|
|
![]() |
Purpose:
Materials needed:
Preparation:
Premise:
1. Opening of any sort one feels comfortable with. 2. Statement of intent: "It is my will to greet my past, and accept it for what it is." 3. MO recites the invocation: I call the past to meet the present, that the future may be bright. I bring myself forth from the dark, and hold me to the light. Let not the past control my present, let not my future be dark as night. I meet and greet me with open arms, and move back into the light. 4. At this point, one person sits in the center of the group with their box, keeping it closed. Hishi focuses on the box while the rest of the participants circle around hir, teasing, insulting, degrading hir. At this point, the teasing should not be to personal. When hishi reaches gnosis, hishi opens the box, and gazes inside, seeing whatever they see. At this point, the taunting should reach a more personal, and vicious attitude. This continues until hishi closes their box again. 5. The box then is dealt with in whatever manner hishi sees fit. It can be destroyed, left open in a spot of sunlight, kept for future uses, as it may be a good idea to do this more than once. 6. When the first person is finished, another takes hir place, until the entire group has a turn. 7. Banish by laughter, and hugs all 'round.
As evening falls around us, we could use words like blind.
Dark Moon Ritual by Magus and Ariel Chanting before and while entering circle. Soft background music when ritual starts. Priest: We are gathered here in recognition of the dark, to celebrate the dark mother, the crone of time, grandmother of us all! All ears hear! The circle is about to be cast, let none be present but of their own free will! Be it known that we are in the presence of the dark Goddess. Priestess: circles deosil with the salt, casts the first circle. I cast the circle thus! With salt, deep from the womb of the mother! From oceans deep and cold! I consecrate this space! So mote it be! Priest: circling deosil with water. I cast the circle thus! With water, ancient and old; with the life blood of the world! I consecrate this space! So mote it be! Priest: circling deosil with censor. I cast the circle thus! With fire and air, clean and hot! I consecrate this space! So mote it be! Priest: And ever it was thus! All: So mote it be! Calling of the quarters: Priestess: Ancient one of elemental Air! I call and summon thee by name! Raphael of the wide ranging air! Sylph of the endless skies! We bid you come! Stand in our presence and guard this circle cast. So mote it be! All: So mote it be! Priest: Ancient one of elemental Earth! I call and summon thee by name! Oriel of the fertile plain! Gnome of forests deep! We bid you come! Stand in our presence and guard this circle cast! So mote it be! All: So mote it be! Priestess: Ancient one of elemental Fire! I call and summon thee by name! Michael of flickering flame! Salamander of scorching fire! We bid you come! Stand in our presence and guard this circle cast! So mote it be! All: So mote it be! Priest: Ancient one of elemental Water! I call and summon thee by name! Gabriel of oceans and streams! Undine of pools and ponds! We bid you come! Stand in our presence and guard our circle cast! So mote it be! All: So mote it be! Priest stands in the east, Priestess stands in the west. Together with outstretched arms begin chant A U M ! All: So mote it be! Priestess: And ever it was thus! From the beginnings of the world, air and earth, fire and water weaved together with spirit and love! All CHANT We all come from the GoddessPriest: Dark Mother!! Crone of time!! We ask your presence and your blessing! All things to you must go, though darkness and death are your domain, you promise peace and rest! Thy gift is life! Yours is the hand that turns the wheel and cuts the thread. Be with us this magickal night! Give each of us your wisdom and bless our rite! So mote it be! All: So mote it be! Priest and Priestess circle while chanting:While Priest and Priestess chant, everyone else can chant also if the mood strikes. Each person will take a sheet of parchment paper and write down that which they have outgrown and want removed. They will keep the paper with them until later when this petition will be burned and tossed into cauldron. Priest and Priestess: And ever it was thus! Priest: As God Priestess: To Goddess Together: So woman to man
The energies joined and co-mingled
Priestess takes chalice: Dark Lady, Mother of night, we thank you for your presence and wisdom. (pouring liquid into libation bowl) as the fruit of the vine was plucked and pressed, it came to know the touch of death and thereby we are sustained and carry on! Priest takes cakes: Likewise as the grain of the field ripened and fell beneath the scythe it came to know the touch of death, whereby we are sustained and carry on! While cakes and wine are passed around all will
chant:
Hine matov umanayim
Priestess: And ever it was thus! All: Blessed be! Priestess stand in the west with cauldron in front of her. Priest kneels and silently draws down . While still kneeling Priest says: Dark Lady of the waning moon!
(Priest stands and lights cauldron) Priestess draws invoking earth pentegram in front of Priest saying: Of the Mother darksome and divine
Priest: Here ye the words of the Dark Lady;
Priestess: Worship me as the Crone!
Though the darkness of death is my domain,
Everyone in turn ignites their petition off the cauldron and tosses it into the cauldron. Priestess embraces each person as they go by. Priestess: And ever it was thus! That which falls to the hand of the crone finds regeneration and new life! All circle and CHANT: She changes everything she touches and everything she touches changes! Priestess: Grandmother! Blessed thou be! Depart to thy realms . Thank you for the lessons learned this dark night! Blessed be! All: Blessed be! Priestess: Ancient one of elemental Air! Thank you for your vigil here! Leave with us a renewed mind as clear as air! Blessed be! All: Blessed be! Priest: Ancient one of elemental Earth! Thank you for your vigil here! Leave with us steadiness and patience! Blessed be! All: Blessed be! Priestess: Ancient one of elemental Fire! Thank you for your vigil here! Leave with us swiftness and action, a flaming soul to always do what is right! Blessed be! All: Blessed be! Priest: Ancient one of elemental Water! Thank you for your vigil here! As you depart leave with us the fluidity of water that we may have compassion for our fellows as well as our selves! Blessed be! All: Blessed be! Priestess: Let all ears hear! The circle is open but remains unbroken! Brothers and sisters, we are children of the Lord and Lady! May they always dance within our hearts. Merry did we meet, merry do we part, merry we meet again! All: Merry did we meet, merry do we part, merry we meet again! Blessed be! 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.The principle is: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.The Archangelic Invocation Instead of the Hebrew Archangels I described, you could use Wiccan Deities to invoke the 'pure' form of the Elements.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 of 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. A few points to note:2) the male-female poles are established with the masculine images (Herne and Cernunnos) attributed to the active Elements (Air and Fire) and the feminine images (Aradia and Habondia) to the passive Elements (Water and Earth). Note that one figure of each gender stands in light, and one in darkness. This male- female/positive-negative/active-passive polarity is central to virtually all systems of magick, eg. the yin/yang symbol in oriental systems. I may be betraying solar-phallic tendencies by these assignments, and you may want to use different attributions: The Maiden can be Air and the Mother switch to Water, with the Hunter moving into Earth, for example. Heck, the dual God Forms should perhaps be invoked in each quarter. eg. Venus/Adonis imagery in East or South, Hertha/Herne in West, etc. The Star Of David The last line of the Invocation refers to a 'six-rayed star'and the mental work calls for imagining a Star of David. This is not a specifically Jewish symbol in this context. The six-pointed star, or hexagram, is the Qabalistic symbol par excellence of initiation and spiritual illumination. The upward-pointing triangle represents the aspiration of the magician to the Gods, and the downward-pointing triangle represents the divine power, flowing down to the world. These meet at the moment of magick and the interlaced triangles forming the hexagram symbolize the power of this meeting. Should you prefer not to use the Star of David, you can replace the mental image with any symbol showing the meeting of your soul and the power of the Goddess. This can even be a private symbol, one that is meaningful only to you. Alternatively, you can just envision the sphere of white light from the Q-Cross, as a symbol of divine power. Replace the words about the 'six-rayed star' with some descriptive form: 'the seal of the Goddess,' or 'the sign of my Awakening,' or simply 'the light Divine.'WICCAN PENTAGRAM RITUAL Rubric [This is a form of the rite incorporating the changes in symbolism discussed above]CIRCLE OF PROTECTION Trace pentagram in East. Say HERNE. Trace circle of protection until facing South. Trace pentagram in South. Say CERNUNNOS. Trace circle of protection until facing West. Trace pentagram in West. Say ARADIA. Trace circle of protection until facing North. Trace pentagram in North. Say HABONDIA. Finish tracing circle, closing it in the East.Before me HERNE The Huntsman
Repeat the Wiccan Cross. Rather than performing this in the rather measured cadences of Qabalistic Ritual, a form of dancing and chanting more pleasing to the God-forms of Wicca might profitably be devised. Samhain Ritual For Small Circle L. A. Hussey
[older woman to older man]: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]: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]: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]: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, |