While some Wiccans quite happily and very successfully focus on spell-casting, rituals are the next, more formal, stage of magick. Like spells, rituals can be carried out alone or with others. You may recognize some of the stages I describe in this chapter from earlier chapters, but now we will now learn about them in more detail.
In Chapter 6, for example, I describe the ritual of Drawing Down the Moon, variations of which many solitary practitioners, informal magick groups, and more formal covens practice monthly on the full moon. After reading this chapter, you will have the tools to perform it yourself. There is no limit to what you can perform rituals for. You can send peace or healing to areas suffering through war, drought, or other natural disasters, or even to disadvantaged people who are struggling with poverty or disease. You can offer strength to anyone who needs it. However, rituals can simply give thanks for blessings received, ask for a private or collective blessing, or ask for help.
Many rituals are centered around rites of passage such as Handfasting; the passing of a beloved friend, family, or coven member, or a figure who has done good in the world; a Baby-Naming ceremony; or at seasonal change points to give strength to the year. These will be discussed in detail later in the book.
OFFERINGS IN RITUAL
Offerings, which are usually natural materials such as flowers/petals, herbs, or crystals, often take the place of a focused symbol, and as you make them you can request enough for your needs and a little more, and in return offer your service to others and the planet. Each of these has a magickal significance that you can discover in Chapter 10 (page 95). Note that for ease I am using northern hemisphere directions and associations in all these descriptions.
Pre-Ritual
Decide the right time and date for the ritual as well as appropriate incense fragrances, candle colors, etc., again using the references in Chapter 10.
If working ritually with a coven or less formal magickal group, decide in advance the format you will follow and who will be responsible for particular parts of the ritual. If working alone, draw up a written plan but carry out the ritual without notes as spontaneity and an open heart are what matter. Only in very formal magick is total precision necessary.
Prepare yourself by bathing or anointing your four main energy center points and putting on a loose robe you keep for the occasion (see Chapter 1, page 1, for information on dedicating the altar) either before or immediately after asperging the area of the planned circle.
Stage 1: Preparing the Ritual Area
Cleanse the anticipated circle area by asperging or sprinkling it with a small bundle of twigs dipped in water and/or sweeping (see Chapter 2, page 13, for information on circle-casting).
Indoors, smudge the room with an herbal smoke stick in cedar or sagebrush, or a cedar or pine incense stick, in alternate clockwise and counter-clockwise circles. Both indoors and out, add a chant as you work, such as: May only goodness and light remain here and may this area be dedicated for the greatest good and highest purpose.
Set up your altar with the four magickal substances, a bowl of salt, incense, candle, and water bowl, and as many or as few of the magickal tools listed on page 3 as you choose. Include the pentacle in the north, the athame or knife in the east, the wand in the south, and the chalice in the west, each to the right of its own elemental substance. You may wish to refer back to Chapter 1, page 2, for information on setting the altar.
In the center of the altar, set an offerings bowl for your symbolic offerings (use a mini cauldron if you wish). A normal-size cauldron is good for use outdoors at a larger gathering; it can serve as the central offerings repository.
Before beginning the ritual, pass your hands over the altar nine times—the one you write with clockwise and the other counter-clockwise, palms down. Say nine times: Blessings be on this altar and this ritual. May my/our magick be only for the greatest good and with the purest intention. I have noticed that even in the southern hemisphere, for raising power, most practitioners use the northern clockwise/power hand and counter-clockwise/receptive hand.
Light charcoal beforehand if you are using granular incense as opposed to sticks or cones.
Stage 2: Mark the Beginning of the Ritual Formally
Ring the bell at each of the Quarters of the circle, whether physical or visualized. If you are using a pre-constructed one, start in the north where the bell is. Then make an opening blessing and ask for the protection of God and Goddess, the power of light, or specific deities, facing north, or if others are present, standing in the center of the visualized circle, slowly turning in all directions as you speak.
Raise your arms high and wide as you say something like Bless this ritual, Mother and Father, keep harm beyond and peace within. Bless me/all who gather here/this day or By earth and sky and sea be blessed, by moon and sun and stars be sanctified.
Light the Goddess candle and, from it, the God candle, left to right.
Bless the salt and water and add salt to the water bowl, as you did in Chapter 1 when dedicating your tools. Make the cross first in the salt, then the water bowl with the athame.
Light the elemental south candle, and if you are using four directional altar candles light those north to west clockwise, which would make two candles in total in the south.
Light any incense cones or incense sticks from the Goddess candle, or sprinkle some incense mix on the charcoal, which should be white hot.
Stage 3: Casting the Circle
You may wish to refer back to Chapter 2, page 13.
In a group rite, after the blessing and before circle-casting, you can lead all those present into the ritual area, all joining hands and spiraling until you make a physical circle joined by hands, left palm up, right palm down. Then create the magickal circle around them and signal the dropping of hands.
Walk around the inside of the circle, and, as they face you, sprinkle each one with a few drops of water or salt water, saying Blessed be or You are welcome.
Sprinkle yourself with the sacred salt water if working alone, returning to the altar after circle-casting, facing north.
In turn, invite the Elemental Guardians into the circle to stand at the four Watchtowers or Quarters. You may like to reread about them in Chapter 3, page 34.
Alternatively, request the presence of the four main archangels: Uriel in the north, Raphael in the east, Michael in the south, and Gabriel in the west.
Greeting the Guardians
Moving around the inside of the perimeter of the cast circle, when you reach the center of the first visualized quadrant, Earth, in the north, face north, raise both arms (palms flat and uppermost), and say: Wise guardian of the north, hail and welcome.
Then continue to Air, Fire, and Water, ultimately returning to the altar.
Ask for the qualities of each appropriate elemental power, such as the inspiration of Fire to enter the ritual and perhaps describe the place of fire/light you see the Fire Guardian stepping from. Then make the invoking pentagram (see page 8) at each Quarter.
If in a group, everyone faces the direction being opened, raises their arms, and echoes Hail and welcome. They then draw the pentagram in the air. Some practitioners make the pentagram before the greeting—your choice.
In a group, four different people can lead opening each Quarter.
Using the Pentagram to Greet the Guardians
There are two ways of greeting the Guardians with the pentagram as you face each direction.
Either use the generic invoking pentagram described in Chapter 3 (page 8), which is in fact the Earth element–invoking pentagram (see page 56 for element-specific pentagrams). Alternatively, make a different invoking elemental pentagram according to the element of the Quarter being opened.
To Remind You of the All-Purpose Invoking Pentagram
Pentagrams are generally drawn from chest height with an outstretched and bent arm at about a 60-degree angle to the body. You should be facing outward, toward the Watchtower. The pentagrams should be drawn at the size of a large dinner plate or a small round shield.
Draw pentagrams with your athame, your wand, the index finger and second finger of your power hand together with the rest tucked in, or the whole hand with all fingers together.
If using the different elemental pentagrams to open a Watchtower, draw the pentagram starting from the point opposite its elemental point on the pentagram (see the element-specific pentagrams on page 56).
To close the Watchtower at the end of the ritual, draw the pentagram starting from its elemental point on the pentagram.
Invoke toward and banish away from the element you’re working with.
Pentagrams are either visualized in their own colors—green for Earth, yellow for Air, red for Fire, and blue for Water—or as a brilliant, electric blue.
The following diagrams will remind you of the elemental positions so you know where to start drawing:
Stage 5: Inviting In the Wise Ones
Next, invite chosen ancestors, spiritual and actual, into the circle, plus your spirit guides and guardian angels of those of anyone present.
Face west and either blow a horn, call with your voice, make nine short drum beats, ring the bell nine times, or strike the ground with your staff to invite them in.
If outdoors, swing around in a complete clockwise circle from the north, arms open wide, palms outermost and vertical, asking into the circle any benign fey beings and nature spirits if they wish to attend.
Finally face south, open your arms wide again, and ask if the deities (you can name them) would enter your circle and ritual.
Stage 6: Defining Ceremonially the Purpose of the Ritual
If working alone, begin with I am and state your magickal names. Then say: I come here to this place at this hour to [state the purpose of the rite].
Make your offerings in the central bowl.
If others are present, each person would in turn add their offering or pass around the bowl.
The person leading the ritual would now bless the offerings dish with the four elemental substances—salt, incense, candle, and sacred water—by passing them over the dish or sprinkling them around the dish.
Now the four sacred tools in turn, first the pentacle, then the tip of the athame, then the tip of the wand, and then the chalice, would be circled over them with appropriate elemental blessings.
Then, holding the offerings dish yourself or passing it around the circle four times, ask all present to endow it, first with an Earth strength or quality, then Air, then Fire, and finally Water.
Stage 7: The Body of the Ritual
The body of the ritual involves charging the offerings with power, in the same way as in spell-casting: dancing, drumming, chanting, etc., with a chosen person leading the group, perhaps in a spiral or circle dance, faster and faster around the altar.
Alternatively, there could be the speaking of the charge (wise words) of the Goddess/God, and then you or whoever spoke them would be moved to speak spontaneously about the purpose of the ritual (see next chapter), with anyone present adding their own inspiration aloud.
Stage 8: Releasing the Power/the Resolution
Once the power has been raised, it is released to rise and fall into the offerings symbol. Everyone present could make a final leap, clap, and then sit or stand motionless, allowing the cone power to rise and enter the offerings and all present.
Stage 9: The Chalice and Blade Rite
In a personal ritual, this would form the closing part of the ceremony, or among a group, as the cakes/ale part following is an extension of this.
Take the chalice/goblet in your receptive hand and your athame in your power hand and gently lower the tip of the knife so it almost touches the surface of the wine or juice. This represents the joining of Goddess (in the chalice) and God energies (in the knife). Say: As male to female, God to Goddess, so in this wine/juice is joined in power and love, strength, compassion, striving, and acceptance. Blessed be.
Pour a little on the ground or indoors in a special bowl to be tipped outdoors later. Now drink a little and leave the rest on the altar or pass/take it around the group for each to drink with a kiss on each cheek and say: Blessed be.
Stage 10: Substituting the Cakes/Ale for the Chalice/Blade
This stage adds the element of the Earth/grain to the wine/water (akin to the Christian communion) and is optional.
You need a small cake or biscuit made with honey for each person, plus one as an offering, and a chalice filled with wine or dark-colored fruit juice.
If more than one person is present, one can bless the cakes and two people bless the wine.
Before the ritual, set the cakes toward the north of the altar on a dish or plate marked with a pentacle and the chalice as usual in the west.
At the end of the ritual, raise the cakes skyward in front of the altar as you stand in the south of it facing north.
Lower them to solar plexus level in front of you and make an invoking Earth pentagram, or cross over the cakes with your power hand as you hold them in the other, saying: May the abundance of the Mother and the bountifulness of the Father bless and nourish, sustain and protect me/you all my/your days. Blessed be.
Put the plate in the center of the altar.
Take the chalice/goblet in your receptive hand and add the chalice and blade ritual here instead of separately as before.
Afterward, return the chalice to the center of the altar, now to the right of the cakes.
From one of the cakes, scatter a few crumbs on the ground or into an offerings dish if indoors and say: I return this gift to the Earth Mother in gratitude for blessings received. Blessings be to your mother and to me/all here gathered.
Now those who did the ritual blessings will each eat a cake and then pass them around to anyone else present. Each recipient says Blessed be.
Return the plate to the altar and take the wine, dropping a little on the ground and thanking Mother Earth again for her blessings. Pour this offering into a dish if indoors. You can put the crumbs and liquid outside after the ceremony.
Now drink or offer it to the other person who blessed the chalice. He or she will take a sip and offer it to you or the other person who carried out the blessing, saying Blessed be.
If others are present, pass the cup around so each can take a sip, again saying Blessed be.
Stage 11: Returning the Energies
This is a special time before circle closing for personal/group scrying (water in a bowl or the cauldron with lighted candles around it or in a crystal sphere, passed around); sending healing blessings; singing; softly drumming; or making wishes for the future into a candle flame. Alone, it’s a good time for inspired writing in your Book of Shadows.
Stage 12: Closing the Quarters
Face south if you invited deity energies, open your arms wide as you did when calling them and thank them, and say: Hail and farewell. Until we meet again. Everyone can do this.
Face west and bid any ancestors farewell by banging the staff or ringing the bell as you did to call them and give thanks, saying: Hail and farewell. Until we meet again.
Straight afterward go to the western inner perimeter of the circle and close the elemental gateway of Water (some close north to east, as I suggested in Chapter 3, page 36). Try both and see which works for you. Here I give the alternative that has the advantage of ending where you started with the Guardian of the North.
Raise your arms high and wide, with palms flat and uppermost, and bid Hail and farewell to the Guardians of the West, thanking them for their protection and strength and adding Until we meet again.
Again everyone present faces west and echoes Hail and farewell.
Make the appropriate elemental banishing pentagram at each Quarter if you wish, either before or more usually after the farewell, or make the more generic banishing pentagram (refer to page 37) at each Quarter.
Then slowly, in turn, close each gateway, moving counter-clockwise from wherever you started the closing, saying Hail and farewell. Until we meet again, until you are back where you started.
Extinguish any directional candles as you go.
Some people close the gateways in the same direction they opened them, clockwise from north, and you can do this straight after bidding the ancestors farewell by moving deosil, sunwise, to the north, but counter-clockwise feels better to me.
Stage 13: Uncasting the Circle
Say or chant: May the circle that is cast forever be unbroken, may the love of the Goddess be forever in my/our heart(s). Merry meet and merry part and merry meet again (a popular Wiccan chant). Another favorite of mine is: May I/you never hunger. May I/you never thirst. May I/you never cry alone without loving arms to hold me/you. And may the Goddess hold me/you in the palm of her hand until I/we draw close again.
Reread the section in Chapter 2 on uncasting circles, page 19.
If in a group, often musical offerings or poems are spoken and a bring-and-share meal enjoyed. If alone, have something especially good to eat and drink afterward whilst listening to gentle music.
Leave the altar candles burning till you leave.
In the next chapter, we will work with the Goddesses of Wicca.