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
we 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.
As the athame is to the lover,
So the chalice is to the beloved.
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 silly man and his portions of the rituals can be silly. 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.
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.)