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Samhain Ritual 1. Cast the circle 2. Call the elements 3. Call the gods HPS The wheel of the year turns on and on, bringing us from each season to the next. What will be is, what was, will be. All time is here and now in this sacred space we share. HP We pause briefly now to watch the wheel turn. We gather to celebrate the season, In this we come to praise the wise goddess and her aged consort who is soon to pass into the Summerland, opening the veil between our world and the world of the spirits HPS Tonight is a night of death, when our blessed god passes into the Summerland. HP Tonight is also a night of life, when we honor our wise old goddess who will see us through this season to life renewed. Coven Blessed be the God. Blessed be the crone, bringer of death and giver of life. 4. Oldest male other than HP takes up the god candle, blows it out, then lays on the ground 5. Oldest female takes the goddess candle and kneels at the side of the man portraying the god. She keens softly as she morns the lose of her consort (*watch for wax dripping, don’t want to hurt the man portraying the god.) Coven Farewell blessed lord, may your journey to the Summerland be safe 6. HP places the extinguished candle on the altar. He and the oldest man merge with the coven to signify that the god has gone. HPS As our beloved lord passes between the worlds, that very veil has thinned to nearly nothingness. Those who have passed may now return if they wish to talk with the living. We will ask them to join us tonight 7. All the coven turns to face the west. Coven Blessed be spirit and flesh, blessed be the ever turning wheel, behold the summers end, behold a new winter. Blessed be all. 8. HPS takes a wand and walks to the center of the circle. HPS Farewell Blessed Summer 9. HPS makes the banishing pentagram while the coven says Coven farewell season of light and warmth 10. HPS draws invoking pentagram Coven Welcome winter, season of dark and cold HPS The wheel of the year has made another transit. We are poised at a time which is an ending and yet is also a new beginning . We pause to look back at times remember, and we look forward to times yet to come. Coven What will the new year hold? HPS Approach the cauldron of the crone and seek your answers 11. Now everyone stands holding hands scrying into the water. HPS breaks the session by releasing her neighbor’s hands HPS We have seen where we are traveling, for it is where we have been. Who is goddess? All W I am Goddess HPS Who is God? All M I am God HPS Who is Goddess and God? Coven All living beings are Goddess and God 12. Cakes and ale (silently as a feast of the dead) 13. thank everyone and close the circle |
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Yule Ritual 1. Cast the Circle 2. Call the elements 3. Call the Gods HPS The wheel of the year turns on. We gather to celebrate this blessed eve to commemorate this season of Yule. We come to praise the Goddess bountiful and the child god to be born. It is the wheel of life, death, and rebirth. Blessed be the great wheel 4. HPS takes a single candle and holds it in front of her HPS This candle represents the life force of our beloved goddess. From her the light of the sun returns. Tonight we celebrate the longest night of the year. And though it is our season of winter, tonight the darkness will end. Even though the world seems so dark, our lord, will soon be reborn. 5. HPS raises her candle HPS Blessed lady, turn the wheel once more that your consort, our lord, may return HP Tonight darkness has reached its limit of power. Now the light and our god is victorious over darkness. Tonight our god is born HP Tonight they reunite and they will bring life anew to our barren earth. 6. HP and HPS take up the goddess and god candles and hold them together so that their flames become one. Coven Blessed be the goddess and the god and creation blessed be the darkness, blessed be the light. 7. Maiden lights the Yule long Maid Blessed be the maiden, the little girl goddess, wide eyed, eager, fresh, and innocent Mother Blessed be the mother, loving, protective, proud, and fertile Crone Blessed be the crone, powerful, wise, guardian of the great cauldron of life, death, and rebirth Coven may the log burn, may the wheel turn, may evil spurn, may the sun return 8. As the last part is spoken, the appointed Oak and holly kings start to fight. In the end the holly king pretends to die and the Oak king puts his foot on the stomach of the holly king like victor and raises his sword. During the fight, the conveners can cheer and chant and carry on if they want to. Oak I am the oak king, God of the waxing year. Fear not on this dark night of winter, for I have come again to guide you on to summer and all its blessings Coven Blessed be the oak king, god of the new year HPS The holly king lies slain. The oak king reigns. Our goddess young once more. A new god is born to us. Tonight, on the darkest night of winter we turn to the light of the sun god reborn. Coven Blessed be the new year 9. Everyone follows the HPS to the altar. HPS makes the banishing pentagram and says HPS Farewell old year. The wheel has banished you to history, go in peace. Coven farewell old year, go in peace. HPS Welcome to winter, start of our new year. 10. HPS makes the invoking pentagram as she says the line previous. Coveners do the same as they say Coven Welcome winter, season of the new year HPS The Wheel has made yet another transit. We are poised at a time which is an ending, yet is also a beginning. As it was and ever shall be we pause to look back at times past and looking forward to times to come. 11. Have a moment of silence 12. Coveners should exchange gifts 13. Cakes and Ale 14. Thank everyone and close the circle. |
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Imbolc Ritual 1. Cast the Circle 2. Call the elements 3. Call the gods HPS Tonight we gather to honor the young maiden and the child god who will grow to father our harvest. HP Tonight is the night when winters cold is overcome by summers heat. Coven Blessed be the virgin goddess, blessed be the child god HPS Yule is past. The young god, like the sun, is returning to his lady earth. Soon she will offer herself as his bride. Coven Virgin Goddess innocent and fresh, bring the sun of spring to warm us again 4. HPS lights the wheel of candles HP Behold the light the god has returned and now grows strong. He returns for his bride. 5. The coven will sing a preselected hymn. Coven Blessed be the light which warms, blessed be the god Blessed be the wheel which turns, blessed be the goddess 6. HPS takes a besom and begins to sweep HPS with Imbolc we sweep away the last vestiges of winter HP The god has claimed his bride and the wheel of the year turns on. HPS Who is Goddess All W I am Goddess HP Who is God All M I am God HPS Who is Goddess and God? Coven All living beings are goddess and god. HP And who are we Coven We are children of deity, we are deity. We are part of the creative life forces of the universe. We are microcosm and macrocosm. We are a part of all that is. 7. Cakes and Ale 8. Thank everyone and close the circle. |
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Ostara Ritual 1. Cast the circle 2. Call the elements 3. Call the gods 4. HPS takes a flower in hand HPS We gather tonight to celebrate this season of balance in Ostara. We praise the bountiful young goddess and the youth god for their blessings of fertility, warmth and life renewed. 5. Everyone takes hands around the circle HP This is a night of balance. Dark and light come to each as equals as do our young deities. Coven Blessed be our goddess and god HP But the wheel turns on. After tonight, light will conquer darkness. Coven Blessed be the darkness, blessed be the light. HPS Our ancestors spoke of renewal of the mother earth. But to be born, one must know death. We must venture through the underworld to return to the light. 6. All but 3 altar candles are extinguished 7. The HP cuts a doorway to the west. HPS leads everyone out and the HP seals the doorway while remaining in the circle. 8. HPS leads the coven around the outside of the circle three times in silence. Afterwards the HPS claps her hand three time quickly and the HP reopens the gate and everyone reenters the circle. 9. Relight all the candles. Start the music HPS Join us in the dance of joy HP Join us in the dance of life restored Coven Join us in the dance 10. Everyone dances and has fun, should last about 45 minutes to an hour or when everyone gets tired. 11. HP lights an extra god candle. HP Behold the god of light Coven blessed be the god, blessed be life renewed. 12. HPS lights an extra goddess candle. HPS Behold the goddess, she who turns the wheel. Coven Blessed be the goddess, blessed be life renewed 13. Everyone takes an egg from the pail the HPS brings around. HPS The eggs you hold have been honored as symbols of life renewed for untold millennia. They are now charged with the energy we raised in this circle. Bury them in a field of a friend to promote fertility. 14. Cakes and Ale 15. Thank everyone and close the circle. |
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Beltane Ritual 1. Cast the circle 2. Call the elements 3. Call the gods 4. HPS lights the balefire. HPS we gather this day to celebrate the sacred union of the goddess and the god. Today, Beltane we celebrate the start of the fertile summer. We come to praise the bountiful goddess and the bright, young, and strong god. HP Tonight is the lusty eve of May. Blessed be the fertile goddess and the great horned god. Coven Blessed be May eve, Blessed be the sacred marriage 5. HPS invokes the Goddess 6. HP invokes the God 7. HPS and HP leave the circle and perform the great rite in privacy if it is the real great rite or symbolically in the circle if it is the symbolic great rite. HP and HPS will not be active any longer in the ritual. Maiden and Squire will take over (M) and (S) S Blessed be my goddess, my holy bride of heaven and of earth M Blessed be my god, my sacred groom of heaven and of earth Coven May they unite in holy ancient union. By their act of love they come and bring all to life. M By this act of faith we proclaim our belief in our place on the eternal cycle of life. S Blessed be the Great Rite. May the lord and Lady reign eternally 8. Coven mates hand out flowers to each other. M Who is Goddess? All W I am Goddess S Who is God? All M I am God M/S Who is Goddess and God? Coven All living beings are Goddess and God M/S And who are we? Coven We are the children of Deity and we are deity. We are part of the creative life forces which move the universe. We are Macrocosm and we are Microcosm. We are a part if the great wheel. We are a part of all that is. 9. Cakes and Ale 10. Hold a festival 11. Thank everyone and close the circle. |
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Litha Ritual 1. Cast the circle 2. Call the elements 3. Call the gods 4. HPS lights a balefire HPS We pause this night to celebrate Litha, the most bountiful of seasons. We praise out mother goddess and our god who is at his prime. We are part of them and they are part of us. The sun rides its peak leaving nature meeting its potential. HP Blessed be the golden sun Coven Blessed be the father HPS Blessed be the fertile earth Coven Blessed be the mother. 5. A woman portraying the mother (M) steps forward. She acts as if she is bathing in the sun. Coven Great mother, turn the wheel once more. Turn us towards harvest. M Who will be my king as we travel on? 6. The two men portraying the oak king (OK) and the holly king (HK) step forward to claim their right. M There can be only one king of the harvest, only one god of the harvest. One king of the waning year. Decide who it will be amongst yourselves. 7. The OK and HK fight. It should be a drawn out battle. The HK eventually wins. The coven can cheer the HK on. When the battle is finished, the OK lies on the ground as if vanquished. The HK places his foot on the OK’s stomach as a victor would. HK I am the holly king. God of the waning year. Fear not the ravages of summer’s heat and drought. For I have come again for the harvest and all its blessings. Coven Blessed be the holly king, king of the waning year. HPS The Oak King is slain, the holly king reigns. Our mother earth is heavy with the harvest’s bounty. The Sun rides high above. Tonight, on this brightest day, we turn to the coming darkness. 8. M and HK join hands and face the coven M The wheel of the year has made another transit. It is a time of beginning and ending. 9. M takes a crown and places it on the HK’s head. M Be thou my king? HK For as long as needed. 10. HK kisses the M’s hand 11. Perform the drawing down of the sun. 12. Pets who need blessings are brought forth. HP For millennia, animals were brought to the midsummer circle. Bring them forward. 13. Animals are brought before the HPS. She waves her wand three times over the animal’s head and says HPS I bless you _______________(animal’s name) with health, strength, and well being. 14. This is done until all the animals have been blessed. 15. Cakes and Ale 16. Thank everyone and close the circle. |
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Lughnasadh Ritual 1. Cast the circle 2. Call the elements 3. Call the gods 4. HPS sprinkles corn meal all over the circle HPS The wheel has turned and now we reach Lughnasadh. The first fruits of the harvest have come in. We reap our rewards for our efforts. We come to praise the bountiful goddess and the benevolent God HP Blessed be the bounty of the harvest, fruit of the womb of the goddess Coven Blessed be the mother earth. HP Today we honor our deities in their aspects as corn mother and grain god. 5. A woman dressed in harvest attire plays the corn mother (CM) and a man in harvest attire plays the grain god (GG). The CM picks up a loaf of bread. GG picks up a chalice of wine. They go to the first covener CM Will you county your blessings on this sabbat of bounty? 6. Covener lists some blessings then tears a small piece of bread off. The GG lets the covener have a small sip of wine. The repeats until the entire coven is finished. 7. The squire takes the remaining bread and wine and carries it out of the circle and leaves it as a libation for the goddess and god. Place it behind the north quadrant. HPS Bless the harvest as a manifestation of the sacred marriage Coven Blessed be the corn mother and the grain god. 8. HPS and HP carry a second loaf of bread and put in on the altar. An appointed coven spokesperson (CS) should be ready for their moment. HPS To whom does this offering? 9. The coven spokesperson steps forward CS We give this bounty back to whom it came. We offer it to the mother earth and he consort. We give it to the faeries of the fields and the animals of the woods. HP Who charges these words? Coven We do! HPS We consecrate this to the earth and all her beings. HP Offerings given in love return three fold. Blessed be the gathering, the gifts, and the givers. 10. The squire takes the offerings and places them outside the circle for placement later. HPS Who is Goddess? All W I am Goddess HP Who is God? All M I am God HPS/HP Who is Goddess and God? Coven All living beings are Goddess and God HPS/HP And who are we? Coven We are the children of Deity and we are deity. We are part of the creative life forces which move the universe. We are Macrocosm and we are Microcosm. We are a part if the great wheel. We are a part of all that is. 9. Cakes and Ale 10. Hold a harvest festival 11. Thank everyone and close the circle. |
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Mabon Ritual 1. Cast the circle 2. Call the elements 3. Call the gods 4. HPS lights an orange candle HPS We come to the time of balance. Everything is equal. We come tonight to celebrate the evening of mabon. From now on the nights shall be longer than days. This is a time to remember to thank our wise old god and the bountiful middle aged goddess. HP Without the wheel, and the goddess turning it we would have nothing. Without the sacrifice of our god as he ages, we would have nothing. We must thank them. 5. Everyone goes to air and the east.. Everyone should have a gift of a very short story, a poem, or a quote to offer. HPS Please read your offering. 6. Each person reads their offering and finishes with Covener Thank you lord and lady for your gifts of knowledge and inspiration HPS Blessed be our god, the teacher, blessed be our lady, the muse of inspiration Coven Blessed be 7. Everyone moves to the south with a piece of paper that has a blessing of hobby or work on it to be burned. 8. Each person reads what they wrote on their paper and then says Covener Thank you lord and lady for your gifts of work and play HPS Blessed be the diligent god, blessed be the playful lady Coven Blessed be 9. Everyone moves to the west with flowers for their relation ships and emotions 10. Each person sets their flowers in the water that was pooled in the west. And says what relationship and feeling they are thankful for. Covener Thank you lord and lady for your gifts of feeling and flow HPS Blessed be our emotional god, blessed be our loving goddess Coven Blessed be 11. Everyone moves to the north with a coin, an herb, and a piece of wood to be placed in a hole 12. Each person says what they are thankful for in home, money, or health then tosses their items in the hole Covener Thank you lord and lady for your gifts health, wealth and home HPS Blessed be our protective god, blessed be out productive goddess Coven Blessed Be 13 Everyone moves to the center with a spiritual token 14. Each person says what spiritual concept or insight they are thankful for and places it besides the altar Covener Thank you lord and lady for your gifts of awareness, insight, and ability HPS Bless our great lord, bless our grand lady Coven blessed be 15 Cakes and Ale (make this the biggest feast of the year. Make it a pot luck.) 16. Thank everyone and close the circle. |
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Drawing Down the Moon Cast Circle Call elements Call the Gods Proceed with full moon ritual until this part is specified. All: "Diana, queen of night, In all your beauty bright, And with your silver beam Rise bright and clear. Your magic mystery Wherever leaf may grow, Till all be past. At this enchanted hour May fortune's favor fall O Lady Moon!" 5. The High Priest kneels before the High Priestess and gives her the Five Fold Kiss; that is, he kisses her on both feet, both knees, womb, both breasts, and the lips, starting with the right of each pair. He says, as he does this: HP: Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways. that shall kneel at the sacred altar. without which we would not be. formed in beauty. that shall utter the Sacred Names." 6. For the kiss on the lips, they embrace, length to length, with their feet touching each others. When he reaches the womb, she spreads her arms wide, and the same after the kiss on the lips. The High Priest kneels again and invokes: HP: "I invoke thee and call upon thee, Mighty Mother of us all, to descend upon the body of this, 7. During this invocation he touches her with his right forefinger on her right breast, left breast, and womb, repeats the set and finally the right breast. Still kneeling, he spreads his arms out and down, with the palms forward and says: HP: "Hail Great lady I lowly bend I adore thee to the end, thy shrine adore. my prayer up borne then spend O Mighty One, descend who without thee am forlorn." 8. The High Priest stands up and steps backwards. The High Priestess draws the Invoking Pentagram of Earth in the air with the wand and says: HP: "Of the Mother darksome and divine, Mine the scrounge, and mine the kiss; Here I charge you in this sign." 9. The High Priestess should be in a trance now. Recite the witches creed. 10. Dismiss the goddess. The High Priest faces the Priestess and says: HP: "We thank you Our Lady for attending our rites. W you farewell till next we call you. Blessed Be." 11. Return to full moon ritaual |
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Drawing Down the Sun Cast Circle Call elements Call the Gods Read charge of the God Proceed with sabbat ritual until this part is specified. All: Great God Cernunnos Return to Earth again! Come at my call and show thyself to men. Shepherd of Goats, Upon the wild hill's way, Lead thy lost flock from darkness unto day. Forgotten are the Ways of sleep and night-- Men seek for them, whose eyes have lost the light. Open the door, \ The door that has no key The door of dreams, whereby men come to thee. Shepherd of Goats, O answer unto me! 5. The HPS kneels before the HP and gives him the male Five Fold Kiss; that is, she kisses him on both feet, both knees, both thighs, both arms, and the lips, starting with the right of each pair. She says, as she does this: HPS: Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways. that shall kneel at the sacred altar. without which we would not be. whose strength holds us in love and safety. that shall utter the Sacred Names." 6. For the kiss on the lips, they embrace, length to length, with their feet touching each others. When she reaches the thighs, he spreads his arms wide, and the same after the kiss on the lips. The HPS kneels again and invokes: HPS: "I invoke thee and call upon thee, Great Father of us all, by life and love do I invoke thee to descend upon the body of this, 7. During this invocation she touches him with her right forefinger on his right arm, left arm, and right thigh, and left thigh, repeats the set and finally the right breast. Still kneeling, she spreads her arms out and down, with the palms forward and says: HPS: " Great one of heaven, power of the Sun, we invoke thee in thine ancient names, Apollo, Bel, Arthur, Lugh, Herne. Come again, as of old, into this thy land. Lift up thy shining spear of light to protect us. Put to flight the powers of darkness, give us fair woodlands and green fields, blossoming orchards and ripening corn. Bring us to stand upon thy hill of vision, and show us the path to the lovely realms of the gods 8. The HPS stands up and steps backwards. The HP draws the Invoking Pentagram of Earth in the air with the athame and says: HPS: "Of the father bright and shining, Mine the chalice, and mine the kiss; Here I charge you in this sign." 9. The HP should be in a trance now. Recite the witches creed. 10. Dismiss the god. The HPS faces the HP and says: HPS: "We thank you Our Lord for attending our rites. Farewell till next we call you. Blessed Be." 11. Return to Sabbat ritual
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