Appendix IV: Variations of the
Four Adorations
Four Adorations of the
Temple of Witchcraft
My version of the Four Adorations (Exercise 14) is fairly simple. While this is the poetry I first used, and I deliberately kept it simple, I find myself spontaneously talking to each element, direction, and god that I work with when I do the adoration, rather than speaking memorized prose.
Face east when you rise to attune to the element of fire and the rising Sun.
Hold the Goddess position. Say:
To the east,
I welcome the rising Sun, guiding my day.
I welcome the god of the Sun as the lord Lugh and the many skills you bless me with.
I welcome you into my soul.
Blessed Be.
Face south at noon to attune to the element of air and the open sky.
Hold the Goddess position. Say:
To the south,
I welcome the sky, watching my path.
I welcome the crow-feathered goddess Macha, the wise crow woman.
I welcome you into my mind and words.
Blessed Be.
Face west at sunset to attune to the element of water and the setting Sun.
Hold the God position. Say:
To the west,
I welcome the setting Sun, closing the day.
I welcome the goddess Ceridwen, goddess of the cauldron.
I welcome you into my heart.
Blessed Be.
Face north at bedtime to attune to the earth element and the darkness.
Hold the God position. Say:
To the north,
I welcome the Moon and the night.
I welcome the horned god Cernunnos, midnight master of the Underworld.
I welcome you into my home and dreams.
Blessed Be.
Starwell Adorations
This Celtic variation of the Four Adorations was written by Adam Sartwell. With both Goddess and God in each adoration, this version is a complement to his Crossroads Banishing Ritual (see Appendix II).
Hail on to thee who art Bran, white raven rising.
Hail on to thee, Branwen, dawn’s newborn face.
Follow the trail of the Sun’s birth.
Night is ended in the rapture of your splendor.
Hail on to thee from the abodes of night.
Hail on to thee, Lugh, in the heat of noon.
Hail on to thee, Bridget, inspired spark.
Who art Lugh many skilled.
Who art Bridget poet and smith.
Exultant in the flames of all creation.
Hail on to thee from the abodes of morning.
Hail on to thee, Cerridwyn, cauldron of wisdom’s rebirth.
Hail on to thee, Manannan, sailor of the setting Sun.
Who art Cerridwyn of as many shapes as water.
Who art Manannan, ferryman of the isle of apples.
Honored in the fading radiance of the Sun.
Hail on to thee from the abodes of the day.
Hail on to thee, Danu, nourisher of the fertile soil.
Hail on to thee, Cernunnos, shadow of the forest.
Who art Danu, mother to all Fey.
Who art Cernunnos, Lord of the crossroads of life and death.
Dance to the music of the distant stars.
Hail on to thee from the abodes of evening.
Other Versions of the Four Adorations
Kheperu Nu Ra: The Evolutions of Ra
This alternate version of the traditional Four Adorations, created by Chic and Sandra Tabatha Cicero, can be found in their book Self-Initiation into the Golden Dawn Tradition: A Complete Curriculum of Study for Both the Solitary Magician and the Working Magical Group.
The Adoration of Belinus
This version of the Four Adorations honors the Celtic god Belinus, and was written by Gahmuret for the practitioners of the Sodalicium Mysteriorum Arthuri. There is a lunar adoration in this tradition as well, known as the Adoration of the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone. See http://sodalicium.org/belinus.html.