anything other than an actual spell, i.e. the Altar candles and quarter lights. Candles that have been lit for a magical purpose are stood in a safe place so that they may continue to burn.
SOLITARY CREATION AND REMOVAL
OF THE SACRED SPACE
If you are working on your own then it is not necessary to speak your words out loud, nor is it necessary for you to have so large a working space. You may also find that, with practice, it is possible for you to visualize the invoking and banishing Pentagrams, the elements, the Goddess and the God, as well as the Circle without arm movements, or indeed moving from one part of the Circle to another. But the basic steps still remain as those above. Similarly, you may not feel the need for so formal an Altar, or for so many tools, etc. These things all come with practice and only you will be able to tell when you are ready to do most of your work as visualization. Until that time comes it is better to use a more formal system as this leaves you free to focus your visualization skills on the actual magic.
OTHER RITES FREQUENTLY FOUND
WITHIN RITUAL
There are several Rites which take place in many Rituals. To avoid repeating them elsewhere in the book I have placed them here so that when they are referred to you can look back and find the complete text in this chapter. Some of them, such as the Rite of Banishing Unwanted Influences and the Rite of Self-Blessing, can be practised as the sole content of your Ritual. The latter is especially good if you feel you need to practise your Craft and want something simple but meaningful to centre your Ritual around.
THE RITE OF BANISHING UNWANTED INFLUENCES
This Rite is often performed just after creating the Sacred Space. It is designed to help to remove outside thoughts, feelings and other mental distractions, which might otherwise interfere with your focus and balance. It is especially useful when you need to perform Ritual or Magic after a stressful day, or when going through an emotional period in your life.
On the Altar you will also need a small dish and a small cloth or towel.
After the Sacred Space has been created one person should step up to the Altar, take some of the consecrated and blessed water and place it into the small dish. They then add a little of the blessed Salt, and inscribing an invoking Pentagram say,
‘I call upon the Old Gods to bless and consecrate this water that it may banish all that is not needful to us. May it take away all outside influences, distractions and negativity. May it leave us pure and free to work our Rites and magic.’
They kiss their forefinger and say, ‘Blessed Be’.
That person then places the cloth over their forearm and holding the bowl with both hands takes it to each person in the Circle, moving Deosil at all times. As the bowl carrier steps in front of a person, that person will place the tips of all their fingers into the water and visualize all their negativities draining down through their arms and fingers and into the water. When they have finished they remove their fingers and, using the cloth on the carrier’s arm, dry their fingers. They say ‘Blessed Be’, which is echoed by everyone. The carrier then moves on to the next person. Once everyone has finished, the carrier passes the bowl to the last person, who holds it so that the carrier can also perform this Rite. Lastly, the bowl is placed to the rear of the Altar. Later it should be carefully disposed of either down the drain or on a patch of land where you are not trying to grow anything, as the negative influences contained in the water can and do interfere with the growth of plants.
In our Coven we tend to reserve a special bowl for this so that any residual negativities cannot contaminate future workings. Alternatively, you can cleanse the vessel by placing it overnight in the light of the Moon or by placing it under running water for 10 minutes whilst visualizing all negativities being washed away.
THE RITE OF SELF-BLESSING
As mentioned above this is a good Rite to perform if you wish to practise working Ritual. It is also beneficial if you are feeling down, or if you feel the need to become closer to the Goddess, perhaps prior to meditation or divination.
To perform this Rite you will need something with which to anoint yourself. This can be a perfumed oil, some wine, or even salt and water prepared as in the above Rite of Banishment of Unwanted Influences. Place some of your chosen anointing liquid into a small dish, draw an invoking Pentagram over it and say,
‘I call upon the Goddess to bless and consecrate this oil (water/wine etc.), to make it pure and fit for this my Rite. Blessed Be.’
Then, kneeling before the Altar, take a few deep breaths to centre yourself and visualize the Goddess standing before you. Take your time to picture her in as much detail as you can, imagine her smiling lovingly at you. Then say,
‘Bless me Mother for I am your child.’
For each of the following steps dip your finger in the oil and anoint the mentioned part with just a smear. Anoint your eyes (on the eyebrow to avoid getting oil into your eyes) and say,
‘Blessed Be my eyes that I may see thy path.’
Anoint your nose and say,
‘Blessed Be my nose that I may breathe your essence.’
Anoint your mouth (just above the lips) and say,
‘Blessed Be my mouth that I might speak of thee.’
Anoint your heart (the centre of your chest) and say,
‘Blessed Be my breast that I may be faithful to thee.’
Anoint just above your pubic bone and say,
‘Blessed Be my womb (for a woman or phallus if a man), that bringest forth life, as thou bringest life eternal.’
Anoint your knees and say,
‘Blessed Be my knees that shall kneel at the Sacred Altar.’
Anoint your feet and say,
‘Blessed Be my feet that I may walk in thy ways.’
Lastly, wrap your arms about yourself and visualize the Goddess holding you, as a mother holds her child, and say,
‘Bless me Mother for I am thy child.’
Remain where you are for a few moments feeling the love of the Mother Goddess surrounding and enfolding you. Then rise and return Deosil to your place in the Circle so that the next person can take their place at the Altar.
THE FIVE-FOLD KISS
This is similar in many ways to the Rite of Self-Blessing, however the Five-Fold Kiss is given by one person to another. It may be performed to welcome a new Initiate, or to confer blessing upon individuals within the group. The Five-Fold Kiss can be performed within gender or, as is more usual, between genders. Here, to avoid confusion with lots of he/she’s etc., I have denoted the recipient as Priestess and the giver (or kisser) as Priest, but you can adjust the gender to suit your circumstances.
The Priestess (receiver) stands, feet slightly parted (for balance) with her arms to her sides. She should look straight ahead and focus on the Goddess and the God, rather than watching the Priest’s movements. The Priest kneels in front of her and says,
‘Blessed Be your feet, which have brought thee in these ways,’
and kisses first her right then her left foot. He says,
‘Blessed Be thy knees, which shall kneel at the Sacred Altar,’
and kisses her right then left knee. He says,