This page is a collection of rituals I have experienced. I officiated some of them, I assisted in some of them, and some I attended and enjoyed.
Some will be described in great detail, some will have instructions or scripts, some will be brief snapshots of memory.
In my book of shadows, I leave the actual 'ritual' portion of the rituals undescribed; the center mystery of the ritual is custom-made to each occassion. These are some of the countless experiences that could be fit in that center spot.
It was Mabon, the harvest season. We had gathered around a bonfire and dusk was quickly becoming night. The fire was roaring high. The day was dedicated to the Horned God of the Forest and the Lady of the Moon. Our purpose of the ritual was to celebrate the 'harvests' of the year, the good things we had earned through working for them. To celebrate, we danced around the fire, jumping and shouting, singing songs while the priestess called out lyrics and beat the drum. I recall stomping and shouting to Hoof and Horn, feeling ecstasy and connection. Finally, once exhausted, we sank onto the ground to feel the earth, to see the leaves of the trees shifting above us.
I had an especially successful Samhain one year with Persephone and Hades. It 'helped', perhaps, that we had recently endured a natural disaster and many attending needed time to mourn.
This was a finely tuned ritual. I had designated places to read four of the Orphic Hymns (Athanassakis and Wolkow translation) and a ritual fire set up in a small cauldron. I will replace much of my script below, with a couple of my notes sections removed, as my personal version of my ritual scripts always include a ton of extra details that don't actually get read out loud or used in every ritual. If I realize something I planned no longer fits the energy or I have to cut it for time, I silently cut it and move on.
Samhain is a central holiday/sabbat. New year, day of the dead, for magicians one of the most powerful eves. We are looking ahead to a bright new year and respecting those who have gone before. It is based on the old celtic fire festival we know was once celebrated though traditions varied and many are lost.
Ground rules: participate, but don't push yourself. This is our most sacred Sabbat day, so some solemnity is appropriate; this doesn't mean you have to be completely serious and unquestioning the whole way through.
The central tradition we are respecting today is the list of names. You have a small paper in front of you to write down names of beloved ones that passed on this year. Family, friends, pets, 'celebrity' deaths that strongly moved you are all appropriate.
Hymn to Hekate
(note: at all places were a 'hymn' is noted, I or my priest/husband read the Orphic Hymn out loud. Since I read from a copyrighted translation, I will not reproduce the actual words I read here, but you can find them in the Archive copy I linked above if you check it out. The Hymn to Hekate, a goddess who is not otherwise invoked or discussed in the ritual, was recited to empower me, the witch running it.)
Breathe, notice your body, notice the air and the wind and trees around you. Ground all five senses in the autumn, the wheel turning. Awaken. (Note: this was my loose guide for the grounding process, which was then improved live.)
(Typical purification instructions as written out in my Book of Shadows.)
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.
May the fire and air make sweet the world. Father, be thou adored. So mote it be.
May the oil sacred to the divine anoint the bodies of those gathered in their name today. Be thou adored. So mote it be.
The protective circle is cast around the ritual as its boundary. After this point, it is requested that anyone who needs to leave please ask first so the circle can be cut for them and then re-sealed.
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 mundane and comprehendible world of mankind. Beest thou a bastion and preserver of the power that we will raise within thee today. Beest thou a place held sacred to those who we will invoke and worship within thee tonight. Beest thou a place of finite and infinite, of known and unknown, of male and female, of visible and invisible, of the living and of the departed. As above, so below. As to the left, so to the right. As before, so behind. As within, so without. By my will and word I do conjure thee. So mote it be.
(Note: In my circles my priest usually calls quarters. This year he recited my Aunt's Samhain quarters, which hail the elements in their capacity as death-bringers and honor those who died. They are so lovely that I will present them here in full and potentially elsewhere.)
INVOKE WIDDERSHINS (North, West, South, East)
NORTH: We recall and remember those who perished by the crushing weight of earth, those who were buried alive, those who suffered cruel physical blows, those for whom the weight of life's woes was too much to endure. You are recalled and remembered.
WEST: We recall and remember those who perished by the flood of water, those who drowned by choice or accident or by the intent of others, those who drowned in bottles of alcohol, those who drowned in the oceans of their own tears, whose who died alone and adrift in the ocean of life. You are recalled and remembered.
SOUTH: We recall and remember those who perished by blazing fires, those who were burned, shot, electrocuted, those who died of painful fevers, those who died in battle, those who died because of the anger of others, those whose own anger consumed them. You are recalled and remembered.
EAST: We recall and remember those who perished by the cutting power of air, those who died by noose or by blade, by their own hand or by that of others, those who were strangled, those who died gasping for one final breath, those for whom the harsh words of others led first to a death of the soul, then of the body. You are recalled and remembered.
Hymn to Persephone (Priestess) and Hades (Priest)
Chant: They Will Remain
When we are gone they will remain / Wind and rock, fire and rain
They will remain when we return / Wind will blow and fire will burn
I instructed everyone to fill out their paper with names of lost loved ones if they had not already. As they did I explained the tradition of the List, which we do every Samhain; beloved dead are honored again and then purposefully hailed farewell to encourage the living to loosen their bonds to the lost ones.
This year I has a small cauldron set up in the middle of the circle. In the cauldron was a fire of natural wood and leaves burning. My husband, who had invoked and was embodying Lord Hades, tended the fire. I stood at the altar. Going widdershins, I asked each participant to approach the altar, recite the name(s) they had written, and say a few words if their heart moved them to do so.
It had been a hard year. Many grew emotional. As they spoke, my husband, the Lord at the Dead, stood at their side, held their shoulders, embraced them if they wanted it, then returned to tending the warm fire that burnt the names. I watched him with tears of love in my eyes. For that time I was married to that kind guardian of the departed and loved him.
One all names had been read and cast, I approached the fire and stood with my husband as the Lady of Renewal. My script implies I said the following words, though I know in reality I spoke longer:
As the paper made of gifts of earth burns, as the ink becomes coal, these names drift up to the heavens; the ashes scatter over the ground. Your remembrance, your love is carried away to meet your beloved lost ones. They are remembered and honored for their deeds and their compassion tonight. Hail, beloved ones; hail and farewell.
(I then had everyone sit back down for a guided meditation to the Underworld. I largely followed the script below as I didn't want to improvise too much during such an important moment, and besides, when everyone's eyes are closed, reading from a paper is fine. The script is bare-bones; I fleshed out details as I went because I know I can do that, you wouldn't be wrong to REALLY script it out.
(There was a semantic slip from me previously 'being' Persephone to me now 'being' Hermes, but I think I pulled it off.)
Establish where we are. Lying comfortably on soft earth. Chill but not freezing, a breeze on your face wakes you. Describe trees, undergrowth, grass. Myrtle, olive, ivy. White flowers, the narcissus, the crocus.
You see a path worn into the grass that leads down a gentle slope. A white, round stone marks its beginning.
Instruct people to visualize rising to their feet and walking down the path that slopes downward.
Arrive at a cave. Over the cave arcs a great myrtle tree, and the path leads inside. They meet me there; I, swift-footed Hermes, the psychopomp. I look different from how I usually do, but you recall that you know me when you see me.
I explain we will be going to the underworld to meet your lost loved one. I have done the journey many times before, you will be safe with me. If you do not want to go, lay down here, rest, breathe, relax.
For everyone going with me, I take your hand and begin leading you into the darkness of the cave. Cool, winding corridors become a primordial set of stairs leading downward. You see friezes of the Gods around you, telling well-known stories of gods ascending and descending into the underworld, up and down again. Tree roots, also, curl overhead.
Slowly we descend into a dark place, where you feel spirits lingering. You cannot see them, like lilies on the water, they drift in the air. None approach you, and none seem to know you.
We approach a boat with a shrouded sailor on board. I pay him two coins, and silently, he lets us on. We drift across the river.
Suddenly, the darkness lifts; on the bank is a palatial hall, grim but beautiful. I led you to a door-guard, and explain our purpose. He asks you who it is you want to visit. (Pause to let them speak)
He said, if you are certain you want to speak, you may go inside and ask the Lord and Lady, but if you are not set in your purpose, or not prepared to see the gods, you may stay out here instead. If you want, you may remain with the guard; if not, come inside with me.
Throne room, describe the lord and the lady. We approach, and I greet them as Thea and Theos, as Persephone Despoina, source of new life; as Plouton lord of Hades, who bestows great riches. I introduce you as my friend, and ask the Lord and Lady to let you see a beloved lost soul.
The Lord says he may permit this, but you cannot take this departed one back with you. He does ask, though, why it is important to you to speak to them. (Pause).
He looks to his wife. The lady looks consideringly down at you, and asks, Are you not afraid of seeing them again?
Her eyes crinkle at your answer, and she nods. Then the goddess stands from her throne, and beckons for you to approach her. I urge you on; no one wise would refuse this call, and no one would dare to listen in.
The goddess bends down to your ear, and speaks. I will now be silent for a minute, so you may hear what the Great Goddess, the lady of death and rebirth, speaks into your ear.
Now the goddess bids you to go, so I take your hand again. We bow, and then leave the palace through another door.
We find a path that leads down again, down through a garden where wild vines grow, and at the bottom is another river. When we reach the bank, you see them; your beloved one is standing across the waters, looking just how you remember them, but clothed in beautiful robes. You can see that their suffering is over.
I let go of your hand, and urge you to approach the banks yourself.
There is no boat on this river, and you quickly judge that you cannot cross. The river cuts so deep in the stone, and is so fast that if you put a foot in it, you will end up just like your beloved one. But you can speak to them from the shore, and they will hear you.
Tell them everything you want them to know, and listen for a response.
The time has come to return to the world above. You must say your goodbyes one more time, and then return.
Finally, you walk back. Take my hand, lead them back up the bank, around the palace, back up the stairs and then to the mouth of the cave. I let you go there, and you must walk back on your own to the place you lay down. You see your body laying peacefully in the grass; now you must wake it up.
Narrate them tapping their toes and fingers, wrists and ankles, until you have gone all over, feeling life coming back into those points as you go. Then count people back up.
Welcome back! In case you have forgotten, you are in a dark, moonlight field in the New World. You just permitted a local crazy woman to guide you through an out of body experience, and now, she's going to make you sing a song.
(The gorgeous Kore Chant is potentially the most beloved Wiccan Hymn. It has an autumn version and a spring version; below is the autumn version. First are the instructions I gave fr how we would sing it. I had a lot of beginners, so I sang the verses and had them sing the chorus.)
As we walk around the cauldron where we put our remembrances, we are moving up, walking up from the underworld, and we are sending those names up to the sky in the smoke. Concentrate on sending those you remember up, up, to the life they desire, to a better place; to wherever they will to be, the glory of reincarnation, the bliss of communion with the divine, the soothing rest of contemplation, or the unburdening of nonexistence. And as you send them up lift yourself up as well, from the ground, from your feet, up through your body, and to the height of your higher self.
CHORUS: She changes everything she touches and everything she touches changes.
She changes everything she touches and everything she touches changes.
Her name cannot be spoken, her face was not forgotten
Her power is to open, her promise can never be broken.
All seeds she deeply buries, she weaves the thread of seasons
Her secret darkness carries, she loves beyond all reason.
Everything lost is found again, in a new form, in a new way
Everything hurt is healed again, in a new time, in a new day.
Bright as a flower and strong as a tree, with our love and with our rage
Breaking our chains so we can be free, with our love and with our rage.
We are changers, everything we touch can change
We are changers, everything we touch can change us
Now you will consecrate the wine. This simple ritual, called the Great Rite, is a cornerstone of wiccan ceremonies. Whatever your background is, you will recognize it.
PREIST: As the athame is to the lover,
PREISTESS: So the chalice is to the beloved.
BOTH TOGETHER: And know that neither is greater or lesser than the other. Together they become as one. So mote it be.
The priest blesses the cakes.
Hymn to Dionysus
(Note: There are four different Orphic Hymns to Dionysus, and for my life I do not recall which my husband chose to read here. I do remember that I said 'really? That one?')
After this the closing of the ritual was as usual; deities farewelled, quarters and then circle devoked. I was careful to note that my priest has to farewell Hades and Dionysus, as both had now been invoked (though Dio just for the food), and I wrote myself a farewell to Persephone, Demeter, and Hekate (invoked in the very beginning specifically to guide me) which I rather like:
Hail and farewell to the Olympian and Chthonic realms
To Hekate of the Crossroads, to beloved Persephone who brings new life; the mother Deo who gives great gifts to humankind.
Back to the earth and sea and sky, the gods will flow; the gods will fly.
Dark and light and light and dark; they are the seasons and the spark.
(And as noted above, since the priest used a quarter call we received from our Aunt, here are the devokations that go with it:
DEVOKE DEOSIL: North, East, South, West
NORTH: We thank and release you who did perish by or within the power of earth. Go forth from our celebration with our thanks and our love. As you came in peace, now go in peace. Go forth towards a better world than you did know. You are remembered but released.
EAST: We thank and release you who did perish by or within the power of air. Go forth from our celebration with our thanks and our love. As you came in peace, now go in peace. Go forth towards a better world than you did know. You are remembered but released.
SOUTH: We thank and release you who did perish by or within the power of fire. Go forth from our celebration with our thanks and our love. As you came in peace, now go in peace. Go forth towards a better world than you did know. You are remembered but released.
WEST: We thank and release you who did perish by or within the power of water. Go forth from our celebration with our thanks and our love. As you came in peace, now go in peace. Go forth towards a better world than you did know. You are remembered but released.
Then circle was released as always. The end result of the circle was great relief and healing from the attendees, it went much longer than planned and my feet were like ice from standing barefoot in the cold grass by the end but I was well pleased.
It was late summer. No particular holiday. The ritual was Minoan and dedicated to Dionysus, god of wine, madness, theater, music, sexuality, and to Ariadne, the lady of the labyrinth, the mystery-woman and lost goddess. The purpose of the ritual was self-discovery, looking inside and gaining insight. We began the ceremony inside the but walked outside for the central ritual. There was a labyrinth in the back, marked by rows of rocks on the ground. When we walked outside I saw the priest had donned a costume with an ax and a bull head mask and was standing in the middle of the labyrinth. The priestess explained that we would be walking through the labyrinth, one by one, and when we reached the center we would face the minotaur. It was up to us what we did there. The priestess played music and sang sacred songs as we walked through the maze, carefully spacing us out so we did not run into each other. Some argued with the minotaur. Some treated him flippantly, laughing at him, patting his nose. Some spoke with him at length, even embracing. Some did actually fight him (and he did not put up much of a fight). I addressed him as a brother, another son of Ekhidna, the mother of monsters, and we spoke as family. After we all walked, we joined in on the Kore Chant together, then returned inside to close.
I found one of my aunt's full text scripts for a ritual we did some years back. She sent me the script because I was assisting, I did the Blessing of the Air and the quarter calls to the east.
Like my husband and I my aunt and uncle are a priest/priestess pair; my uncle is a cheerfully foolish man and his portions of the rituals can be comedicy. I recall him singing Day-O (Belafonte) while we burned the Sunna Boat. He's like that. This was an upbeat and somewhat silly ritual overall. Being jovial and spirited, however, set us up for an impressive, real energy in the 'cone of power' section.
Welcome/elements/circle cast (Priestess and Priest)
South (Participant 1)
As the fire blazes forth in power,
We call to the courage of the South,
Powers of will and ferocity,
Come to us, and let us be invigorated.
Hail and welcome.
ALL: Hail and welcome.
West (Participant 2)
As the water flows through oceans and streams,
We call to the tides of the West,
Powers of beauty and mystery,
Come to us, and let us be cleansed.
Hail and welcome.
ALL: Hail and welcome.
North (Participant 3)
As the earth burst forth in fruit and flower,
We call to the strength of the North,
Powers of growth and abundance,
Come to us, and let us be productive.
Hail and welcome.
ALL: Hail and welcome.
East (Participant 4)
As the air blows warm and gentle,
We call to the wisdom of the East,
Powers of dreams and songs,
Come to us, and awaken our vision.
Hail and welcome.
ALL: Hail and welcome.
Invocation of Thor & Sif (Priestess and Priest)
My Aunt and Uncle always invoked without scripts and always did so with inspiration, passion, and poetic feeling. I aspire to this.
Song: Thor (aka White Man's Rain Chant) by Leslie Fish
CHORUS: Hail Thor, Lord of Thunders
Master of the Winds of the Western World!
Hail Thor, Hammer-Wielder
Lord of the Lightning, Lord of Storms!
Bring the wind that bears the waters
Master of the Winds of the Western World!
Call the cloud and all it utters
Lord of the Lightning, Lord of Storms!
Fetch the flock of cloud-sheep grazing
Master of the Winds of the Western World!
Lift the lash of lightning blazing
Lord of the Lightning, Lord of Storms!
In your arms the waters gather
Master of the Winds of the Western World!
Whip the waves to rage and lather
Lord of the Lightning, Lord of Storms!
Draw the drops of the sky together
Master of the Winds of the Western World!
Break the back of burning weather
Lord of the Lightning, Lord of Storms!
Join our joy of feast and singing
Master of the Winds of the Western World!
Set the skies with laughter ringing
Lord of the Lightning, Lord of Storms!
Gifts of the Vanir (Priestess Introduce)
Blessings of Water (Participant 2)
Primordial waters, cradle and urn, place of beginning, place of return. I am the archaic abyss, the encompassing ocean, the swirling salty source. Mine are the deep currents of creation and emotion, the murky spiral of blood and lust and imagination, churning, teeming, burning, gleaming, yearning, dreaming. I am the gentle shallows, the foaming tides, the raging whirlpool, the vast sea. Land is barren without me. With my rivers,you irrigate your fields and sail your boats upon my surface. I move through you as the tears in your eyes, the sweat on your skin, the blood in your veins. I contain the full flood of every emotion, the range of expression that deepens your experience of life and connects you to others. I am the memory of the past and the muse of the future.
Blessings of Earth (Participant 3)
I am lush land and rugged rock, the founding force, and the germinating ground, soft as moss and hard as diamond. I am the soil of the plains, the sand of the deserts, the rocks of the mountains, the gems of the caverns. I am the anchor of life, and the rhythm and the cycle of life. Stand on me - I will sustain you. Dig your roots into me - I will nourish you. Grow in my gardens! Feed on my fruits! Dance in my meadows! Build from my mud and stone! I am the lavish provider, the abundance of fertile fields, the beauty of flowers, the sweetness of honey, the fragrance and flavor of spices. But I am also the withering destroyer, the rotting vine, the moldy grain, the decaying wood. All matter must return to me, for I am renewal.
She Creates (chant) with Earth Dance
She creates worlds in her womb,
Blood, love, sex, milk, magic, and the moon
Gifts of the Aesir (Priest introduce)
Blessings of Fire (Participant 1)I am the flame that burns in the spirit of humanity and in the heart of every star. I am the big bang, the exploding blast that generated the galaxies. Millions of years ago I ignited the universe. Your planet spun out from me as a vortex of fire that seared the cosmos. I am the most perfect of all the elements, existing in and of myself. I can never be contaminated. Air can become dirty and stale; water may be poisoned and foul; land may be polluted and barren, but I burn clear and pure. I am the might of the hearth and the forge, and my processes of transformation created the first magic. In my flames you roasted meat, baked bread, fired pottery, shaped metals. I am the fire of will and passion, the force of daring and destruction.
Blessings of Air (Participant 4)
Breathe in, and I will fill your lungs and energize your body. Breathe out, and let me sweep away your toxins and tensions. You can live for days without food, even without water, but not without air. I am the wind that scatters the seeds and blows over the waters, and I am the tornado that convulses everything in my path. I reach into your mind and illuminate your brain so you can think, meditate, imagine, analyze, reason, discern, remember, plan, comprehend. I activate your vocal cords so you can speak, shout, sing, express, share, argue, communicate. My ideas stimulate invention and innovation. I shift reality and shape perceptions. I am conscious clarity, the power of learning and knowing, the skill of logic and deduction and deception. I provide the clear space of reason and the equilibrium of opposition.
Walk the Path (chant by Spiral Dance) with Hand Dance
(I do not now recall what 'hand dance' was. I think we did modified ASL as we sang.)
We'll walk the path that the old ones walked
And we'll dance the dances they taught us
And we'll sing the songs that the old ones sang
For the magic now has caught us.
SUNNA BOAT (Priest)
(This would have been a ritual where we burned the things we wished to let go my sumbolically writing down their names on peices of paper and casting those papers into a small burning fire reminiscent of viking funerals.)
Witches' Song (Selena Fox)/ freeform circle movement
(For this we moved freely around the fire in circular motion as we chanted, increasing in volume and speed and ferocity as we went. Fox's chant is excellent and can be very powerful if you let it be.)
We circle 'round the fire
To raise the cone of power
To bring what we desire
So mote it be.
Weave the magic by the moonlight
Dance the circle all night long.
Weave the magic by the moonlight,
Dance and sing the Witches' song!
Cakes & Ale
Devocation of Thor and Sif (Priestess and Priest)
(Again, their devokations were spontaneous and inspired and whatever they said is now lost to time.)
Devoking Quarters
South (Participant 1)
We thank you, powers of the South,
For your blessings of the Summer Solstice,
As the light begins to fade,
We bid you hail and farewell.
ALL: Hail and farewell.
East (Participant 4)
We thank you, powers of the East,
For your blessings of the Summer Solstice,
As the light begins to fade,
We bid you hail and farewell.
ALL: Hail and farewell.
North (Participant 3)
We thank you, powers of the North,
For your blessings of the Summer Solstice,
As the light begins to fade,
We bid you hail and farewell.
ALL: Hail and farewell.
West (Participant 2)
We thank you, powers of the West,
For your blessings of the Summer Solstice,
As the light begins to fade,
We bid you hail and farewell.
ALL: Hail and farewell.
Uncast Circle (Priest)
(He used the traditional circle cast as always.)
Here are some quarter calls I use in Irish-based circles, typically for Imbolc and Lughnasadh. This is the Imbolc set, since it starts in the east; the Lughnasadh set would start in the west instead.
To invoke:
Facing East I call to the air, to the limitless horizon and to Great Morrigan who guides the beloved dead and directs the winds of weather. Watch over us with your restless ravens and keep us in peace as we celebrate today. Hail and Welcome!
Facing South I call to the fire, to the spark of life and to Bright Brigid who preserves it. Fill us with your healing warmth and inspire us as we celebrate today. Hail and Welcome!
Facing West I call to the water, to the limitless ocean and to Manannan who tames the waves of the sea and protects his people from all danger. Surround us in your enshrouding fog and keep all harm away from us as we celebrate today. Hail and Welcome!
Facing North I call to the earth, to the good neighbors in their homes and halls beneath the mounds and to Dagda their merry host. Cheer us with your songs and sagas and bring joy to us as we celebrate today. Hail and Welcome!
Final salute East. Be seated.
To devoke:
We thank you, Great Morrigan and spirits of the East, for watching over us this eve. As you came in peace, so depart in peace. Hail and farewell. We thank you, Father Dagda and spirits of the North, for bringing us joy this eve. As you came in peace, so depart in peace. Hail and farewell. We thank you, Wise Manannan and spirits of the West, for safekeeping us this eve. As you came in peace, so depart in peace. Hail and farewell. We thank you, Bright Brigid and spirits of the South, for inspiring us this eve. As you came in peace, so depart in peace. Hail and farewell.Final salute East. Now all face center for the closing of the circle.
(Pulled from a Norse Ostara ritual I did some years back, dedicated to Odhinn and Freya and focused around runic divination. This blessing came after the rest of the ritual but before cake and ale. The source of the blessing is of course Sigdrifumol, but my 'translation' below is based on a few seperate translations of the blessing.)
Now, to keep Father Odhinn humble, instead of a chant today I will recite Brynhilde’s Blessing.
Brynhilde was a valkyrie, infamously, the valkrie who betrayed her father Odhinn and supported her own cause against his. He punished her by making her mortal, but in that act and in everything she did, even as a powerless mortal woman, she always managed to accomplish her goals and fight for what she beleived in. You may not agree with her, but if she wanted something done, she got it done.
When Odhinn rejected Brynhilde and made her mortal, she was placed sleeping on a mountaintop, ringed around with fire, where she laid for many years waiting for her fated rescuer. The hero Sigfried found her after slaying the dragon Fafnir. He cut off her armor and kissed her to wake her up. Upon waking, she beheld the glorious day above, beheld Sigfried, and spontaneously spoke a blessing on the both of them in her joy. Today I recite the very same blessing for you:
Hail to Day and the sons of Day! Hail to Night and her daughters!
Look upon us here with loving eyes / And grant us victory in our lives!
Hail you Gods! / You Goddesses, hail!
Grant to us wisdom and good words / And hands that heal all hurts.
(I intend to write a more serious take eventually, but I recently hosted an Ostara that featured a somewhat silly adaption of Inanna's Descent into the Underworld. It wasn't the time for a serious, solemn ritual in my community, and everyone seemed to really enjoy the silly but genuine take on squabbling gods and the renewal of spring. The opening and closing were pretty standard, so I'll just be posting the ritual section here.)
Invoking the Deities: Inanna and Dumuzid
Inanna:
Lady of the Largest Heart!
You who made the mountains to bow to you!
You who wear the seven holy relics!
Precious silver, precious boxwood of heaven! Lapis Lazuli of heaven!
You, Inanna, are queen of the stars! The hosts of the heavens are in the dust of your feet!
Goddess, from the Great Above, open up your ear to the great below!
Inanna, abandon heaven and descend now to the earth!
(light candle)
The Goddess is with us. Hail and welcome!
–
Dumuzid:
Hail Dumuzid, King and Shepherd, wild bull of heaven,
The flax rises up with you, the barley rises up with you, the lamb and the cow leap behind you. With you, the desert is a wild garden.
You safeguard the seeds of the earth in the black underworld, you send their green shoots up through the rind of the earth, you cause them to bloom with flower and with grain.
My Lord, abandon the throne of the Underworld,
Abandon the underworld and rise to the earth!
(light candle)
The God is with us. Hail and Welcome!
Be seated.
Ritual
We will be asking all participants to take a small part in the play. The intention is not to embarrass you, to force you to feel something, or even to make the work easier for us. One reason why we do this is that wicca is a religion of participation and equality. There are no leaders and followers in our circle without beginning or end, only equal actors. The other reason is that our ritual this evening is an act of welcoming the spring back and blessing the earth. When one participates in such rituals, one can feel a sublime connection to the earth, to its cycles and transformations. The worst case scenario this evening is that you feel nothing like that and this all just feels silly instead, which isn’t such a bad thing. The best case scenario is a spell of healing and connection for your soul. No one will laugh at you if you fumble or stammer, and, if you are lucky, you stand to gain something very hard to achieve by other means, which is the positive change that ritual, with its strange tools, can work on the human soul.
PRIESTESS: I will read now the opening lines of the Descent of Inanna:
From the Great Above she opened her ear to the Great Below.
From the Great Above the goddess opened her ear to the Great Below.
From the Great Above Inanna opened her ear to the Great Below.
My Lady abandoned heaven and earth to descend to the underworld.
Inanna abandoned heaven and earth to descend to the underworld.
PRIEST, NARRATING (while introducing Inanna): Inanna is the daughter of the king of heaven, Enki, the God of Wisdom. Inanna is the great lady of the stars. Warriors worship her; lovers revere her. All those with hot blood in their veins do well to respect her, for she brings both passion and fury, and will smite those who refuse or reject her. The oldest people call her Inanna; younger peoples call her Ishtar, Astarte, Aphrodite.
Why did Inanna open her ear to the Underworld? Why did she descend to the underworld? The Great Lady descended to the underworld to meet with her sister, Erishkigal, the Goddess of the Dead, to console her after Erishkigal’s husband Gugalanna had passed. For this honorable reason did Inanna leave her throne and journey down to the realm of the dead. The great lady did not know that Erishkigal secretly harbored bitterness and jealousy in her heart; she did not know the underworld schemed against her. The Lady of the Largest Heart descended to the underworld with no thought that someone may hate her. It had never really occurred to her that someone might.
Yet before she left she wisely gathered things that would protect her. She took up her seven holy relics.
She put the Crown of the Fields on her head.
(Pause after each one for me to do this.)
She put her lapis earrings in her ears.
She put her lapis beads on her throat.
She tied her sacred knife around her waist.
She put her silver ring on her finger.
She took her powerful scepter into her hand.
She wrapped her royal robe around her body.
These seven holy relics would protect her from the land of the dead. Never did she dream they would be taken from her. Inanna, you may have gathered, was a little… well, a little…
(Inanna glares).
PRIEST: She was a little–um–beautiful and powerful beyond compare, and she had no need of fear!
(Inanna nods.)
Once she had gathered her seven holy relics, Inanna descended the triple stair to the underworld, down three stairs to the gates of the Underworld. Follow me down, each of you, as we follow great lady Inanna to the gates of the underworld.
(Begin to walk the people down three circles widdershins. I will follow maybe playing or singing. Narrate three sets of stairs as we walk three circles. Feel free to ad lib, we won’t go fast.)
PRIEST: First we enter the temple of the Goddess of the Dead, and walk down carved stone stairs into the earth… the light of the day fades behind us, the perfume of temple incense grows thin.
(Second circle) Now the carved stone steps become slowly rough and jagged until we are descending the primitive, rough-carved steps of the earth, then walk down through bare caverns… the air is cold and the light is gone… water drips down the walls. You smell the dark earth through the stone walls around you.
(Third circle) Now we reach a third set of stairs… a strange, mist-like staircase that descends into utter darkness. Walking down these stairs is like floating, like flying in a dream… you see no walls, no ceiling. The air is damp, misty, and cold. But now a floor comes up to meet our descending feet.
Now we have descended with Inanna to the gates of the Underworld, where she is met not by sister Erishkigal, goddess of the dead, but by a gatekeeper named Neti. Bitter Erishkigal has tasked Neti with removing her seven holy relics and placing them into a chest, a place where the underworld keeps its horde.
NETI (Priest, putting on Neti’s shawl): I am Neti, guardian of the Underworld. Who are you?
INANNA: I am Inanna, Queen of Heaven.
NETI: If you are truly Inanna, Queen of Heaven, why has your heart led you to the road from which no traveller returns?
INANNA: Because of my older sister Erishkigal. Her husband, Gugalanna, the Bull of Heaven, has died. I have come to witness the funeral rites and comfort my sister.
NETI: To meet with Erishkigal, Queen of the Dead, you must pass through the seven gates that guard the land of the living from the land of the dead.
INANNA: I have the might and the will to do so.
NETI: To pass the first gate, you must put down your powerful sceptre.
INANNA: Why must I?
NETI: You must, Inanna; the ways of the underworld cannot be questioned.
(Inanna nods and hands him the crown. Neti puts it into the basket. They take one step across the circle, crossing straight through.)
NETI: To pass the second gate, you must remove the crown of the fields from your head.
INANNA: Why must I?
NETI: You must, Inanna; the ways of the underworld cannot be questioned.
(Step forward.)
NETI: To pass the third gate, you must take the lapis earrings from your ears.
(Step forward.)
NETI: To pass the fourth gate, you must remove the necklace of lapis beads from your neck.
(Step forward.)
NETI: to pass the fifth gate, you must take off your signet ring.
(Step forward.)
NETI:To pass the sixth gate, you must give up your sacred athame.
(Step forward.)
NETI: To pass the seventh and final gate, you must remove the royal robe from your body and go bare.
(Step forward.)
PRIEST: Finally, Inanna passed the seventh gate, and the doorguard Neti bowed and faded away. (Remove shawl of Neti.) In front of Inanna sat mighty Erishkigal, goddess of the dead.
(The Priest sets down the hoard on the ground, then puts a black shroud on his head and acts as Erishkigal, but keeps narrating.)
PRIEST: Great Queen Inanna bowed to Erishkigal, and what did the Queen of the Dead have to say to her sister? Nothing! While she was bowed low in respect, Erishkigal reached down and put the veil of death on her, which killed her immediately. She was like a corpse; Erishkigal put her on a hook on the wall.
(Priest guides Priestess to a waiting chair; Priestess sits with her hands folded in death position.)
PRIEST: Three days and three nights passed. The throne of heaven was empty. The stars froze in the sky and would not move forward; the sun began to grow dim. Hunters sighed instead of hunting; lovers sighed and would not touch each other; warriors sighed and did not fight evil.
Though like a corpse, the Goddess cried out in her dreams. She cried to the god Enki.
INANNA: O Father Enki, do not let your daughter
Be put to death in the underworld.
Do not let your bright silver
Be covered with dust of the underworld.
Do not let your precious lapis
Be broken into stone for the stoneworker.
Do not let your fragrant boxwood
Be cut into wood for the woodworker.
Do not let the holy priestess of heaven
Be put to death in the underworld.
PRIEST: But Enki in heaven said nothing, and did nothing for her.
Though like a corpse, the Goddess cried out in her dreams. She cried to her husband, Dumuzid.
INANNA: O beloved one, do not let your wife
Be put to death in the underworld.
Do not let your bright silver
Be covered with dust of the underworld.
Do not let your precious lapis
Be broken into stone for the stoneworker.
Do not let your fragrant boxwood
Be cut into wood for the woodworker.
Do not let the holy priestess of heaven
Be put to death in the underworld.
PRIEST: But Dumuzid in heaven said nothing, and did nothing for her.
The Goddess cried out to the Gods in heaven, repeating her cries in their dreams, and they did nothing for her.
Finally she cried not to the Gods but to the peoples of Earth, to us.
INANNA, opening her eyes: People of earth, born of the soil;
Do not let the Lady of Heaven die in the underworld.
See, I will help you in return;
My holy relics have been put into a hoard,
Into a box in which the Queen of the Underworld
Keeps the roots and the seeds as they wait in darkness.
All the riches of the earth are kept by the jealous queen in a box.
Take the riches of the earth for yourselves!
With your hands, dig into the soil which bore you;
Bring my holy relics to me, so I may rise again,
And take for yourself the seeds of the earth,
So that you may grow your own food,
Not waiting for great Queens to feed you,
Not depending on the wealth of misers.
Help me and you help yourselves as well.
PRIEST: And the people pondered this, and they said ‘Yes, Great Inanna, out of the kindness of our hearts we will help you!’ … or maybe they said, ‘Yes! Free food! And we’ll help Inanna while we’re at it.’ She doesn’t have a choice, so, either way works.
(I mean, let them respond if they will.)
(To whoever is right behind the Priest) Go take one of the holy relics out of the horde of the underworld to give to Inanna; while you’re at it, take some seeds for yourself as well.
(Depending on attendance we may have enough people to hand Inanna all her relics or not; Priest can hand her the rest if there aren’t enough. If we have more people than relics they may just take seeds. Say something like, “You grab some seeds too! We need them more than Erishkigal does.”)
(Once all this is through, Inanna, clad again, rises from the Chair, holding the veil of death.)
INANNA: The strength of my body returns! The quickness of my mind! Good people, I will never forget your kindness; that you did what Gods would not. If this is how you act, and my heavenly father and husband could not be bothered to come rescue me, I think I will pay more attention to humankind than my own kind for a while.
PRIEST: I beg your pardon, Great Goddess; but you forget one thing.
INANNA: What do I forget?
PRIEST: You still have the Veil of Death in your hand; it must be set on another, if you want to live.
INANNA: Well! Then let us find my worthless husband, or another of the layabout Gods; let us see what they have spent their time doing while I was suffering in the underworld. Follow me, good people; today the underworld does not receive a human sacrifice, but it will receive a sacrifice. Throw wide the gates before me! Let us go!
(Priest mimes throwing open the seven gates. Then he begins to walk three circles deosil to walk us up from the underworld.)
(As we go) INANNA: Up past the spirit stairs, which only spirits can descend, but today we ascend them–up toward the earth! Now onto the stairs of the earth, the caverns that wind the body of the earth, riven through cold stone. Now see the light above us, the light of the stars and the moon! Smell the damp earth around us! Now onto the carven stairs, the stairs leading up to the temple, where you can smell the holy incense, see the light from the sky above, feel the breeze of the open air–now we have reached the gates of the temple, and finally, the earth above!
(PRIEST grabs Dumudiz’s costume and puts it on, takes sacred chalice, then withdraws to the ‘death chair’ Inanna was just in.)
INANNA: Now to find my husband Dumuzid, the god of the earth, of growing plants and wild animals. Where was he while I suffered in the underworld? Was he mourning me? Did he not hear me, perhaps, because of his own cries? Or because he had fainted away in sorrow and fear? Did he think my voice was an apparition or a dream? Let us go and find out.
(Priest as Dumuzid is lounging with sacred chalice full of wine, looking lax. Inanna leads the people in approach.)
INANNA: YOU!
DUMUZID: Oh shit!
INANNA: This is where you have been? Lying around and enjoying yourself? In my throne, drinking the wine from the sacred chalice?
DUMUZID: You were dead!
INANNA: I’m alive now, no thanks to you! Maybe I’ll get myself a human husband next time.
DUMUZID: Next time??
INANNA: The veil of death has followed me from the underworld–I will attach it to you, faithless one! You will die in my place!
(Dumuzid falls to his knees.)
DUMUZID: No! Beloved wife! Darling! (ect., whatever) I’ve been faithful and loyal! I’ve never done you wrong, before I left you to the dead! I love you! (or ad lib)
INANNA: FINE. We’ll make it so that you stay in the Underworld for half of each year and turn this into a nice seasonal myth, but that’s all you get, understood?
DUMUZID: Yes!
(Inanna put the veil of death onto Dumuzid. He is dramatic about it.)
PRIEST: And that is the story of Inanna and Dumizid, of the Goddess of Heaven descending to the Underworld and coming back, and of the return of the spring!
PRIESTESS: Thank you, everyone! Whether or not we recognize it, Spring always comes to the earth. But if you recognize it, sometimes, it comes for you; it blossoms in you as well. Every year that you recognize the seasons, the earth around us, the family of life that we all belong to, you welcome yourself more into the world, reduce the separation between your human soul and the animals, plants, microbes, and gods that share this biosystem with us. If it gave you nothing else, it gave you some seeds you can plant!
Some years back, I performed a ceremony honoring some 'Lowlands' (Dutch, Danish, North German, the like) deities. My two honored guests were Nehalennia, Dutch Goddess known primarily from votive depictions that associate her with sailing, the sea, agriculture, fertility, and travel, and Tiw, Germanic deity cognate with Norse Tyr, likely a god of the law, the Thing (gatherings), and war. I was very upfront about the fact that I was honoring deities that we know very little about, but that was part of the point of the ritual. The setpiece was the Irmensul and the discussion was about paganisms that were fully wiped out by Rome and left no written records.
Neither deity has a scrap of text written about them by their actual worshippers that we know of in the modern day. I wrote a little for them as their invocations. I don't usually write rhyming and metered poetry for ritual like this, I'm typically a little more 'ancient Sumerian hymn' in my worship style, but I felt inspired for this one.
Nehalennia Invocation
Golden-gleaming gen’rous Lady, In thy basket gathered rightly
Just as apples blushing brilliant, autumn sun is glowing brightly
From thy fingers falls its beaming, in thy fist the glistening grains
Which we guarded well since springtime as thou gifted us the rains
Now among us reap the harvest
Back to thee what thou dost givest.
(Light candle) The goddess is with us! Hail and Welcome!
Tiw Invocation
Frith-upholding Fairest Lord, thy fingers fix the weave of fate
Wyrd well-webbed upholds accord, men are welcomed in the gate
To gathering-grounds when wisdom guides through keen insight our hands aright.
Good people stand by thy goodly hand around the pyre alight.
Now among us reap the harvest
Back to thee what thou dost givest.
(Light candle) The god is with us! Hail and Welcome!
Here are the matching Devocations:
Tiw devocation
Frith-upholding Fairest Lord, with steady hand and sturdy mind
Thy fingers fast have ordered well the web of wyrd with round us binds.
With our thanks and troth depart
To thy radiant realm apart.
(Extinguish candle) Hail and Farewell.
Nehalennia Devocation
Golden-gleaming Gen’rous Lady, prescient visions which we planted
Thou hast plucked and freely proffered; as we needed, thou hast granted.
With our thanks and troth depart
To thy radiant realm apart.
(Extinguish candle) Hail and Farewell.