Ninth Lunation: Waning Moon Cycle
Days 17–28
The Ordeal
Magical Purpose: Learning about the ordeal stage of the myth you’re living right now.
During the stage of the ordeal, you’re in the thick of some new adventure, given that you were not stopped by the threshold guardians. In your landscape that you’ve typically never encountered, you have to adapt to the new rules and you may have frightening experiences. They seem frightening because they can be disorienting and stand in contrast to your ordinary life.
During this phase, you are usually tested. Heroes ordinarily run through a series of tests to prove their mettle. But frequently there is a magical aide available, such as a guardian, a guide, an ally, or a mentor who can provide you with just the right word at precisely the right time so that you can advance through the challenges.
In many ways, the ordeal changes the hero’s beliefs, ideas, or behaviors. Myths typically represent this change through the motif of death and rebirth.
In the fairy tale, think of Snow White when she is poisoned. Will she survive? Can she accept that she deserves to live or be loved?
In “Sleeping Beauty,” the princess never accepts or (in some versions) even knows that she is indeed a princess, and she blunders helplessly toward the final test: pricking her finger on the deadly spindle of a spinning wheel.
For today, answer the following in your magical journal:
• In what ways have you been tested in your life?
• Who stepped forward to act as a guide or an ally?
• Have you ever been the guide, guardian, or ally? (I find that Witches frequently have found themselves in this role across their lifetimes.)
• Have you ever entered a new school, a new job, or any new situation where you didn’t know the rules? How did this special world contrast with your ordinary world?
• What were your reactions to entering into the new situation?
• How did the new situation affect your thoughts, ideas, or behaviors? Did you change?
The Return
Magical Purpose: Learning about the return stage of the myth you’re living right now.
In myth and fairy tale, the phase of return is often typified by a chase, or there may be a triumphant return of the hero to the place where he or she began. In this phase, the hero has finished “slaying the dragons,” vanquishing fears, and the individual has usually come to a new realization about him- or herself.
This phase includes “taking the sword” (otherwise known as claiming a reward). Whatever insight is gained or whatever triumph has occurred has usually made the hero or heroine stronger. The hero is able to see things from a new vantage point and brings back the “elixir,” or the thing that others in his or her village need. For example, this might be some piece of information, seeds of renewal, or some other form of healing.
Think of Ashputtel, when the boon she brings is to her own life. She reveals her true nature (really to herself, though the prince could see it right away). Her nature was radiant, shining, perfect. And once she accepted herself as truly a princess, the final mythic stage could unfold, and she became the living expression of the divine. This is symbolized by her marrying the prince and thus realizing her own royalty.
For today, answer the following in your magical journal:
• Have you ever gained some insight or claimed some victory (such as getting a job, a degree, a partner, etc.), and to get this, you had to go through an ordeal? Recount this here, naming the ordeal and the reward.
• What is the experience once you have undergone an ordeal and you know the “dangers” are far behind you? Write about how you feel and how you behave following such an accomplishment.
• Does passing the ordeal mean you’ll never have to slay dragons again? If not, what does this accomplishment of returning from an ordeal mean to you?
A Word to the Wise: As I mentioned in the introduction to this book, our purpose this year is to advance beyond more basic Craft activity. Therefore, the rituals that follow assume the reader has a sufficient beginning knowledge of the sabbats, the symbols, customs, and their meanings. While I discussed sabbats in the sections pertaining to the magical axioms, these discussions built upon and assumed the reader’s foundation in sabbat basics, rather than providing a beginning orientation. The remaining information is for readers with a mastery of the basic sabbat information, as well as the more advanced information I provided in the magical axiom days. For a basic orientation to the sabbats, please see Wicca: A Year and a Day.
Samhain
Magical Purpose: Reimagining this sabbat.
We will start our ritual-reimagining practice with a look at our first Wiccan celebration of the year: Samhain. The following is a sample ritual from the British traditions for the rite. Typically, you insert the sabbat working (also called the mystery play) after you cast the circle and bless everyone with the elements, and you follow the mystery play with cakes and wine. Usually, no magic is done at the sabbat celebrations, although I have seen exceptions to this rule. In particular, I have seen healing work done for individuals who were in need of it.
Not having a magical working on a sabbat makes magical sense. It only serves to lengthen the celebration and can be psychically fatiguing. I encourage you to try it out once to see for yourself.
Samhain Mystery Play
This rite is meant for more than one person, but you can easily adapt it for solo work. In this rite, typically the priest aspects the God during the ceremony. If there is no priest, then a priestess may aspect the God.
To begin, the priest or priestess (or both, if possible), carrying a broomstick, walks slowly counterclockwise in the circle, starting and ending in the east. As the leading celebrants start the circle dance, they chant the Witches’ Rune.
The leading priest or priestess stands before the altar, and others in the circle place the veil over the priest/ess’s face. They hand the priest/ess the athame, and he or she holds it in the Osiris position while a coven member points the wand just below the priest/ess’s navel.
The coven member holding the wand then reads the following out loud:
Dread Lord of the shadows,
God of Life, giver of life,
Yet is the knowledge of thee the knowledge of death.
Open wide, I pray thee, thy gates
Through which all must pass.
Let our dear ones who have gone before
Return this night to make merry with us,
And when our time comes, as it must,
O thou, the comforter, the consoler,
The giver of rest and peace,
We will enter thy realms gladly.
And refreshed among our dear ones,
We shall be reborn again by thy grace,
And by the grace of the Great Mother.
Let it be in the same place
And the same time as our beloved ones.
And may we meet and know and remember and love them again.
The coven member then touches the tip of the wand to the priest/ess’s right breast, the left breast, and returns to just below the navel again to close the triangle.
The coven member continues reading:
Descend, we pray, into the body of thy servant and priest/ess ________ here.
Speak with her/his tongue,
Touch with her/his hands,
Kiss with his/her lips,
So that thy servants may be fulfilled.
The coven member then hands the wand to the lead priest/ess. The priest/ess then speaks whatever comes to his or her mind and heart.
Following this is cakes and wine, then the closing of the circle.
The exercise for today leads to the next days’ exercise, which is revisioning the Samhain ritual. For the next couple of days, think and journal about the following questions:
• Which phases of the ritual were aligned with the mythic phases of the ordinary world, the departure, crossing the threshold, the ordeal, and the return?
• Were any of the stages missing for you? Which ones?
Samhain Revised
Magical Purpose: Reimagining this celebration.
Now that you have had time to consider what from the Samhain mystery play aligned with the mythic stages and what did not, it is time for you to reimagine and rewrite the ceremony for yourself. As you develop the ceremony over the next couple of days, do research on the topic of Samhain and be sure to keep in mind all of the mythic stages. Consider these questions:
• What does the ordinary world look like?
• How do we know there is a departure?
• What will the crossing of the threshold look like?
• What is the ordeal at Samhain?
• What is the boon, treasure, or healing that can take place as the result of the rite (representing the return)?
While you are thinking about these questions and planning the ceremony, consider adding the following short list of themes and magical elements that Witches typically incorporate into their Samhain celebrations:
Themes/Symbols: Death, the Crone, the Bagabi chant,29 the God in his aspect of death, widdershins movements, the end/the beginning, darkness as friend (as opposed to something that should be feared), final harvesting, spirits, the departed ancestors (also known as the Mighty Dead), the dumb supper, silence, stillness, mystery, scrying, fortunetelling, predictions for the new year, the cauldron, rebirth, past lives, storytelling, cornstalks, pumpkins, apples
Colors: Red, black, orange, brown, purple
Herbs: Acorn, deadly nightshade, dittany of Crete, fly agaric, fumitory, henbane, mullein, oak, sage, wolfsbane
Winter Solstice
Magical Purpose: Reimagining this sabbat.
Our purpose over the next days is to look at the basic Winter Solstice mystery play and consider how we might reimagine this, based on our mythic stages.
Winter Solstice Mystery Play
Place a cauldron before the altar, and light a fire either by using a very small quantity of denatured alcohol or by lighting a black candle in the cauldron. As you light the candle, say:
Fire, flame in the Old One’s name.
Straddle the broomstick, holding it with your non-dominant hand. Hold your wand in your dominant hand and point it toward the cauldron, saying:
Queen of Moon, Queen of Sun,
Queen of all and queen of none,
Queen of waters, earth, and sky,
The time once more is drawing nigh.
When the sun shall rise and vanquish night,
Darkness and tears are set aright.
Lord who shines on peak and tree,
Illumine the land, illumine me,
Illumine the waters, illumine the mind,
Be truth, be just, be strong, be kind,
Upon this night, joy rises with thee!
Io Ivohe! Blessed be!
A Word to the Wise: The chant of “Io Ivohe” originated with the Greeks and is found in chants to Dionysus.
The Witches’ Rune is chanted and all dance in a circle, deosil (sunwise), with the leading priest/ess straddling the broom.
Next, if there is more than one coven member, two members can enact the battle between the Holly King and the Ivy King, which symbolizes the battle between the light and dark of the year. (Be sure that the Ivy King wins, as the Holly King must pass with the dying of the sun.)
This is followed by cakes and wine, and the closing of the circle.
The next days’ exercise again has two parts. The first is thinking and journaling about the following questions:
• Which phases of the ritual were aligned with the mythic phases of the ordinary world, the departure, crossing the threshold, the ordeal, and the return?
• Were any of the stages missing for you? Which ones?
Winter Solstice Revised
Magical Purpose: Reimagining this celebration.
For today’s practice you will reimagine the basic Winter Solstice ceremony, keeping in mind all of the mythic stages.
• What does the ordinary world look like?
• How do we know there is a departure?
• What will the crossing of the threshold look like?
• What is the ordeal at Winter Solstice?
• What is the boon, treasure, or healing that can take place as a result of the rite (representing the return)?
While you are thinking about these questions and planning the ritual, consider adding the following short list of themes and magical elements that Witches typically incorporate into their Winter Solstice celebrations:
Themes/Symbols: Birth, the sun, snow, pine and evergreens, immortality, promise, rejuvenation, games, merriment, gifts are frequently exchanged, wreaths, trees, descent into darkness/emergence into light, hope/hopelessness, frivolity, sex, Yule log, singing in community.
Colors: Red, green, white, gold, silver
Herbs: Blessed thistle, evergreen, frankincense, holly, ivy, mistletoe, pine, sage
Imbolc
Magical Purpose: Reimagining this celebration.
Our purpose over the next days is to look at the traditional Imbolc mystery play and consider how this may be reimagined based on the mythic stages. Here is the basic Imbolc mystery play.
Imbolc Mystery Play
This ritual begins outside of the circle. The leading priest/ess has coven members hold hands and they follow behind the leading priest/ess in a dance, moving deosil around the outside perimeter of the circle, starting and ending in the east. While doing so, the leading priest/ess holds the athame (or sword if you have one) in the right hand and the wand in the left. They are crossed in an X formation above the priest/ess’s head.
All enter the circle space from the east, and the circle is cast.
After all are consecrated, the priest/ess pours milk into a chalice that sits atop the altar pentacle. The priest/ess holds the athame over the chalice and invokes:
O Great Goddess of us all,
She of large and she of small,
Giver of life, teacher of death,
Thou who art our very breath,
Encourage our hearts this Imbolc night,
Return to us by ray of light,
By sheep and ewe, by calf and cow,
Touch the soil and speed the plough.
Dip the athame in the milk. Continue by saying:
There is no part of us not thee,
By Maiden’s voice: Blessed be!
Each coven member stands before the priest/ess, who blesses each person with the milk at the Five True Points of Fellowship 30 (namely, the feet, knees, phallus/womb, breasts, and lips), saying:
Feet: Blessed be thy feet, which have brought thee in these ways.
Knees: Blessed be thy knees, which shall kneel at the sacred altar.
Phallus/Womb: Blessed be thy phallus/womb, without which we would not be.
Lips: Blessed be thy lips, which shall utter the sacred names.
Breasts: Blessed be thy breasts, formed in strength and beauty.
After this, all stand in a circle holding their athames in their hands. The priest/ess then takes the altar’s fire candle and holds it out for the coven member on his/her left. The coven member then holds his/her athame over the candle flame and says:
Blessed flame of hearth and home,
By sylph, salamander, undine, and gnome,
Suckle the young and quicken the field,
To the Goddess’s way, we all shall yield.
The candle is then passed from the priest/ess to the coven member on the left, who then holds it for the member on his/her left to bless the next athame. This continues around the entire circle.
This activity is followed by cakes and wine, and the closing of the circle.
For today, journal about the following questions:
• Which phases of the ritual were aligned with the mythic phases of the ordinary world, the departure, crossing the threshold, the ordeal, and the return?
• Were any of the stages missing for you? Which ones?
29. You can find a copy of the Bagabi chant in the Second Degree elevation ritual, in the final two days of this year and a day.
30. This is a particularly British Traditional term, which relates to the Great Rite and to other blessings and initiations. See, for example, Hutton, The Triumph of the Moon, pp. 230–231.