BOOK OF SHADOWS
VOLUME The FIRST
pp. 1 - 452
RIDERS OF THE CRYSTAL WIND
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A Minster Speaks Out (J. gordon Melton) .........................975
A Plea For Initiation Standards (Ellen Cannon Reed) .............908
A Tale of Two Witches (Mike Nichols) ............................147
All Hallows Eve (Mike Nichols) ..................................137
Altar Dedication (Durwydd) .....................................125
Amazing (Pagan?) Grace ..........................................959
Ancient Art, The ................................................551
Answers (Grove of the Unicorn) ..................................479
Asatru (Rathulvf Jamieson) ......................................952
Astral Projection (Monroe Technique) ............................783
Athame Dedication (Durwydd) .....................................125
Autarchic Creed .................................................562
Banes, Bindings, and Mirrors (Judy Harrow, Hugh Read) ...........628
Bare Bones 3rd Degree (Humor) ...................................463
Basic Beliefs of WICCA (C.O.G.) .................................947
Basic Love Spell ................................................958
Basic Spell Construction ........................................113
Basic Principles (American Council of Witches)...................310
Basic Ritual Outline (ED FITCH) ...................................6
Beltaine Ritual (Firestar Coven, 1986) ...........................36
Beltane Ritual (Seastrider) .....................................464
Beltane, Its Origins (Rowan Moonstone) ..........................126
Bible, Books not included .......................................652
Bibliography (annotated) ........................................929
Binding A Spell (Farrar & Farrar) ...............................157
Blood Sacrifice (Althea Whitebirch) .............................547
Burning Times, The (Marios) .....................................951
C.O.G. Pledge ...................................................309
Channeling (Jast) ...............................................969
"Condensed" Definition of Wicca (Lady Phoenix) ..................948
Candle Colors ...................................................982
Candle Magic ....................................................417
Candle Scents ...................................................988
Candlemas (Gwydion) .............................................537
Candlemas (Mike Nichols) ........................................168
Catharsis Circle (Judy Harrow).....................................8
Cauldrons (Elemental)............................................420
CELTIC NUMEROLOGY (Mike Nichols) ................................454
CELTIC BIBLIOGRAPHY (Rowan Moonstone) ...........................298
Chants w/ASCII Notation (L.A.Hussey) ...........................1081
Chaos Magic (Mark Chao) .........................................398
Charge of the Phone Goddess (Magenta Griffith) ..................759
Charge of the Goddess, The ......................................193
Charge of The Horned God, The ...................................936
Check List for A Well Working Group (Earthrite BBS) .............957
Church of All Worlds ............................................353
Christian "Cults" ..............................................1000
Circle Closing ..................................................540
Circle Casting (Avaloian)........................................541
Circle Purification for Asthmatics ..............................780
Circle Casting (after Valiente and Farrar) ......................130
Circles, why use them? (Mel White) ...............................65
Cleansing (Rowan Moonstone) .......................................2
Comparison of Wicca and Christianity.............................622
Computer Blessing (Zahai Stewart) ...............................757
Coven Offices ...................................................762
Coven Leadership ................................................543
Covenant of the Goddess .........................................305
Consciousness & Politics (Carol Moore).........................
i
TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued)
Craft Ethics (J. Crowley) .......................................751
Creation Story ..................................................619
Creed Of The People Of God (Catholic) ..........................1005
Crone Energies (Grey Cat) .......................................559
Crystals, their care and feeding (Matrika).......................413
Cult Danger Evaluation Frame (P.E.I.Bonewits) ...................343
CUUPS (C.O.G. Salt Lake City) ..................................1002
"Dark Night of the Soul".........................................286
DCW Landmarks ...................................................492
Degrees within Covens ...........................................623
Deity Engineering Worksheet .....................................607
Denver Area Wiccan Network ......................................200
Descent of The Goddess (Sewna Silvara) ..........................750
Dianic Wicca (Inanna Seastar) ...................................614
Divination (Bibliography) .......................................605
Divination (RMPJ) ...............................................603
Drawing Down the Moon ...........................................557
Dream Problem Solving ...........................................573
Dream Bibliography ..............................................576
Dream Life ......................................................571
Dream-News ......................................................567
Dreams Precognition .............................................575
Dying God (Ammond ShadowCraft)...................................685
Eclectic Circle Ceremony (Durwydd) ...............................40
EcoMagick .......................................................614
Eight Paths to Altered States (Carrie McMasters).................222
Elements, A Hermetic Summoning (Marios) .........................960
Elemental Correspondences (from Starhawk) .......................979
Elemental Correspondences .......................................560
Ethics and Morals (RMPJ) ........................................315
Ethics and Magick (Warren Stott) ................................415
Ethics and Love Magick (Mike Nichols) ...........................554
Ethics or Etiquette .............................................565
Etymology of "Wicca" ............................................356
Evolution of Wiccan Ritual (Paul Hume) ..........................946
Exorcism ........................................................613
Festivals .......................................................587
Film Guide '89 (Mike Nichols)....................................528
First Degree, What is it? .......................................351
FISH (Creative use of Christian Symbology) ......................611
Five Fold Kiss ..................................................744
Fool ............................................................590
Fortune, The (RMPJ) .............................................953
Full Deck Tarot Spread ..........................................625
Full Moon Ritual (Seastrider)....................................634
Fundamentals of Human Ecology ...................................616
Glossary (Rowan Moonstone & Durwydd MacTara) ....................206
Gnosticism.......................................................694
God/Goddess Balance (Adrienne)...................................223
Golden Dawn (Calif.).............................................689
Golden Dawn Training (outline)...................................691
Goodwife (Story by L.A. Hussey) .................................644
Great Rite, The (Symbolic) ......................................656
Greek Fire Initiation............................................982
Halloween, Origins of (Rowan Moonstone) ..........................26
Handfasting ......................................................68
Harvest Home (Mike Nichols) .....................................176
Harvest Thoughts (Gary Dumbauld) ................................630
Harvest Home - 1987 (Michael Fix) ................................13
ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued)
Heal The Earth (a meditation) ...................................661
Healing (one method) ............................................655
Healing Myth (Nihasa) ...........................................165
Helpful Hints (Humor) ...........................................966
Heretic's Corner (RMPJ) .........................................869
Heyokah (RMPJ) ..................................................632
Hidden Codes in the Torah .......................................733
High Technology Meets The Ancient Wisdom ........................964
History (Weyland Smith) .........................................786
History of Witch Craft ..........................................791
Homeblessing (Selena Fox) .......................................663
Hypnosis 101 ....................................................667
Imbolc (Solitary Ritual) ........................................664
Initiation, Outdoor (adaptation) .................................72
Initiation (Brad Hicks) ..........................................50
Introductory Book List ..........................................926
INVOCATIONS
Freyja (unknown) ............................................56
Frigg (Russ Anderson) .......................................55
Brigit (Russ Anderson) ......................................57
Baldur (unknown) ............................................55
Freyr (unknown) .............................................56
Herne (unknown) .............................................57
Thorr (unknown) .............................................58
Irish Myth Concordance (Mike Nichols) ...........................422
Ishtar ..........................................................740
Issian Circle (Matrika) ..........................................59
K.A.M. ..........................................................735
Kabballah (Colin Low)............................................236
Kali and Modern Physics .........................................730
Keltria (The Henge of) ..........................................739
Lady Day (Mike Nichols) .........................................171
Lammas (Mike Nichols) ...........................................174
"Landmarks" (D.C.W.) ............................................990
LBRP, an Essay (Tim Maroney) ....................................103
Learning Process ................................................962
Lilith (BBS Conversation) ......................................1083
LLEW, Death of (Mike Nichols) ...................................179
Lucid Dreaming (Omni Magazine) ..................................955
MABON Outline (anonymous) ........................................43
Magick, Physics, & Probability (Hurn) ...........................811
Magick (A. Crowley) .............................................817
Magick Vs. Prayer (Salgamma) ....................................684
Magickal Book List ..............................................923
Magick Course Outline (Amber K.).................................815
Magickal Ethics (Judy Harrow) ...................................502
Magickal History (Fra.: Apfelman) ...............................406
Magickal Definitions (RMPJ) .....................................814
Magickal Laws (after P.E.I. Bonewits) ...........................831
Magickal Musical Selection Guide ...............................1079
Magickal Pyramid, The (Durwydd MacTara).........................1096
Magickal Stones & Gems ..........................................912
Manhood Rituals (RMPJ) ..........................................760
Mantra Web technique ............................................288
Mayan Deities (777 Supplement) ..................................834
Mayday Celebration (Mike Nichols) ...............................837
MAYDAY Celebration (Mike Nichols) ................................79
Media Management (Windfire Coven) ...............................851
Maychants (4) (Tanscribed by SeaStrider).........................911
iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued)
Memory & Perception, a new Model (Paul Seymour).................1077
Midsummer (Mike Nichols) .........................................45
Mind Control Techniques (Dick Sutphen) ..........................512
Models of Magick (incomplete)....................................216
Modern Pagaism, Q&A .............................................920
Modern Pagan Persecution (Jonathan Hutchins) ....................942
Mothers Day Message ............................................1076
Monotheism vs. Polytheism (Dan Holdgriewe) ......................941
Mycenaen Mysteries (J. Teller)...................................365
Mystical Pentagram ..............................................110
Nature Spirit Magick (Larry Cornett) ............................357
Necromancy (reprint) ............................................841
Neo-Pagan Ritual (Brad Hicks) ....................................77
Neo-Paganism (J. Brad Hicks) ....................................329
NeoPagism (Eric S. Raymond) .....................................333
NLP- Applied Magic (Brandy Williams).............................459
NROOGD SAMHAIN - 1987 (l.a. Hussey) ..............................21
Occult Resurgence, A theory .....................................224
ODINISM, What is it? ............................................764
Open Circle Ethics (Brandy Williams) ............................377
Open Letter to A New Witch ......................................910
Open Letter to Selena Fox (Isaac Bonewits) .....................1089
Opening (ending) The Circle ......................................12
Origins of the Mandan (Madoc) ...................................949
Pantacle, The (Gary Dumbauld) ...................................392
Personal effects of Ritual (Nihasa) .............................868
Polarity and Single Sex Covens (Marios) .........................945
Pornography & Pagan Ideals ......................................972
Power Animals (RMPJ).............................................411
Psychic Self-Defense ............................................594
Psychic Attack ..................................................563
"Quantum" Kaballah...............................................282
Quantum Magick (Larry Cornett) ..................................857
Quilting and "Craft" (J.M. Cortese) ............................1103
Rainforest Ritual (Michael Harismedes, 1988) ....................212
Ritual Bath (Sewna Silvara) .....................................745
Runes, What are they? (Lokrien) .................................215
Runic Thorn Ritual (Faunus) ....................................1097
Sangreal Sodality, The (Alfgar Maharg) ..........................944
Samhain Notes (Farrar)...........................................143
Samhain Ritual (L. A. Hussey) ....................................19
Samhain Ritual (O.T.O.) .........................................145
Samhain (United Wiccan Church) ..................................141
Satanism vs. Wicca (Diane Vera)..................................194
Saxon Wicca (Matrika) ...........................................158
Scorpio Dragon (Sewna Silvara) ..................................749
Second Degree (Gary Dumbauld) .....................................3
Sex and Magick (Fra. Apfelmann)..................................231
Shamanic Binding (Gaffer Maccluiunn) ............................937
Shamanic Lifeways Fellowship (Michelle Haas) ....................384
Smudging (Michelle Haas) ........................................184
Solitary Moon Rite, Issian (Ellen Cannon Reed) .................1100
Sophia and Gnosticism (Terry J. McCombs) .......................1105
Spitual Emergence or Emergency (Paul Seymour) ...................939
Spring Equinox (Farrar and Farrar) ..............................182
Standing Stones Book Of Shadows (Scott Cunninham) ..............1010
Strings On The Winds (Bardic Fiction)............................778
"Super-Dimensionality" ..........................................289
Taleisin's thoughts .............................................676
iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued)
Tea Ritual (Sewna Silvara, Triskelion)...........................747
Technology and The Craft (Fun!) .................................132
The Postures of Ecstasy .........................................617
Tool List (Seastrider) ..........................................136
Tool Blessing Ritual ............................................122
Tool Consecration ................................................17
Traditional Wicca (K.A.M.) ......................................186
Trickster Energies ..............................................234
Twelve Exercises Nobody Needs ...................................619
Wartime (Michelle Haas, 1991) ...................................117
Watch Towers, Rethinking The (Mike Nichols) .....................344
What is WICCA? (Texas Pamphlet) .................................322
What is Shamanism? (Michelle Haas) ..............................354
What is Wicca? (Amber K.) .......................................340
Wicca, from My Point of View (Lady Phoenix) .....................149
Wiccan Information Network .....................................1087
Wiccan Way, The .................................................192
Wiccan Pentagram Ritual (Paul Hume) ..............................98
Wiccan Traditions, A comparison (Hurn, RMPJ) ....................154
Wiccan Path (Madoc)..............................................227
Wiccan Shamanism (Selena Fox) ...................................162
Wiccan Principles (American Council of Witches, 1974)............190
Wiccan Rede, An Exegesis (Judy Harrow) ..........................317
Witchcraft Q&A (Dr. Leo Martello) ...............................150
Witches Creed (Doreen Valiente_ .................................320
Women vs. Men (Michele Haas).....................................195
YULE (Mike Nichols) ..............................................84
Yule in Britain (Tana) ...........................................94
Yule Ritual (Starhawk) ...........................................88
1
CLEANSING
Rowan Moonstone 05-28-89
When I cleanse a dwelling place, first I burn a good cleansing
incense, like frankincense or sandalwood in the home while I prepare
for the rest of the ritual. You should have in addition to the
incense, a candle, a bowl of salt water and a bowl of herbs. I
particularly like to use rose buds for love, lavender for
preservation, rosemary for protection, and any other sweet smelling
ones that appeal to you personally. If you can get them home grown,
so much the better. You should proceed around the house, widdershins(
counter clock wise) and cleanse the area with the salt water. Be sure
to get each corner, window, door, drain, etc. Simply sprinkle a
little salt water on each and ask that any evil or disruptive
influences leave the place. When this is finished, proceed around the
house deosil( clockwise) sprinkling the blessing herbs and invoke
whatever deities or properties you wish on the home, such as peace
prosperity, tranquility, etc. In the past, I have used 3 candles on
the central altar. Blue, symbolizing tranquility, green for healing
and prosperity, and purple for protection. Others might be pink for
love, or brown for hearth and home. You and anyone who is to share
the home with you should share food and drink, and don't forget to
leave a little of the food and drink to take outside and return to the
Earth that which has been given.
Blessed Be. Rowan
--- DragonMail0.00
* Origin: Beagle Express - (405)848-2828 - *ISA* *IFNA* (1:147/4)
2
Second Degree Initiation
This is a ceremony we have used a couple of times (with variations to
suit the candidate) for the second degree initiation. You will note
that it borrows from many sources: Masonic, Gardnerian, Celtic, and
Flight of Fancy. We've done it robed, sky clad, and some interesting
combinations. Seems to work ok either way. If the candidate has done
the work, the initiation ceremony is more of a public "rite of
passage" or recognition of that fact... the real "initiation" is
between the Gods and the candidate, and therefore cannot really be
"conferred".
...Gary Dumbauld, High Priest, Hernesgaard Circle
A ceremony to recognize completion
of the 2nd degree
course of study
The Circle is cast as usual. All are properly prepared and purified.
High Priestess and High Priest perform the Ceremony in concert. The
candidate is brought into the circle by a friend and circled 3 times
deosil, ending north of the altar, facing the Priest, who is standing
south of the altar (where else?).
PRIEST:
"This is the time of Full Moon, a time for rekindling of light. The
struggle for higher light is: That we may see it, and seeing it, work
and live by it. We are about to embark upon a solemn ceremony to
rekindle the light of Knowledge, the light of Will, the light of
Compassion, the light of Steadfastness; we will combine these lights,
and rekindle the light of Dedication in our Sister (Brother) here
before us.
_____ _________ , here have you been taught the ways of the Wise, that
you might count yourself among those who serve the Gods, among the
brothers and sisters of the Wicca, those who are called the shapers of
the universe."
PRIEST:
"I now direct your attention to the two lights upon our altar, the one
representing the Sun, the God, and the High Priest; the other
representing the Moon, the Goddess, and the High Priestess. The High
Priest and Priestess, presiding over the coven, may be thought of as
`One light to rule the day, one light to rule the night'. Since these
lights are both beneficent, each having honor in its place, the Craft
of the Wise does not set day against night, God against Goddess,
Priest against Priestess. In the Craft, we do not define evil as a
negative power, rather as the lack of light; where there is the light
of Sun or Moon, God or Goddess, there can be no lack of light. Choose
one, or both; place light within yourself, and nurture it."
"In times past, the Circle of Initiation was called a `Hermetic
Circle', after Hermes, the ancient name for the planet Mercury."
In astrology, the house of the Sun is in the zodiacal sign of the
lion, which is the fifth house; the house of the Moon is in Cancer,
the crab, and is in the fourth house; and the day house of the planet
Mercury is in the Gemini, the Twins, and is the third house. These
numbers, three, four and five, were sacred to many ancient peoples, as
the dimensions of the Pythagorean Triangle, in which the square of
3
five, twenty five, is equal to the sum of the squares of four and
three, or sixteen and nine. Knowledge of this triangle was essential
to builders; you are also a builder-you are building your character."
PRIESTESS:
"I now direct your attention to the several lights surrounding us, in
the East, South, West, and North. Let us now examine these lights,
and see what we can discern within them of human character."
"In the building of character, the Eastern light is denoted the Lamp
of Beauty, and stands for accomplishments; for learning, skill in art,
poetry, in song and instrumental music, in painting and sculpture. It
exemplifies the art of making one's self attractive to those about
one. It is an old saying that `Beauty is as Beauty does.' It causes
great distress to see these noble graces of character prostituted to
ignoble ends. Remember well the lesson of the Lamp of Beauty, and
accept the blessing of the East."
Initiate is censed with incense from the censer which has been
previously placed in the East.
PRIEST:
"The light in the South is denoted the Lamp of Life, and stands for
individuality, and for energy; for fervency, for zeal and vitality. It
exemplifies passions, desires and appetites. It means loves and
hates, sympathies and abhorrences, and what is more than all the rest
of these, it means heart and joy in the work of life. Remember well
the lesson of the Lamp of Life, and accept the blessing of the South."
Initiate is circled three times with the brazier, previously placed in
the South.
PRIESTESS:
"Look now to the West, and observe the Lamp of Compassion, which
stands for `fellow-feeling'. Every work in life demands a price.
Labor, tears, self-denial, self-recrimination, the very blood of life
is sometimes the price of a truly great work. Look to your fellow
travellers on the road; note with care what sacrifice they have made
in their progress toward the truth; allow them their faults,
commiserate with them in their failures, and rejoice with them when
they succeed. Remember well the lesson of the Lamp of Compassion, and
accept the blessing of the West."
Initiate is circled three times with water, and his/her hands washed
in a laving bowl, previously placed in the West.
PRIEST:
"Look now to the North, and observe the lamp of obedience. The laws
of the Gods are inevitable, and the more we, as children of the Gods,
understand and work in accordance with them, the greater is the sum of
our happiness. Obedience in character means order, the subjection to
one's principles, the fear to do wrong, and the desire to learn and do
right. Many would rather give charity than do justice. They swell
with emotion, weep with sentiment, howl with the mob, so long as their
own particular little tyranny or injustice is not touched. The Lamp
of Obedience exemplifies firm will and determination of character, in
spite of difficulties, dangers and losses. So also the Lamp of
4
Obedience stands for self-control, for perseverance, and for prudence.
In time of peace, prepare for war; when shines the sun, expect the
cloud; and in darkness wait patiently for the coming light. `When all
the sky is draped in black and beaten by tempestuous gales, and the
shuddering ship seems all awreck, calmly trim once more the tattered
sail, repair the broken rudder, and set again for the old determined
course.' Remember well the lesson of the Lamp of Obedience, and
accept now the blessing of the North."
Initiate's hands are marked with damp earth from a bowl in the North.
Initiate is then led back south of the altar.
PRIESTESS:
"Of the character thus illuminated and thus guided by the lights here
on the altar, and by the Lamps of Beauty, Life, Compassion and
Obedience, it may be said, `Though the world perish and fall away,
he/she remains.'
Initiate then takes the Oath/Obligation, kneeling.
`In the names of Arianhrod and Bran; Diana and Appolyon; Heartha and
Cernunnos; and by the powers of Earth, Air, Fire and Water, I,
__________________ , pledge to love, worship and honor the Goddess in
her many aspects; and her Consort, the Horned One, Lord of Death and
Ruler of Chaos; to always be true to the Art and its secrets; to never
abuse the Art or my own powers; and to keep this pledge always in my
heart, in my mind, in my body and in my spirit. This I pledge, by the
Circle of Life, by Cerridwen's Sacred Cauldron, and by my own hopes of
a future life.'
Initiate stands. High Priestess places a necklace over Initiate's
head.
PRIESTESS:
"The Circle is a place between the worlds and outside time. The
Circle is also the Symbol of Life, Death, and Rebirth. We wear the
necklace as a token of the Sacred Circle and as a sign that we are
part of all it symbolizes."
High Priest strikes the bell three times.
PRIEST:
"Hear ye, Lady of Life and Lord of Death! Hear ye, Ancient Guardians
of the Powers of Air, Fire, Water and Earth! In this place, by our
hands and will, _____ ______________ , known to us as _______________,
has been duly pledged and anointed a Priest/ess of the Second Degree!"
5
Pagan Ritual for Basic Use
(by Ed Fitch)
A circle should be marked on the floor, surrounding those who will
participate in the ceremony. An altar is to be set up at the center
of the circle. At the center of the altar shall be placed an image of
the Goddess, and an incense burner placed in front of it. Behind the
image should be a wand fashioned from a willow branch. Candles should
be set upon the altar ... a total of five, since on is to be set at
each quarter and one will remain on the altar during the rite.
Whenall the people areprepared they shallassemble within the
circle. The woman acting as priestess shall direct the man who acts
as priest to light the candles and incense. She shall then say:
"The presence of the noble Goddess extends everywhere,
Throughout many strange, magical,
And beautiful worlds,
To all places of wilderness, enchantment, and freedom."
She then places a candle at the north and pauses to look
outwards, saying:
"The Lady is awesome,
The Powers of death bow before Her."
The personclosest to theeast takes acandle from thealtar and
places it at that quarter, saying:
"Our Goddess is a Lady of Joy,
The winds are Her servants."
The personclosest tothe southtakes a candlefrom thealtar and
places it at that quarter, saying:
"Our Goddess is a Goddess of Love.
At Her blessings and desire
The sun brings forth life anew."
Theperson closest tothe west takesa candle fromthe altar and
places it at that quarter, saying:
"The seas are the domain of our Serene Lady,
The mysteries of the depths are Hers alone."
The priestthen takes thewand, andstarting at thenorth, draws
it along the entire circle clockwise back to the north point, saying:
"The circle is sealed, and all herein
Are totally and completely apart
From the outside world,
That we may glorify the Lady whom we adore.
Blessed Be!"
All repeat: "Blessed Be!"
The priestnow holdsthe wandout in salutetowards thenorth for
a moment and then hands it to the priestess, who also holds it out in
salute. She motions to the group to repeat the following lines after
her:
6
"As above, so below ...
As the universe, so the soul.
As without, so within.
Blessed and gracious one,
On this day do we consecrate to you
Our bodies,
Our minds,
And our spirits.
Blessed Be!"
Now is the time for discussion and teaching. Wine and light
refreshments may be served. When the meeting has ended, all will
stand and silently meditate for a moment. The priestess will then
take the wand and tap each candle to put it out, starting at the north
and going clockwise around the circle, while saying:
"Our rite draws to its end.
O lovely and gracious Goddess,
Be with each of us as we depart.
The circle is broken!"
7
A CIRCLE FOR CATHARSIS
Introduction:
One of my near and dear once spent an hour in a therapist's
office kicking an innocent throw pillow around the room and screaming
out rage at his abusive father. At the end of the hour, he had a
broken foot -- and the first beginnings of a healed mind.
But we havelearned thatmagic works throughsymbols. Callingan
object by your abuser's name and then abusing that object is
sympathetic magic used for the purpose of cursing. To throw a curse is
to project one's worst feelings out into the world of form, and to
invoke upon oneself the inevitable karmic
feedback.
It isnot our way to blast the cropsand sour the milk. Wiccan
tradition and plain common sense both tell us to avoid the practice of
baneful magic. But, as usual, it's not quite as easy as just saying
no.
Rape and child abuse, loved ones killed by muggers or drunk
drivers, emotional manipulation and betrayal, economic exploitation
and dishonest office politics - people hurt and victimize other people
in many different ways every day. We are not immune.
At somepoint in ourlives, probably everysingle one ofus will
feel violated by some other human being. Often our feelings will be
based in fact. Whether they are or not, however, we need and deserve
a safe way to discharge them.
Symbolic banefulactions arealso cathartic actions.They drain
and clear our poisonous feelings and allow our own emotional healing
to begin. If we deny ourselves this outlet, what happens to the grief
and pain and rage?
If projection is bad for us, introjection is even worse.
Unreleased bad feelings are a major source of stress. In a very real
sense, stress cripples and kills. Ulcers, strokes, heart attacks and
more are all heavily stress-related. A simple refusal to engage in
baneful magic could easily amount to punishing a victim by adding
serious illness to the original harm.
I am partof the All. "Anit harm none"is about me too.Release
of my feelings is my right.
At first it seems like an insoluble paradox. But the same
understanding of magic that forbids projection of our bad feelings can
open a safe channel for those feelings. Here's one possible form:
8
Preparation:
1) Understanding
Think about the Alcoholics Anonymous prayer. "Grant me the
serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change
the things I can change, and the wisdom to know the difference."
People of any religion can recognize the wisdom in those words. This
ritual is intended to ease emotional pressure. I believe that is a
step towards granting all three of those things to ourselves.
If your hurt isongoing, you must take stepsto stop it -leave
the abusive relationship, begin searching for a new job, begin
organizing politically to stop your oppression. What good this Circle
does you will be temporary at best if you are not acting on both the
magical and material planes to change the things you can change.
But some ofour pain comes from old, oldinjuries. And some of
our feelings are not based on fact at all. The source of those hurts
cannot be changed, but the pain can be. This particular working is to
release any bad feelings, not to judge them.
Don'tworry aboutjustice. Youmay bemistaken about whohas hurt
you, but nobody will be hurt by what we do here. All energy will be
contained within the Circle. The object of this working is healing,
not justice. You deserve this healing simply because you hurt, and
even if you are mistaken.
Prevention and healing arehuman tasks; to dothem is tochange
the things we can change. Justice - the evening of karmic balances -
is the business of the Gods, and may take place across a span of many
lifetimes. Karmic balance is a thing we cannot change.
2) Set Up
You have some decisions to make. Thefirst one is whether you
will work
alone or ask one or more trusted friends to witness and facilitate
your
working. Some of us can only let our feelings go in strict privacy.
For others,
the presence of people who will make sure we don't hurt ourselves or
our homes
removes a source of inhibition. And sometimes simply being heard is
part of the
release process.
Next, exactly what kind of symbolic action will release your
feelings? Will kicking a throw pillow suffice, or do you need to
actually make a poppet? Or just screaming may be enough. If you want
to work with a physical symbol, prepare it in advance, and be sure not
to use anything you will want to keep after the rite or ever use
again.
9
Figure out whetheryou can either casta Circle toinclude your
bathroom, or leave a cast Circle for a period of time. This will
depend on your particular training. If possible, have a warm scented
tub waiting for you. If not, a basin of warm scented water and a
washcloth within easy reach just outside of your Circle will suffice.
Also, a ritual meal should be prepared and
waiting outside of Circle, and this should include something green and
growing - I favor sprouts - and something sweet.
Procedure:
1) Waning moon is a good time for this Circle, and the Dark of the
Moon is even better. Cast the Circle and invoke the Watchers in your
usual manner. Call on the Crone, on She who weeds and prunes and
disposes of the obstructive and unnecessary.
2) Just inside the Circle, like the membrane in an eggshell, cast a
grounding shield. One possible image for this shield would be a black
absorptive chain link fence, supported at regular intervals by fence
posts that are lightning rods. Whatever happens within this space will
be contained and grounded.
3) Make clear to yourself what wound you seek to drain. Say it out
loud, even if you are alone. Recall what happened to you in detail and
let the feelings grow strong.
4) Now, let go of your feelings. Do whatever will help you release
what is in you. Beat on a pillow or rip up a doll. Scream till you
cry. Don't stop till you are emptied. Then fling the thing you used as
a symbol out of your Circle.
5) When you are sure you are all done, all drained, contract the
shield into a tight ball in the center of the Circle. As it contracts,
it will gather all the negative energy from the Circle. Ground it.
Affirm that you are sending this energy to the fire at the heart of
the Earth - to Jarnsaxe or to Pele - to be
purified in that blast furnace and cycled to wherever strong energy is
needed. Know that what you now let go is gone. Affirm this out loud.
6) Wash or bathe in a ritual manner, feeling the last traces of your
bad feelings dissolve away. If others are present, allow them to wash
and serve you.
7) Rest a few minutes. Feel the peace of emptiness.
8) Then invoke the Maiden's energy for new beginnings. Have your
ritual feast, and otherwise indulge your senses. Gentle and joyful
music would be effective, and you may want to switch to a sweeter
smelling incense. This is a time to dream dreams and plan plans. You
have removed an energy drain from your life, now you will be able to
... ?
9) Thank and dismiss whatever Beings you have called on, throughout
the whole ritual. Close your Circle as usual. Do not do any other
kinds of working or worship within this particular Circle.
10
Follow Through:
Thefinal part of any effective magical working is "acting in
accordance" on the material plane. By doing this, we give the magic a
channel through which to manifest. For this working, there are three
forms of follow through, and all are important.
1) Remember that painful feelings are partly habitual. Acting in
accordance with magic to banish such feelings requires you to stop
feeding the habit. Don't talk about the pain with anybody until at
least the second full moon after the working. This gives the habit a
chance to fade out. As much as you can, eliminate the topic from your
internal dialogue as well. When you notice yourself dwelling on the
old pain, gently and firmly change the subject.
Thinking aboutaction tochangeyour lifeinthe hereandnow
is perfectly OK. The problem is reiteration of old feelings of
frustration and helplessness that actually impede change.
2) If the hurtful situation is current and ongoing, continue with any
steps you were taking to change the things you can change. In fact,
you will probably find you have more energy than you did before to
devote to your projects.
3) Be sure to use some of your newly freed emotional energy to reward
yourself. Take time for friendship, love, and pleasure. The object of
the exercise is to clear space for the enjoyment of life, so start
right now.
Judy Harrow
HPs, Proteus Coven
11
OPENING (Ending) THE CIRCLE
The High Priestess goes to each of the four directions in turn,
and draws a Banishing Pentacle, saying,
Guardians of the East (South, West, North), Powers of Air
(Fire, Water, Earth), we thank you
For joining in our circle
And we ask for your blessing
As you depart
May there be peace between us
Now and forever. Blessed be.
She raises her athame to the sky and touches it to the earth, then
opens her arms and says,
The circle is open, but unbroken,
May the peace of the Goddess
Go in your hearts,
Mercy meet, and merry part.
And merry meet again. Blessed be.
12
Harvest Home Ritual
1987
By Michael Fix
Circle Casting
(High Priestess)
(Spoken while harvesting imaginary grain in perimeter of
circle)
Birds circle hungrily overhead
As through harvested fields we tread.
The smokehouse fires and burning leaves
Their scents do spiral and interweave.
Ripples circle in our wake
As rice we harvest from a lake.
The dusty Earth now shorn of locks
Swirls as pass our fattened flocks.
Much bounty may our harvest see
As we cast, so mote it be!
Responsorial: So mote it be!
Quarter Invocations
(High Priest)
Facing East: Guardians of the watchtower of the east, we do summon,
stir, and call thee up to protect us in our rite. Come to us now on
the cool breath of Autumn's sigh which heralds the advent of Winter
and the close of harvest time. Breathe into us the spirit of the pure
joy of life. So mote it be!
Responsorial: So mote it be!
Facing South: Guardians of the watchtower of the south, we do summon,
stir, and call thee up to protect us in our rite. Come forth from the
cook fires and smokehouses where food is being made ready for the
coming cold months. Kindle within us the flame of spiritual
awakening. So mote it be!
Responsorial: So mote it be!
Facing West: Guardians of the watchtower of the west, we do summon,
stir, and call thee up to protect us in our rite. Come forth from the
rainbow hued morning dew that covers the fields, and is soon to be
frost. Asperge us with your diadems and water our deepest roots that
we may find peace of mind. So mote it be!
Responsorial: So mote it be!
Facing North: Guardians of the watchtower of the north, we do summon,
stir, and call thee up to protect us in our rite. Come forth from the
fertile bosom of our Blessed Mother Earth, and nourish us so that our
hopes may grow to fruition. So mote it be!
Responsorial: So mote it be!
13
Blessing, Consecration, and Procession of the Elements
(Four members of the coven who have been chosen beforehand now
approach the Priestess. Each holds one of the following: an incense
burner, a candle, a vessel of water, and a vessel of salt. Each in
turn approaches the Priestess, recites their piece, receives her
blessing, and then processes deosil around
the perimeter of the circle while stopping to bow at each of the
quarters.)
(Celebrant with the incense burner symbolizing the element of air) :
"I am everywhere. I fill the fleshy pouches of your lungs, I stir all
things from the smallest blade of grass to the tallest tree. I cool
you with my breezes and destroy you with my storms. Without me you
would die. Am I not holy and worthy of praise? "
(Celebrant with the candle symbolizing the element of fire):
"I live in the guarded embers of campfires and the pilot lights of
stoves, I spring from the lightning and the hands of men, I warm you
and I destroy you. Without me you would die. Am I not holy and worthy
of praise? "
(Celebrant with the water vessel symbolizing the element of water):
"I rise from the moist crevices of the Earth, I beat on the shores of
Her body, I fall from the skies in silver sheets. Without me you would
die. Am I not holy and worthy of praise? " (Celebrant asperges the
circle with water)
(Celebrant with the salt vessel symbolizing the element of earth):
"I am your Mother. From me come the fruit and grain and animals which
feed you. I am your support, and my pull on your bodies keeps you held
firmly to me. Without me you would die. Am I not holy and worthy of
praise? "
Invocation of the Goddess
(High Priest)
"Come to us Moist Mother Earth. Come to us and take your ease. You
have labored long and hard to bring forth your bounty, so that we your
children may survive. Come and relax, for well have you earned your
rest. Eat and drink your fill, sing, dance, and be merry, for you
have done well, and there is plenty for all. And, if it pleases you
to ask for the favors of one of us as
well, may you find satisfaction there too. We shout your praises, for
you are the essence of fulfillment, love, and joy. You are the most
beautiful, and beyond measure is your grandeur and greatness. May we
never forget that we are a part of your Sacred Body, and may we work
to preserve it in all of its myriad forms. All hail the Great
Mother!"
Responsorial: All hail the Great Mother!
Invocation of the God
(High Priestess)
"Come to us Lord of the Hunt, Sacred Herdsman, and Divine Smith. Put
14
by your horn, lay aside your crook, stow your hammer, and quit your
forge for now. Wipe your brow, and come find your leisure in the
midst of our good company. Have a seat, put up your feet, and pour
yourself a cold draught. By the virtue of your work have you earned a
rest, for well have your cared for the wild beasts and domesticated
flocks. And many a time has your forge burned long into the night
with you hard at work creating lightning bolts of such exquisite
beauty and terrible power as we have ever beheld. Join us Great Lord,
and indulge yourself to the fullest. May you know no want in our
presence, for thanks to you and the Goddess, we know no want. We
raise our glasses high and toast your greatness. All hail the God of
the Wild Magicks."
Responsorial: All hail the God of the Wild Magicks.
Guided Meditation by Priest
(Meditationwillbeaboutourown
spiritualharvest.
Thiswill conclude with a personal empowerment
chant)
Empowerment Chant
(Holding hands, the coven members repeat the following chant until
the high priestess decides that enough energy has been raised, and
upon her signal everyone will direct a portion of the energy into
themselves to help them to develop the inner strength to attain
personal spiritual goals.)
Ripen fruit, ripen seed
Harken to my inner need
Communion
(Fruit and Wine, songs, and a good time. Also, each member of the
coven will be asked to describe something that they have done in the
last liturgical year that has "borne fruit.")
Quarter Banishings
(High Priest)
Facing East:
"Guardians of the watchtower of the east, return now to the brisk
Autumn breezes which are brimming with the excitement of the year's
climax. Take with you our blessings and thanks. Hail and farewell!
Responsorial: Hail and farewell!
15
Facing South:
"Guardians of the watchtower of the south, return now to the
dying fires of Autumn's heat soon to give way to Winter's chill. Take
with you our blessings and thanks. Hail and farewell!
Responsorial: Hail and farewell
Facing West:
"Guardians of the watchtower of the west, return now to the
Autumn rains which cool the Earth's fevered brow baked in the heat of
Summer afternoons. Take with you our blessings and thanks. Hail and
farewell!
Responsorial: Hail and farewell!
Facing North: Guardians of the watchtowers of the north, return now
to the Earth where worms burrow deeper and seeds nestle awaiting the
long sleep of Winter. Take with you our blessings and thanks. Hail
and farewell!
Responsorial: Hail and farewell!
Circle Banishing
(High Priestess)
Equal night and equal day
Soon the light will fade away
Equal day and equal night
This circle fades as does the light
Thus the magick we invoke
Fades anon like wisps of smoke
Until we next decide to play
SO MOTE IT BE!
16
CONSECRATION OF CHALICE, ATHAME OR OTHER TOOL:
Before these assembled spirits I bring (name type of tool) to be
dedicated to the service of the Lady and Lord.
(Pass tool three times through smoke of the incense.)
By the power of air, be thou purified. Be thou dedicated to purity of
thought and to harmlessness that all intentions for which thou art
used may harm none and be for the good of all.
(Pass tool three times through or over the flame of the fire candle.)
By the power of fire, be thou purified. Be thou dedicated to purity
of desire, and to harmlessness that all goals which thou art doest
help achieve may harm none and be for the good of all.
(Take a few drops of water and sprinkle or dab on instrument.)
By the power of water, be thou purified. Be thou dedicated to purity
of emotion, and to harmlessness that all that thou shalt be used in a
spirit of harmony, harming none and for the good of all.
(Touch instrument to the stone or salt in north quarter)
By the power of earth, be thou purified. Be thou dedicated to
steadfastness and purity of purpose, that my will be achieved without
wavering, with harm to none and for the good of all.
(If this is a chalice, present it first to the Lady, then to the Lord,
if athame, reverse order. All other instruments use personal
preference, but it is courtesy to present them to Her first.)
PRESENTATION FOR CHALICE:
Lady Freya, Keeper of Femininity, bless this chalice. Let it be as
Thy cauldron, a vessel of productivity that it may be worThy to
dispense Thy bounty. Let it be used in Thy service and in the service
of humanity. Let it be so bound that no harm may come of it to any
being, but let it rather be an instrument of good-will and
understanding; of loving harmony. To Thy sacred self I dedicate this
vessel, (name of vessel), that it and I may long be of service to
Thee.
Lord Thor, companion to the Lady, champion of the Gods, bless this
chalice and keep watch over it. Guard the works which come forth from
it, that they ever be in the service of Thee and Thy Lady, that they
be of service to humankind, and that they abide by the laws of
harmony. To Thee I vow I shall use it for Her sacred purposes, and
for no other.
So mote it be.
PRESENTATION FOR ATHAME:
Lord Thor, thunderer & hammer wielder, bless this athame. Let it be
as the spring rains which fall upon the earth to cause Her to bring
forth Her bounty.
17
Let it quicken my hopes and dreams, yet keep them from causing harm.
Let it guide them in the harmony of the seasons, bringing forth only
good for all.
Lord Thor, bless this athame, (name of athame), that it be used ever
in the worship and honor of the Gods.
Lady Freya, companion to the Thunderer, lover of the Gods, bless this
athame that it shall bring forth joy, and shall cause no pain nor
disharmony to any.
I dedicate this athame (name athame), symbol of the Defender and Rain
Maker, to Thy service. May it ever bring Thee joy and pride.
So mote it be.
(This ritual, with suitable changes, may be used to dedicate other
tools as well as these.)
18
SAMHAIN RITUAL FOR SMALL CIRCLE
[older woman to older man]:
One-eye, Wanderer, God of wisdom,
Hunt-lord, hail, who leads the hosting!
Nine nights hanging, knowledge gaining,
Cloaked at crossroads, council hidden.
Now the night, your time, is near us --
Right roads send us on, Rune-winner.
[older man to older woman]:
Every age your eye has witnessed;
Cauldron-Keeper, hail wise Crone!
Rede in riddles is your ration --
Wyrd-weaving at the World-tree's root.
Eldest ancient, all-knowing one,
Speak secrets to us, send us vision.
[younger woman to younger man]:
Lord of Life, hail Land-Master!
God of grain that grows and dies
And rises reborn, full of richness;
Fallow fields shall yet be fertile --
Spring sap runs as stirs your phallus
Bless barren earth, let it bear again!
[younger man to younger woman]:
Snow-shoes striding, hail swift Huntress!
Wild one, free and willful Goddess
Bow and blade you bear beside you,
Finding food to fend off hunger --
Winter will not leave us wanting;
Give good hunting, grant us skill.
USHERING IN THE NEW YEAR:
Welcome winter, waning season,
Now with night the new year comes;
Hail the horse's head with blessings --
Blessings be on those who bide here
And indeed on all the world!
SCRYING:
Wide are the worldgates,
Sights to be sent us;
Ready for rede-gifts,
We wait for your wisdom.
19
OFFERINGS/THANKSGIVING:
Grateful, we give now, gifts of our own
Heart-work and hand-work the hearth shall grace;
Happiness, harmony, health in the new year,
Send to the world and we in it, we wish you.
DISMISSAL/OPENING:
To watching winds we wish fair travelling;
To sleepless dead sweet rest we send;
Gods and Goddesses, go with praises --
See: the circle is severed thus. [cut with sword at east]
I wrote that ritual for David, myself, and two friends who are older
than we. It was the first ritual that I wrote not based on NROOGD
material in any way, but on entirely original structure and material.
The horse's skull is a primitive form of the Mari Lwyd (Grey
Mare/Mary), a Welsh folk traditional hobby horse that goes from house
to house at the calendar New Year, but she's such a bizarre and
macabre beast that she was almost certainly a Samhain leftover.
There's interesting material about her in
Trefor Owen's WELSH FOLK CUSTOMS (which is probably out of print, but
I could provide photocopies for interested parties who provide copying
costs...)
Happy Samhain!
Leigh Ann
ThelemaNet of Berkeley * (415)548-0163 (161/93)
(L.a. Hussey 20 Nov 86 12:05:56)
20
NROOGD SAMHAIN, 1987
A Cymro-Norse ritual
TOOLS: Drinking Horn
Hammer (Mjollnir)
Sword
Pentacle/Stone
Bowl of Salt
Water
Censer & Incense
CELEBRANTS:
White Priestess (Skadi)
Gold Priest (Freyr)
Red Priestess (Freyja)
Red Priest (Heimdallr)
Black Priestess (Vala)
Black Priest (Odin)
Procession, consisting of Soulers (any small number) and White Mare.
Skadi takes the sword around the circle with these words:
SHARP BRIGHT STEEL THE CIRCLE SCRIBES;
CARVING, CLEAVING WORLD FROM WORLD.
Freyja banishes the circle with the hammer and these words:
MANKIND'S FRIEND, BY MJOLLNIR'S MIGHT
BANISH BEINGS THAT BODE US ILL!
She stands in the center and to each quarter and above and below she
makes the Hammer-Sign, saying,
HOLY HAMMER, HALLOW AND HOLD US.
Vala seals the circle, carrying pentacle and bowl of salt, saying,
STOUT STONE SHIELD US, SHUT THE CIRCLE.
Skadi asperses the circle (Vala follows with censer) with these words:
BE ALL BLESS'D WHO BIDE HEREIN,
BY STONE AND SEA, BY STORM AND SUN.
21
Now Heimdallr takes the sword and calls the quarters as follows:
WISDOM'S WAIN, EAST WIND I CALL THEE!
THOUGHTS THY THANES THAT THRIVE IN NEWNESS.
BREATHE AND BLESS, BLOW ALL CLEAN;
WATCH AND WARD, O WIND OF MIND.
SUMMER'S SAVOUR, SOUTH WIND COME NOW!
BRIGHT THE BLESSINGS YOU BEAR WITH YOU.
STRONG OF SPIRIT, SUN-LIKE FIRE;
WATCH AND WARD, O WIND OF SOUL.
WILD AND WET, WEST WIND I SUMMON!
SEA-SPRAY BEARING, SINGING, SHOUTING;
BEATS THE EARTH'S BLOOD IN THY BREAST;
WATCH AND WARD, O WIND OF HEART.
WHITE WITH WINTER, NORTH WIND, WAKEN!
STONE'S STRENGTH BRINGING, SNOW-CLOAKED WIND.
FROM THE FROST-REALMS, FRESH AND CHILL,
WATCH AND WARD, O WIND OF FORM.
The Priestesses and Priests stand opposite each other, and each one of
the pair invokes the other, as follows:
Skadi (to Freyr)
LORD OF LIFE, HAIL LAND-MASTER!
GOD OF GRAIN THAT GROWS AND DIES
AND RISES REBORN, FULL OF RICHNESS;
FALLOW FIELDS SHALL YET BE FERTILE --
SPRING SAP RUNS AS STIRS YOUR PHALLUS --
BLESS BARREN EARTH, LET IT BEAR AGAIN!
Freyr (to Skadi)
SHOW-SHOES STRIDING, HAIL SWIFT HUNTRESS!
WILD ONE, FREE AND WILLFUL GODDESS,
BOW AND BLADE YOU BEAR BESIDE YOU,
FINDING FOOD TO FEND OFF HUNGER.
WINTER WILL NOT LEAVE US WANTING;
GIVE GOOD HUNTING, GRANT US SKILL!
Freyja (to Heimdallr)
STANDING STEADFAST, HAIL FAR-SEER!
WATCHFUL ONE, ON RAINBOW WAITING,
HORN AT HAND TO ROUSE THE HEROES,
NEWS YOU KNOW FROM NINE WORLDS OVER.
PEOPLE'S PARENT AND OUR PATRON,
OPEN OUR EYES TO ALTERED SIGHT.
22
Heimdallr (to Freyja)
VANIR BRIDE, HAIL VISION-GIVER!
CAPPED IN CAT-FUR, CLOAKED IN FEATHERS,
DRUMMING FOR THE DANCE OF DREAMS,
YOU HASTE TO HUNT OUT HIDDEN THINGS.
SCANT NOW THE SCREEN THAT HINDERS SIGHT;
LET US LEARN THE LORE OF TRANCE-WORK.
Vala (to Odin)
ONE-EYE, WANDERER, GOD OF WISDOM,
HUNT-LORD, HAIL, WHO LEADS THE HOSTING!
NINE NIGHTS HANGING, KNOWLEDGE GAINING,
CLOAKED AT CROSSROADS, COUNCIL HIDDEN.
NOW THE NIGHT, YOUR TIME IS NEAR US --
RIGHT ROADS SEND US ON, RUNE-WINNER.
Odin (to Vala)
EVERY AGE YOUR EYE HAS WITNESSED,
CAULDRON-KEEPER; HAIL, WISE CRONE!
REDE IN RIDDLES IS YOUR RATION --
WYRD-WEAVING AT THE WORLD-TREE'S ROOT.
ELDEST ANCIENT, ALL-KNOWING ONE,
SPEAK SECRETS TO US, SEND US KENNING.
Odin reminds everyone what the festival is about, as follows:
Odin: SO COMES THE SOULS'-DAY. SUMMON FOR FEASTING
ANCESTORS, ANCIENTS, HONOURED AND BLESSED;
LET IN BELOVED ONES, LEND THEM YOUR BODIES --
WHOM DO YOU HALLOW? HAIL THEM BY NAME!
Allow a few minutes for everybody to name the ancestor they want to
welcome. Then Vala gives this admonition:
Vala: AS ANCIENT ELDERS YOU LEARN FROM AND HONOUR,
LET NOT THE LIVING ONES MOULDER ALONE.
NEAR IS THEIR KNOWLEDGE NEARER THAN SPIRITS',
SEEN WITHOUT CEREMONY, SIMPLY FOR ASKING.
Both: GRANDMOTHERS, GRANDFATHERS, GREAT BE THEIR BLESSINGS
PAST ONES AND PRESENT WE DANCE THEM ALL POWER!
All the Celebrants but Heimdallr form a circle facing outward;
Heimdallr goes to the West, and all say:
WIDE ARE THE WORLDGATES; NOW THE WIGHTS WANDER.
WELCOME WITHIN ARE THE DEAD WHO WERE OURS;
REST FROM RIDING HERE, REVEL AND FEAST HERE;
COME IN, OLD KINSFOLK, KEEPERS OF WISDOM!
23
Heimdallr cuts the Soulers' Procession into the Circle on "Come in",
and moves to stand with the other Celebrants while the Soulers dance
slowly around singing:
WELCOME WINTER, WANING SEASON,
NOW WITH NIGHT THE NEW YEAR COMES;
ALL WHO HONOUR ELDER KINSFOLK
DANCE THE DEAD TO EARTHLY DRUMS.
SOULS RESPECTED SAFEGUARD LIVING
HOUSE WE'LL HOLD, AND HALLOW HEARTH;
BLESSINGS BE ON THOSE WHO BIDE HERE,
AND INDEED ON ALL THE EARTH!
The Celebrants begin also to circle, dancing in character, starting
widdershins then spiralling in and out to end deosil, as in the
meeting dance, while the Soulers encourage the outer circle to dance
also. The intent should be for luck in the new year, and better
connection with our Ancestors (as well as better treatment of our
Elders!). WE ARE THE OLD PEOPLE, and BLOOD OF THE ANCIENTS are
appropriate and may be sung in polyphony...
As the providers of food, FREYR and SKADI bring forward the feast.
Some food should be laid out for the ancestors, and people should be
encouraged to let the ancestors use their senses for a while to enjoy
the food with them. The Soulers in particular should receive Soul
Cakes. A strong magical gesture would be for people to bring forward
canned and other non-
perishable food (which can be later given to a food bank or similar
organization).
Freyr speaks as follows:
CAKES TO US CARRY, CORN FROM THE STOREHOUSE;
WINE DEFIES WINTER, WARM WITH CAUGHT RIPENESS;
MILK MADE TO CHEESES, MEAT DRIED AND SALTED;
LAST OF THE LAND'S FRUITS ERE THE LONG SLEEP.
Skadi speaks as follows:
GOOD NUTS AND GAME-FOOD ARE HUNTERS' GUERDON;
SLEEPING EARTH'S SECRETS YIELD TO THE SEEKER
TRUE BURIED TREASURE: ONIONS, POTATOES
FOREST SHALL FEED US WHILE THE FIELDS REST.
Both say (if there is to be food donation):
ALL WHO HAVE AUGHT TO OFFER, NOW BRING IT;
WIGHTS, BEAR YE WITNESS WORK WITH THE GIVERS.
FEEDING OUR FELLOWS, LET US BE FED SO,
SOPS FOR THE SPIRIT OR SUP FOR THE FLESH.
[If there is to be scrying and divination, it should be done now in a
quiet space marked off as separate from the feasting-place. FREYJA
and HEIMDALLR lead the scrying and VALA and ODIN lead rune-work, with
the following optional speeches:
Heimdallr:
LET THE LOTS TUMBLE, LOOSING THEIR LEARNING;
WORD-WOOD AND WIT-STONES, WON THROUGH ORDEAL.
COME UP AND CAST THEM, WHILE WORD IS CLEAREST
AUGERS MAY ANSWER AUGHT THE YEAR HOLDS.
24
Freyja: WIDE ARE THE WORLDGATES, WINDOWS ARE OPEN;
SIGHTS MAY BE SEEN NOW, ELSETIMES BUT SCARCELY.
CRYSTAL AND CAULDRON CAPTURE THE VISION;
MYSTERY'S MEANING SPEAKS TO THE MINDFUL.]
Note: it is entirely appropriate for partying to go on inside the
sacred circle (people can get up and move around), so that the Dead
have the opportunity to enjoy their day before we bid them farewell;
the circle should be cast large, with this in mind. The only
constraint is to open in sufficient time to clean up the hall before
the rental time runs out. The circle is opened as follows:
Heimdallr:
TO WATCHING WINDS, WE WISH FAIR WANDERING;
FAN US SWEET FRAGRANCE; HAIL, FAREWELL!
ALL: TO SLEEPLESS SOULS, WE WISH SWEET RESTING;
FRIENDS WILL KEEP FAITH; FAREWELL NOW!
GODS AND GODDESSES, GO WITH PRAISES!
FINISHED OUR FESTIVAL; HAIL, FAREWELL!
Celebrants ground with this formula:
AS FROM THE EARTH OUR ENERGY COMES,
INTO THE EARTH THE EXCESS FLOWS;
EARTH AND ALL EMPOWERED ALIKE
BE IT SO!
Skadi: SEE: THE CIRCLE IS SEVERED THUS [she cuts]
MERRY MEET, MERRY PART, MERRY MEET AGAIN!
B*B
Leigh Ann
ThelemaNet - Hail Eris! * (415) 548-0163 (Opus 1:161/93)
25
THE ORIGINS OF HALLOWEEN
(c) copyright 1989, Rowan Moonstone
In recent years, there have been a number of pamphlets and books put
out be various Christian organizations dealing with the origins of
modern- day Halloween customs.
Being a Witch myself, and a student of the ancient Celts from whom we
get this holiday, I have found these pamphlets woefully inaccurate and
poorly researched. A typical example of this information is contained
in the following quote from the pamphlet entitled "What's Wrong with
Halloween?" by Russell K. Tardo. "The Druids believed that on October
31st, the last day of the year by the ancient Celtic calendar, the
lord of death gathered together the souls of the dead who had been
made to enter bodies of animals, and decided what forms they should
take the following year. Cats were held sacred because it was believed
that they were once human beings ... We see that this holiday has its
origin, basis and root in the occultic Druid celebration of the dead.
Only they called it 'Samhain', who was the lord of the dead (a big
demon)".1 When these books and pamphlets cite sources at all, they
usually list the Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Americana,
and the World Book Encyclopedia. The Britannica and the Americana
make no mention of cats, but do, indeed list Samhain as the Lord of
Death, contrary to Celtic scholars, and list no references. The World
Book mentions the cats, and calls Samhain the Lord of Death, and lists
as its sources several children's books (hardly what one could
consider scholarly texts, and, of course, themselves citing no
references).
In an effort to correct some of this erroneous information, I have
researched the religious life of the ancient Celtic peoples and the
survivals of that religious life in modern times. Listed below are
some of the most commonly asked questions concerning the origins and
customs of Halloween. Following the questions is a lengthy
bibliography where the curious reader can go to learn more about this
holiday than space in this small pamphlet permits.
26
1. Where does Halloween come from?
Our modern celebration of Halloween is a descendent of the
ancient Celtic festival called "Samhain". The word is
pronounced "sow-in", with "sow" rhyming with "cow".
2. What does "Samhain" mean?
The Irish-EnglishDictionary published bythe IrishTexts
Societydefinesthewordas follows:"Samhain,AllHallowtide,
the feast ofthe dead inPagan andChristian times,signaling
theclose ofharvest and the initiation ofthe winter season,
lasting till May,during which troopswere quartered. Fairies
wereimagined as particularly active at this season. From it,
the half-year is reckoned. Also calledFeile Moingfinne (Snow
Goddess).2 The Scottish Gaelic Dictionary defines it as
"Hallowtide. The Feast of All Souls. Sam + Fuin = end of
summer."3 Contrary to the information published by many
organizations, there is no archaeological or literary evidence
to indicate that Samhain was a deity. Eliade's Encyclopedia of
Religion states as follows: "The Eve and day of Samhain were
characterized as a time when the barriers between the human
and supernatural worlds were broken... Not a festival honoring
any particular Celtic deity, Samhain acknowledged the entire
spectrum of nonhuman forces that roamed the earth during that
period."4 The Celtic Gods of the dead were Gwynn ap Nudd for
the British and Arawn for the Welsh. The Irish did not have a
"lord of death" as such.
3. Why was the end of summer of significance to the Celts?
The Celts were a pastoral peopleas opposed to an agricultural
people. The end of summer was significant to them because it
meant the time of year when the structure of their lives
changed radically. The cattle were brought down from the
summer pastures in the hills and the people were gathered into
the houses for the long winter nights of story- telling and
handicrafts .
27
4. What does it have to do with a festival of the dead?
The Celts believed that when people died, they went to a land
of eternal youth and happiness called Tir nan Og. They did not
have the concept of heaven and hell that the Christian church
later brought into the land. The dead were sometimes believed
to be dwelling with the Fairy Folk, who lived in the numerous
mounds, or sidhe, (pronounced "shee" or "sh-thee") that dotted
the Irish and Scottish countryside. Samhain was the new year
to the Celts. In the Celtic belief system, turning points,
such as the time between one day and the next, the meeting of
sea and shore, or the turning of one year into the next were
seen as magickal times. The turning of the year was the most
potent of these times. This was the time when the "veil
between the worlds" was at its thinnest, and the living could
communicate with their beloved dead in Tir nan Og.
5. What about the aspects of "evil' that we associate with the
night today?
The Celts did not have demons and devils in their belief
system. The fairies, however, were often considered hostile
and dangerous to humans because they were seen as being
resentful of man taking over their land. On this night, they
would sometimes trick humans into becoming lost in the fairy
mounds, where they would be trapped forever. After the coming
of the Christians to the Celtic lands, certain of the folk saw
the fairies as those angels who had sided neither with God or
with Lucifer in their dispute, and thus were condemned to walk
the earth until judgment day.5 In addition to the fairies, many
humans were abroad on this night, causing mischief. Since this night
belonged neither to one year or the other, Celtic folk believed
that chaos reigned, and the people would engage in "horseplay
and practical jokes".6 This also served as a final outlet for high
spirits before the gloom of winter set in.
28
6. What about "trick or treat"?
During the course of these hijinks, many of the people would
imitate the fairies and go from house to house begging for
treats. Failure to supply the treats would usually result in
practical jokes being visited on the owner of the house. Since
the fairies were abroad on this night, an offering of food or
milk was frequently left for them on the steps of the house,
so the homeowner could gain the blessing of the "good folk"
for the coming year. Many of the households would also leave
out a "dumb supper" for the spirits of the departed.9 The
folks who were abroad in the night imitating the fairies would
sometimes carry turnips carved to represent faces. This is the
origin of our modern Jack-o-lantern.
7. Was there any special significance of cats to the Celts?
According to Katherine Briggs in Nine Lives: Cats in
Folklore,, the Celts associated cats with the Cailleach Bheur,
or Blue Hag of Winter. "She was a nature goddess, who herded
the deer as her cattle. The touch of her staff drove the
leaves off the trees and brought snow and harsh weather."7 Dr. Anne
Ross addresses the use of divine animals in her book Pagan Celtic
Britain and has this to day about cats."Cats do not play a large
role in Celtic mythology ... the evidence for the cat as an important
cult animal in Celtic mythology is slight"8 She cites as supporting
evidence, the lack of archaeological artifacts and literary
references in surviving works of mythology.
8. Was this also a religious festival?
Yes. Celtic religion was very closely tied to the Earth. Their
great legends are concerned with momentous happenings which
took place around the time of Samhain. Many of the great
battles and legends of kings and heroes center on this night.
Many of the legends concern the promotion of fertility of the
earth and the insurance of the continuance of the lives of the
people through the dark winter season.
29
9. How was the religious festival observed?
Unfortunately, we know very little about that. W.G.
Wood-Martin, in his book, Traces of the Elder Faiths of
Ireland, states, "There is comparatively little trace of the
religion of the Druids now discoverable, save in the folklore
of the peasantry, and the references relative to it that occur
in ancient and authentic Irish manuscripts are, as far as
present appearances go, meager and insufficient to support
anything like a sound theory for full development of the
ancient religion."10 The Druids were the priests of the Celtic
peoples. They passed on their teachings by oral tradition instead
of committing them to writing, so when they perished, most of
their religious teachings were lost. We do know that this festival
was characterized as one of the four great "Fire Festivals" of
the Celts. Legends tell us that on this night, all the hearth
fires in Ireland were extinguished, and then re-lit from the
central fire of the Druids at Tlachtga, 12 miles from the
royal hill of Tara. This fire was kindled from "need fire"
which had been generated by the friction of rubbing two sticks
together, as opposed to more conventional methods (such as the
flint- and-steel method) common in those days.11 The
extinguishing of the fires symbolized the "dark half" of the
year, and the re-kindling from the Druidic fires was symbolic
of the returning life hoped for, and brought about through the
ministrations of the priesthood.
10. What about sacrifices?
Animals were certainly killed at this time of year. This was
the time to "cull" from the herds those animals which were not
desired for breeding purposes for the next year. Most
certainly, some of these would have been done in a ritual
manner for the use of the priesthood.
30
11. Were humans sacrificed?
Scholars are sharply divided on this account, with about half
believing that it took place and half doubting its veracity.
Caesar and Tacitus certainly tell tales of the human
sacrifices of the Celts, but Nora Chadwick points out in her
book The Celts that "it is not without interest that the
Romans themselves had abolished human sacrifice not long
before Caesar's time, and references to the practice among
various barbarian peoples have certain overtones of
self-righteousness. There is little direct archaeological
evidence relevant to Celtic sacrifice."12 Indeed, there is
little reference to this practice in Celtic literature. The
only surviving story echoes the tale of the Minotaur in Greek
legend: the Fomorians, a race of evil giants said to inhabit
portions of Ireland before the coming of the Tuatha de Danaan
(or "people of the Goddess Danu"), demanded the sacrifice of
2/3 of the corn, milk, and first born children of the Fir
Bolg, or human inhabitants of Ireland. The de Danaan ended
this practice in the second battle of Moy Tura, which
incidentally, took place on Samhain. It should be noted,
however, that this story appears in only one (relatively
modern) manuscript from Irish literature, and that manuscript,
the "Dinnsenchus", is known to be a collection of fables.
According to P.W. Joyce in Vol. 2 of his Social History of
Ancient Ireland, "Scattered everywhere through our ancient
literature, both secular and ecclesiastical, we find abundant
descriptions and details of the rites and superstitions of the
pagan Irish; and in no place - with this single exception - do
we find a word or hint pointing to human sacrifice to pagan
gods or idols."13
12. What other practices were associated with this season?
Folk tradition tells us of many divination practices
associated with Samhain. Among the most common were
divinations dealing with marriage, weather, and the coming
fortunes for the year. These were performed via such methods
as ducking for apples and apple peeling. Ducking for apples
was a marriage divination. The first person to bite an apple
would be the first to marry in the coming year. Apple peeling
was a divination to see how long your life would be. The
longer the unbroken apple peel, the longer your life was
destined to be.14 In Scotland, people would place stones in
the ashes of the hearth before retiring for the night. Anyone
whose stone had been disturbed during the night was said to be
destined to die during the coming year.
31
13. How did these ancient Celtic practices come to America?
When the potato crop in Ireland failed, many of the Irish people,
modern descendants of the Celts, immigrated to America,
bringing with them their folk practices, which were remnants of the
Celtic festival observances.
14. We in America view this as a harvest festival. Did the Celts
also view it as such?
Yes. The Celts had 3 harvests. Aug 1, or Lammas, was the first
harvest, when the first fruits were offered to the Gods in
thanks. The Fall equinox was the true harvest. This was when
the bulk of the crops would be brought in. Samhain was the
final harvest of the year. Anything left on the vines or in
the fields after this date was considered blasted by the
fairies ("pu'ka") and unfit for human consumption.
15. Does anyone today celebrate Samhain as a religious observance?
Yes. many followers of various pagan religions, such as
Druidism and Wicca, observe this day as a religious festival.
They view it as a memorial day for their dead friends and
family, much as the world does the national Memorial Day
holiday in May. It is still a night to practice various forms
of divination concerning future events. It is also considered
a time to wrap up old projects, take stock of one's life, and
initiate new projects for the coming year. As the winter
season is approaching, it is a good time to do studying on
research projects, and also a good time to begin hand work
such as sewing, leather working, woodworking, etc., for Yule
gifts later in the year. And while "satanists" are using this
holiday as their own, this is certainly not the only example
of a holiday (or even religious symbols) being "borrowed" from
an older religion by a newer one.
16. Does this involve human or animal sacrifice?
Absolutely NOT! Hollywood to the contrary, blood sacrifice is
not practiced by modern followers of Wicca or Druidism. There
may be some people who THINK they are practicing Wicca by
performing blood sacrificing, but this is NOT condoned by
reputable practitioners of today's neo-Pagan religions.
32
FOOTNOTES:
1 Tardo, Russell K., What's Wrong with Halloween?, Faithful Word
Publishers, (Arabi, LA, undated), p. 2
2 Rev. Patrick Dinneen, An Irish English Dictionary, (Dublin,
1927), p. 937
3 Malcolm MacLennan, A Pronouncing and Etymological Dictionary
of the Gaelic Language, (Aberdeen, 1979), p. 279
4 The Encyclopedia of Religion, ed. Mircea Eliade, "Halloween"
by Primiano, (New York, 1987) pp. 176-177
5 Katherine Briggs, Nine Lives: Cats in Folklore, (London,1980),
p.5
6 Dr. Anne Ross, Pagan Celtic Britain, (London,1967), p. 301-302
7 W.G. Wood-Martin, Traces of the Elder Faiths of Ireland, Vol.
II, (Port Washington, NY, 1902), p. 5
8 Kevin Danaher, The Year in Ireland, (Cork, 1972), p. 214
9 Alwyn & Brinley Rees, Celtic Heritage, (New York, 1961), p. 90
10 Wood-Martin, op. cit., p. 249
11 Rees & Rees, op. cit., p. 90
12 Nora Chadwick, The Celts, (Harmondsworth, 1982), p. 151
13 P.W. Joyce, A Social History of Ancient Ireland, Vol.2, (New
York, 1968), pp. 282-283
14 Madeleine Pelner Cosman, Medieval Holidays and Festivals, (New
York, 1981), p. 81
33
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
*Bord, Janet & Colin, The Secret Country, (London: Paladin
Books,1978)
*Briggs, Katherine, Nine Lives, Cats inFolklore, (London: Routledge
& Kegan Paul, 1980)
*Chadwick, Nora, The Celts, (Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Books,
1982)
*Coglan, Ronan, ADictionary of Irish Myth and Legend, (Dublin: 1979)
*Cosman, Madeleine Pelner, Medieval Holidays and Festivals, (New
York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1981)
*Danaher, Kevin,The Year in Ireland, (Cork, Ireland: The Mercier
Press, 1972)
*Dinneen, Rev. Patrick S., M.A., An Irish-English Dictionary,
(Dublin: The Irish Texts Society, 1927)
*Joyce, P.W., A Social History of Ancient Ireland, (New York:
Benjamin Blom, 1968)
*MacCana, Proinsias, Celtic Mythology, (London: The Hamlyn
Publishing Group Limited, 1970)
*MacLennan, Malcolm, A pronouncing and Etymological Dictionary of
the Gaelic Language, (Aberdeen: Acair and Aberdeen University
Press, 1979)
*MacNeill, Maire', The Festivalof Lughnasa, (Dublin: Comhairle
Bhealoideas Eireann, 1982)
*Powell, T.G.E., The Celts, (New York: Thames & Hudson, 1980)
*Primiano, Leonard Norman, "Halloween" from The Encyclopedia of
Religion, ed. Mircea Eliade, (New York, McMillan Publiching
Co., 1987)
*Rees, Alwyn and Brinley, Celtic Heritage, Ancient Tradition in
Ireland and Wales, (New York: Thames & Hudson, 1961)
34
*Ross, Dr. Anne, Pagan Celtic Britain, (London: Routledge and Kegan
Paul, 1967)
*Sharkey, John, Celtic Mysteries, (New York: Thames & Hudson, 1975)
*Spence, Lewis, British Fairy Origins, (Wellingborough: Aquarian
Press, 1946)
*Squire, Charles, Celtic Myth & Legend, Poetry & Romance, (New York:
Newcastle Publishing Co., Inc., 1975)
*Toulson, Shirley, The Winter Solstice, (London: Jill Norman &
Hobhouse, Ltd., 1981)
*Wood-Martin, W.G.,Traces of the Elder Faiths of Ireland, Vols. I &
II, (Port Washington, NY: Kennikat Press, 1902)
Published by CultWatch Response, Inc., P O Box 1842, Colorado Springs,
CO 80901-1842. This article may be reprinted only if it is not
excerpted or abridged in any way except for review purposes.
Permission to republish must be requested in writing from the author
at the above address. Price: $1.00 each, 10/$8.00, over 100/$0.65
ea., other quantities available. All prices are postpaid.
35
FIRESTAR BELTAINE 1986
Note: there is NO meeting dance before the ritual because the spiral
dance occurs inside it.
BARD PRIESTESS GODDESS
FIREMAKER PRIEST GOD
BARD:(harp accompaniment)
This is the air, oh people; these are the creatures:
Far-flying Goose; far-seeing Hawk;
Owl who knows; Raven who talks;
Crane who dances; Thrush who sings;
Quail the humble; Wren the king;
Lark who revels; Loon who weeps;
Jay who scatters; Buzzard reaps.
This is the air I conjure, and this is the birth of the world.
This is the fire, oh people; these are the creatures:
Drake who hoards; Kirin who gives;
Angel heals; Chimera reaves;
Coal the slow; lightning the quick;
Salamander, power's wick;
Soul who praises; Gryphon scorns;
Phoenix dies and is reborn.
This is the fire I conjure, and this is the birth of the world.
This is the sea, oh people; these are the creatures:
Whale who chants; Dolphin who speaks;
Clam content; Salmon who seeks;
Pike who rages; Shark who mourns;
Walrus steadies; Carp transforms;
Seal who gathers; Crab the lone;
Otter wave-borne; Eel in stone;
This is the sea I conjure, and this is the birth of the world.
This is the earth, oh people; these are the creatures:
Deer who worries; Boar who schemes;
Cat who conjures; Sheep who dreams;
Hare the playful; Brock the stern;
Mouse who teaches; Horse who learns;
Wolf who wanders; Bear who stays;
Stag who guards; Puma who preys.
This is the earth I conjure, and this is the birth of the world.
36
Now is the darkness. Now is the pain. Now is the fear.
Now is the danger. Now is the hate. Now are the tears.
Call on our mother! She is the one! Hers is the way!
She will bring comfort. She will bring life. She will bring day.
PRIEST:
Earth Mother, Birth Mother, Birch Mother,
Sea Mother, Stone Mother, Star Mother!
Queen of night and death and birth,
Womb of deep and fertile earth,
Dame of heaven's silver wheel,
Lady of the greening field,
Keeper of the apple grove,
Mistress of the arts of love,
Shine out in the fearsome dark --
Teach us how to strike the spark.
People, we can feel Her near!
She is coming! She is here!
GODDESS:(emerging from hiding -- should be in green, with amber &
copper)
Now the veils of worlds are thin;
To move out you must move in.
Let the Balefires now be made,
Mine the spark within them laid.
This My gift: that people meet
In peace and plenty made complete.
This I give: the Sacred Way,
The strength, the soul, the sight, the say.
Move beyond the fiery screen
Between the seen and the unseen;
Shed your anger and your fear,
Live anew in a new year!
37
FIREMAKER:(at each tree name, holds up twig, then binds all together
into a torch)
The Nine I sing, the Nine blessed trees
Which were empowered of old:
Oak, thou druid's door, open the way for us.
Apple, thou knowledge-giver, break our circle of blindness.
Ash, thou world-supporter, drive away ill powers.
Birch, thou tree-mother, help in our healing.
Hawthorn, thou branch of May, give us light and hope.
Willow, thou soul-leader, grant us safe passage.
Holly, thou forest king, be our safe refuge.
Hazel, thou wise-one's branch, give us true vision.
Alder, thou river's love, let us flow outward.
In peace let us flow outward; in power let us flow outward; in beauty
let us flow outward.
(The Goddess lights the torch, the Firemaker lights the two fires,
which have been saturated with some flammable material, ie charcoal
starter. White Sage and Cedar chips may be thrown thereon.)
FIRE-PASSING CHANT:(drum)
Dark to light, night to day,
Through the fires lies the way;
Old to new, death to birth,
Between the worlds to our rebirth.
(Once all have passed between the fires)
PRIESTESS:
Sky's Father, Wise Father, Wine Father,
Sun Father, Sap Father, Song Father!
Lord of forest, field and beast,
Lord of harvest, hunt and feast,
King of heaven's golden fire,
Dancer of the soul's desire,
Master of the drum and flute,
Keeper of the vineyard's fruit,
Shine on us and warm our souls --
Teach us how to make us whole!
People, we can feel Him near!
He is coming! He is here!
38
GOD:(emerging from hiding, dressed in green, with leaves & horns)
Let the light of living blaze!
Dance within the spiral maze;
Cry of pipe and thump of drum;
Out you go and in you come!
Mine the living pole of May --
Outside loving starts today!
This My gift: that lovers join
Touching at the lip and loin.
This I give: the Joyous Dance,
Music, song, the vine, the chance!
Now do fear and anger cease:
Dance the healing and release!
(A fairly simple triple spiral should be traced on the ground in lime
or flour, to give the people guidelines for dancing. The dance should
go on until satiation or until the circle forms again; there is no one
human focal point -- the intent should be for peace, understanding,
tolerance, etc.)
SPIRAL-DANCING CHANT:(drum)
Joy, health and peace be in the world
That spins into the May-o,
For summer is a-comin' in
And winter's gone away-o.
BLESSING THE FOOD:
God: Mine is the ripening sun.
Goddess: Mine is the nurturing soil.
God: Mine is the fruit of the vine.
Goddess: Mine is the chalice of life.
Both: We are the blessing of wine! And the wine blesses us.
God: Mine is the planted seed.
Goddess: Mine is the fertile earth.
God: Mine is the mower's blade.
Goddess: Mine is the oven of making.
Both: We are the blessing of bread! And the bread blesses us.
Feasting, dancing, singing, party, etc. Some kind of grounding
afterwards.
39
AN ECLECTIC CIRCLE CEREMONY
Durwydd, 1989-90
Preliminaries
WATER :
Blessings upon thee, O creature of water, I cast out from thee
all impurities and uncleanness of the spirits of phantasm, confusion,
or any other influence not for the free will of all.
SALT :
Blessings be upon this creature of salt; let all malignity and
hindrance be cast forth thencefrom, and let all good enter therein.
Wherefore I bless thee and invoke thee, that thou mayest aid me.
MIXING :
I take this salt of the Earth, Blessed with the will of
Fire; I take this water of spirit,Exorcised with mind of merit;
I mix them with words of power, Dedicated to every Tower.
By the power of moon and sun,
By the power of Spirit,earth and sea,
God and Goddess are part of One,
As I Will, so mote it be!
CASTING OF THE CIRCLE
I conjure thee, O circle of power,
As thou encircle every Tower.
That thou beest a place of Truth, Joy and love,
Encircling Flight of Eagle, Hawk and Dove.
Mighty Aegis of the Lady and Lord,
Rampart of thought, action and word.
To work in Peace, Powerful and Free,
Who walk between two worlds conjure thee;
A boundary to Protect, Concentrate and Contain,
That Power raised here be not in vain.
Wherefore do I bless thee and consecrate thee, in the names of
Cernunnos and Aradia.
40
SEALING OF THE CIRCLE
(seal with water/salt mixture)
With potion of earth and water, I seal the sacred circle,
Linking air and fire!
With potion of earth and air, I seal the sacred circle,
Linking fire with water!
With potion of earth,air,and fire, I seal the sacred circle,
Linking water with the Earth!
As the four directions are brought to merge,
Let influence of the mighty ones converge!
(Seal with Censer)
With Incense and air of Mind,
East to South,I do Bind!
With Incense and air of mind,
South to West, I do Bind!
With Incense and air of Mind,
West to North, I do Bind!
With Incense and air of Mind,
North to East Completion Find!
(Seal with Candle)
With the Fire of emotion and will
East to South, our dedication fulfill!
With the Fire of veneration and Will,
South to West, our allegiance fulfill!
With the Fire of Devotion and Will,
West to North, our consecration fulfill!
With the Fire of Commitment and will,
From North to East, This inscription fulfill!
Within the circle All wills be free,
The circle is sealed, So Mote it Be!
41
SETTING THE WATCHTOWERS
Ye Lords of the Eastern Tower,
Airy Lords of Spirit;
Let your influence of Power,
Aid our minds with merit!
I do summon, stir and call you up, to witness these rites and to guard
the circle.
Ye Lords of Southern Power
Fiery Lords of Will.
Pray do grace your Tower,
Your Powers to fulfill!
I do summon, stir and call you up, to witness these rites and to guard
the circle.
Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the West,
Watery Lords of Death and Initiation;
I do summon, stir and call you up, to witness these rites and to guard
the Circle.
Ye Northern Lords of the Earth,
Though we be yet but Mortals;
Bless our work with worth,
Boreas, guardian of Northern portals.
I do summon, stir and call you up, to witness these rites and to guard
the Circle.
Goddess and God, I would know,
As 'tis above, so 'tis below
Blessings on this work, please bestow!
This be my will, true and free,
I do so will, so mote it be
INVOCATION OF THE ELEMENTS
Air, Fire, Water, Earth,
Elements of astral birth,
I call you now; attend to me!
In the Circle, rightly cast,
Safe from curse or blast,
I call you now, attend to me!
From cave and desert,sea and hill,
By wand, blade,and pentacle,
I call you now, attend to me!
This Is my will, so mote it be!
42
A MABON OUTLINE:
(soon to be a major Mabon Ritual, at a terminal near you.)
General Mabon info to start with, set the mood, ect... :
What is Mabon?
Mabon, sometimes known as the Harvest/Thanksgiving Ritual of the
Autumn Equinox, is one of the Spokes of the Wheel of the Year. In the
many Earth of Pagan Religions, a special kinship with the passing of
the seasons is felt... this is usually due to the history of the said
Tradition, most of which stem from agrarian culture, where the season
marked the way of life. From planting to reaping to winter to
summer... the seasons were of great importance to our ancestors, for
their very existence depended upon good harvests, mild winters, enough
rainfall, and the like.
So... having shown the importance of the seasons, we shall turn to
Mabon itself. Autumn.. Harvest time.. the reaping of what was sown
and cared thru during the year. A time of Thankfulness and Rejoicing.
So, of course, someone, at some point in time must have said... "Now
that the work is over... LET'S PARTY !!!"
This is the essence of Mabon. Rejoicing in a bountiful harvest,
thanking the Gods for being so kind during the year, and, hopefully,
helping in winning over the Gods' favor for the coming year.
About THE MABON RITE itself:
Now, this will be a very Discordian Ritual in that each participant
will be (more or less) writing his/her own part. This outline is
provided to sorta nudge (nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more sir,
say no more!) people into making their individual pieces able to fit
into the whole thing... ( I feel like the Green Ball outta "HEAVY
METAL", the movie, something which ties things together).
Back to the rite itself.
Basically, 6 personages will be represented:
A Caller or Watcher of the EAST
SOUTH
WEST
and NORTH.
A High Priest, and A High Priestess.
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Of course, since this is a generic Rite, the terms "Lord" and
"Lady" will be used when referring to the Male and Female aspects of
divinity/godhood/whatever... individuals may use which ever names they
wish, for a Rose, by any other name, would still smell as sweet.
OUTLINE:
A. Invocation... once everybody has arrived, a Circle shall be cast,
more or less, and the 4 Watchers/Callers each get to do their thing
invoking that which that direction symbolizes to come and attend the
festivities. After which, either the HPS or HP, or both would
consecrate the circle... in our case.. the circle will be around each
person at their 'puter.. with a sense of being connected to each other
via the others' 'puters. So.. what we'll do is... after the circle is
cast, and the 4 corners have done their things, then the HP will call
upon the Lord to attend, and the HPS shall call upon the Lady, (or, if
we want to be different, we can have the HP call the Lady, and the HPS
call the Lord... it's not as traditional, but I know of some Ladies
who are more likely to pay attention to some Young HP than some HPS,
if you get my meaning [wink]).
B. Once invoked... it's time for the thanksgiving part...
we all got things we're thankful for... now's the chance
C. After the Thanks are over, a customary requesting of Blessing for
the coming year is asked.
D. That done with, it's time to dismiss the summoned ones... first,
around the circle.. each corner doing it's thing...the dismissal
consists of a Hail to the being summoned, a flattery (as I call it),
and then a structured dismissal (eg. "Air of the EAST... blah, blah,
blah,.. Go if thou must, but stay if thou wilt").
The HP and HPS dismiss the Lord and Lady last with similar words.
E. PARTY TIME!!!! get out the Beer, munchies, what have you...
celebrate.. you've earned it.
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A MIDSUMMER CELEBRATION
by Mike Nichols (a.k.a. Gwydion)
In additionto the four greatfestivals of the PaganCeltic year,
there are four lesser holidays as well: the two solstices, and the
two equinoxes. In folklore, these are referred to as the four
'quarter-days' of the year, and modern Witches call them the four
'Lesser Sabbats', or the four 'Low Holidays'. The Summer Solstice is
one of them.
Technically,a solstice is an astronomicalpoint and, due to the
precession to the equinox, the date may vary by a few days depending
on the year. The summer solstice occurs when the sun reaches the
Tropic of Cancer, and we experience the longest day and the shortest
night of the year. Astrologers know this as the date on which the sun
enters the sign of Cancer. This year it will occur at 10:57 pm CDT on
June 21st.
However, since most European peasants were not accomplished at
reading an ephemeris or did not live close enough to Salisbury Plain
to trot over to Stonehenge and sight down it's main avenue, they
celebrated the event on a fixed calendar date, June 24th. The slight
forward displacement of the traditional date is the result of
multitudinous calendrical changes down through the ages. It is
analogous to the winter solstice celebration, which is astronomically
on or about December 21st, but is celebrated on the traditional date
of December 25th, Yule, later adopted by the Christians.
Again, it mustbe remembered that the Celts reckoned their days
from sundown to sundown, so the June 24th festivities actually begin
on the previous sundown (our June 23rd). This was Shakespeare's
Midsummer Night's Eve. Which brings up another point: our modern
calendars are quite misguided in suggesting that 'summer begins' on
the solstice. According to the old folk calendar, summer BEGINS
on May Day and ends on Lammas (August 1st), with the summer solstice,
midway between the two, marking MID-summer. This makes more logical
sense than suggesting that summer begins on the day when the sun's
power begins to wane and the days grow shorter.
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Although our Pagan ancestors probably preferred June 24th (and
indeed most European folk festivals today use this date), the
sensibility of modern Witches seems to prefer the actual solstice
point, beginning the celebration at sunset. Again, it gives modern
Pagans a range of dates to choose from with, hopefully, a weekend
embedded in it. (And this year, the moon is waxing throughout.)
As the Pagan mid-winter celebration of Yule was adopted by
Christians as Christmas (December 25th), so too the Pagan mid-summer
celebration was adopted by them as the feast of John the Baptist (June
24th). Occurring 180 degrees apart on the wheel of the year, the
mid-winter celebration commemorates the birth of Jesus, while the
mid-summer celebration commemorates the birth of John, the prophet who
was born six months before Jesus in order to announce his arrival.
This last tidbit is extremely conspicuous, in that John is the
ONLY saint in the entire Catholic hagiography whose feast day is a
commemoration of his birth, rather than his death. A generation ago,
Catholic nuns were fond of explaining that a saint is commemorated on
the anniversary of his or her death because it was really a 'birth'
into the Kingdom of Heaven. But John the Baptist, the sole exception,
is emphatically commemorated on the anniversary of his birth into THIS
world. Although this makes no sense viewed from a Christian
perspective, it makes perfect poetic sense from the viewpoint of Pagan
symbolism.
Inmost Pagan cultures, the sun godis seen as split between two
rival personalities: the god of light and his twin, his 'weird', his
'other self', the god of darkness. They are Gawain and the Green
Knight, Gwyn and Gwythyr, Llew and Goronwy, Lugh and Balor, Balan and
Balin, the Holly King and the Oak King, etc. Often they are depicted
as fighting seasonal battles for the favor of their goddess/lover,
such as Creiddylad or Blodeuwedd, who represents Nature.
The godof light is always born at the winter solstice, and his
strength waxes with the lengthening days, until the moment of his
greatest power, the summer solstice, the longest day.
And, like a look in a mirror, his 'shadow self', the lord of darkness,
is born at the summer solstice, and his strength waxes with the
lengthening nights until the moment of his greatest power, the winter
solstice, the longest night.
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Indirect evidence supporting this mirror-birth pattern is
strongest in the Christianized form of the Pagan myth. Many writers,
from Robert Graves to Stewart Farrar, have repeatedly pointed out that
Jesus was identified with the Holly King, while John the Baptist was
the Oak King. That is why, 'of all the trees that are in the wood,
the Holly tree bears the crown.' If the birth of Jesus, the 'light of
the world', is celebrated at mid-winter, Christian folk tradition
insists that John the Oak King was born (rather than died) at
mid-summer.
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It isat this pointthat I mustdiverge from the opinionof Robert
Graves and other writers who have followed him. Graves believes that
at midsummer, the Sun King is slain by his rival, the God of Darkness;
just as the God of Darkness is, in turn, slain by the God of Light at
midwinter. And yet, in Christian folk tradition (derived from the
older Pagan strain), it is births, not deaths, that are associated
with the solstices. For the feast of John the Baptist, this is all
the more conspicuous, as it breaks the rules regarding all other
saints.
So if births are associated with the solstices, when do the
symbolic deaths occur? When does Goronwy slay Llew and when does
Llew, in his turn, slay Goronwy? When does darkness conquer light or
light conquer darkness? Obviously (to me, at least), it must be at
the two equinoxes. At the autumnal equinox, the hours of light in the
day are eclipsed by the hours of darkness. At the vernal equinox, the
process is reversed. Also, the autumnal equinox, called 'Harvest
Home', is already associated with sacrifice, principally that of the
spirit of grain or vegetation. In this case, the god of light would
be identical.
In Welshmythology inparticular, thereis astartling vindication
of the seasonal placement of the sun god's death, the significance of
which occurred to me in a recent dream, and which I haven't seen
elsewhere. Llew is the Welsh god of light, and his name means 'lion'.
(The lion is often the symbol of a sun god.) He is betrayed by his
'virgin' wife Blodeuwedd, into standing with one foot on the rim of a
cauldron and the other on the back of a goat. It is only in this way
that Llew can be killed, and Blodeuwedd's lover, Goronwy, Llew's dark
self, is hiding nearby with a spear at the ready. But as Llew is
struck with it, he is not killed. He is instead transformed into an
eagle.
Puttingthis in theform of aBardic riddle, itwould go something
like this: Who can tell in what season the Lion (Llew), betrayed by
the Virgin (Blodeuwedd), poised on the Balance, is transformed into an
Eagle? My readers who are astrologers are probably already gasping in
recognition. The sequence is astrological and in proper order: Leo
(lion), Virgo (virgin), Libra (balance), and Scorpio (for which the
eagle is a well-known alternative symbol). Also, the remaining icons,
cauldron and goat, could arguably symbolize Cancer and Capricorn,
representing summer and winter, the signs beginning with the two
solstice points. So Llew is balanced between cauldron and goat,
between summer and winter, on the balance (Libra) point of the
autumnal equinox.
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This, of course, is the answer to a related Bardic riddle.
Repeatedly, the 'Mabinogion' tells us that Llew must be standing with
one foot on the cauldron and one foot on the goat's back in order to
be killed. But nowhere does it tell us why. Why is this particular
situation the ONLY one in which Llew can be overcome? Because it
represents the equinox point. And the equinox is the only
time of the entire year when light (Llew) can be overcome by darkness
(Goronwy).
It should now come as nosurprise that, when it is time forLlew
to kill Goronwy in his turn, Llew insists that Goronwy stands where he
once stood while he (Llew) casts the spear. This is no mere
vindictiveness on Llew's part. For, although the 'Mabinogion' does
not say so, it should by now be obvious that this is the only time
when Goronwy can be overcome. Light can overcome darkness only at the
equinox -- this time the vernal equinox.
So Midsummer (to me,at least) is acelebration of the sun godat
his zenith, a crowned king on his throne. He is at the height of his
strength and still 1/4 of a year away from his ritual death at the
hands of his rival. The spear and the cauldron have often been used
as symbols for this holiday and it should now be easy to see why. Sun
gods are virtually always associated with spears (even Jesus is
pierced by one), and the midsummer cauldron of Cancer is a symbol of
the Goddess in her fullness. It is an especially beautiful time of
the year for an outdoor celebration. May yours be magical!
49
CEREMONY OF INITIATION
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
This ritual is a compilation of Gardnerian, Fairy, and traditional
Wiccan sources, and is intended to be used as an initiation for
graduates of my training course in Basic Technologies of Witchcraft.
While the ritual is powerful enough as it stands, I strongly
recommend that it be reserved for people who have been prepared
through training at least equivalent to that which I give, or much of
the impact may be lost.
Blessed be!
J. Brad (Talespinner) Hicks
Guided Meditation
(The following will be read to all participants in the form of a
guided meditation, prior to the processional. It helps if the first
paragraph is read by a male voice and the second paragraph by a female
voice. NOTE: All are nude; the initiate is also blindfolded.)
Hear the words of the Threefold Goddess, who of old was called
Artemis, Astarte, Dianna, Aphrodite, Ceridwen, Isis, Arianrhod,
Brigid, Aradia, and many other names:
"Whenever you have need of anything, once in the month, and better
it be when the moon is full, you shall assemble in some secret place
and adore the spirit of Me who is Queen of all the Wise. She who
would learn all sorcery yet has not won its deepest secrets, them I
will teach her, in truth, all things as yet unknown. And you shall be
free from slavery, and as a sign that you be free you shall be naked
in your rites. Sing, feast, dance, make music and love in My
presence, for Mine is the ecstasy of the spirit and Mine also is joy
on earth. For My law is love unto all beings. Nor do I demand
aught of sacrifice, for behold, I am the mother of all things and My
love is poured out upon the earth."
Processional
The Initiate is left to meditate as the others rise and follow the
High Priest/ess into the Circle area and three times around, chanting:
"We all come from the Goddess,
And to her we shall return
Like a drop of rain,
Flowing to the ocean." (repeat)
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Raising of the Circle
HIGH PRIEST/ESS takes the Sword from the altar and traces a circle
around the coveners. When he/she returns to the north, he/she kneels
and salutes, saying, "Hail and well come, frosty Spirits of the North.
Lend to us your power and protection this night, that <initiate's
born name> may be given a true initiation, to justly wield the power
of Earth. So mote it be!"
ALL: (envisioning a wall of dark-green light springing up from the
circle) "So mote it be!"
HIGH PRIEST/ESS advances to the east, kneels and salutes, saying,
"Hail and well come, bright Spirits of the East. Lend to us your
power and protection that <initiate's born name> may be given a true
initiation, to justly wield the power of Air. So mote it be!"
ALL: (envisioning a wall of lemon-yellow light springing up from
the circle, within the wall of green) "So mote it be!"
HIGH PRIEST/ESS advances to the south, kneels and salutes, saying,
"Hail and well come, fiery Spirits of the South. Lend to us your
power and protection that <initiate's born name> may be given a true
initiation, to justly wield the power of Fire. So mote it be!"
ALL: (envisioning a wall of crimson light springing up from the
circle, within the walls of green and yellow) "So mote it be!"
HIGH PRIEST/ESS advances to the west, kneels and salutes, saying,
"Hail and well come, tireless Spirits of the West. Lend to us your
power and protection that <initiate's born name> may be given a true
initiation, to justly wield the power of Water. So mote it be!"
ALL: (envisioning a wall of dark blue light springing up from the
circle, within the walls of green, yellow, and red) "So mote it be!"
Statement of Purpose
HIGH PRIEST/ESS: "I call upon the Horned God; I call upon the Maiden,
the Mother, and the Crone; I call upon the Spirits of Earth, Air,
Fire, and Water; I call upon the Hosts of the Mighty Dead; and I call
every true Witch within this circle to witness that we are here to
consecrate <initiate's name> as Priest(ess) and Witch. The circle is
cast!"
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ALL: (envisioning the walls of the circle bending together overhead
and flowing together under the floor to form a hemisphere of bright
white light) "So mote it be!"
The Warning
HIGH PRIEST/ESS cuts a gate in the circle, and roughly leads the
Initiate to kneel at the edge before the gate, then balances the
sword-point over the Initiate's heart (the Initiate raises his or her
hands to support the point). "You stand at the edge of a place that
is between the worlds, in the presence of the Gods and under the
watchful eye of the Mighty Dead. If you go any further, you embark
on a path that cannot be safely turned aside before your death. Feel
the sharpness of the blade at your breast, and know this in your heart
- it would be better for you to throw yourself forward and spill out
your life than to enter this circle with fear or falseness in your
heart."
INITIATE: "I come with perfect love and perfect trust."
HIGH PRIEST/ESS lays down the sword, lifts the Initiate to his or her
feet, and kisses him or her. "Thus are all first brought into the
Circle.", then leads the Initiate to the altar and taking up the
sword, re-draws the circle over the gateway.
Administration of the Oaths
ALL (except the High Priest/ess and the Initiate) begin a quiet
"Aum" and sustain it throughout the Five-fold Kiss and the Oaths of
Initiation.
HIGH PRIEST/ESS, administering the Five-fold Kiss: "Blessed are your
feet, that have brought you to this place. Blessed are your knees,
that shall kneel at the altars of the Gods. Blessed is your sex,
without which we could not be. Blessed is your breast, formed in
strength and beauty. Blessed are your lips, which shall speak the
Words of Truth. Are you prepared to take the oath?"
INITIATE: "I am."
HIGH PRIEST/ESS: "Then kneel." Takes the Initiate's Measure. "You who
have from birth been called <born name> but now seek to become <Craft
name> - do you willingly pledge yourself to the God and the Goddess?"
INITIATE places his or her left hand on the top of the head and right
hand on the soles of the feet. "All between my two hands belongs to
the Gods. So mote it be."
52
ALL others raise the volume of the "Aum" slightly.
HIGH PRIEST/ESS: "And do you swear to keep silent all those things
that must be kept silent, and to respect that which is taught to you?"
INITIATE: "I willingly swear to keep silent all that must be kept
silent, and to respect that which is taught to me. So mote it be."
ALL others raise the volume of the "Aum" a little more.
HIGH PRIEST/ESS: "And by what surety do you swear all of these
things?"
INITIATE: "All of these things I do swear, by my mother's womb and my
hope of future lives, knowing well that my Measure has been taken in
the presence of the Mighty Ones. Should I fail utterly in my oaths,
may my powers desert me, and may my own tools turn against me. So
mote it be. So mote it be. So mote it be!
ALL yell quickly: "SO MOTE IT BE!"
Triggering of the Spell
ALL grab the Initiate quickly and hoist him or her completely into
the air (if possible), chanting the Initiate's new name over and over
again, as fast as possible, as they carry him or her three times
quickly around the circle. When they return to the starting point,
they set him or her down face-down and press him or her firmly
into the ground.
Gradually, thepressure relents togentle massage. Through allof
this they continue chanting the Initiate's new name, falling off in
volume and speed as the pressure relaxes.
HIGH PRIEST/ESS: "Know that the hands that have touched you are the
hands of love." Removes the Initiate's blindfold and helps him or her
up. "In the Burning Times, when each member of the Coven held the
lives of the others in her hand, this would have been kept, and used
against you should you endanger others. But in these happier times,
love and trust prevail, so take this (hands the Measure to the
initiate), keep it or burn it, and be free to go or stay as you
please."
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Follow-Through and Earthing of Power
HIGH PRIEST/ESS hands the sword to the Initiate, and leads him or
her to the East, where they both kneel. The Initiate salutes, and
the High Priest/ess announces, "Behold, restless Spirits of Water -
I bring before you <new name>, who has been consecrated as Priestess
and Witch!" Repeats at the South, West, and finally North.
ALL (including High Priest/ess and Initiate) join hands in the Circle.
HIGH PRIEST/ESS: "Thank you Spirits of the Mighty Dead, Spirits of the
Four Elements, and awesome Lord and Lady for hallowing our circle. Go
or stay as you will - our circle is ended."
ALL ground and center, then absorb the power of the Circle and return
it to the Earth beneath their feet.
HIGH PRIEST/ESS (after a suitable pause): "Our lovely rite draws to
its end. Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again. Blessed Be!"
ALL: "BLESSED BE!"
54
INVOCATION TO FRIGG
Russ Anderson
When this invocation was first used, each person in a healing circle
invoked a healer into (her/him)self. This was my invocation. The
rest of the circle was asked to echo "Join us, Frigg" as I was saying
"Join us. Frigg,". This was my first attempt at writing an
invocation, and it DID work. I hope that it also works for anyone else
who wishes to use it, because it now feels like time to share it.
Blessed Be, Russ
"Frigg, Daughter of Jord, Join us.
Frigg, Daughter of Fiorgyn, Join us.
Frigg, Wife of Odin, Join us.
Frigg, Sister of Thorr, Join us.
Frigg, Mother of Balder, Join us.
Frigg, Mother of Hodr, Join us.
Frigg, Mother of Hermod, Join us.
Frigg, Mother of the gods, Join us.
Frigg, Wise in all fates, Join us.
Frigg, Who will tell no fortunes, Join us.
Frigg, First among the Asynjur, Join us.
Frigg, Queen of Asgard, Join us.
Frigg, Mistress of home and hearth, Join us.
Frigg, Mistress of Eire, Join us.
Frigg, Mistress of healing, Join us.
Frigg, Your servant _______ calls you! Come to me NOW!"
INVOCATION TO BALDUR
"Baldr, Son of Frigg, Join us.
Baldr, Son of Odin, Join us.
Baldr, Husband of Nanna, Join us.
Baldr, Brother of Hodr, Join us.
Baldr, Brother of Hermod, Join us.
Baldr, Father of Forsetti, Join us.
Baldr, Slain by blind Hodr, Join us.
Baldr, Master of Breidablik, Join us.
Baldr, Who is much loved, Join us.
Baldr, Who Thokk alone would not mourn, Join us.
Baldr, The Fairest of the Aesir, Join us.
Baldr, Whose Judgments stand unaltered, Join us.
Baldr, Whose Judgments stand unheeded, Join us.
Baldr, The Wisest of the Aesir, Join us.
Baldr, The Shining One, Join us.
Baldr, Your servant _______ calls you! Come to me NOW!"
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INVOCATION TO FREYJA
"Freyja, Of the many names, Join us.
Freyja, Of the golden tears, Join us.
Freyja, Daughter of Njord, Join us.
Freyja, Wife of Od, Join us.
Freyja, Sister of Freyr, Join us.
Freyja, Mother of Hnoss, Join us.
Freyja, Claimed by Thrym, Join us.
Freyja, Driver of cats, Join us.
Freyja, Goddess of Fertility, Join us.
Freyja, Who shares the slain with Odin, Join us.
Freyja, Who taught the Aesir Magick, Join us.
Freyja, Lender of Falcons' Flight, Join us.
Freyja, Mistress of Brisingamen, Join us.
Freyja, Mistress of Folkvang, Join us.
Freyja, Mistress of nature, Join us.
Freyja, Your servant _______ calls you! Come to me NOW!"
INVOCATION TO FREYR
"Freyr, Son of Njrd, Join us.
Freyr, Husband of Gerdr, Join us.
Freyr, Brother of Freyja, Join us.
Freyr, Father of kings, Join us.
Freyr, Whose sword would fight for itself, Join us.
Freyr, Who gave his sword for Gerdr, Join us.
Freyr, Patron of married couples, Join us.
Freyr, Most beautiful of Gods, Join us.
Freyr, Whose tooth-gift was Alfheimr, Join us.
Freyr, Master of Gullinbursti, Join us.
Freyr, Owner of Skidbladnir, Join us.
Freyr, Slayer of Beli, Join us.
Freyr, Master of Frodi's Peace, Join us.
Freyr, Who directs Man's good fortune, Join us.
Freyr, Who brings fruitful seasons, Join us.
Freyr, Your servant _______ calls you! Come to me NOW!"
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INVOCATION TO BRIGIT
"Brigit, Wise One,
We, your children, call to you.
Lady, Smithy,
We, your children, invite you here.
Triple Goddess,
We, your children, ask your presence.
Brigit, Wise One,
We, your children, call to you.
Lady, Smithy,
We, your children, invite you here.
Triple Goddess,
We, your children, ask your presence.
Brigit, Wise One,
We, your children, call to you.
Lady, Smithy,
We, your children, invite you here.
Triple Goddess,
We, your children, ask your presence, NOW."
INVOCATION TO HERNE
"Herne, Winter Lord,
We, your children, call to you.
Horned One, Hunter,
We, your children, invite you here.
Woodland Spirit,
We, your children, ask your presence.
Herne, Winter Lord,
We, your children, call to you.
Horned One, Hunter,
We, your children, invite you here.
Woodland Spirit,
We, your children, ask your presence.
Herne, Winter Lord,
We, your children, call to you.
Horned One, Hunter,
We, your children, invite you here.
Woodland Spirit,
We, your children, ask your presence, NOW."
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INVOCATION TO THORR
"Thorr, Red-beard, Join us.
Thorr, Son of Jord, Join us.
Thorr, Brother of Frigg, Join us.
Thorr, Father of Mdi, Join us.
Thorr, Father of Magni, Join us.
Thorr, Father of Thrdr, Join us.
Thorr, Husband of Sif, Join us.
Thorr, Jtunn bane, Join us.
Thorr, Foe of Irmungandr, Join us.
Thorr, Who bears Marriage Hallower, Join us.
Thorr, Who bears Death Hallower, Join us.
Thorr, Who wields Mjllnir, Join us.
Thorr, Defender of Asgard, Join us.
Thorr, Thunderer, Join us.
Thorr, Storm Lord, Join us.
Thorr, Your servant _______ calls you! Come to me NOW!"
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AN ISSIAN CIRCLE CASTING
Circle casting adapted by Matrika of PAN - the ORIGINAL Psychic
Awareness Network BBS at 1-703-362-1139
ADAPTED from the Community of Isis Rites in Salem MA.
for use by the Moonchildren Coven
This requires the use of a duly consecrated wand, a chalice, an athame
and a container for salt and water - NON - plastic PLEASE - on your
altar as well as 2 candle sticks with candles in them and an incense
burner for stick or hanging incense. You should work robed or nude as
you prefer. In the 4 directions you should have either air (as
incense) or fire (as candle - lit, of course, and preferably red) in
the east - according to your tradition. The OTHER element - the one
not used in the east - in the south, again according to your
tradition. ( i prefer air-east- wand, fire-south - athame, personally
- but I realize there are differences in tradition.
THE HIGH PRIESTHOOD OF A CIRCLE IS THE FINAL SAY IN ANY RITE -
SO ALWAYS FOLLOW THEIR TRADITIONS.
Abowl - again NOT plastic - of water in the west and some rocks or
a dish of salt in the North for earth.
IF you wish you may lay a circle of salt on the floor, leaving a gate
for the priest/ess to enter and leave for the temple purification or
you may visualize the circle coming as electric blue light out of your
athame point as you cast it. after s/he returns from purifying the
outer perimeter, the gate would be closed and the circle cast (after
the directions are called) by pointing the athame (or the sword) at
the salt and charging it instead of casting into the air. The gate
would be closed by completing the circle of salt.
Okay, I am writing this as used by a person working alone, but the P
or PS in parenthesis is how it would be done if done by a couple. PS
is the female and P is the male. THis is the IDEAL form of the rite.
(PS) picks up bowl of salt and bowl of water on alter. (P) picks up
athame and places it point down in the water and says "SALT is pure,
let this salt be pure and let it purify our rites as we use it in the
service of the Lady and the Lord?
ALL- SO MOTE IT BE
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(PS) pours some of the salt into the water. (P) stirs it with his
athame and says:
"May this sacred salt purify this water so it may be used in this
service of the Lord and Lady, throughout this rite, in any way
and at any time we
may wish to use it."
ALL- SO MOTE IT BE
(PS) takes the salt-water and sprinkles it about the perimeter of the
circle (outer) saying the following while walking WIDDERSHINS (to
banish) or counter-clockwise:
"Salt and water where I cast thee
No spell or unknown purpose be
Unless in full accord with me
and as I will SO MOTE IT BE"
She returns to the circle. The (P) then takes the incense burner - if
a swinging one - or the burning stick of incense and goes around the
circle deosil saying:
"ever as we walk in the ways may we feel the presence of the
Lady and the Lord We know that in all we do they are ever with us They
abide in us and we in them forever. No disharmony or imbalance can
be entertained for purity, harmony and balance are the dwellers
within and without us:
For good do we strive and
for good do we live
Love unto all things
SO be it forever
Love is the law and Love is the bond
Blessed be the Lady and the Lord"
All - SO MOTE IT BE
He returns to the circle. He then picks up his wand and goes to the
East, raising it high he invokes the element of air visualizing either
the ruler of that element as he understands that being OR a yellow
pentacle can be substituted. I like to imagine a weeping willow tree
budding in the spring being moved by the gentle breezes through the
center of the pentacle - as if through the center of a window. ( IF
YOU USE FIRE IN THE EAST- SUBSTITUTE VISUALIZATION HERE WITH THE ONE I
GIVE IN THE SOUTH AND CHANGE THE INVOCATION ACCORDINGLY)
"Hail to thee
Lord of the Watchtower of the EAST
element of air (fire?)
We invite your presence and your power in our circle and
our magick this night.
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ALL- SO MOTE IT BE
(P) - Welcome and Blessed be
ALL- BLESSED BE
Go to the south and repeat this visualizing either your conception of
the ruler of the watchtower for the south OR a red pentacle - I like
to "see" a campfire through it's center, as if through a window.
Repeat invocation with raised wand substituting OF THE SOUTH
and ELEMENT OF FIR#E
Go to the WEST and repeat this visualizing either your conception of
the ruler of the watchtower of the west OR a BLUE pentacle - I like to
see a mountain stream or the ocean through the center of it, as if
through a window. Repeat invocation making suitable changes of
direction and element in it.
Go to the North and repeat the process visualizing either your
conception of the ruler of that watchtower OR a Green pentacle - I
like to see Mountains rising up in the distance through the middle of
it, again as if through a window.
He returns to the altar and replaces the wand.
THE (PS) takes up hers and invokes the Deities:
"HAIL TO THEE LORD AND LADY" (Substitute aloud or silently the names
you are using for the Goddess and the God here - with non-initiates,
some prefer to use the generic "Lord and Lady" out loud, keeping the
names by which the inner circle of initiates know Them a secret. This
is also a good idea to use when you have members of several traditions
present who may not agree on what names are used for them) "We invite
your presence and power in our circle and our magick this night".
ALL - SO MOTE IT BE
(PS) - WELCOME AND BLESSED BE
ALL - Blessed be
She then replaces her wand on the altar and picks up her athame or the
coven sword and casts the circle - either straight out, visualizing
blue light coming from it's point - or, if a circle of salt is used,
straight DOWN at the salt, to charge it.
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THIS IS DONE DEOSIL, OF COURSE. (clock-wise - just like the censing of
the circle was done earlier! the ONLY time widdershins is used is the
salt-water banishing / cleansing to prepare for circle casting and in
opening the circle)
First casting - " I conjure this circle, a mighty Psychic rampart that
turns back ANY excess positive or negative energy which may come to do
us harm"
ALL - SO MOTE IT BE
Second casting - "I cast this circle, a place that is not a place, a
time that is not a time, a sacred place between the worlds, a place to
commune with eternity (or THE LADY AND THE LORD)"
All - SO MOTE IT BE
Third casting - "I charge this circle, a place of perfect love and of
perfect trust where all may know peace profound"
ALL- SO MOTE IT BE
SHE RETURNS TO THE ALTAR. If a bell is used (brass or silver ONLY
please) she rings it and says "Now is the circle cast"
All - SO MOTE IT BE
The circle then perform the full-moon rite, raising the power and
drawing down the energy into themselves by whatever rites they use and
Magick is performed as is appropriate and necessary OR the ritual for
one of the 8 sabbats is performed - a much lighter and informal
occasion - according to the time and purpose of the circle.
The cakes and ale/wine (I substitute APPLE juice or SPRING water, as I
am allergic to alcohol) are consecrated by the athame in the chalice
NOTE - the cakes should be as natural as possible, HAVE SOME RESPECT!
Please no twinkies or oreos - I've seen some "people" do that!
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Circle closing
The (P) takes up his wand and goes to the 4 quarters, beginning at the
north and going widdershins, where he raises his wand at each and
dismisses the rulers of the elements thusly:
" Farewell to thee
Lord of the watchtower of the (direction)
element of (name element)
We thank you for our presence and power
in our circle and our magick this night"
ALL - SO MOTE IT BE
(P) - MERRY PART AND BLESSED BE
ALL - BLESSED BE
As he does this, he visualizes whatever he visualized earlier and then
"sees" it fading out. When he has done all 4 quarters he replaces his
wand on the altar
THE (PS) picks hers up and raises it high says "FAREWELL TO THE LORD
AND LADY" (again names may be substituted silently or aloud) "WE thank
you for your presence and your power in Our circle and our magick this
night".
All - SO MOTE IT BE
(PS) - GO IF YOU MUST, STAY IF YOU WILL and BLESSED BE
ALL- BLESSED BE
She then picks up her athame (or sword ) and pointing it either in the
air or at the salt, whatever she did before, she walks widdershins and
as she opens the circle she pictures in her mind's eye the electric
blue light fading out or being reabsorbed by the tool she carries as
she says:.
"THE CIRCLE IS OPEN, YET REMAINS UNBROKEN "
ALL - SO MOTE IT BE
(PS) MERRY PART AND BLESSED BE
ALL - BLESSED BE (they all hug each other in many circles here )
(candles are snuffed on altar here - never blow out candles) If bell
is used, she rings it and says THE CIRCLE IS NOW OPEN
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Note - our circle in New England, which met only for the Sabbats
except for it's leadership which did the full-moons themselves as it
was a training coven, tended to use a lot of chanting and simple
ritual drama to raise energy as we worked in a very confined space.
Other methods can be used. In full-moon work I like active
deep-meditation or guided trance and chanting because of size of space
available to me at this time. However many covens also use the dance,
the cords, the great rite - actual or symbolic, and other methods.
Always remember there is NO one right path.
There is also no one right way of casting a circle. Different
traditions differ greatly. The main body of this rite is that used by
the community of Isis - but I have added invocations at the circle
cleansing that I like which come from Al Manning (for the salt-water)
and Ray Buckland (for the censing of the circle). The blessing of
the salt and water are also from Ray Buckland's teachings - I prefer
his method, because of it's clarity of intent, to the one I learned
here so I use it.
Part of the circle closing was also adapted from Starhawk. Many people
like to elaborate on the invocations at the quarters and present them
in poetic formats, as they do with the invocation of the Lord and
Lady.
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CIRCLES, WHY USE THEM?
MEL WHITE
They say that the longest journey begins with a single step. So, too,
the exploration of Magickal studies begins with a single step. Though
the first step in a physical journey is often self-evident, the First
Step on a Magickal journey is often not quite so clear. While
formally organized groups often have a path of lessons to instruct
newcomers, the solitary or isolated student is often left standing in
perplexity on this broad plain of knowledge, wondering just where in
the heck to begin. And wondering, too, if it's "okay" to start just
anywhere.
While it's true that studies can begin in any direction that attracts
you, the necessary first step must be learning to make psychic
shields. There are "Things of the Dark" out there. There are any
number of explanations for what these things might be-- ghosts,
demons, or simply uncontrolled urges of the subconscious mind. In
truth, it doesn't matter what they are. What does matter is that their
effect is very real and unless they are put under your control, they
will drag you over the borders of sanity into psychosis. You are most
vulnerable to them while you're in an "open" trance or meditative
state. That's why the wise practitioner always begins by taking steps
to define exactly what will be permitted through the portals of their
"psychic shields"-- no matter how simple the ritual. And this, in
a nutshell, is what "protective magic" is about.
There are a number of ways to do this. The most common is to begin by
drawing a circle (around a group or yourself) and invoking the one or
more protective powers. Generally, this is done by candlelight, in
front of an altar that holds certain magical objects. The circle may
be further "secured" and "cleared" by using salt, salt water, rum,
incense, or some other method. You may be wearing a special robe and
will have taken a bath ( or performed a cleansing ritual) earlier. The
powers that protect you will be called on and THEN you will begin your
ritual.
Is it psychological? Absolutely! Is there a reason why protection
rituals always take this form? Positively! Let's take a step back
and see what you're actually doing and how the process works-- from a
psychological standpoint-- and how to use this knowledge to help you
refine your circles to enhance your rituals.
65
Psychologists and psychics alike view the mind's structure as a
three-part entity: The ego (that which you think of as yourself), the
superego (the "higher self") and the Id (the child within). The Id
is, in a sense, a computer. Like most computers, it operates on the
"garbage in-garbage out" principle. There's an old superstition "as
you name something, so will it become." Tell yourself that you're very
unlucky and your id will obligingly give you bad days by enhancing any
negatives in your environment. Tell yourself that you are clumsy, and
your id-computer will obligingly arrange for you to break a leg while
stepping off the sidewalk. The bad news is that the Id can't make a
judgement as to whether or not this is a good idea. It only knows
that it's received these "instructions" and must carry them out. The
good news is that you can actually program/reprogram this portion of
your mind.
You begin programming this Internal Servant of yours by first drawing
its attention to what you want done and then explaining what you need
done in a simple and clear manner. Repeating the instructions in a
chant help fix the goals for the Id-- rhymed chants seem to be easier
for it to process. Each time you perform the ritual and repeat the
chant, the programming is strengthened. Never mind that your ego and
superego understand that you're going to program the child-like Id.
It works just the same.
To direct the Id's attention to the process, you first have to impress
it. Using special tools and clothing alert it that something unusual
is going on and that it must pay attention. Acquiring hard-to-obtain
items, drawing symbols, performing a symbolic sacrifice (donating
money, say, to a good cause) are all ways of reinforcing the Id's
impression that this ceremony is very special and that the result will
be very powerful. Organized, meaningful symbols, speak to your
subconscious mind in ways it understands, reinforcing the goals you
have set.
Drawing the circle itself establishes boundaries within your
environment ("The rest of the world can do what it likes Out There.
All within this circle is in MY control!"). Purifying the circle and
consecrating it (sprinkling water which has been blessed and salt
added) further enforce your territory, defining the borders where you
are "safe". Nothing can enter this area except what you invite
inside. You further tighten these borders by calling on certain
Powers.
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You can call on any powers you like. Some use traditional Christian
images. Others call up deities from the religion they are most
comfortable with. And many people use the thought/image of a beam of
light that represents either God/Goddess (whichever one they like) OR
The power of light and life and goodness in the Universe.
The number of powers called as guardians varies. You may choose to
invoke one powerful being to protect your circle. Or you might call on
the Universal Being/Light AND four guardians (one for each quarter of
the compass). A third approach is to use a guardian for the four
quarters of the compass and no higher being. There is no "absolutely
correct" system; the correct system is the one that YOU are
comfortable with.
Take time to choose the guardians of your circle carefully. You
should select guardians (gods or animals or some form of life) which
have a deeper meaning to you and whose qualities are in harmony with
your goals. For the new student, it's best to have all your Powers and
Guardians from the same belief system/religion/mythic universe so that
the symbols will be consistent and not confuse the Id.
You CAN use people-- saints, movie actors, figures from favorite books
as guardians. DO, however, pick someone who's dead or non-existent.
The dead can't argue with your interpretation of them, whereas the
living may be highly offended to be approached as gods/ guardians).
As your studies continue, you will find that your totems or guardians
change. This is to be expected; as you explore new realms in your
studies, you may find you need guardians who deal with very specific
areas to strengthen and guide you in these new fields.
But don't make the mistake of assuming that you'll become so powerful
that you will never need the protection of the psychic shielding
circle in some form. And don't assume that you will not need a circle
for "positive" magicks such as healing. Open is open-- and open is
vulnerable. And circles strengthen and protect you by defining what
psychological influences will be allowed to work with you.
67
HANDFASTING (WEDDING)
Ryan Hunter
[The following wedding ceremony was written to provide for Pagans
who must of necessity be wed in the presence of the uninitiated
who are not pagan and are perhaps unaware that the bride and
groom are pagan. Replace the words Bride and Groom below with the
names of the happy couple. This ceremony was used by both my wife
and myself and by my sister and her husband. They modified the
text at the point below where it says "loving each other wholly
and completely" to add the phrase "forsaking all others" as they
are into monogamy. Either version works beautifully, I recommend
the participants rewrite where necessary to form a legal contract
that they can and will keep. It is easy to avoid being an
oathbreaker if you only swear to that you will keep and
avoid swearing to something just because the other party wants it
or because it might be "expected" by the family. Notice: parts of
this ritual were cribbed from the writings of others. I apologize
in advance for failure to reference sources but after the
fifteenth rewrite we had forgotten where we got the text and what
was and what was not original to us. I doubt if there are quotes
from other sources longer than paragraph length and thus should
not be a copyright problem. If you see something that is yours,
please send me mail and I will reference you in the future. Our
thanks to those who paved the way. --Ryan Hunter]
[PRIEST] We have come together here in celebration of the joining
together of ____bride______ and ____groom______. There are many
things to say about marriage. Much wisdom concerning the joining
together of two souls,has come our way through all paths of
belief, and from many cultures. With each union, more knowledge
is gained and more wisdom gathered. Though we are unable to give
all this knowledge to these two, who stand before us, we can hope
to leave with them the knowledge of love and its strengths and
the anticipation of the wisdom that comes with time. The law of
life is love unto all beings. Without love, life is nothing,
without love, death has no redemption. Love is anterior to Life,
posterior to Death, initial of Creation and the exponent of
Earth. If we learn no more in life, let it be this.
Marriage is a bond to be entered into only after considerable
thought and reflection. As with any aspect of life, it has its
cycles, its ups and its downs, its trials and its triumphs. With
full understanding of this, Groom and Bride have come here today
to be joined as one in marriage.
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Others would ask, at this time, who gives the bride in marriage,
but, as a woman is not property to be bought and sold, given and
taken, I ask simply if she comes of her own will and if she has
her family's blessing.
Bride, is it true that you come of your own free will and
accord?
[BRIDE] Yes, it is true.
[PRIEST] With whom do you come and whose blessings accompany you.
[FATHER] She comes with me, her father, and is accompanied by all
of her family's blessings.
[PRIEST] Please join hands with your betrothed and listen to that
which I am about to say.
Above you are the stars, below you are the stones, as time doth
pass, remember...
Like a stone should your love be firm like a star should your
love be constant. Let the powers of the mind and of the intellect
guide you in your marriage, let the strength of your wills bind
you together, let the power of love and desire make you happy,
and the strength of your dedication make you inseparable. Be
close, but not too close. Possess one another, yet be
understanding. Have patience with one another, for storms will
come, but they will pass quickly.
Be free in giving affection and warmth. Have no fear and let not
the ways of the unenlightened give you unease, for God is with
you always.
Groom, I have not the right to bind thee to Bride, only you have
this right. If it be your wish, say so at this time and place
your ring in her hand.
[GROOM] It is my wish.
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[PRIEST] Bride, if it be your wish for Groom to be bound to
you, place the ring on his finger. (places ring on Groom's left
ring finger)
Bride I have not the right to bind thee to Groom only you have
this right. If it be your wish, say so at this time and place
your ring in his hand.
[BRIDE] It is my wish.
[PRIEST] Groom, if it be your wish for Bride to be bound to you,
place the ring on her finger.(places ring on Bride's left
ring finger)
(to Groom) Repeat after me:
I, (grooms full name), in the name of the spirit of God that
resides within us all, by the life that courses within my blood
and the love that resides within my heart, take thee (bride's
full name) to my hand, my heart, and my spirit, to be my
chosen one. To desire thee and be desired by thee, to possess
thee, and be possessed by thee, without sin or shame, for naught
can exist in the purity of my love for thee. I promise to love
thee wholly and completely without restraint, in sickness and in
health, in plenty and in poverty, in life and beyond, where we
shall meet, remember, and love again. I shall not seek to change
thee in any way. I shall respect thee, thy beliefs, thy people,
and thy ways as I respect myself.
(to Bride)
I (bride's full name), in the name of the spirit of God that
resides within us all, by the life that courses within my
blood, and the love that resides within my heart, take thee,
(Groom's full name) to my hand, my heart, and my spirit to be
my chosen one. To desire and be desired by thee, to possess
thee, and be possessed by thee, without sin or shame, for naught
can exist in the purity of my love for thee. I promise to love
thee wholly and completely without restraint, in sickness and in
health, in plenty and in poverty, in life and beyond, where we
shall meet, remember, and love again. I shall not seek to change
thee in any way. I shall respect thee, thy beliefs, thy people,
and thy ways as I respect myself.
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[PRIEST]
(hands chalice to the groom, saying:) May you drink your fill
from the cup of love.
(Groom holds chalice to bride while she sips then bride takes
chalice and holds it to groom while he sips. The chalice is then
handed back to the Priest who sets it on the table. Next the
Priest takes the plate of bread, giving it to the groom. Same
procedure repeated with bread, groom feeding bride and bride
feeding groom.)
By the power vested in me by God and the State of Alabama, I now
pronounce you husband and wife. May your love so endure that its
flame remains a guiding light unto you.
71
INITIATION INTO THE COVEN OUTDOOR VERSION
Candidates for initiation should be in good mental and physical
health. They should also be of legal age and sought out the Craft of
their own free will.
Before being accepted into the Coven (s)he should spend sometime
learning about the Craft and magic and such. (S)he should know about
practices that most people get uptight about. She should be told that
initiations are perfectly safe and voluntary. Also, if at any time
prior to taking the oath she wants to back out, she can do so with out
fear or other recriminations.
The candidate must chose a Craft name. This name should not be a
common American name and must have personal meaning to the candidate.
Traditionally the apprenticeship lasted for a year and a day.
This is a good idea if it can be done. Before (s)he can be initiated,
the Coven must vote. A single no is sufficient to not allow the
candidate to be initiated into that particular Coven.
This ritual is written for use in the woods. There has to be a
path leading from the staging area to a clearing where afire can be
lit. To save time, the fire should be setup but not lighted.
The bathtub should be set up along the path and filled with warm
water and the other ingredients. The water will also have to be
consecrated.
The candidate should be brought to the staging area by their
sponsor. She should be wearing clothing that can be cutaway easily by
a sword without undoing buttons or stepping out of pants legs. The
candidate should be lead down the path by the sponsor.After a little
ways a member of the Coven, the Challenger,should step onto the path.
They might want to wear a mask. They take the sword that they carry
and say:
"Who comes to the gate?"
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The candidate, coached before hand, answers:
"It is I, (new Craft name), child of earth and starry heaven."
Challenger:
"Who speaks for you?"
Sponsor:
"It is I, ________ , who vouches for her."
The Challenger holds the point of the sword up to the candidates
heart, and says:
"You are about to enter a vortex of power, a place beyond
imagining,where birthand death,darkand light,joy and
pain,
meet and make one. You are about to step between the worlds,
beyond time, outside the realm of your human life.
You who stands on the threshold of the dread Mighty Ones,
have you the courage to make the essay?
For know it is better to fall on my blade and perish than
to make the attempt with fear in thy heart!"
The apprentice answers:
"I tread the path with perfect love and perfect trust."
The Challenger replies:
"Prepare for death and rebirth."
And the Challenger takes the sword and cuts off the apprentices
clothing till she is standing naked. The Challenger grounds their
sword to the Earth. The Challenger should then blindfold the candidate
and tie a cord around their wrists and one ankle while saying:
"And She was bound as all living things must be,
who would enterthe Kingdom of Death.And Her feetwere
neither bound nor free."
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The candidate is led to the tub and bathed, while still blindfolded,
by the rest of the Coven. While being bathed, she must remain quiet.
She is helped from the tub and dried off.The candidate is then carried
to the Circle. Everyone in the Coven, starting with the High Priest
(Priestess in the case of a man), kisses her and says:
"Thus are all first brought into the world,
and thus are all first brought into the Coven."
The High Priest (Priestess in case of a man) now leads the candidate
to each of the four corners and introduces her to the Guardians, of
course going deosil.
"Hail Guardians of the Watchtowers of the East and all the Mighty
Ones of the Craft. Behold _________(new name), who will now be
made Priestess and Witch."
The candidate is brought back to the altar. The High Priest kneels and
gives her the Five Fold Kiss; that is, he kisses her on both feet,
both knees, womb, both breasts, and the lips,starting with the right
of each pair. He says, as he does this:
"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, without which we would not be.
Blessed be thy breasts, formed in beauty.
Blessed be thy lips, that shall utter the Sacred Names."
For the kiss on the lips, they embrace, length-to-length, with their
feet touching each others. When he reaches the womb, she spreads her
arms wide, and the same after the kiss on the lips.The candidate is
then measured with the other piece of cord,from head to toe. The cord
is cut. She is then measured around the head and chest and knots are
tied to mark these lengths.The High Priestess rolls up the cord, and
asks the candidate:
"Are you willing to swear the oath?"
The candidate answers: "I am."
The High Priestess asks:
"Are you willing to suffer to learn?"
The candidate answers: "Yes."
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The High Priestess takes the apprentice's hand, and with a needle
properly purified by fire and water, pricks her finger,squeezing a few
drops out onto the measure. The candidate then kneels, and places one
hand on her head and the other beneath her heel and she repeats what
is read to her. The High Priest says:
"This is the Charge of the Coven:
That I will keep secret what I am asked to keep secret,
and never divulge the names or dwelling places of our people
unless by their consent.
That I will learn and try to master the Art Magical;
but ever remember the rune: "What good be the tools without
the inner light? What good be magic without wisdom sight?"
That in due course I will strive to find a worthy pupil in
magic,to whominfutureyearsIcanhanddowntheknowledge
I acquire.
That I will never use the Art Magical merely to impress
foolish persons, nor for any wrongful end.
That I will help the Craft of the Wise, and hold it's honor
as I would my own.
That I consider these vows taken before the Elder Gods;
and that if I betray this Charge I accept as my just reward
thatretribution
ofdestinywhichovertakes
thosewhobasely
betraythe trustandconfidence thatothershave placedin
them. Know that none can escape the fate, be it curse or
blessing, which they make for themselves, either in this life
or in another life.
The High Priestess says:
"Repeat after me: 'I, ________, do of my own free will most
solemnly swear to protect, help and defend my sisters and brothers of
the Art and to keep the Coven's Charge.
I always keep secret all that must not be revealed.
This do I swear on my mother's womb and my hopes of future lives,
mindful that my measurehas been taken, andin the presence of
the Mighty Ones.'
All between my two hands belongs to the Goddess."
The candidate repeats the oath. The Coven shouts:
"So mote it be!"
The High Priest says:
"Arise and be anointed"
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The High Priest then makes an X mark on the initiates forehead,breast
and genitals while saying:
"May your mind be free. May your heart be free. May your body be
free.
I give you the Craft name of ______"
The rest of the Coven members grab her suddenly, lift her if possible
and carry her three times around the Circle, laughing and shrieking.
They then lay her face down before the altar and press her into the
ground. Gradually the pressure changes to stroking. They chant her new
name, raising a Cone of Power over her. The blind fold is removed and
she is told:
"Know that the hands that have touched you are the hands of love.
Thus are all first brought into the world, and thus are all first
brought into the Coven."
The Charge of the Goddess is spoken and any other myths, mysteries,
and secrets are revealed. She is also told the Coven names of all the
members. The High Priestess returns the measure, saying:
"In the Burning Times, when each member of the Coven held the
lives of the others in their hands, this would have been kept and be
used against you should you endanger the others. But in these more
fortunate times, love and trust prevail, so take this, keep it or burn
it, and be free to go or to stay as your heart leads you."
The service goes on as usual, be it New or Full Moon or Sabbat.Before
the Circle is opened, the new initiate is taken to the four corners
again and introduced to the Guardians again.
Starhawk; "The Spiral Dance: Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of t h e
Goddess"; HarperRow 1979
Valiente, Doreen; "Witchcraft for Tomorrow"; Phoenix Publishing 1985
Transcribed to computer file by Seastrider
76
NEO-PAGAN RITUAL
#1619 05 Aug 85 22:48:33 (RECV'D)
From: Curly Howard To: Da Sysop
See also msg # 17
Subject: NEO-PAGANISM
Alright, I don't want to sound dumb, but I have no idea what these
rituals entail. What goes on during these, and what is their purpose ?
Curly Howard
#1719 06 Aug 85 11:59:57 (RECV'D)
From: Brad Hicks REPLY To: Curly Howard
Reply to msg # 16 See also msg # 18
Subject: NEOPAGAN RITUAL
Boy, youdon't ask the easyones. Dr. Regardie takes12 volumes to
answer this one; Aleister Crowley, 13 or so; Isaac Bonewits, two (and
that's only introductory).
I'lltry to summarize, but ifyou're really interested, track down
Starhawk's THE SPIRAL DANCE for further details. Most scholars divide
ritual into two classes: 1) theurgic, and 2) thaumaturgic. In fancy
words, this means that either you are praying to make your self "a
better person" or "closer to God/ess" or "to be saved from your sins",
or you are praying for the God/ess to intervene in the world around
you - prayers for peace, for money, for health, etc.
Neopagan ritual partakes of both aspects, to some extent. In a
typical ritual, various techniques (as old as humanity) are used to
"raise the power," then the power is focused via magickal symbols to
contact the God(s) and/or Goddess(es) who are being called upon.
He/She/They take that magickal energy, augment it, and return it to
the circle. The High Priest/ess then focuses that energy on the
target - the object or person to be affected, if any - then any
energies that remain (or the total energy, if there is no magickal
target) are returned to the Gods, via a processes called "grounding."
77
To paraphrase UncleIsaac's wonderful book onthe subject, youhave
the wind-up, the pitch, and the follow-through.
The windup uses any ritual techniques that are appropriate to a)
the setting, b) the purpose of the ritual, c) the deities being
contacted, and d) the skills of the participants. The universals are
chanting, dance, and "ritual theatre." There are, of course, others.
The "pitch" uses beautiful, poetic imagery in guided meditations
and ritual movement. Occasionally (if possible), this uses music and
dance. Once the gods are contacted and the energy flows, it is
concentrated in an object - usually cakes and wine, but occasionally
by other means - and distributed, symbolically to all the
participants. Having partaken of the energy thus raised, the guided
meditations direct the people in focusing their energy on the purpose
at hand.
Finally, the High Priest or Priestess goes through a
"follow-through", which involves dissolving the "group mind",
reassuring people that what we have worked is done and was effective,
and then "grounding" any loose energies, so that when the group leaves
the ritual circle, they are back in their normal minds.
As I write, it occurs to me thatthe real answer to your question
lies in that last sentence - "back in their normal minds." Neopagan
ritual is a collection of tools and techniques for altering your
consciousness, temporarily, to a place where the Gods and Goddesses
are real and near, where we as their children and lovers and friends
can worship them, and where the magick we work can come true. Having
convinced ourselves of this, we act on it, then return to our daily
lives refreshed.
(Gods, what a bunch of gibberish! You would have been better off
reading the books!)
Anyway, I tried. Anyone else (esp. Black Dragon if he shows up
again, as he's worked at least as much ritual as I) please feel free
to add or comment. Was this the kind of answer you wanted, Curly?
- Reverend Talespinner, O.S.C.
Clan Destiny Chapel of Eris & Dionysus
(aka, Brad Hicks)
78
A Celebration of M A Y D A Y
--by Gwydion Cinhil Kirontin
* * * * * *
"Perhaps its just as well that you
won't be here...to be offended by the
sight of our May Day celebrations."
--Lord Summerisle to Sgt. Howie
from "The Wicker Man"
* * * * * *
There are four great festivals of the Pagan Celtic year and
the modern Witch's calendar, as well. The two greatest of these
are Halloween (the beginning of winter) and May Day (the
beginning of summer). Being opposite each other on the wheel of
the year, they separate the year into halves. Halloween (also
called Samhain) is the Celtic New Year and is generally
considered the more important of the two, though May Day runs a
close second. Indeed, in some areas -notably Wales - it is
considered the great holiday.
May Day ushers in the fifth month of the modern calendar
year, the month of May. This month is named in honor of the
goddess Maia, originally a Greek mountain nymph, later identified
as the most beautiful of the Seven Sisters, the Pleiades. By
Zeus, she is also the mother of Hermes, god of magic. Maia's
parents were Atlas and Pleione, a sea nymph.
The old Celtic name for May Day is Beltane (in its most
popular Anglicized form), which is derived from the Irish Gaelic
"Bealtaine" or the Scottish Gaelic "Bealtuinn", meaning "Bel-
fire", the fire of the Celtic god of light (Bel, Beli or
Belinus). He, in turn, may be traced to the Middle Eastern god
Baal.
Other names for May Day include: Cetsamhain ("opposite
Samhain"), Walpurgisnacht (in Germany), and Roodmas (the medieval
Church's name). This last came from Church Fathers who were
hoping to shift the common people's allegiance from the Maypole
(Pagan lingam - symbol of life) to the Holy Rood (the Cross -
Roman instrument of death).
79
Incidentally, there is no historical justification for
calling May 1st "Lady Day". For hundreds of years, that title
has been proper to the Vernal Equinox (approx. March 21st),
another holiday sacred to the Great Goddess. The nontraditional
use of "Lady Day" for May 1st is quite recent (within the last 15
years), and seems to be confined to America, where it has gained
widespread acceptance among certain segments of the Craft
population. This rather startling departure from tradition would
seem to indicate an unfamiliarity with European calendar customs,
as well as a lax attitude toward scholarship among too many
Pagans. A simple glance at a dictionary ("Webster's 3rd" or
O.E.D.), encyclopedia ("Benet's"), or standard mythology
reference (Jobe's "Dictionary of Mythology, Folklore & Symbols")
would confirm the correct date for Lady Day as the Vernal
Equinox.
By Celtic reckoning, the actual Beltane celebration begins on
sundown of the preceding day, April 30, because the Celts always
figured their days from sundown to sundown. And sundown was the
proper time for Druids to kindle the great Bel-fires on the tops
of the nearest beacon hill (such as Tara Hill, Co. Meath, in
Ireland). These "need-fires" had healing properties, and sky-
clad Witches would jump through the flames to ensure protection.
* * * * * *
Sgt. Howie (shocked): "But they
are naked!"
Lord Summerisle: "Naturally.
It's much too dangerous to jump
through the fire with your
clothes on!"
* * * * * *
Frequently, cattle would be driven between two such bon-fires
(oak wood was the favorite fuel for them) and, on the morrow,
they would be taken to their summer pastures.
Other May Day customs include: processions of chimney-sweeps
and milk maids, archery tournaments, morris dances, sword dances,
feasting, music, drinking, and maidens bathing their faces in the
dew of May morning to retain their youthful beauty.
80
In the words of Witchcraft writers Janet and Stewart Farrar,
the Beltane celebration was principly a time of "...unashamed
human sexuality and fertility." Such associations include the
obvious phallic symbolism of the Maypole and riding the hobby
horse. Even a seemingly innocent children's nursery rhyme, "Ride
a cock horse to Banburry Cross..." retain such memories. And the
next line "...to see a fine Lady on a white horse" is a reference
to the annual ride of "Lady Godiva" though Coventry. Every year
for nearly three centuries, a sky-clad village maiden (elected
Queen of the May) enacted this Pagan rite, until the Puritans put
an end to the custom.
The Puritans, in fact, reacted with pious horror to most of
the May Day rites, even making Maypoles illegal in 1644. They
especially attempted to suppress the "greenwood marriages" of
young men and women who spent the entire night in the forest,
staying out to greet the May sunrise, and bringing back boughs of
flowers and garlands to decorate the village the next morning.
One angry Puritan wrote that men "doe use commonly to runne into
woodes in the night time, amongst maidens, to set bowes, in so
muche, as I have hearde of tenne maidens whiche went to set May,
and nine of them came home with childe." And another Puritan
complained that, of the girls who go into the woods, "not the
least one of them comes home again a virgin."
Long after the Christian form of marriage (with its
insistence on sexual monogamy) had replaced the older Pagan
handfasting, the rules of strict fidelity were always relaxed for
the May Eve rites. Names such as Robin Hood, Maid Marion, and
Little John played an important part in May Day folklore, often
used as titles for the dramatis personae of the celebrations.
And modern surnames such as Robinson, Hodson, Johnson, and Godkin
may attest to some distant May Eve spent in the woods.
These wildwood antics have inspired writers such as Kipling:
Oh, do not tell the Priest our plight,
Or he would call it a sin;
But we have been out in the woods all night,
A-conjuring Summer in!
81
And Lerner and Lowe:
It's May! It's May!
The lusty month of May!...
Those dreary vows that ev'ryone takes,
Ev'ryone breaks.
Ev'ryone makes divine mistakes!
The lusty month of May!
It is certainly no accident that Queen Guinevere's
"abduction" by Meliagrance occurs on May 1st when she and the
court have gone a-Maying, or that the usually efficient Queen's
guard, on this occasion, rode unarmed.
Some of these customs seem virtually identical to the old
Roman feast of flowers, the Floriala, three days of unrestrained
sexuality which began at sundown April 28th and reached a
crescendo on May 1st.
By the way, due to various calendrical changes down through
the centuries, the traditional date of Beltane is not the same as
its astrological date. This date, like all astronomically
determined dates, may vary by a day or two depending on the year.
However, it may be calculated easily enough by determining the
date on which the sun is at 15 degrees Taurus. British Witches
often refer to this date as Old Beltane, and folklorists call it
Beltane O.S. ("Old Style"). Some Covens prefer to celebrate on
the old date and, at the very least, it gives one options. If a
Coven is operating on "Pagan Standard Time" and misses May 1st
altogether, it can still throw a viable Beltane bash as long as
it's before this date. This may also be a consideration for
Covens that need to organize activities around the week-end.
82
This date has long been considered a "power point" of the
Zodiac, and is symbolized by the Bull, one of the four
"tetramorph" figures featured on the Tarot cards the World and
the Wheel of Fortune. (The other three are the Lion, the Eagle,
and the Spirit.) Astrologers know these four figures as the
symbols of the four "fixed" signs of the Zodiac (Taurus, Leo,
Scorpio, and Aquarius, respectively), and these naturally align
with the four Great Sabbats of Witchcraft. Christians have
adopted the same iconography to represent the four gospel-
writers.
But for most, it is May 1st that is the great holiday of
flowers, Maypoles, and greenwood frivolity. It is no wonder
that, as recently as 1977, Ian Anderson could pen the following
lyrics for Jethro Tull:
For the May Day is the great day,
Sung along the old straight track.
And those who ancient lines did ley
Will heed this song that calls them back.
THE END
83
MIDWINTER NIGHT'S EVE: Y U L E
================================
by Mike Nichols
Our Christian friends are often quite surprised at how
enthusiastically we Pagans celebrate the 'Christmas' season. Even
though we prefer to use the word 'Yule', and our celebrations may peak
a few days BEFORE the 25th, we nonetheless follow many of the
traditional customs of the season: decorated trees, carolling,
presents, Yule logs, and mistletoe. We might even go so far as
putting up a 'Nativity set', though for us the three central
characters are likely to be interpreted as Mother Nature,
Father Time, and the Baby Sun-God. None of this will come as a
surprise to anyone who knows the true history of the holiday, of
course.
In fact, if truth be known,the holiday of Christmas has always
been more Pagan than Christian, with it's associations of Nordic
divination, Celtic fertility rites, and Roman Mithraism. That is why
both Martin Luther and John Calvin abhorred it, why the Puritans
refused to acknowledge it, much less celebrate it (to them, no day of
the year could be more holy than the Sabbath), and why it was even
made ILLEGAL in Boston! The holiday was already too closely
associated with the birth of older Pagan gods and heroes. And many of
them (like Oedipus, Theseus, Hercules, Perseus, Jason, Dionysus,
Apollo, Mithra, Horus and even Arthur) possessed a narrative of birth,
death, and resurrection that was uncomfortably close to that of Jesus.
And to make matters worse, many of them pre-dated the Christian
Savior.
Ultimately,of course, the holiday isrooted deeply in the cycle
of the year. It is the Winter Solstice that is being celebrated,
seed-time of the year, the longest night and shortest day. It is the
birthday of the new Sun King, the Son of God -- by whatever name you
choose to call him. On this darkest of nights, the Goddess becomes
the Great Mother and once again gives birth. And it makes perfect
poetic sense that on the longest night of the winter, 'the dark night
of our souls', there springs the new spark of hope, the Sacred Fire,
the Light of the World, the Coel Coeth.
84
That is why Pagans have as much right to claim this holiday as
Christians. Perhaps even more so, as the Christians were rather late
in laying claim to it, and tried more than once to reject it. There
had been a tradition in the West that Mary bore the child Jesus on the
twenty-fifth day, but no one could seem to decide on the month.
Finally, in 320 C.E., the Catholic Fathers in Rome decided to make it
December, in an effort to co-opt the Mithraic celebration of the
Romans and the Yule celebrations of the Celts and Saxons.
There wasnever much pretensethat the datethey finally chosewas
historically accurate. Shepherds just don't 'tend their flocks by
night' in the high pastures in the dead of winter! But if one wishes
to use the New Testament as historical evidence, this reference may
point to sometime in the spring as the time of Jesus's birth. This is
because the lambing season occurs in the spring and that is the only
time when shepherds are likely to 'watch their flocks by night' -- to
make sure the lambing goes well. Knowing this, the Eastern half of
the Church continued to reject December 25, preferring a 'movable
date' fixed by their astrologers according to the moon.
Thus, despite itsshaky start (for over three centuries, no one
knew when Jesus was supposed to have been born!), December 25 finally
began to catch on. By 529, it was a civic holiday, and all work or
public business (except that of cooks, bakers, or any that contributed
to the delight of the holiday) was prohibited by the Emperor
Justinian. In 563, the Council of Braga forbade fasting on Christmas
Day, and four years later the Council of Tours proclaimed the twelve
days from December 25 to Epiphany as a sacred, festive season. This
last point is perhaps the hardest to impress upon the modern reader,
who is lucky to get a single day off work. Christmas, in the Middle
Ages, was not a SINGLE day, but rather a period of TWELVE days, from
December 25 to January 6. The Twelve Days of Christmas, in fact. It
is certainly lamentable that the modern world has abandoned this
approach, along with the popular Twelfth Night celebrations.
85
Of course, the Christian version of the holiday spread to many
countries no faster than Christianity itself, which means that
'Christmas' wasn't celebrated in Ireland until the late fifth century;
in England, Switzerland, and Austria until the seventh; in Germany
until the eighth; and in the Slavic lands until the ninth and tenth.
Not that these countries lacked their own mid-winter celebrations of
Yuletide. Long before the world had heard of Jesus, Pagans had been
observing the season by bringing in the Yule log, wishing on it, and
lighting it from the remains of last year's log. Riddles were
posed and answered, magic and rituals were practiced, wild boars were
sacrificed and consumed along with large quantities of liquor, corn
dollies were carried from house to house while carolling, fertility
rites were practiced (girls standing under a sprig of mistletoe were
subject to a bit more than a kiss), and divinations were cast for the
coming Spring. Many of these Pagan customs, in an appropriately
watered-down form, have entered the mainstream of Christian
celebration, though most celebrants do not realize (or do not mention
it, if they do) their origins.
For modern Witches, Yule (from the Anglo-Saxon 'Yula', meaning
'wheel' of the year) is usually celebrated on the actual Winter
Solstice, which may vary by a few days, though it usually occurs on or
around December 21st. It is a Lesser Sabbat or Lower Holiday in
the modern Pagan calendar, one of the four quarter-days of the year,
but a very important one. This year (1988) it occurs on December 21st
at 9:28 am CST. Pagan customs are still enthusiastically followed.
Once, the Yule log had been the center of the celebration. It was
lighted on the eve of the solstice (it should light on the first try)
and must be kept burning for twelve hours, for good luck. It should
be made of ash. Later, the Yule log was replaced by the Yule tree
but, instead of burning it, burning candles were placed on it. In
Christianity, Protestants might claim that Martin Luther invented the
custom, and Catholics might grant St. Boniface the honor, but the
custom can demonstrably be traced back through the Roman Saturnalia
all the way to ancient Egypt. Needless to say, such a tree should be
cut down rather than purchased, and should be disposed of by burning,
the proper way to dispatch any sacred object.
86
Along with the evergreen, the holly and the ivy and the mistletoe
were important plants of the season, all symbolizing fertility and
everlasting life. Mistletoe was especially venerated by the Celtic
Druids, who cut it with a golden sickle on the sixth night of the
moon, and believed it to be an aphrodisiac. (Magically -- not
medicinally! It's highly toxic!) But aphrodisiacs must have been the
smallest part of the Yuletide menu in ancient times, as contemporary
reports indicate that the tables fairly creaked under the strain of
every type of good food. And drink! The most popular of which was
the 'wassail cup' deriving its name from the Anglo-Saxon term 'waes
hael' (be whole or hale).
Medieval Christmasfolklore seems endless: that animalswill all
kneel down as the Holy Night arrives, that bees hum the '100th psalm'
on Christmas Eve, that a windy Christmas will bring good luck, that a
person born on Christmas Day can see the Little People, that a cricket
on the hearth brings good luck, that if one opens all the doors of the
house at midnight all the evil spirits will depart, that you will have
one lucky month for each Christmas pudding you sample, that the tree
must be taken down by Twelfth Night or bad luck is sure to follow,
that 'if Christmas on a Sunday be, a windy winter we shall see', that
'hours of sun on Christmas Day, so many frosts in the month of May',
that one can use the Twelve Days of Christmas to predict the weather
for each of the twelve months of the coming year, and so on.
Remembering that most Christmas customs are ultimately based upon
older Pagan customs, it only remains for modern Pagans to reclaim
their lost traditions. In doing so, we can share many common customs
with our Christian friends, albeit with a slightly different
interpretation. And thus we all share in the beauty of this most
magical of seasons, when the Mother Goddess once again gives birth
to the baby Sun-God and sets the wheel in motion again. To conclude
with a long-overdue paraphrase, 'Goddess bless us, every one!'
87
WINTER SOLSTICE OR YULE
The High Priestess says:
"This is the night of the solstice, the longest night of the
year. Now darkness triumphs; and yet, gives way and changes into
light. The breath of nature is suspended: all waits while within the
Cauldron, the Dark King is transformed into the Infant Light. We watch
for the coming of dawn, when the Great Mother again gives birth to the
Divine Child Sun, who is bringer of hope and the promise of summer.
This is the stillness behind motion, when time itself stops; the
center is also the circumference of all. We are awake in the night. We
turn the Wheel to bring the light. We call the sun from the womb of
night. Blessed Be!"
Purify, cast the circle, but do not light the candles.Invoke the
Goddess and God. All sit down, and begin an antiphonal chant. All:
"To die and be reborn,
The Wheel is turning,
What must you lose to the night? (repeat)"
Covener: "Fear."
All:
"Fear is lost to the night.
Fear is lost to the night.
To die and be reborn,
The Wheel is turning,
What must you lose to the night?"
Continue interjecting lines and echoing each other, until the
energy dies away. Stand up and link hands. The High Priest stands
before the altar, holding and animal skull filled with salt. The High
Priestess leads a slow, spiral procession, that first snakes outward
so that each member is brought to face the High Priest. They are
chanting:
"The light was born,
And the light has died." (repeat)
Another Priestess whispers,
"Everything passes,
All fades away. (repeat)
88
The High Priest places a pinch of salt on each member's tongue,and
says:
"My body is salt,
Taste the breath of death."
The High Priestess leads the spiral inward, until the members are
huddled together. She leads an improvised trance induction, slowly
suggesting that they crumble to the Earth and sleep. As all lie down,
they are sent into a deeper trance with a multivoiced induction. As it
fades out, they are told,
"You are entering a space of perfect freedom."
Time is allowed for trance in the state of suspension before
birth.
The High Priestess approaches one of the coveners, stands by her
head with her legs apart, and pulls her through,symbolically giving
her birth. She becomes part of the birth canal; they continue the
process with the other coveners, the birth canal growing longer. The
men of the coven take the newborns one by one and lay them back down
to sleep, telling them:
"Sleep the sleep of the newborn."
As all sink back into trance, they are guided into a
visualization of their hopes for their new life to come.Priestess
smear honey on their tongues, one by one, saying:
"Taste the sweetness of life."
89
A new chant begins softly, builds in power as it gradually wakes
the sleepers, who join in on repeating lines:
"Set sail, set sail,
Follow the twilight to the West,
Where you may rest.
Set sail, set sail,
Turn your face where the sun grows dim,
Beyond the rim, beyond the rim.
Set sail, set sail,
One thing becomes another,
In the Mother, in the Mother.
Set sail, set sail,
Make of your heart a burning fire,
Build it higher, Build it higher.
Set sail, set sail,
Pass in an instant through the open gate,
It will not wait, it will not wait.
Set sail, set sail,
Over the dark of the sunless sea,
You are free, you are free.
Set sail, set sail,
Guiding the ship of the rising sun,
You are the one, you are the one.
Set sail, set sail,
Into the raging wind and storm,
To be reborn, to be reborn.
Set sail, set sail,
Over the waves where the spray blows white,
To bring the light, to bring the light.
All:
We are awake in the night!
We turn the Wheel, to bring the light!
We call the sun from the womb of night!"
90
The High Priestess says:
"He sets his face to the West, but in the East arises!"
All: "Who is that?"
P: "Who goes down in darkness?"
All: "Who is that?"
P: "Who sails?"
All: "Who is that?"
P: "The Renewer."
All: "Who is that?"
P: "Who brings the golden fruit."
All: "Who is that?"
P: "Unstained."
All: "Who is that?"
P: "Whose hands are open?"
All: "Who is that?"
P: "Whose eyes are bright?"
ll: "Who is that?"
P: "Whose face is shining?"
All: "Who is that?"
P: "Mornings hope."
All: "Who is that?"
P: "Who passes the gate?"
All: "Who is that?"
91
P: "Who returns in light?"
All: "Who is that?"
P: "A glow between twin pillars."
All: "Who is that?"
P: "A cry between thighs."
All: "Io! Evohe! Io! Evohe!"
High Priestess: (leading, repeated by all)
"Queen of the sun!
Queen of the Moon!
Queen of the horns!
Queen of the fires!
Bring to us the Child of Promise!
It is the Great Mother
Who gives birth to Him,
It is the Lord of Life,
Who is born again!
Darkness and tears
Are set aside,
When the sun comes up again!
Golden sun,
Of hill and field,
Light the earth!
Light the skies!
Light the waters!
Light the fires!
All: Io! Evohe! Io! Evohe!"
The High Priest lights the fire and point candles, and all begin
chanting:
"I who have died am alive again today,
And this is the sun's birthday! (repeat)
This is the birthday of life and love and wings,
And the gay great happening illimitably earth.
We are born again, we shall live again! (repeat).
The Sun Child, the Winterborn King!"
92
Build a Power Chant, focused on reawakening life. Share feasting and
friendship, ideally until dawn. Before ending, the High Priestess
says:
"The Dark God has passed the Gate,
He has been reborn through the Mother,
With Him we are each reborn!"
All:
"The tide has turned!
The light will come again!
In a new dawn, in a new day,
The sun is rising!
Io! Evohe! Blessed Be!"
Open the Circle.
Starhawk; "The Spiral Dance: Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of t h e
Goddess"; HarperRow 1979
93
YULE IN BRITAIN
Copyright 1987, Tana Culain
Midwinter has long been a traditional time for celebration and
merrymaking in Britain. All of the activities at midwinter were
meant to ensure that the season would renew itself and the days
would begin to grow longer again. Greenery was brought into
decorate the house: evergreen to symbolize the promise of life to
come even in the darkest winter; the mistletoe, believed to hold
the life of the host tree even when the tree itself appeared to
be dead in winter; and the holly and ivy, symbols of male and
female, both of course necessary for new life. Carols, some of
which survive to this day, such as the Gower Wassail, were sung.
The earliest carols consisted of taking hands and singing while
dancing in a ring or around a bush, May tree, or even an apple
tree (as in the case of the Apple Tree Wassail, sung in hopes of
a good crop of cider the following year).
The Wassail Carols in particular date back to the Viking
invasions of England, about 700 A.D. , when the greeting was Ves
heill. By Anglo-Saxon times, the greeting had evolved into Waes
thu hal, meaning "be whole" or "good health". The response was
"drink hail" , meaning "I drink and good luck be to you". People
would travel from house to house in the village bringing good
wishes and carrying an empty bowl. The master of the house being
wassailed was expected to fill the bowl with a hot spicy ale and
then it would be passed around to the carolers.
Midwinter was also a time for exchanging gifts and for feasting.
Turkey only dates to the 1500's. Much more common were boar,
geese, capons, swans, and pheasants. Minced pies were originally
made with meat, and with the coming of spices to England during
the Crusades, plum pudding became quite the traditional dish.
Plum pudding makes a great dish for cakes and wine in the Yule
circle, especially if you pour warmed brandy over it and set it
afire before the blessing.
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While I am writing about midwinter customs in Britain because our
heritage in .K.A.M. is largely Celtic in origin, the Isles do not
have a monopoly on Yule. The Romans celebrated Saturnalia for
seven days around the Solstice, and it was a time to look ahead
and rejoice in the longer days to come. Slaves and masters
switched places at table, and presents were exchanged. The
Persian Mithraists held December 25th as sacred to the birth of
their Sun God, Mithras, and celebrated it as a victory of light
over darkness. And in Sweden, December 13th was sacred to the
Goddess Lucina, Shining One, and was a celebration of the return
of the light. On Yule itself, around the 21st, bonfires were lit
to honor Odin and Thor.
Midwinter has always been a Pagan holiday, so much so that during
the 1600's the Christian Christmas was recognized as a
celebration based on Pagan customs and was outlawed in England
and many of the colonies in America.
(Text version of the Journal has "Gower Wassail" here)
A Monthly Rune (Traditional)
January By this fire I warm my hands
February And with my spade I delve my lands
March Here I set my seeds to spring
April And here I hear the birds to sing
May I am as light as bird in the treetop
June And I take pains to weed my crop
July With my scythe my mead I mow
August And here I shear my corn full low
September With my flail I earn my bread
October And here I sow my wheat so red (Winter wheat)
November At Martinmas I kill my swine *
December And at Yule I drink red wine
* Martinmas, November 11, is a christianization of the Pagan
Celtic Hallows when the herds were culled
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Recipe for Wassail for 8
3 red apples
3 oz brown sugar
2 pints brown ale, apple cider, or hard cider
1/2 pint dry sherry or dry white wine
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
strips of lemon peel
Core and heat apples with brown sugar and some of the ale or
cider in an oven for 30 minutes. Put in large pan and add rest
of spices and lemon peel, simmer on stove top of 5 minutes. Add
most of the alcohol at the last minute so it heats up but does
not evaporate. Burgundy and brandy can be substituted to the ale
and sherry. White sugar and halved oranges may also be added to
taste.
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Plum Pudding
1/4 lb. flour
1/4 lb. currants
1 tsp. salt
1/4 lb. sultanas (small raisins)
1 tsp. allspice
2 cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped
1 tsp. ginger
1 ounce cut mixed (citrus) peel
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 oz. shredded almonds
pinch fresh grated nutmeg
Juice and grated rind of 1 orange and 1 lemon
1/4 lb. fresh breadcrumbs
1/4 lb. molasses (treacle)
1/2 lb. shredded suet
4 large eggs
1/4 lb. brown sugar
2 tbsp. brandy
1/4 lb. dried chopped apricots
1/4 lb. prunes
1/4 lb dates
Sift flour, salt and spices into a large bowl. Stir in
breadcrumbs, suet and sugar. Add fruits, peel and rind. Beat
lemon and orange juice, molasses and eggs together and add to
other ingredients. Steam for 6 hours -- a coffee tin filled with
the mixture and placed in a steamer in a covered pan does well.
A little vinegar and lemon juice in the water will prevent the
pan from discoloration. After steaming cover in a cool place and
let age as long as possible -- usually about 5 weeks. To serve,
re-steam for another 3 hours. Remove from tin, douse with warm
brandy and set it ablaze!
If you haven't got six weeks before Yule to prepare a proper
pudding (I never do) a tinned one from Crosse & Blackwell will do
fine. Just be sure to always heat the pudding first, no matter
who made it, or all the warmed brandy in the world won't help.
And don't forget the hard sauce!
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WITCHES LESSER BANISHING RITUAL OF THE PENTAGRAM
by Paul Hume
The following text was an addendum to some Wiccan friends of mine
written in 1986. It followed a fairly standard instruction in the
Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, with which they were not
familiar. We were feeling out some linking techniques leading to a
proposed joint ritual involving several Wiccans and two ceremonial
qabalists (one Thelemite - ie. myself, and another). While events
conspired to torpedo this project, some interesting ideas came along
on both sides. The goal was a set of brief rituals meaningful to
both traditions which we could practice individually, thus building
up a group current prior to the date of the proposed rite (Samhain of
that year). Herewith my notes on "The Wiccan Pentagram" ritual which
evolved during this project. My primary source of God Forms was Paul
Huson's MASTERING WITCHCRAFT which was my main source of information
on Wicca at the time (I've done considerable study elsewhere since).
NON-SOLAR SYMBOLISM
A ritual can be modified in many ways, to refit it for a different
set of symbols, for example. I have taken the liberty of doing some
research into alternate symbols for the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram
since I know that you work a lunar-feminine current (Wicca) whereas I
use more solar-masculine symbols in my current (Thelemite). The
Qabalistic Cross This might be used as is, though you could use the
English if you don't feel that the Hebrew is relevant. I am sure you
recognize the words as being similar to the end of the Lord's Prayer
in the King James Version: 'Unto thee, the Kingdom and the Power and
the Glory, forever! Amen.' I would point out that this formula was
around a long time before Christ, much less the translators of the
Standard Revised Version of the Bible. If you dislike such a
specifically Christian form, it may be replaced with the words KETHER
(KEH-THER), MALKUTH, GEBURAH, GEDULAH (or Crown, Kingdom, Power,
Mercy), the spheres of occult energy that you are invoking with the
Q-Cross. The mental images remain the same. You could even avoid
these Hebrew symbols entirely, using Names and formulae more suitable
to raising the cone of power, which is what you are doing here in
Wiccan terms. See the 'Wiccan Cross,' below.
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The principle is:
1) Invoke strongly the presence of the Supreme Creative
Principle as you conceive it (or in your case, Her) to be.
Your Name for the Goddess as Creatrix would be most suitable.
2) Draw down power from this Godhead and projectit through
your body into the Earth. Invoke strongly the Supreme symbol of
Creation in your Tradition: maybe the God - as Son of the
Goddess and Lord of the Trees, and as John Barleycorn, the ever- born
and dying One.
3) Establish on yourright side the Active Principle -Yang -
the Projective Energy of the Universe. A God image, I should
think.
4)Establish on yourleft side thePassive Principle -Yin - the
Receiving Energy of the Universe. A Goddess force I feel.
5) Strongly visualize yourself at the center of these axes
between the Infinities. This centers you at the middle of the
Sacred Space to be created - the still point at the center of the
universe.
The Pentagrams
Again,the pentagram should be used. This symbol is universal
to many, many systems of magick, including Wicca, as you know. The
five-pointed star has supreme power over the Elements: Spirit, Fire,
Water, Air, and Earth. It drives off negative influences and
attracts positive ones. It is an essential part of the rite and
there is no symbol that can take its place as effectively.
The Names
I prefer using the Hebrew God-Names as is. In this connection
they express formulae that govern the Elements and are no more
religious than E=MC squared. However, there are equivalent Wiccan
God-Names, which I describe in the next section, as substitutes for
the Archangels. The use of the same Names to activate the stars and
to invoke the Elemental force is quite in keeping with the Wiccan
tradition, which does not use the same hierarchical system of
God-Name, Archangel, Angel, Ruler, Spirit, etc. that Qabalism does.
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The Archangelic Invocation
Instead of the Hebrew Archangels I described, you could use
Wiccan Deities to invoke the 'pure' form of the Elements.
AIR-EAST: The Air image in Wicca seems to be masculine and
relates to Herne, the Black Man, the messenger of the Gods, or
the Sky Gods: Odin, or Lug as the rising Sun God. The God can be
imagined as riding through the night sky, at the head of the Wild
Hunt, or rising above the branches of the world-ash. Instead of the
Sword given to Raphael, the God might carry a staff, or spear, or
wand, which is attributed to Air in most Wiccan traditions.
FIRE-SOUTH: The Fire image is definitely masculine and relates
to the Horned God: Cernunnos, Lucifer, call Him what you will.
He stands in the hot light of the noonday sun, radiating fiery
energy. He would bear an Athame or sword, which is the weapon o f
Fire in most Wiccan styles.
WATER-WEST: The Water image is the Maiden, the mistress of the
Moon and the Tides: Aradia, Artemis, Venus rising from the
waves. Her image is lit by the silver light of the moon, upon a
tranquil reach of water or the foaming sea. She might hold the
chalice, symbol of water (alternatively, the cauldron might be
envisioned).
EARTH-NORTH: The Goddess in Her aspect as Earth Mother is here:
Hertha, Habondia, Demeter. She stands beneath the golden,
life-giving sun surrounded by the fruits of the Earth. Before her,
a platter flows with good things of the Earth, for the
disk/shield/platter is the pentacle, magick instrument of Earth.
These are only bare sketches of the magickal images that a witch
might use to replace the Qabalistic images of the traditional
pentagram ritual. I offer them for what they are worth.
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