The Celebrants:
Handmaiden (Henceforth known as Swiss Miss),
High Priestess (Henceforth known as Betty Crocker),
Page (Henceforth known as Pillsbury Dough Boy),
High Priest (Henceforth known as Mr. Goodbar).
Cleanse the Sacred Space:
Pillsbury Dough Boy takes the small dish of chocolate sprinkles
and says:
Chocolate sprinkles where thou art cast
No calories in thy presence last.
Let no harm adhere to me
And as I will so mote it be!
Swiss Miss takes the small dish of Hershey's Syrup, spoon and
large glass with milk and says:
Hershey's Syrup where thou art cast
Turn this milk to chocolate, fast.
Let all good things come unto me,
and make my milk all chocolaty!
Cast The Circle:
Betty Crocker, using a Tootsie roll as athame, walks around the
circle three times.
Mr. Goodbar intones the invocation:
In the beginning,
there was the word.
And the word was Chocolate.
And it was good.
Confections: 1.5 oz., 240 cal.
Call the Quarters:
Betty Crocker calls:
Mousse of the East, Fluffy one!
Great princess of the palace of dessert!
Be present we pray thee, and guard this circle from all moochers
approaching from the East.
Pillsbury Dough Boy calls:
Fondue of the South, Molten one!
Great prince of the palace decadence!
Be present we pray thee, and guard this circle from all diets
approaching from the South.
Swiss Miss calls:
Cocoa of the West, Satisfying one!
Great princess of the palace of thirst quenchers!
Be present we pray thee, and guard this circle from all carob
approaching from the West.
Mr. Goodbar calls:
Rocky Road of the North, Cold one!
Great prince of the palace of crunchy comfort food!
Be present we pray thee, and guard this circle from all cheap
imitations
approaching from the North.
The Main Ritual:
Pillsbury Dough Boy says:
Listen to the words of the Mother of Chocolate, who was of old
called: Godiva, Suzy-Q, Little Debbie, Dolly Madison, Fanny Farmer,
Sara Lee, and by many other names!
Swiss Miss says:
Whenever you have one of those cravings, once in a while and better
it be when your checkbook is full, then shall you assemble in
a great public place and bring offerings of money to the spirit
of Me, who is Queen of all Goodies.
In the mall shall you assemble, you who have eaten all of your chocolate and are hungry for more. To you I shall bring Good Things for your tongue. And you shall be free from depression. And as a sign that you are truly free, you shall have chocolate smears on your cheeks, and you shall munch, nosh, snack, feast and make yummy noises all in my presence.
For mine is the ecstasy of theobromine, and mine is also the joy on earth, yea, even into high orbit for my law is "melts in your mouth, not in your hand." Keep clean your fingers, carry Wet Ones always, let none keep you from Me.
For Mine is the secret that opens your mouth, and Mine is the taste that puts a smile on your lips and comfy padding pounds on your hips. I am the gracious Goddess who gives the gift of joy onto the tummies of women and men.
Upon earth, I give knowledge of all things delicious, and beyond death, well, I can't do much there. Sorry about that.
I demand only your money in sacrifice, for behold, chocolate is a business, and you have to pay for those truffles before you eat them.
Pillsbury Dough Boy says:
Hear now the words of the Goodie Goddess, She whose feet are covered
in the dust of cheap imitations, whose body graces candy racks
and finer stores everywhere:
Betty Crocker says:
I, who am the beauty of chocolate chips, and the satisfying softness
of big bars, the mystery of how they get the filling inside truffles,
and fill the hearts of all but Philistines with desire, call unto
thy soul to arise and come unto Me.
For I am the soul of candy, from Me do all confections spring, and unto Me all of you shall return, again... and again... and again... and again.
Before My smeared face, beloved of women and men, thine innermost divine self shall be enfolded in the rapture of overdose. Let My taste be within thy mouth that rejoices. For behold, all acts of yumminess and pleasure are My rituals.
Therefore let there be gooeyness and mess, crispness and crackling, big slabs and bite size pieces, peanut butter and chocolate covered cherries all within you.
And you who think to seek Me, know that your seeking and yearning shall avail you not unless you know the Mystery: "We shall sell no chocolate until you pay for it"
For behold: I have been with you since you were just a baby, and I am that which is attained at nearly any shop in the land.
Messed be.
Pillsbury Dough Boy says:
Hear now the words of the Chocolate God, who was of old called:
Milton Snavely Hershey, 3 Musketeers, Fudgesicle, Devil Dog, Mars,
Willy Wonka and by many other names:
Mr. Goodbar says:
I am the strength of the candy rack, and the piece that fell on
the floor but looks like it may not have gotten too dirty, and
the deepest bitterness of dark chocolate.
No matter how you try to resist the call of chocolate, I will hunt you out, and I will become your sacred prey.
I am warmth of hot cocoa in the dead of winter, and the call of the road that leads you to that really expensive Godiva store downtown.
I give you My creatures, the fire of love of chocolate, the power of jaw strength to bite off a piece of that frozen Milky Way bar and the shelter of Haagen Dazs when that big date didn't work out.
You are dear to Me, and I instill in you the power of a piece of chocolate that you had forgotten you had hidden, and the power of vision and magickal sight with which you can spot a candy counter a mile away.
By the powers of the half melted bar in the glorious sun, I charge you, by the darkest depths of the bottom of the cocoa pot and lingering smell of bittersweet chocolate, I charge you, and by the beauty of a perfectly formed Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, I charge you.
Follow your heart and your instinct, wherever they lead you. The wealth in your pocket can buy you treats that a Mayan king would envy. Take joy in that first bite of lecithin emulsified cocoa, and in the last satisfying slurp of Yoo-Hoo.
Yet you must be wary of deceit. Eat not of that which is called "baking chocolate," for it is vile and bitter.
Lastly, always remember to leave some chocolate behind you. Be not greedy, but let yourself be known as a connoisseur. Leave a little for someone else.
I am with you always, just over your shoulder, or around the next corner.
I am the Lord of Chocolate, and when you have reached the end of you hoard, I will never be further away from you than that 7-Eleven on the corner.
I am the spirit of the wild child, the inner child who can never get quite enough. If you are a true chocolate lover, then your soul and mine are intertwined.
Cupcakes and Yoo-Hoo:
The Blessing of the Yoo-Hoo:
Mr. Goodbar says:
Be it known that milk chocolate is not better than dark chocolate
Betty Crocker says:
Nor is dark chocolate better than milk chocolate
Pillsbury Dough Boy says:
For both are better than the falsely named "white chocolate"
Swiss Miss says:
And neither one is carob
Mr. Goodbar says:
As the frosting is to the cupcake
Betty Crocker says:
So the creamy nougat is to the Milky Way bar
Pillsbury Dough Boy says:
And when they are eaten, they are yummy in truth,
Swiss Miss says:
For there is no greater snack in all the world than one made of
chocolate.
The Blessing of the Cupcakes:
Mr. Goodbar & Pillsbury Dough Boy say:
Frosting is keen
Betty Crocker and Swiss Miss say:
And frosting is neat
Mr. Goodbar, Pillsbury Dough Boy, Betty Crocker & Swiss Miss
say:
Great Goddess! Let's eat!
Feasting and Drinking
Dismiss the Quarters:
Betty Crocker says:
Oh, ye mighty goodies of the East, we thank you for attending
our rites and guarding our circle, and ere you depart for your
sweet and sticky realms, we say unto you,
All participants say:
"Choooooooc-laaaaate"
Pillsbury Dough Boy says:
Oh, ye mighty goodies of the South, we thank you for attending
our rites and guarding our circle, and ere you depart for your
sweet and sticky realms, we say unto you,
All participants say:
"Choooooooc-laaaaate"
Swiss Miss says:
Oh, ye mighty goodies of the West, we thank you for attending
our rites and guarding our circle, and ere you depart for your
sweet and sticky realms, we say unto you,
All participants say:
"Choooooooc-laaaaate"
Mr. Goodbar says:
Oh, ye mighty goodies of the North, we thank you for attending
our rites and guarding our circle, and ere you depart for your
sweet and sticky realms, we say unto you,
All participants say:
"Choooooooc-laaaaate"
After all quarters have been dismissed, Mr. Goodbar gives a final satisfying belch to the East.
Open the Circle:
Pillsbury Dough Boy says:
Go now in perfect love, perfect trust, and perfect chocolate.
Copyright 1993 by John L. Shepard.
Minor additions by S'BAT Chapter made with the author's permission.
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