Once home, celebrate in some special way.
SECTION III OF
this book contains a complete system of Wiccan rituals. I included this so that those without access to a Book of Shadows would have one, complete and ready for practical application and study.
This doesn’t mean that these rituals are to be slavishly followed. This is not a tradition in the sense of something that has been handed down for years, but a viable example of a basic Wiccan Book of Shadows.
Since I want you to be free to write your own rituals, or to evolve them as the need arises, I decided that a chapter on ritual design was in order.
There’s no great mystery concerning the structure of Wiccan rites, at least not anymore. Some say this is a good thing, this lessening of secrecy regarding Wicca. Others feel that it has stripped the religion of its romance. I understand this, but (as you well know by now) I also feel that Wicca should be available to all.
A chapter of this kind may seem harsh, focusing a rational, analytical light on spiritual matters.As my friend Barda once wrote to me, “Wicca is akin to a beautiful flower. If you rip off all its petals one by one to see how it’s put together, you still have a flower, but it’s not quite as beautiful.” I hope to avoid this here.
First off, while I’m going to give you an overall structure for composing your own rituals, this structure isn’t carved in stone.Most of the following nine points are basic to Wiccan rituals, although many use only some of them. They’re an excellent guide to creating your own.
These are the nine basic components of Wiccan ritual:
1. Purification of self
2. Purification of space
3. Creating sacred space
4. Invocation
5. Ritual observance (on sabbats and esbats)
6. Energy raising (during magic)
7. Earthing the power
8. Thanking the Goddess and God
9. Breaking the circle
Purification of Self
This was covered in chapter 6, “Ritual and Preparation for Ritual.” In essence, it consists of bathing, anointing your body with oil, meditation, deep breathing, and otherwise purifying your body, mind, and soul, and readying yourself for the coming rite.
This is truly a purification, an attempt to shrug off problems and thoughts of your everyday world. This is a time for calmness, for peace.
Although ritual bathing is common in Wicca, there are other methods of purifying the body. Stand in a rush of wind and visualize it carrying away negative thoughts and emotions.
Or use music: drumming softly for a few minutes is an excellent cleansing ritual (though your neighbors may have different views on it). Other instruments useful for purification include bells, gongs, sis-trums (of the cleansing element of water) and guitars, violins, harps, and mandolins (instruments of the purifying element of fire).
This emphasis on purification shouldn’t be taken out of context. Our bodies aren’t breeding grounds for astral entities. We’re exposed to negativity every day, however, from scenes of carnage and destruction in the papers and on the news and from our own dark thoughts. So these purifications aren’t intended to chase away demons or devils; they simply free us of some of this negativity
While purifying yourself, remember to purify your thoughts as well. Prepare for the ritual. A Kahuna (an expert in the ancient Hawaiian system of magic, philosophy, religion, and applied technology
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) once told me that the moment you think about performing a ritual
you are
doing so.
It is already taking place. Energies are moving, consciousness is shifting.
During your ritual purification, know that you’ve already lit the candles, laid the circle, and invoked the Goddess and God. Don’t think of the coming ritual, for it is already in progress.
This may seem a bit confusing, but it is an excellent tool to train your awareness.
Purification of Space
Outdoor ritual spaces rarely have to be purified. Indoor rituals, though, usually require it. Most living spaces accumulate “astral garbage,” pockets of negativity and other energies that collect in human habitations. Since these energies can be disruptive, the area is ritually cleansed prior to actual workings.
There are two specifics here: indoor and outdoor rituals.
For in-home rites, if you’re alone in the house, lock the door, take the phone off the hook, and close the curtains.You must be assured of absolute privacy and lack of interruptions during the ritual. If others are home, tell them you’re not to be disturbed until further notice.
If this presents a problem and a mate or your family won’t give you any time to yourself, work your rituals late at night or early in the morning when others are asleep.
Clean the floor physically. Sweep with a regular broom, vacuum, or mop. Once clean, it can be purified with the old Witch’s tool, the magic broom.
You needn’t actually touch the bristles to the floor. Do, however, brush briskly, visualizing the broom sweeping away negativity, ill, and psychic clutter. You might visualize the broom shooting out sparks, or perhaps flaming with an intense blue or violet light that burns negativity to ashes.Visualize and know that the broom is magically cleansing the room. It will be so.
Another way to purify the ritual area is to scatter salt, either alone or mixed with a powdered herb or resin such as thyme, rosemary, frankincense, copal, sage, or dragon’s blood.
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Salt water is also used. The scattering action releases the energies resident within the salt and herbs and these, directed and magnified by your ritual intent and visualization, drive away the disturbing energies.
Do this with power.
Or, play a musical instrument to the four quarters while walking clockwise around the area. In general, ascending scales purify. You might also chant, especially sounds that you feel set up protective and purifying energies. You can discover these through experimentation and heightened psychic awareness.
You can also simply burn an herb with proven “clearing” qualities as an incense, such as frankincense, myrrh, sage, thyme, or rosemary, alone or in combination. Fumigate the ritual space with the smoke and visualize it driving away negativity.
Outdoor rituals require a minimum of cleansing. Most of the natural environment is far less psychically polluted than are our homes and other buildings. A traditional light sweeping with the magic broom (in this case, to actually brush away fallen leaves or pebbles as well as negativity), backed up with your visualization, will suffice. Sprinkling pure water is also fine but, since salt can be harmful to plants, it’s best not to use it outdoors.
Creating Sacred Space
This section consists of arranging the altar (if it isn’t a permanent one) and forming the magic circle. In chapter 7, “The Magic Circle” and the Altar, I discussed these topics at length, and so will limit my comments here to a few.
Though many Wiccans place their altars in the center of the area, and indeed in the center of the future magic circle, others do not. Some place it in one of the “corners” of the circle, next to its edge, usually in the north or east. This, they say, makes it easier to move around the circle. I find it to be exactly the opposite. Additionally, it restricts your possible methods of forming the circle.
It doesn’t matter which you use, so try both and find out which works the best for you.
I use two altars. One’s permanent, the other is erected only for rituals. I always place the altar in the center of the circle, facing north, if only because this is familiar to me. Besides, if I put it at the northern edge of the circle, I’d probably kick it over.
Now to the circle, or “sphere of power.” You’ll find one form of circle casting in
The Standing Stones Book of Shadows.
There are many other types, and indeed that particular form can’t be used in every situation. One of these variants may be more to your liking (or better suited to your ritual space).
The first is more heavily dependent upon your visualization and magical abilities than others, for it uses no tools but your mind.
To help your visualization, place a purple cord or some other object(s) on the ground to mark the circle’s circumference. Stand before the altar, or in the center of the circle (during outdoor rituals you might not have an altar). Face east or the preferred direction. Build the power within you. When it has reached a fine pitch (you’ll know with practice), hold your projective hand palm down, waist level. Point your fingers toward the edge of the future circle.
See
and
feel
the energy flowing out from your fingertips in a stream of vibrating purplish-blue light. Slowly walk the circle, clockwise. Push the power out and form it with your visualization into a circling band of glowing magical light, the exact width of your circle (usually nine feet or less). This circle should hang around you and the altar.
When this band of light is swirling in the air, stretch it with your visualization. See it expanding and increasing in size. Form it into a dome of energy surrounding the ritual area. It should touch the earth precisely aligned with your cord ring, if any. Now extend this energy down into the earth until it forms a complete sphere as you stand in its center.
The circle should be a living, glowing reality. Feel its energy. Sense the edge of the circle. Sense the difference in vibration within and without it. Contrary to popular Wiccan teachings, pushing your hand into or walking through a magic sphere will cause no astral damage, any more than will walking through a protective power shield set up around your home. After all, most magic circles are so designed that if you stand near the circle’s edge, your head and half your torso extend outside it. Walking through the circle, at most, will give you a jolt of energy. It will also dissipate it. If this happens, simply form it again.
When the circle seems complete and solid around you, break off the flow of energy from your projective hand by turning your palm downward and pulling it back to your body. Shut off the flow. Shake your hand if necessary to break it.
Next, you may wish to invoke the rulers of the four quarters of the circle. There are varied Wiccan teachings and ideas regarding these four rulers. Some link them with the elements; thus the “spirit” or ruler of the east is related to air; the south, to fire; the west, to water; the north, to earth.
Then again, some Wiccans don’t see them as necessarily elemental in nature, but simply as anciently placed guardians or watchers of the four directions, perhaps created by the goddesses and gods of earlier times.
Still other Wiccans view them as the Mighty Ones, former humans who have spiraled up the incarnational path until they’ve reached perfection. This allows them to “dwell with the Goddess and God.” These Mighty Ones are mythologically linked to the four directions.
Perhaps it’s best to get in touch with these energies and discover them for yourself.No matter how you view these rulers, open yourself to them during invocation. Don’t just say the words or visualize the colors during the circle casting; invite them to be present. Stretch out with your awareness.
Know
whether they’ve arrived or not.
Too many Wiccans say the words but don’t check their effectiveness. The words are the least important part of a Wiccan ritual, save for their use in promoting ritual consciousness.
Words don’t have to be used to invoke the rulers, but they’re tools that train the attention, focus our awareness, and stir up the emotions— when properly stated. You can use the invocations in the circle casting section of the book or write your own.
To leave the circle during a ritual, cut a doorway (see section III). This preserves the flow of energy around the circle save for a small section that you clear. Through this you can pass to the outside world without unduly disturbing the rest of the circle. Just remember to close it after returning.
Another, simpler form of circle construction uses physical activity to raise power, and is easier to do if you’re not quite fluent with energy raising. Stand facing north at the edge of the future circle. Turn to the right and walk slowly, marking out the circle’s edge with your feet.
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As you continue your ritual tread, you may wish to chant Goddess or God names, or perhaps both. You might think of their presence or simply shift your awareness to the energy that your body is generating. If you’ve placed the altar to one side of the circle, move a few feet inward as you pass by it.
Continue to move clockwise, but gently increase your pace. The energy will slide off your body and, picked up by your momentum, will be carried around with you in your circular path.
Move faster. Feel the energy flowing within you. You may feel a sensation such as you feel when walking in water—the energy will move with you as you release it. Sense your personal power creating a sphere of energy around the altar. When this is firmly established, invoke the four quarters and the rites can begin.
Both of the above methods are ideal for rituals wherein magic will take place, but for purely religious rites such constructions of psychic energy are not strictly necessary. Though the circle is thought of as being “between the worlds,” and a meeting place with the Goddess and God, we needn’t create such psychic temples to commune with the deities of nature, nor do they appear when called like pets. Wiccan ritual is used to expand our awareness of them, not the other way around.
Therefore, complex circle castings (such as the one in section III) aren’t always necessary, especially during outdoor rites where such circles are usually impossible to construct. Fortunately, there are simpler forms that can be used.
An outdoor circle casting may entail nothing more than placing a stick of burning incense at each of the quarters. Start in the north and move clockwise around the circle. Invoke the quarters.
A circle can also be traced in the sand or dirt with a finger, a wand, or the white-handled knife. This is ideal for sea and forest rituals.
Or, you may wish to place objects to mark out the circle’s perimeter. Vegetation is particularly appropriate: flowers for spring, pine and holly for winter (see “An Herbal Grimoire” in
The Standing Stones
Book of Shadows
for other suggestions). A ring of small river-polished stones or quartz crystals are other possibilities.