The ‘wiccan rede’, a saying taken partially from Aleister Crowley but in full properly attributed to Doreen Valiente, is taken by most (including me) to be the highest law of wicca.Quote:
An harm thee none, do as thou wilt.
I would translate that into modern terminology as ‘If you harm no-one, do what you will.’ This doesn’t quite capture the spirit of the language Valiente used, which is why she used it, but it gets a person started.
People misread the rede (especially if they think there’s no purpose to using archaic terminology except obfuscation) to mean ‘do whatever you want.’ That’s not what it says. ‘Will’ is not ‘want’. ‘Will’ means ‘must’, or ‘according to your nature’. What you will do is what you will do.
‘Do as thou wilt’ means ‘do what you must do’ and ‘do as your soul commands.’ A witch who follows ‘do as thou wilt’ refuses to act against their conscience, nature, and needs. They will not starve or overwork themselves because someone else asks for it. They will not pretend they don’t have the sexuality, religion, body, preferences, or ethics that they do have for convenience or profit. They stand up for what they believe in and do not stay silent against injustice. They follow the dictates of their body as it tells them who to love and who to shun, what gender or shape they need to be, what they want to be doing at any time of day–eating, sleeping, working, dancing, making love, studying, resting, what treatment they will or will not accept.
‘Do as thou wilt’ does not command simple hedonism. It commands wisdom, that a person actually look inside their psyche, examine their impulses, understand what they truly want, and then follow that dictate once they do understand. One of the only universally accepted wiccan crimes is repression, of yourself or of others. As you do as you wilt, you cannot then make the mistake of assuming another’s will is exactly like yours. As you are not repressed you do not repress others, and as you are free so shall you not inhibit the freedom of others, even if you think it’s gross, or ugly. Don’t be a child.
‘An harm thee none’ adds the warning that sometimes, you do have to pause to think for a second before doing as thou wilt. Understanding one’s true will is hard. Sometimes you think it’s your true will to lash out at someone else, and you find later that that was the impulse of the moment, not your true desire. Even a witch must sometimes hold back, and even the wisest person sometimes mistakes their feeling.
Realistically, everyone does harm others, and you’re deluding yourself if you don’t accept that. It’s a dangerous delusion, too; if you refuse to recognize the harm you do to others you will not notice it as it grows, morphs, spreads. As you follow your will, do not forget ‘harm thee none’ as an aspiration to temper the fire of your will. Do not forget to ask on occasion whether what you do truly is your will or whether you are not enjoying it any longer or having to trample on others to do it.
The four holy actions give a witch guidance on how to handle their craft.
To Know–visions and feelings aren’t enough. You need to study, learn, analyze. You need to look inside and honestly confront the mysteries of your psyche and the parts of you which you do not like, or else you will be both an ineffectual witch and a repressed person. You must seek always to know more about yourself and the world around you.
To Dare–You must follow the stirrings of your heart and conscience, not keep silent against injustice, not permit others to tell you who you are or how you should act. One must dare to be a witch at all; to be a good one, one must boldly face the ugliness of both the world and the self without flinching and fight against it.
To Will–When one wills, one earnestly seeks power, over the self and the world. If you think this is dirty, evil, or a frightening thing to say, I suggest that you will harder. Why do you not want power over yourself and your world? To whom have you given that power? Do they deserve it?
To Keep Silent–As a complimentary opposite of daring, there are times one must keep the craft, its secrets, and one’s own secrets silent. Sometimes, others have not earned your innermost self, your fears, your explanations. Sometimes, the mystery will not be understood.
There are times where the four sacred actions would contradict each other, depending on which one you choose. Life has contradictions. Morality is situational. With practice in determining the right course of action for yourself you will become better attuned to intuiting which action to take.
To dig further into some wiccan ethics, I will reproduce a few passages from Valiente’s original Charge of the Goddess. (The full text I will include below.)
Whenever ye have need of anything, once in a month, and better it be when the Moon be full, then ye shall assemble in some secret place and adore the spirit of me, who am Queen of all Witcheries. There shall ye assemble, ye who are fain to learn all sorcery, yet have not yet won its deepest secrets: to these will I teach things that are yet unknown.
It is a value of wicca to gather. Many witches are solitary, practicing alone at home without fellows. If this is how you must practice because it is not safe for you otherwise, I feel your sorrow. It was once this way for me. I can tell you that having a circle, coven, or at least a partner is far better. And, though many do not want to hear this, in person is far better than online.
We gather in kind to support, learn, and enjoy each other. You are not wrong if you can’t do this, but it is good to do so.
When you do gather, however–hosting regular and seasonal gatherings has its values but in the modern world it is not always realistic. Don’t worry too hard about exact dates and focus more on spending frequent time in concert with other witches and the like-minded.
Keep pure your highest ideal; strive ever toward it; let naught stop you or turn you aside.
No one fully becomes their ideal self in this world. Yet it is a requirement of wicca that you keep your impossible goal in mind and strive toward it nonetheless. This effort is not meant to hurt or to shame you, like holding imaginary ‘sins’ over the heads of imperfect people, but to enable and compel you, to keep you growing and progressing into the life and person you want to be. Witches admire and embody steady, slow, persistent growth, the walk that does not break the body but brings you every day closer and closer to your destination.
You will not become your perfect self, but wicca teaches the understanding of the self, the body, and its desires such that you may grow ever more comfortable with the body and ever more alike to your ideal self. Neither back-breaking effort nor a lack of effort are lauded; continual curiosity and slow progress are sacred.
Let my worship be within the heart that rejoiceth, for behold: all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals. And therefore let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honour and humility, mirth and reverence within you.
Up there with ‘do as thou wilt’, I consider ‘all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals’ one of the highest laws of wicca. Wiccans know that all actions which bring joy, comfort, and relief are holy acts. We consider pleasure good; we consider pleasure sacred. The goddess smiles on the joys of eating, having sex, sleeping, working, gathering, helping, making art, learning, fighting for justice; the pleasures of charity and self-satisfaction alike, of accomplishment and rest alike. All things which bring pleasure are the worship of our goddess. Just about the only way to be anti-wiccan is to act like someone else’s pleasure is dirty or gross and to shame them for it.
Obviously, pleasure which harms others is not right by wiccans either. Using your brain should have told you that; as I explained, ‘an harm thee none’ comes right before ‘do as thou wilt’, and ‘wilt’ means true will. Abuse is essentially never a person’s true will, which they would know if they used their brain. Every abusive person I have ever known was miserable and both liked and disliked what they were doing, enjoying only mixed and dissatisfactory pleasures instead of seeking true pleasure and facing the self-knowledge that that pursuit requires.
Consider the lists of virtues here too: “beauty and strength, power and compassion, honour and humility, mirth and reverence”. Notice also what ‘pious’ traits we do not include in the list.
And thou who thinkest to seek for [the goddess], know thy seeking and yearning shall avail thee not, unless thou know this mystery: that if that which thou seekest thou findest not within thee, thou wilt never find it without thee.
A ‘mystery religion’ focuses its attention on the unsolvable questions of human life and the natural world. The mystery is not explained, but sought; never understood fully, but better grasped with time. This mystery, too, that you will never find outside what you do not seek inside, will be not explained by me but pursued by you.
Wicca recognizes an alternate calendar we call the 'Wheel of the Year'. It is a calendar based on solar and agricultural reality. Four of its 'spokes' are the solstices and equinoxes, the other four spokes are equidistant between, and each spoke has a corrosponding holiday.
It is a good idea to gather with others on all eight of the holidays to celebrate in ritual together. Eight times a year is not many and regular observance will eventually have you feeling 'in tune' with the earth and the sun and the passing of seasons.
Wiccan holidays are anticipatory--seasons begin not when they are already strong but just the moment you are beginning to see them. The winter solstice is the 'end' of the reign of the Holly King because his power wanes from that day forth, Midsummer is the middle of Summer and not the beginning, which is Beltane, when the air is first feeling hot. So forth.
The 'New Year' is the great Sabbat of Samhain, so we will begin there.
Then on to Samhain, and the circle starts and ends again.
No tools are necessary for the craft. Tools are useful for the craft. There are traditional tools for ritual craft, and I will be indicating use of them in my rituals. However, you can use hand gestures or common household items to substitute for any of them if you like. I have seen wooden spoons, sticks, canes, and pens all be ritual athames and wands, as well as two pointing fingers; I have seen yarn be a pentacle, a kerchief be an altar, apple juice in a solo cup be a sacred chalice and wine. I find that having designated tools helps convince the mind to enter ritual space with heightened feeling, but such solemnity is not the only way to work.
These are the tools that, even in solitary ritual, I will not do without. You could, of course. A ritual can be performed with absolutely nothing. These are the things I would personally feel vexed if I didn’t have.
Athame: The athame is also called the black-handled knife. The knife does not actually have to be black-handled, some color or material that appeals to you and which you associate with strength and/or ability is ideal. The athame is your tool for directing power, calling up guardians, giving commands. It should make you feel powerful and in-control. It should be a real knife, though whether it’s sharp is up to your feeling. Normally it is worn around waist or hip on a cincture.
Pentacle: The pentacle is a round disc with a pentagram on it. It can be a wood disc with the pentagram burned on, a ceramic disc with the pentagram painted on, a metal disc engraved, a paper written on, a desk drawn on with chalk. It should be easy to carry, steady, and large enough to place a small object on it (incense burner, card from a tarot deck, candle, ect.)
Chalice: A drinking glass to hold wine (or equivalent). Can appear any way you like. I’ve seen mead horns, crystal glasses, wooden steins, metal goblets.
Incense/incense burner: Incense is surely not necessary for a ritual, but if you do have the money to spend on tools, I suggest you spend it here. Having your senses engaged in ritual can exponentially heighten it. Picking scents that match your deity, tradition, or ritual purpose better sets the mood. Don’t worry about the ‘form’ of the incense; loose or cone incense in a metal dish or cauldron has a wonderful visual effect, but stick and resin incense do the job just as well. Incense is meant to evoke a feeling, to cue your brain into the fact that it is time for the ritual, or, in simple ceremonies, to be your offering to the deities you invoke. It is more important that it fits for you than that it is the ‘proper type’, but do be aware of any allergies or sensitivities in your group as well as of how much smoke you are making as you go.
Candles (god/dess candles, quarter candles): Candles have always had a strong place in ritual setting. Many like to match the shape, color, even scent of their intention (be cautious with scent, though, if using incense or oils too). Most altars have two long, taper candles representing goddess and god, and many traditions light four candles for the quarters as well. I always place a third ‘unity’ candle between the two to represent the true genderless nature of divinity and from which to light the god/dess candles. Candles can be cheap, no need to get an expensive scented candle in a glass jar when you can buy some 50-cent tapers or 20-cent tea lights.
Wand: Most books have wands listed among the most essential tools, but honestly, I hardly use them. Some consider them the ‘gentler’ athame, tools that ask for power/assistance instead of demanding it. Some consider them to be tools with different purposes entirely, commanding a separate element from the athame (which is fire and which is air is a hot topic). Some use the athame strictly for building the circle and the wand for ‘casting magic.’ Getting both and seeing what feels right is an option before you. As for what your wand is, I suggest a scavenged tree-branch that you customize.
Salt Dish/Water Dish: Not tools per se, but will be found on the altar for a proper group ritual. They need only be nice dishes, pleasing to the eye, dedicated for the purpose, and clean. Similarly, if using ritual oil, have a designated container for that.
Altar-cloth: Again for aesthetic effect it is best to have designated, appropriately colored/patterned sheets or scarves that you set upon the altar as a backdrop. You could do without them, but once you try with them you won’t want to go back. I also use them for solo rituals, to turn any convenient space in the house into the altar.
God/dess statues: As discussed above, using taper candles to represent your deities is traditional. Many today use small statues of the deities, or both candles and statues. Lighting a small dark candle before an image of the Morrigan before you invoke her has a wonderful effect.
Sword: The sword is used to cast the circle in group settings. It is also used in some specific ritual actions which hearken back to the day when the coven was strictly secret and strictly defended. I think it creates a stirring effect sitting upon the altar, sheathed and waiting, but not everyone likes having it there. A staff (large tree branch) can be a sword for someone who doesn’t have sword money.
White-handled knife: If you prefer to only use your athame for directing power, a second, separate knife can be used for cutting (candlewicks, herbs, packaging, ect). I find that a small, sharp set of scissors works much better and does not sacrifice ritual feeling.
Cauldron: Not necessary and typically rather expensive, but don’t you want one? You can burn incense in it, keep your ritual wine in it, light a fire for ritual purpose in it, simply put it on the altar for aesthetics… while a full-sized, working cauldron outside is the dream, a small one that can fit on the altar is still a cauldron. Plastic and ceramic will both break under heat and pressure; you want copper, iron, or steel.
Flowers/Offerings: Many keep a space on their altar for fresh flowers or fruits to offer to the deities, or simply for decoration. Few Mabon altars are not decked out with autumn branches and harvest vegetables. As stated above, a pinch of incense often represents the offering, but having a real offering to give your guests is worth considering. Wiccan work is reciprocal; you and the deity should both be bringing something to the table.
Broom: As with the cauldron, it is not necessary, but don’t you want one? A wicker or straw broom looks the part. There aren’t many common ritual purposes for the broom, but I’ve known those that use a ritual broom to physically cleanse the sacred space before rituals, or who use it as a lighter scourge.
Scourge: The scourge is a classic tool which used to be a strict requirement. Read the old books and you will read how many considered it essential for initiations and invocations.
Bell: A bell can be visually pleasing, but what is important is having a sound that clears your head and lifts your heart. Bells are used to denote when a ritual switches purposes or for certain mental effects. A ritual done with them often has an extra meditative effect, though I admit I don’t use them often enough myself.
Cards: Oracle cards come in many forms. The most common form is the tarot card, and the most classic design is the Colman Smith-Waite. (You will hear it called the ‘Rider-Waite’ tarot. I dislike the name. Rider was the company that produced the cards, Waite was the idea guy, but Pamela Colman Smith actually drew the art.) It’s a good deck and I recommend a beginner start with the classic set to get a feel for them.
Tarot is not the only kind of oracle deck. Its popularity comes from how they present archetypal images in ways that tend to get people thinking insightfully. Any set of images that mean something to you could be used for the same insightful thinking when randomized.
Runes: ‘Runes’ usually refers to a set of Elder Futhark runes, a reconstructed ancient Norse alphabet. All of the rules of the Elder Futhark have been observed in carvings but it’s worthwhile to know that the cultures using these markings did not consider them an ‘alphabet’ in the same way (many were pre-literate or considered the letters as magical as they were practical) so anyone being a pedant about which runes go where and how exactly they should be drawn is being anachronistic at best. I encourage thorough reading on Norse runes before they are used as divination tools; their context in the ancient world is what makes them comprehensible.
Other meaningful symbols can easily be used as runes; there’s no reason you shouldn’t use the letters of another alphabet or iconic system if they mean something to you. I saw someone once read stones with astronomical runes on a map of the sky, and while I did not credit knowledge of the future to her, it was certainly an excellent show. I use the Tengwar, Tolkien’s ‘elvish’ alphabet, sometimes.
There are of course older ways to divine the future, such as reading signs in tossed bones, or in entrails, or in the actions of animals. I am not versed in any of these old methods.
One I have practiced is wax telling. It is simple–have a cold basin of water outside under moonlight. Set light to a candle before you begin the ritual. Once you have reached the proper point, drip the wax of the candle into the cold water, and the second it hardens, divine its shape. Consider what that shape means.
If you ever read anything or are ever told that a witch needs many kinds of crystals, many kinds of incense, every color of candle, every possible herb and tea, an expensive leather-bound ‘grimoire’ or a trunk full of silver jewelry inset with crystals to increase your ‘energy’, that person is a salesperson, not a witch, and they are lying. There is nothing you need for witchcraft. I listed the tools I find most useful above. When you decide what actions you want to do for wicca, you can find the tools that help you do those actions. Most older witches will happily give you hand-me-downs or new tools and gifts. Do not spend money you don’t have on crystal crap you don’t need. Only liars and tyrants demand you spend money you can’t spare on trinkets and refuse teaching until you buy them.
Designate a shelf or table or other space to be your altar, and keep it only for sacred purposes. Something that can carry extra tools inside/beneath it is best.
If you don’t have your own home or have to hide your craft from housemates, I recommend choosing an altarcloth and bundling the rest of your tools inside of it. Keep this in a hidden place, and whenever you untie it, place the altarcloth on a desk or the floor or another steady space and use the cloth itself as your altar. It is then easy to grab the cloth and scatter your tools if you must quickly hide your work.
How exactly you set up your home altar is a matter of personal preference. It can be fit to your needs and the ritual you have planned. Some are very spare, some very cluttered. Mine is like this:
Put an altar-cloth on the top. Place pentagram in the middle. If there is space, put a small cauldron upon it, or some sacred image or item of importance, or keep it as a space for offerings.
Behind the pentagram on either side place god/dess candles. If you have icons or statues, put them behind the candles. Between candles you can put a third candle, an icon, or nothing.
Though you will need a tool (matches, lighter, ect.) to light candles, it's best to keep it under the table, in the shelf, or nearby.
Before pentagram put an incense burner (if it is not on the pentagram).
Around the pentagram place any other tools necessary for your most common rituals. I don’t clutter mine with too many, just my favorites: athame and bell on one side, runes and chalice on the other.
This way, I have the tools I use most often ready, including a way to raise and direct power, something with which to make an offering, something to use as a focal point, representatives of the god/dess. Obviously, if there are any other tools you frequently use, like wand or scourge, display those as well.
Past these tools, I highly recommend decoration, as having the space look special and appropriately thematic helps the easily distracted human mind both focus on the task and believe in it. Use flowers, branches, shells, symbols, statues, objects to represent your gods, your pantheon, your ancestors, your beliefs, your goals.
It’s also good to change out what you have seasonally. I set up differently colored candles to match the season (black in autumn/for Samhain, red or green for yule, green or white in the spring, gold in the summer; or perhaps the traditional correspondence elements and colors of black/earth/north for winter, yellow/air/east for spring, red/fire/south for summer, blue/water/west for autumn) and for certain holidays redo everything with an aesthetic look to match. For example, for Samhain I tend to switch everything to a black or silver tool to fully feel and honor the dark season, and I may clutter up the altar a bit with flowers and stones and ribbons on Beltane.
An altar laid for a ritual for many people is likely to need more things. Here is a basic set-up:
Have in mind already the purpose of your ritual, the deities you will invoke, and the culture they’re embedded in. Choose aesthetics and items fitting to these things. It’s important the altar looks good over all, largely cohesive, not too cluttered.
At the front lay the sword, sheathed.
In the center place a large pentagram, and put the offering upon it–fresh-cut flowers, fruit, burning incense. This is separate from cakes and ale for the people, which can be stored under the altar or nearby on another table (or on the altar if it’s really big).
Behind the pentagram place candles for the deities, and statues or items representative of the deities by the candles. Know already which deities you invoke and select items, colors, symbols that will please them.
Between these you may place a unity/lighting candle, or, alternatively, an object that represents the purpose of the ritual (oracle card for a divination, cord for a handfasting, decorative jar of balm for a healing ritual). I’ve also seen objects that represent the bond between the Gods, often in a highly theoretical or mystical sense.
On one side place everything for purification: incense burner, loose incense, matches, a dish of water, a dish of salt or herbs, ritual oil. Often the chalice (for ale) goes here too though it may go on the other side.
On the opposite side, place any ritual tools you will need for this specific ritual. If none, good options are laying down wands, a bell, a broom (if small), a cauldron, or more items from the culture you are honoring. I’ve seen Bride’s crosses, hammers representing mjolnir, or, in Hellenic circles, the wine for cakes and ale placed on the altar. A Saxon ritual may be piled with gold jewelry, an Egyptian altar with carefully placed royal regalia.
This may not seem like too much, but you’ll be surprised how things build up!
Some things that are not on the table are your athames. They should be belted at your side. (A white-handled knife or additional athame for specific purpose may be on the altar; if you are gifting an athame or inducting with another, for instance.) If you use a full-size broom, stand it on a tree or the wall once done. Usually cakes and ale are held at another table, as are musical instruments if you bring them. If you use a hidden phone or computer for anything, do not put it on the altar if you can put it beneath or nearby instead. For fire-starters, I’ll keep matches on the table but hide cigarette lighters away.
I have seen theatrical circles require costume changes. Obviously, bulky cloaks should be hidden somewhere, but putting the Queen of Heaven’s circlet on the altar to be taken off and placed on her head, along with other regalia or jewelry, may have a nice effect.
Note: Whenever I write that the 'priestess' does that or the 'priest' does this, I do so to illustrate the traditional division of labor in ritual. There is significant room for adjustment to personal taste. For instance, my priest and I have swapped who does the circle cast and who does the quarter call to suit our strengths; I'm the protective one, not him, and he has the stronger spiritual sense. What is imporant is that there are two roles sharing the job of intermediary to divinity in this ritual, and that their love for each other is part of the atmosphere and the magic. I encourage the practitioner to see which role fits them better without worrying about gender, or to switch up who does what as necessary, or to split it into three roles that have nothing at all to do with gender, or whatever both pleases and empowers.
The time to gather should be slow. Set a time, but the hosts (priest and priestess, or priestess alone) should come an hour early. In this time, set up the space and the altar. Let others come early too if they wish to talk and prepare. Pagans are notoriously late, so starting the ritual five minutes after the stated start time is prudent, but don’t let people start pushing that into fifteen or twenty minutes, that’s disrespectful to those who came on time and planned accordingly.
Sit everyone in a circle. The altar can be part of the circle, at a cardinal point (I shift these by seasons and put the altar in the direction of the first quarter I hail; north for winter, east for spring, south for summer, west for autumn) or may be inside the circle. Priest and priestess should sit or stand either on either side of the altar (priest clockwise/deosil before altar and priestess deosil after it) or both deosil right before it.
Sometimes it is necessary to explain the ritual here, if you have an open circle and welcome new guests. Be brief. Touch on the major points of what holiday it is, of the wheel of the year, of the deities or traditions being invoked. Do not speak for more than a few minutes, and do not give into the urge to explain the ritual ahead of time. Over-explaining kills mystery. This is a mystery religion.
First, encourage breathing. Stomach breathing, meditative, tan tien breathing. The easy method: tell everyone you will count four by four, slowly. For the first count, they breathe in. For the second, they hold their breath in. The third, they let it out, all of it, trying to keep the exhale steady for the four counts. The fourth, they hold still (moment of death). Repeat twelve times or until everyone looks relaxed.
As a note, I have seen this breathing practice in wiccan rituals but learned it in yoga practice; when I learned it in yoga practice, I noted that it was almost identical to the way I was taught to breathe for choir practice. Basic meditative breathing is universal, though I encourage the study of more specialized styles.
Grounding is the point of the breathing exercise above. Breathing can be the only grounding exercise you do in a ritual, but you also have the option to do further or more specific exercises after you have started everyone with meditative breathing.
The most basic grounding is to simply ask people (during breathing exercise) to be aware of how they are seated (or standing), to relax their body, be comfortable, feel how their feet (or spine, or seat) rests on the earth. As such breathing and grounding can be one exercise, or they can be purposefully separated for something more methodical and mindful.
The priest who taught me often did the ‘four centers of power’ meditation during our grounding, I will explain this grounding exercise elsewhere.
The priestess picks up the dish of water (element of water). They use their athame to pick up some salt from a tray (element of earth). They stir the salt into the water with the tip of the athame, saying,
May the salt of the earth admonish the waters to bear the virtues of the great sea. Mother, be thou adored. So mote it be.
All respond ‘so mote it be’ (here and every time it is said). Priestess puts down the athame on the altar, or cleans and resheaths it. Then, they walk deosil around the inside of the circle with the water and sprinkles it on the head of each participant. Because they were on the other side of the altar, the priest should be last, and then the priestess purifies themself the same way. Once they have purified each, they return to the altar and replace the incense. Once done, they return the dish of water to the altar.
From the altar the priestess picks up the incense (air) and means to light the incense (fire). They light the incense, and doing so, say
May the fire and smoke make sweet the air. Father, be thou adored. So mote it be.
All respond ‘so mote it be.’ Then, carrying incense, the priestess walks around the circle. They approache each person with the incense and stand before them a few seconds so they may enjoy the scent. Most lean forward and direct smoke to their faces. As before, priest second to last and priestess last. The priestess returns the incense to the altar where it continues to burn.
You may stop here if you like, or, do a third purification. This one is with scented oil, a scent befitting the time of year or gods invoked that ritual. This should not be done with uninitiated/new guests.
Priestess picks up the oil and says
May the spirit of the goddess come into the bodies of these her worshippers. Be all thou adored. So mote it be.
They circle the room a third time, at each person dipping their finger in the oil and drawing the pentagram on the forehead of each person. Be cautious to be light-handed with the oil, you don’t want frankincense dripping into someone’s eyes (hospital). As before, priest is second to last; whether the priestess draws their own pentagram or the priest does it for them is personal preference.
They return the oil to the altar.
The priestess may simply say,
Now (priest) will cast the circle.
Alternatively, poetry or ritual script may be said. The priestess returns to the circle, the priest steps forward and selects a tool from the altar. The sword is traditional. An athame may also be used, or a wand, if appropriate for the ritual. So too I have seen spears, arrows, or special tools be used for special rituals (a spear for Lugh, an arrow for Artemis, ect).
There are several ways of casting the circle properly. The priest may stand in the center and turn in a circle, with the tool held above their head or in front of them, three times. Or, they may walk around the circle physically three times. I cast all my circles clockwise/deosil, excepting only Samhain, which I cast widdershins. You will find alternative opinions about how to do these things but personally, at this point, I don’t believe I can change.
Whether the priest is walking around the circle or staying in the center, all stand still and attentive. Have hands crossed over chest (mystery pose), reaching out to give energy, or composed respectfully.
While priest circles, they recite:
I conjure thee, o circle of power. By my will and word I do conjure thee. Beest thou a meeting place between the strange and powerful world of the gods and the familiar and mundane world of mankind. Beest thou a place held sacred to those who we will invoke and worship within thee tonight. Beest thou a bastion and preserver of the power that we will raise within thee tonight. Beest though a defender against all forces malign, harmful, and maligning. Beest thou a place of finite and infinite, of known and unknown, of masculine and feminine, of visible and invisible, of the human and the inhuman. As to the left, so to the right. As within, so without. As before, so behind, and as above, so below. By my will and world I do conjure thee. So mote it be.
As the priest finishes this third round they suddenly direct the tool to the ground, ‘finishing’ the third circle with a point, or drawing a pentagram. After they finish all respond ‘so mote it be.’ Then the priest returns to their place beside the altar, or stays in the center if calling the quarters.
The quarters can be called by the priest or priestess, but it’s best if two or four members of the circle have agreed to call the quarters ahead of time. This is a good task to give to a new witch you think may be able to become a leader one day.
If one person is calling quarters, they stand in the center. If multiple, have them stay in the circle. The priestess announces that it is time to call the quarters, and everyone draws their athames. If a regular attendee of your rituals has no athame, get them one. Using a wand is also acceptable, or, pointing two fingers together to indicate the proper direction.
Call the quarters in the same direction (either deosil or widdershins) that you cast your circle. In my circle, we follow the practice of calling the proper element for the season first, north in winter, east in spring, south in summer, west in autumn; others always start in a particular direction.
It should be noted that there is disagreement about which directions, seasons, and elements should be aligned with each other. Some circles use geographic quarters, that is, they align the element/season to the point on the compass that feels natural for the place they live in. ‘Water’ might be the direction of a large body of water nearby, ‘fire’ may change depending on where the equator lies in your hemisphere.
Don’t worry about sticking to them if there is something that works better for your area and practice, but I’ll list the most traditional correspondences here:
First: North, Earth, Winter, Black, Pentacle.
Second: East, Air, Spring, Yellow, Wand.
Third: South, Fire, Summer, Red, Athame.
Fourth: West, Water, Autumn, Blue, Chalice.
‘Winter’ is listed first and begins the year because the Wiccan calendar begins with Samhain, Oct.31/Nov. 1, the last day of autumn and first day of winter. There exists a heart-felt discussion about whether north or east should be air, and about whether fire is associated with the wand or athame, which I will not get into here.
In any case, have everyone draw athames and face the first quarter you will call (I will start with north here to illustrate). The person calling the quarter draws a pentagram in the air as they recite a welcome. Here is a standard welcome:
Blessed spirits of the North, spirits of Earth, of solidity and stability, I welcome you to our circle. Grant us your protection and empower our rites this eve. Hail and Welcome!
All respond ‘Hail and Welcome.’ Then they bring their athames to their hearts, then back out. Then they turn to the next direction and repeat.
Blessed spirits of the East, spirits of Air, of inspiration and ecstasy, I welcome you to our circle. Grant us your protection and empower our rites this eve. Hail and Welcome!
Blessed spirits of the South, spirits of Fire, of passion and creativity, I welcome you to our circle. Grant us your protection and empower our rites this eve. Hail and Welcome!
Blessed spirits of the West, spirits of Water, of acceptance and openness, I welcome you to our circle. Grant us your protection and empower our rites this eve. Hail and Welcome!
For the poetic language of the older scripts, try:
I summon, call, and stir thee up, oh Guardian of the North. Be welcomed into this place and grant your solidity and stability to this our rite. Preserve and defend us against all forces malign, harmful, and maligning and bring to us the power and clarity of your wisdom. So mote it be.
Or, for more modern poetics,
Hail, Spirits of the wintry north! I call upon thee to attend to our circle today. Bring to us your chilling solidity, your cold certainty, your comforting stillness. Hail and Welcome!
There is room for creativity here. My high priestess would write quarter invocations appropriate to the season or holiday, such as Samhain invocations that listed the ways each element could snuff out life and then begged them for their kindness. Realistically, there is room for creativity with every script I provide here, but I recommend trying out the traditional versions for a while to feel what they do.
After all quarters are invoked, you must turn to the first quarter you invoked a second time. Salute that first quarter a second time (“Final salute North”) to complete the circle. Then, everyone sheathes their athames and turns to the center.
Most often, a female goddess and male god are welcomed to the circle. Alternatively, one can welcome one deity, or three, or a pantheon. I was taught a wicca in which a paired priest and priestess officiate together and each invokes one deity, which is what I will teach here. Any accusations of gender essentialism can be sent to my transmasculine and nonbinary priest.
A god/dess pair should come from the same pantheon/culture and be two that make sense together. Married/partner gods are the lost logical and traditional choice but far from the only one. Odhinn and Frigg, as a married couple, make obvious sense, but so do Freyr and Freya as paired siblings, Freya and Odhinn as gods with overlapping domains. Aphrodite could be meaningly paired with Ares, Hephestus, Hermes, or Dionysus for different purposes. Consider the time of year and the purpose of your ritual. Call Hekate with Hades on Samhain since the underworld is their domain, of Dionysos and Ariadne, but call Hades and Persephone in the spring, or just Persephone for a personal ritual of rejuvenation. Use your head.
Here is a typical practice for welcoming a god/dess pair:
The priestess approaches the altar. They raise their hands, palms-up to the ceiling (heavenly goddess) or palms-down to the floor (earthly or chthonic goddess). Others mimic this pose or reach out to the priestess to offer power. After quickly centering themself, the priestess begins to invoke the goddess, calling her name(s) and listing her attributes/accomplishments. Perhaps they recite a hymn or poem to the goddess. Their voice starts quiet, and grows louder. Once at the peak of their invocation, the priestess turns to the altar, grabs a match or an already lit candle, and lights the goddess candle with the lit unity candle. After the candle is lit, they say
The goddess is here! Hail and Welcome!
Which the people repeat. Priestess returns to the circle.
The priest approaches the altar. In the same fashion the lift or lower their hands and the people as well. After centering, they call to the god, listing names, attributes, praise. When it comes time to light the candle, the priest too lights it with the unity candle (both god and goddess from same cross-gender source). Priest says
The god is here! Hail and Welcome!
All repeat. The priest returns to the circle.
ALT: Drawing Down the Moon
If one is invoking the Goddess Herself, instead of a pair of deities, this is a good time to Drawn Down the Moon and/or recite the Charge of the Goddess. This is more traditional than the pair version that I typically practice, but if you are only invoking one deity, going through the extra steps is worth the time.
If you wish to Draw Down the Moon, the priest gives the priestess the Fivefold Kiss (see below) or anoint yourself with sacred oil five times as you perform the Kiss on yourself with your hands. Then once the goddess is present, either recite the Charge of the Goddess (again below) or let the Goddess speak through if you/she are so inspired.
This is often combined with the invocation or sometimes omitted. Usually done by the priestess. If the incense you are burning or the flowers/fruit on your altar are the offering, lift them up to the lit god/dess candles and declare them to be an offering:
Accept the gifts of your worshippers today. Blessed be.
Or a more elaborate speech if appropriate. If offering incense, burn more. If a fruit, cut it open and lay it back down before the candles/idols. The offering is brief but can be important psychologically. Being hospitable to the gods (giving offerings) is what convinces them to be hospitable (give blessings) in return, and seeing this will create a firmer connection to the divinities in the mind.
Now that deities have been invoked and the purpose of the ritual is clear, perform a song or a chant. If just leading up to the ritual it can be a narrative song. If it will be part of the ritual, it should be a chant that can build and that the circle can pick up quickly. My high priestess would often use this as a time for dance, either free dance or group dances, which is wonderful if you have a group that will do it.
After the god/desses are present, the priest or priestess (as they will) should acclaim them. This could come in several forms. For an old god/dess you could recite a hymn or poem of praise, entirely through one person or giving everyone a copy of the poem and reciting lines in a round. I’ve read a passage from the Descent of Inanna for her, read from the Orphic Hymns for four or five Greek deities through the course of a circle, and had the whole circle read a passage from Bran mac Feabhail for Manannan in a round. For god/desses with many names, one could recite or explain their names.
This is the best time to tell a myth all through, especially if the ritual will involve the myth. If for example everyone will be performing divination tonight you could tell the tale of divination in the culture of your god/desses. I always recited the tale of Lugh and Balor at Lughnasadh, I’ve seen the legend of the birth of Bast recited here before a Midsummer dancing ritual.
No one likes to hear me say it, but this is also the best time in your ritual for a ‘sermon’ if you are running it for beginners. If it is Mabon and you want to explain the historical context of the harvest festival so everyone is in the right mindset for the ritual, the time is now.
But, on the other hand, if you have a ritual that speaks for itself, it is also good to not speak here at all and move right from the chant to the ritual to keep an active energy flowing forward. After the gods are present, the bulk of the ceremony can be altered to suit your needs. Typically, on Samhain, when I want strong ritual energy, I forgo the myth-telling step entirely and go from inviting the deities to perhaps a short chant or recitation and then into the List of Names. Whether or not it’s worth it to pause to recite a myth or explain concepts before the ritual depends on the ritual. Sometimes context heightens the feeling, sometimes it kills the energy.
No matter what, cut yourself off here at five-ten minutes unless you are doing an engaging, dramatic presentation of myth. Do not let yourself ramble on.
Now is the time for your ritual. Theater, divination, spell-casting, maenad rioting, and praise are all options. Everything before this point has been designed to put people into the right state of mind for this practice. I will list some full rituals elsewhere but highly recommend you design your own rituals, whether creating something new., adapting another witch’s work, or adjusting an ancient ritual to be performed in modern times (as modern productions of the Mysteries of Eleusis or modern Norse Blots do).
End the ritual with the ‘cone of power’, bringing the heightened energy of dance or song or chant to a high moment where you shout to the gods the intention of your ritual and then let all drop to the earth and feel. No matter what the ritual, even with sedate divination or meditation, do not waste that final ‘con of power’ moment where everyone is focused all together on your effort: declare your intent again, beseech the gods, and then let the energy cool down.
Once the ritual is over, wait a few moments for everyone to breathe, relax. Then, priestess says a few words to transition. Usually these are words of thanks to the deities for their role in the ritual (though they are not dismissed yet), such as:
Freyr and Freyja have blessed us with their gifts of courage, passion, and mirth. Freyja the battle-mistress has renewed our will to fight for ourselves. Freyr the skillful lover has reawakened our love for ourselves. We are now full of the power we sought when we came to this circle. The good Vanir have imparted that power to us. Let us eat and drink in their names.
It is also a good time to call back to a particular line of the charge of the Goddess, “all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals.” The cakes and ale stand in for a proper Great Rite, and as such the blessings of the dishes include a symbolic great rite. As such though this leads to an informal section of the ritual, performing the blessing with due focus and gravitas is important.
The priestess picks up the plate of cakes (or cookies, candies, fruits, so on). They place both hands under the plate and lift it up to the priest. The priest forms a sign of blessing with their hands over the cakes (not touching).They say:
Brightest Blessings be upon thee, of gifts of earth formed by human hands. As your form goes on to nourish our body so let your spirit go on to nourish our souls. So mote it be.
All repeat so mote it be. The priestess places the cakes back onto the altar and then lifts up the chalice with their non-dominant hand. They pick up also the wine (or juice, water, tea, so on) and pour some into the chalice. They place the wine onto the altar and hold the chalice up to the priest. The priest draws their athame and with their dominant hand holds it some inches above the chalice. The priestess uses their dominant hand to also hold the athame, so that the priest and priestess’ hands overlap. The priest says,
As the athame is to the lover,
The priestess continues without pause,
So the chalice is to the beloved.
Then, as one, they begin lowering the athame into the chalice so that at least the tip is immersed in the wine. As they lower it, together they say,
And know that neither is greater or lesser than the other. Together they become as one. So mote it be!
All repeat ‘So mote it be’. The athame is removed and the priest cleans it before resheathing. The priestess pours the consecrated wine back into the bottle that holds the rest of the wine, so that it mingles and all is consecrated.
Then they are free to pass out cups and plates to the people, or the people may approach the altar and take, whatever works best. If one wanted to do a ceremonial ‘communion’ where all drink from the chalice at the altar, that is possible. Personally I prefer to let the ceremonial feeling decrease at this point and allow some unwinding from the ritual.
As the people eat, they converse. They should converse as a group, not private conversations, and they should speak about the ritual, the gods, and matters of local interest. My circle would use this time to talk about wiccan or pagan events in the area and plan other meetings and rituals. Do not let the talk become sour or moody, and guide everyone away from discussions of topics like work, politics, and current events. This should be a time of joy and togetherness, and it is still a time of ritual, dedicated to the gods. You are still in their presence, and there are certain things that don’t belong in that presence, even with a more relaxed atmosphere. (Have the meeting to plan the protest after or on another day.) If the conversation drifts too much or time has worn on, it is time to close the ritual.
Alternatively one can do toasts during cakes and ale; In certain rituals I replace traditional cakes and ale with the Threefold Toast.
To close a ritual, one reverses the steps it took to open it, excluding only the purifications.
First, devoke the deities. Priest approaches the altar and stands before the god candle. As before, they raise or lower their palms as appropriate. They call the names of the god again and thank him for attending to the ritual today. They list the attributes and blessings the god brought (courage, insight, peace, ect.) and bids him to depart in peace. At that moment they snuff out the god candle and say “Hail and Farewell.” The people repeat “Hail and Farewell.”
The priestess approaches the altar and does the same for the goddess, naming her, thanking her, bidding her depart in peace, and snuffing out the candle.
Then the quarters are devoked. Here there is a disagreement among witches: should the quarters be devoked in the same order as they were invoked, or backwards (opposite direction)? I have heard salient arguments on both sides of the debate and encourage you to research it on your own. I prefer to reverse when devoking myself.
Either way, begin at the first and final point you invoked. All unsheathe athames and point them in that direction again. Whoever invoked also devokes. While drawing a pentagram, say (for example):
We thank you, blessed spirits of the North and of the Earth. You have brought solidity and stability into our circle today. As you came in peace, so depart in peace. Hail and Farewell.
All repeat “Hail and Farewell.” Speaker draws athame to their heart, back out, and in again, then moves to the next quarter and repeats. So again everyone goes into a circle until all four are devoked and the last element is saluted a fourth and final time. Then everyone faces center again for the uncasting of the circle.
Priest approaches center (or rim) as before, with the same tool as before. Again, there is debate over whether they should decast in the same direction they cast or the opposite, and again I always go opposite. After centering, they turn in three circles, saying as they turn:
I release thee, oh circle of power. By my will and word I do release thee. Thou hast been a meeting place between the strange and powerful world of the gods and the familiar and mundane world of mankind. Thou hast been a place held sacred to those who we did invoke and worship within thee tonight. Thou hast been a bastion and preserver of the power that we have raised within thee today. Thou hast been a defender against all forces malign, harmful, and maligning. Thou hast been a place of finite and infinite, of known and unknown, of masculine and feminine, of visible and invisible, of the human and the inhuman. As to the left, so to the right. As within, so without. As before, so behind, and as above, so below. By my will and world I do release thee. So mote it be.
As before they drive the final words into the ground with a flourish of their athame. All repeat, “so mote it be!”
Then, all speak at once:
The circle is open, but never broken. Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again!
Once this is done, any conversation put off while in ritual can commence. Make sure to connect with any newcomers and encourage them to ask you questions if they have them. Invite everyone back for the next time. It is more important to give everyone a good farewell than to take down the altar immediately. Plan to be there quite a while after hours if you are the host. There’s wisdom in sharing a meal afterward, in another location, if you can; if not, just plan for time to socialize before everyone goes on their way.
The charge is one of the most beloved texts of wicca. First written by Doreen Valiente (with a popular edit and additions later done by Starhawk), the charge is sacred liturgy that lists the names, attributes, commands, and gifts of the Goddess.
When used in ritual, it follows Drawing Down the Moon, an act that invites the Goddess into the body of her priestess and replaces the regular 'Invokation of the Deities', which instead welcomes the Goddess into the space of the circle instead of into the preistess themself. The strength of the Charge is its poetic power and enduring traditional weight, the weakness of the Charge is its Goddess-Only nature that makes it rarely applicable to the all-genders circles I run, the danger is that if you cannot really act Goddess, you will just embarass yourself tyring to perform it. The Charge demands utter confidence and certainty.
There is no reason one cannot write their own charge if sufficiently inspired. I will reproduce a commonly accepted version of it below.
Listen to the words of the Great Mother, who was of old also called Artemis; Astarte; Diana; Melusine; Aphrodite; Cerridwen; Dana; Arianrhod; Isis; Bride; and by many other names.
Whenever ye have need of anything, once in a month, and better it be when the Moon be full, then ye shall assemble in some secret place and adore the spirit of me, who am Queen of all Witcheries.
There shall ye assemble, ye who are fain to learn all sorcery, yet have not yet won its deepest secrets: to these will I teach things that are yet unknown.
And ye shall be free from slavery; and as a sign that ye are really free, ye shall be naked in your rites; and ye shall dance, sing, feast, make music and love, all in my praise.
For mine is the ecstasy of the spirit and mine also is joy on earth; for my Law is Love unto all Beings.
Keep pure your highest ideal; strive ever toward it; let naught stop you or turn you aside.
For mine is the secret door which opens upon the Land of Youth; and mine is the Cup of the Wine of Life, and the Cauldron of Cerridwen, which is the Holy Grail of Immortality.
I am the Gracious Goddess, who gives the gift of joy unto the heart. Upon earth, I give the knowledge of the spirit eternal; and beyond death, I give peace, and freedom, and reunion with those who have gone before. Nor do I demand sacrifice, for behold I am the Mother of All Living, and my love is poured out upon the earth.
Hear ye the words of the Star Goddess, she in the dust of whose feet are the hosts of heaven; whose body encircleth the Universe; I, who am the beauty of the green earth, and the white Moon among the stars, and the mystery of the waters, and the heart's desire, call unto thy soul. Arise and come unto me.
For I am the Soul of Nature, who giveth life to the universe; from me all things proceed, and unto me must all things return; and before my face, beloved of gods and mortals, thine inmost divine self shall be unfolded in the rapture of infinite joy.
Let my worship be within the heart that rejoiceth, for behold: all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals. And therefore let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honour and humility, mirth and reverence within you.
And thou who thinkest to seek for me, know thy seeking and yearning shall avail thee not, unless thou know this mystery: that if that which thou seekest thou findest not within thee, thou wilt never find it without thee.
For behold, I have been with thee from the beginning; and I am that which is attained at the end of desire.
I did, in fact, create an altered version of the charge for personal ritual use, to adjust some language and make it easier for me personally to memorize. The lists of Goddesses always changes when I recite it (as do minor details of grammar), but at this point my own charge is the one that comes out of my mouth when I need it. You may use it as well if you like.
Hear now the words of the Great Goddess, who was of old called Artemis; Astarte; Diana; Yemaya; Aphrodite; Hekate; Cerridwen; Freya, Ariadne; Arianrhod; Nuut; Isis; Bride; and by many other names.
Whenever you have need of anything, once in a month, and better it be when the Moon is full, assemble in some secret place and adore the spirit of me, who am Queen of all Witcheries.
There shall you assemble, you who are fain to learn all sorcery, but have not yet won its deepest secrets: to you will I teach things that are yet unknown.
And you shall be free from all bondage; and as a sign that you are truly free, you shall be naked in your rites; and you shall dance, sing, feast, make music and love, all in my praise. For mine is the ecstasy of the spirit and mine also is joy on earth; for my Law is Love unto all Beings.
Keep pure your highest ideal; strive ever toward it; let nothing stop you or turn you aside.
For mine is the secret door which opens upon the Land of the Sidhe and the straight way over the sea to the Isle of Avalon; and mine is the Cup of the Wine of Life, and the Cauldron of Cerridwen, which is the Holy Grail of Immortality.
I am the Gracious Goddess, who gives the gift of joy unto the heart. Upon earth, I give the knowledge of the spirit eternal; beyond death, I give peace, and freedom,and justice, and reunion with those who have gone before. Nor do I demand sacrifice, for behold I am the Mother of All Living, and my love is poured out upon the earth.
Hear now the words of the Star Goddess, she in the dust of whose feet are the hosts of the heavens; whose body encircles the Universe; I, who am the beauty of the green earth, and the Silver-shining Moon among the stars, and the mystery of the black waters, and the heart's desire, call unto your soul. Arise and come to me. I have long awaited you, just as you have long awaited me.
Let my worship be within the heart that rejoices, for behold: all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals. And therefore let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honour and humility, mirth and reverence within you.
And you who think to seek for me, know your seeking shall avail you not unless you know this mystery: that if that which you seek you find not inside, you will never find it outside.
For behold, I have been with you from the beginning; and I am that which is attained at the end of desire.
See? Not very different, just personalized. Go you therefore and do the same.
The Fivefold Kiss is a piece of original wiccan litrugy that has fallen out of favor as it does ask for physical contact. It is used traditionally for Drawing Down the Moon and Initiations. If you want an intense spiritual, ritual moment and trust everyone involved, this can be incredibly powerful. It is intended for a situation where everyone in the room has years of practice and learning, including the person being initiated.
As always I will reproduce a traditional script first, but it is now antiquated enough that I can't imagine using it myself.
The priest kneels before the worshiper/initiate, saying, "In other religions the postulant kneels, as the Priests claim supreme power, but in the Art Magical, we are taught to be humble, so we kneel to welcome them and say:
"Blessed be thy feet that have brought thee in these ways." (He kisses her feet.)
"Blessed be thy knees that shall kneel at the sacred altar." (He kisses her knees.)
"Blessed be thy womb, without which we would not be." (He kisses her Organ of Generation.)
"Blessed by thy breasts, formed in beauty and in strength." (He kisses her breasts.)
"Blessed be thy lips, which shall utter the sacred names." (He kisses her lips.)
Now, here is an alternate version, one that I wrote, a no-touching option with altered language. I encourage the discerning witch to find a middle ground, thinking hard about how much touching and what anatomy is desired or appropriate for their own circle and setting.
Note that an appropriate amount of sexuality is not always 'none.' Sexuality is not innappropriate, in life or in spirituality. It is, however, situational.
(The Priest points their athame in the direction of the moon, slowly moving it from the moon to the worshiper as they speak. They say:) Come unto your worshiper, Oh Great Goddess, just as you did in days of old. Fill them with the illuminating light which you pour upon the earth each day; draw yourself out from within them like you draw out the sea from her depths.
(Pointing athame at forehead) Sacred is the mind that comprehends sacred mysteries.
(At lips) Sacred are the lips that utter sacred names.
(At heart) Sacred is the heart that does the sacred work of life.
(At stomach) Sacred is the body that makes new life.
(At feet) Sacred are the feet which have brought you to this sacred place.
(Standing, sheathing athame) Descend now, O Radiant Moon.
My uncle taught me his very useful 'four seats of power' meditation. He uses it often in ritual, for grounding, to ease into a longer guided meditation, or part of the central ritual itself.
The Four Seats has influences from the Irish Three Cauldrons/Cauldrons of Poesy wisdom, from Indian Chakra practice, and from Chinese belief (my uncle is a well-read New Yorker who commits cultural fusion constantly and gleefully), but the bodily points of focus, the ethics, and the associated symbols are all wiccan.
The word 'power' is used often and purposefully here. Part of the purpose of the ritual is to get a person used to thinking of themself as powerful and to stop associating power with evil. Power is a neutral word. Power can be good, evil, without morals; wind is power, community is power, standing up for yourself is power. Reckoning with and understanding the power within your body instead of denying it will only help you use it purposefully for good instead of using it poorly in ignorance.
Whether by yourself or leading others, begin with meditative breathing. Use any style, or the simple 'four beats in, hold four beats, four beats out, hold four beats' method. I say 'beats' instead of giving a time measurement for two reasons. It allows you to choose an amount of time that works for you while still maintaining focus and structure, and it encourages the use of drumbeats or some other kind of rhythmic count which will help you stick to the meditative breathing when you move on to other things.
Once breathing and centered, move your awareness inside your body. You want to touch on all four 'seats of power', locations within the self releated to the four elements, seasons, and guardians.
Before I write down a common script, here is the chart of corrospondence:
| Element | Seat of Power | Season | Direction | Color | Shape | Tool | Guardian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air | Head/Third Eye | Spring | East | Yellow or Green | Downwards Triangle | Wand | Eagle/Bird |
| Fire | Heart | Summer | South | Red | Upright Triangle | Athame | Lion |
| Water | Stomach/Solar Plexus | Autumn | West | Blue or Silver | Crescent or Circle | Chalice | Snake |
| Earth | Seat/Base of Spine | Winter | North | Black | Square | Pentacle | Bull |
If I were to guide a group or person through the four seats of power meditation, my script would be like this:
Turn your attention inside your body. Move your awareness around your body, your legs, your hips, your center, your arms, your heart, your throat, your mind. Notice how the parts of your body feel, any pain you are ignoring, any tension, any excitement, any points of solidity or power.
In traditional wicca, there are four great seats of power in the body, four sources from which we can draw solidity, serenity, certainty, and inspiration. These are first the base of the spine, the seat, the part which steadies us on the ground; second the solar plexus, the guts, the womb, the stomach; third the heart; and fourth the head, the mind, the third eye. Exactly where the center of power is in these four locations can be different for different bodies.
Touch all of these centers in yourslf lightly, roving your awareness between the four. Notice which ones immediately respond to your attention, which are sluggish or weak.
Focus your attention on the seat of power which feels the strongest, the brightest, the most energetic when you touch it. Feel its power. Strengthen it. Increase the resonance between your active attention and the physical power in that part of your body. If your head is the strongest, it may be your intellect, your psychic instinct, your strong will that guides you; your heart might be aflame with focused emotion or life-force; your center mnight be strong with instinct, with intuition, with pure physical drive; your firm seat, the base of your spine, might be radiating life force, solidity, animal knowledge. Whichever of the four is strongest, focus in on it and let your power radiate. (Give them time to do so.)
Now focus on the seat of power that felt weakest to you, whichever responded the most slowly, was the most dim. Pour your attnetion into it for a moment, reflect on why it may be that center of power is ailing.
Now that you have found your strongest and weakest center of power, you must draw energy from the strong center and move it to aid the weak center. Do this, if possible, by the longest route. If your strongest center of power is your head and the weakest your base, what you must do is re-focus on your head, then imagine you pushing power down from your head to your heart, letting it pool and enliven in your heart, then down to your center, letting it spread and flourish in your center, and finally down to your base, when it also fills and circles in your base. Then again push that power back into your spine, up through your spine, returning to your head and down again. Whichever centers you begin and end with, keep going until you complete the circle, up or down your spine, and let the circle flow. (Give them some time.)
This second half is optional. I would not use it if I were centering a group for ritual, but if I were teaching/assisting one person, I likely would, as it has future benefits for them.
If you do end this exercise without the second half, remember to gently guide everyone in meditation back to present awareness as usual.
Now that you have found your power, we meditate on power.
Many consider 'power' to be a dirty word. 'Power' is associated with evil, and it is weilded against the innocent. But I posit that we have surrendered power to evil, that we have accepted that power inherently corrupts because the corrupted want us to think that we cannot have our own power without becoming like them. Power can be personal, it can be grounding, it can be used to remain firm and undaunted outrselves and to empower us to stand up against the corrupt and for the innocent.
The power you have felt in your own body is not an evil thing. It is your life force, bearing you up, enabling you to love, to care for yourself and others, to pursue art, charity, and joy with energy. It also enables you to defend the weak, to fight back against injustice. In her address to her witches, Goddess Aradia commands us to fight until the last of our oppressors is overcome.
To that end witches seek personal power, to that end we meditate on power today.
Focus on your centers of power again. Focus on the strongest point of power within your body. Touch its energy, vitality, your sheer will to live again. I will ask you some abstract questions. Do not think about them, answer the moment after I ask as intuition guides you. I encourage you to answer aloud.
What does this power look like? (If they need encouragement: Is it liquid, is it light, does it look like a solid object?)
What color is it?
How does it feel to the touch? (For encouragement: Is it solid, or shifting, sharp, or soft?)
How does it sound?
Does it have a taste, a scent?
When it moves in you, what is that movement like?
For the purposes of writing a script, let us pretend our postulant said that to them, power was a quick, golden glow, that it sounded like a bell, that it felt warm but insubstantial, moved quickly and shifting, and that a scent of ginger came to them when they tried to imagine a smell.
You now know more about what you associate with power.
In the next week, meditate once each day, at or around noon, since you associate power with warmth and light. As you meditate, I task you with reflecting on these sensations of personal power. Your body gave you associations that can further empower you as you use them. Use an incense of ginger whiel you meditate, or drink a ginger tea before beginning. Have a bell with you, and play the chime of a bell right before you begin, or chime it every time you move form one center of power to another, to enliven each center. Dress in gold, wear gold, or envision gold in your mind. Focus on your quick, warm feeling; let that feeling expand within your. Through your natural associations with power, you can come to a better understanding of your own, innate power and the body in which it resides.
Then end the meditation as always, with slowly encouraging the postulant to become aware of their current location and the present moment again.
While I just finished saying that the man who taught me wicca was a very well-read man who typically cited his sources, there is one practice of his I have never been able to verify as anything but UPG. I am not certain that the Threefold Toast is Norse in origin like he claims it is, but it is such an effective and enjoyable ritual that I will perpetuate it even if I do suspect he made this one up (if you have any evidence of this one existing elsewhere, let me know! Email is traumaturge@proton.me).
The threefold toast is simple and fits easily into a larger ritual. If I am doing a Norse, Baltic, or Slavic circle, I will often replace traditional cakes and ale with the threefold instead. It cuts down free conversation time but it worth it for the atmosphere of joy and gratitude it inspires.
The method is simple: cakes and ale are blessed as usual and everyone's cup is filled. Then, starting with priestess, three rounds of toasts are offered, each with its own theme. These are:
Every attendee makes all three toasts. There is no skipping allowed. And yes, everyone must drink to every toast. Provide a non-alcoholic alternative for those who prefer it and pace yourself.
For the first round, the Priestess toasts whatever god, demigod, or spirit they want to honor; then the person clockwise to their left toasts their choice of divinity, and so on until the circle returns to the host. For the second round, each person chooses an ancestor, a literal departed ancestor they want to honor or else a departed mentor or influence. For the third round, 'to us', I insist on each attendee toasting theirself. I toast myself, the priest toasts theirself, the attendees all choose something to brag about, and there is no skipping. This is hard for typically self-hating pagans, and that's why I force them to do it. The alternate option for round three is to have everyone toast the company, or the living pagan community, and talk about a living influence they love.
Part of the point here is to boast, to practice healthy, joyful pagan bragging and yarn-spinning in a culture that rewards self-hate and humility instead. Be bold! Honor yourself! Drink to your own health no matter how hard it feels! And realize that toasting to yourself, to what is good in you, honors three times the mentors and ancestors who taught you those good thigns, the gods and spirits that cultivated and inspired them, and the community that loves and supports them.
My typical threefold toasts are "To fierce Freyja, who defends her people still"; "To Gwydion Pendderwen, Bard of Wicca, gone long before his time"; and "To me, for organizing a damn good circle", but I will vary it up if another God or another beloved departed one is on my mind.