at the waxing of its powers
with a rite in your honor.
I pray by the moon,
I pray by the moon,
I pray by the moon.
Continue chanting “I pray by the moon” for as long as you will. Visualize the Goddess if you so desire, perhaps as a tall, robust woman wearing silver jewelry and white, rippling, draped clothing. A crescent moon may rest upon her brow, or she may toss a glowing, silvery white orb in her hands. She trods the starfield of eternal night in an eternal round with her lover, the sun God, spreading moon rays wherever she goes. Her eyes laugh, her skin is white and translucent. She glows.
Now is the time for magic of all types, for the full of the moon marks the height of its powers, and all positive spells cast then are powerful.
Full moons are also excellent times for meditation, mirror magic, and psychic workings, for such are often more successful within the circle. Crystal scrying is particularly recommended; flood the crystal with moonlight prior to the ritual. If you have no crystal sphere, use the cauldron filled with water and the piece of silver. Gaze at the water (or at the moon glinting on the silver) to awaken your psychic awareness.
Lunar liquids such as lemonade, milk, or white wine can be consumed during The Simple Feast that follows. Crescent cakes are traditional as well. Thank the Goddess and God and release the circle. It is done.
*
My first teacher and priestess. This and the following “Call of the God” aren’t necessarily meant to be spoken in ritual. They can be read for devotional purposes, meditated upon to learn more of the Goddess and God, or used in ritual by inserting the words “she” and “he” and making other small changes to agree with these alterations.
*
Fashioned, perhaps, of braided yarn.
*
If you are attuning with a specific goddess and god, substitute their names here.
*
The traditional direction. In some covens, members enter and withdraw from the circle from this point.
*
The Blessing Chant can be said at the beginning of any type of ritual as a general invocation. Separate invocations of the Goddess and God may follow.
†
The Simple Feast is usually held at the end of the sabbats and esbats. It is a sedate version of the wild feasts once held during agricultural rituals in rural Europe.Many liquids other than wine can be used; see the recipes section.
*
The words used in this consecration rite are based on one included in
The Key of
Solomon
, and are similar to those used in many Wiccan traditions.
Yule
(Circa December 21)
The altar is adorned with evergreens such as pine, rosemary, bay, juniper, and cedar, and the same can be laid to mark the circle of stones. Dried leaves can also be placed on the altar.
The cauldron, resting on the altar on a heat-proof surface (or placed before it if too large), should be filled with ignitable spirit (alcohol), or a red candle can be placed within it. At outdoor rites, lay a fire within the cauldron to be lit during ritual.
Arrange the altar, light the candles and incense, and cast the circle of stones. Recite the Blessing Chant, page 132. Invoke the Goddess and God.* Stand before the cauldron and gaze within it. Say these or similar words:
I sorrow not, though the world is wrapped in sleep.
I sorrow not, though the icy winds blast.
I sorrow not, though the snow falls hard and deep.
I sorrow not; this too shall soon be past.
Ignite the cauldron (or candle), using long matches or a taper. As the flame(s) leap up say:
I light this fire in your honor,Mother Goddess.
You have created life from death; warmth from cold;
the sun lives once again; the time of light is waxing.
Welcome, ever-returning God of the sun!
Hail Mother of all!
Circle the altar and cauldron slowly, clockwise, watching the flames. Say the following chant for some time:
The wheel turns; the power burns.
Meditate upon the sun, on the hidden energies lying dormant in winter, not only in the earth but within ourselves. Think of birth not as the start of life but as its continuance. Welcome the return of the God.
After a time cease and stand once again before the altar and flaming cauldron. Say:
Great God of the sun,
I welcome your return.
May you shine brightly upon the Goddess;
may you shine brightly upon the earth,
scattering seeds and fertilizing the land.
All blessings upon you,
reborn one of the sun!
Works of magic, if necessary, may follow. Celebrate The Simple Feast. The circle is released.
Yule Lore
One traditional Yuletide practice is the creation of a Yule tree. This can be a living, potted tree that can later be planted in the ground, or a cut one. The choice is yours.
Appropriate Wiccan decorations are fun to make, from strings of dried rosebuds and cinnamon sticks (or popcorn and cranberries) for garlands, to bags of fragrant spices that are hung from boughs. Quartz crystals can be wrapped with shiny wire and suspended from sturdy branches to resemble icicles. Apples, oranges, and lemons hanging from boughs are strikingly beautiful, natural decorations, and were customary in ancient times.
Many enjoy the custom of lighting the Yule log. This is a graphic representation of the rebirth of the God within the sacred fire of the Mother Goddess. If you choose to burn one, select a proper log (traditionally of oak or pine). Carve or chalk a figure of the sun (such as a rayed disc) or the God (a horned circle or a figure of a man) upon it, with the white-handled knife, and set it alight in the fireplace at dusk on Yule. As the log burns, visualize the sun shining within it and think of the coming warmer days.
As to food, nuts, fruits such as apples and pears, cakes of carraways soaked in cider, and (for nonvegetarians) pork are traditional fare. Wassail, lambswool, hibiscus, or ginger tea are fine drinks for The Simple Feast or Yule meals.
Imbolc
(February 2)
A symbol of the season, such as a representation of a snowflake, a white flower, or perhaps some snow in a crystal container can be placed on the altar. An orange candle anointed with musk, cinnamon, frankincense, or rosemary oil, unlit, should also be there. Snow can be melted and used for the water during the circle casting.
Arrange the altar, light the candles and censer, and cast the circle of stones. Recite the Blessing Chant, page 132. Invoke the Goddess and God. Say such words as the following:
This is the time of the feast of torches,
when every lamp blazes and shines
to welcome the rebirth of the God.
I celebrate the Goddess, I celebrate the God;
all the earth celebrates
beneath its mantle of sleep.
Light the orange taper from the red candle on the altar (or at the southern point of the circle). Slowly walk the circle clockwise, bearing the candle before you. Say these or similar words:
All the land is wrapped in winter.
The air is chilled and
frost envelopes the earth.
But Lord of the sun,
horned one of animals and wild places,
unseen you have been reborn
of the gracious Mother Goddess,
lady of all fertility.
Hail great God!
Hail and welcome!
Stop before the altar, holding aloft the candle. Gaze at its flame.Visualize your life blossoming with creativity, with renewed energy and strength.
If you need to look into the future or past, now is an ideal time. Works of magic, if necessary, may follow. Celebrate The Simple Feast. The circle is released.
Imbolc Lore
It is traditional upon Imbolc, at sunset or just after ritual, to light every lamp in the house—if only for a few moments. Or, light candles in each room in honor of the sun’s rebirth. Alternately, light a kerosene lamp with a red chimney and place this in a prominent part of the home or in a window.
If snow lies on the ground outside, walk in it for a moment, recalling the warmth of summer. With your projective hand, trace an image of the sun on the snow.
Foods appropriate to eat on this day include those from the dairy, since Imbolc marks the festival of calving. Sour cream dishes are fine. Spicy and full-bodied foods in honor of the sun are equally attuned. Curries and all dishes made with peppers, onions, leeks, shallots, garlic or chives are appropriate. Spiced wines and dishes containing raisins— all foods symbolic of the sun—are also traditional.
Ostara
(Circa March 21)
Flowers should be laid on the altar, placed around the circle and strewn on the ground. The cauldron can be filled with spring water and flowers, and buds and blossoms may be worn as well. A small potted plant should be placed on the altar.
Arrange the altar, light the candles and incense, and cast the circle of stones. Recite the Blessing Chant, page 132. Invoke the Goddess and God in whatever words please you. Stand before the altar and gaze upon the plant as you say:
O great Goddess,
you have freed yourself from the icy prison of winter.
Now is the greening, when the fragrance of flowers drifts on the breeze.
This is the beginning.
Life renews itself by your magic, earth Goddess.
The God stretches and rises, eager in his youth,
and bursting with the promise of summer.
Touch the plant.Connect with its energies and, through it, all nature. Travel inside its leaves and stems through your visualization—from the center of your consciousness out through your arm and fingers and into the plant itself. Explore its inner nature; sense the miraculous processes of life at work within it. After a time, still touching the plant, say:
I walk the earth in friendship, not in dominance.
Mother Goddess and Father God,
instill within me through this plant a
warmth for all living things.
Teach me to revere the earth and all its treasures.
May I never forget.
Meditate upon the changing of the seasons. Feel the rousing of energies around you in the earth. Works of magic, if necessary, may follow. Celebrate The Simple Feast. The circle is released.
Ostara Lore
A traditional vernal equinox pastime: go to a field and randomly collect wildflowers.* Or, buy some from a florist, taking one or two of those that appeal to you. Then bring them home and divine their magical meanings by the use of books, your own intuition, a pendulum, or by other means. The flowers you’ve chosen reveal your inner thoughts and emotions.
It is important at this time of renewed life to plan a walk (or a ride) through gardens, a park, woodlands, forest, and other green places. This is not simply exercise, and you should be on no other mission. It isn’t even just an appreciation of nature.Make your walk celebratory, a ritual for nature itself.
Other traditional activities include planting seeds,working on magical gardens, and practicing all forms of herb work—magical, medicinal, cosmetic, culinary, and artistic.
Foods in tune with this day (linking your meals with the seasons is a fine method of attuning with nature) include those made of seeds, such as sunflower, pumpkin, and sesame seeds, as well as pine nuts. Sprouts are equally appropriate, as are leafy, green vegetables. Flower dishes such as stuffed nasturtiums or carnation cupcakes also find their place here. †
Beltane
(April 30 or May 1)
If possible, celebrate Beltane in a forest or near a living tree. If this is impossible, bring a small tree within the circle, preferably potted; it can be of any type.
Create a small token or charm in honor of the wedding of the Goddess and God to hang upon the tree. You can make several if you desire. These tokens can be bags filled with fragrant flowers, strings of beads, carvings, flower garlands—whatever your talents and imagination can conjure.
Arrange the altar, light the candles and censer, and cast the circle of stones. Recite the Blessing Chant, page 132. Invoke the Goddess and God. Stand before the altar and say, with wand upraised:
O Mother Goddess,
queen of the night and of the earth;
O Father God, king of the day and of the forests,
I celebrate your union as nature rejoices
in a riotous blaze of color and life.
Accept my gift,Mother Goddess
and Father God, in honor of your union.
Place the token(s) on the tree.
From your mating shall spring forth life anew;
a profusion of living creatures shall cover the lands,
and the winds will blow pure and sweet.
O ancient ones, I celebrate with you!
Works of magic, if necessary, may follow.Celebrate The Simple Feast. The circle is released.
Beltane Lore
Weaving and plaiting are traditional arts at this time of year, for the joining together of two substances to form a third is in the spirit of Beltane.
Foods traditionally come from the dairy, and dishes such as marigold custard (see Recipes, starting on page 161) and vanilla ice cream are fine. Oatmeal cakes are also appropriate.
Midsummer
(Circa June 21)
Before the rite, make up a small cloth pouch filled with herbs such as lavender, chamomile, St. John’s wort, vervain, or any of the Midsummer herbs listed in “An Herbal Grimoire,” page 167. Mentally pour all your troubles, problems, pains, sorrows, and illnesses, if any, into this petition as you construct it. Tie it shut with a red string. Place this on the altar for use during the rite. The cauldron should also be there or nearby. Even if you use candles to mark the quarters, the red candle in a holder should also be on the altar. For outdoor rituals, light a fire— however small— and drop the pouch into this.