that, depending on the term's usage, may define an unofficiated wedding (in which a couple marries without an officiant, usually with the intent of later undergoing a second wedding with an officiant), a ...
or the
Drawing down the Moon Rite.
It may be the origin of the expression blessed be, a well-known
Neopagan greeting, also used as a general expression of blessing during ritual.
References
{{WiccaandWitchcraft
Kissing
Magic rituals
Wicca