Ritual Preparation
- Select two candles for your alter, one in a shade of lavender,
the other white.
- Select four additional candles for the elemental quarters. You
can maintain the color scheme if you wish, or select a color that
represents the energy of that quarter. For instance, you might chose
a light shade of blue to represent the Water essence of the West
quarter and a fiery red to represent the Fire essence of the South
quarter. or find a set of dark purple candles to represent the
coming of the sun God.
- Choose your favorite ceremonial broom. You can often find a
straw ornamental broom at local craft shows/stores.
- Choose your favorite serving trays or dishes. You can find
some inexpensive brass or silver serving trays and goblets at a
variety of gift stores.
- Choose a special decanter to hold the wine. Set aside your wine
on the serving trays. If you don't partake of wine, use your
favorite grape juice or cider.
- Select a bell, you might want to add a decorative ribbon or wrap
a vine of silk while colored flowers from your local craft store
around the handle to coincide with the colors of the spring
festival.
- Choose a gift for honoring the God/Goddess on this festival day.
One of our favorite methods of gift giving on this Spring festival
is to burn lavender incense. We select a few stalks of the herbs we
collected from the Lughnasadh harvest, and wrap them into a special
smudge stick.
- A decorative pillow or rug to lie or sit on for your meditation.
Prepare ritual space
Clean the area, not just energy wise but dust and vacuum your space. If
your space is outside, you might clean any fallen branches, weeds or
even clear any animal indications that may have been deposited in the
area. The most important part is to clear and cleanse the space.
Prepare body
It's just as important to prepare yourself as it is your space. On the
day of your ceremony take a shower or bubble bath. Make sure your ritual
cloths (whether a robe or just jeans and a t-shirt) are clean. Take time
to have a meditation to align your energies, prepare your energies for
the spiritual work ahead and open your chakra centers.
Open Circle
Finding the compass points, directing the ritual and speaking the
blessings is usually performed by a High Priest or Priestess within a
coven. If you are a solitary witch, then YOU are the High Priest or
Priestess. For our example we will simply refer to the director of
ceremonies as the Priest.
The Priest should find compass North, where the ritual will begin with
calling in the quarters starting with the North. Set your circle
according to the directions. If you are conducting the ceremony alone,
you might chose to use a rope of natural fibers to outline your
ceremonial circle. If you're performing the ceremony in a coven, mark
the location of the quarters so everyone will know where to stand when
the circle is drawn. The Priest should guide everyone through the steps
for setting up a Door Between the Worlds by raising the vibration of the
group and/or area.
Close your eyes and imagine a divine white light emerging from the solar
plexus of each person and then raising up toward a center point over the
circle. Many call this establishing a "cone of power". Imagine this
light spinning clockwise rising your energies and awareness. If your a
solitary witch, you will imagine the light beginning at your solar
plexus and then moving out to fully encompass your ritual space. Each
Quarter Master will then be directed to call the Watchtowers or
Elemental Quarters it's usually the choice of the Priest, but each
person should call upon the same force. Some witches call Angels, Spirit
Guides, or just the elements. It's up to you or your coven. Just as
which direction to start with is up the individuals. Many witches begin
with the North, where others begin with the east.
Your prayer to summon the directions can be stated in a variety of ways.
From old English to a modern statement. Here's an example:
Facing North the 1st QuarterMaster states:
"To the Goddesses of the Spring, the Watchtowers of the North and
the elements of Earth, we call upon your wisdom, summon your energy
and love to witness this celebration of divine preparation and
fertility. We summon blessings to the Maiden and ask for a fruitful
year for all, as well as, a joyful and abundant union of spirit. "
- Light the Northern candle and ring the bell once.
If you are a solitary, turn to the East, or if in a
coven the 2nd QuarterMaster faces East and states: "To
the Goddesses of the Spring, the Watchtowers of the East and the
elements of Air, we call upon your wisdom and summon your energy for
clear communications to the feminine spirit within us all. We ask
for guidance in using compassion and understanding in all our unions
with others."
- Light the Eastern candle and ring the bell once.
Turn to the South and state: "To the
Goddesses of the Spring, the Watchtowers of the South and the
elements of Fire, we call upon your wisdom and summon your energy
for purification of mind/body/and spirit. We ask for your divine
protection over all things that we bring forth for renewal. "
- Light the Southern candle and ring the bell once.
Turn to the West and state: "To the
Goddesses of the Spring, the Watchtowers of the West and the
elements of Water, we call upon your wisdom and strength. We ask for
your assistance to prepare the earth for a fertile garden. We ask
for your strength as we move forward with the gentle flow of life,
in love and acceptance."
- Light the Western candle and ring the bell once.
Invocation to Spirit
The Priest should guide everyone through the steps to:
Call your personal Spirit Guide and solicit their assistance during the
ritual. Your personal guide can assist you to maintain focus and
concentration during the ritual as well as, aid in your tasks within the
circle.
You might call upon them like this:
"(State your guides' name), I call upon your guidance and love to
assist me during this spiritual celebration. To help me maintain my
focus, energy and alignment for divine purpose and work."
- Light a candle for your guide and ring the bell twice.
- Call your deity and solicit their assistance aligning yourself
with the deity. In most covens the High Priest/Priestess will summon
the deity. In other covens each person will call upon their chosen
deity and align their energies (this is the method we prefer most.
It empowers each individual instead of setting one person above the
rest). Which ever you prefer light a candle for each deity you
summon upon the alter and ring the bell three times for each deity
called.
"I believe in the spiritual existence of myself as a perfect image
of (deitys' name). In this reflection that is my physical
embodiment, I align myself and my faith in the supreme guidance of
my soul with the ancient powers and wisdom of (state the deitys'
name once more)."
State Your Purpose
The Priest should state the intent of the gathering. For a Sabbat you'll
state your purpose of honoring the Spring, as well as, the aspects of
the Goddess, especially the Maiden. You'll continue by blessing the
cakes and wine for the ceremony. For Imbolg you might say something
like:
"I/we have come to honor the nature kingdom, the fertility of the
earth and the Maiden. We/I honor the Mother and the Crone for
sharing their wisdom and light with our spirit as we re-affirm our
personal spiritual path. We give thanks to the season of renewal and
honor the many blessings yet to come."
Honor The God/Goddess
The Priest should preside over the steps to honor and dedicate the
items for the festival.
Perform manual and visionary tasks by pulling in images of the Maiden
and the Goddesses of the fertile world. You should state your honor and
gratitude as well, something like this:
"To the Lady Mother we offer our thanks and gratitude for this
wonderful chance of rebirth."
"To the Lady Crone of wisdom we give homage to your love and
continual light as you guide your children through the processes of
life."
"To the Lady Maiden we send abundant blessings as you lead the way
onto this fertile path of wisdom and knowledge. We send thanks and
gratitude to each of you for this spring season. We honor you all as
the world renews it flowering beauty once more."
- Light the candle you chose to represent the Spring festival and
ring the bell seven times.
Dedicate offerings.
Whether you're conducting a ritual of honor or for work, you should
present an offering that is commiserate with the event. We like to make
an offering of energy through a fragrant bouquet. We light the smudge
stick we prepared and allow the lavender herbs to blaze for a few
moments. We say part of our prayer, then blow out the flames and allow
the incense to continue to smolder. Then we complete the prayer and
place the incense in a special holder, we like to use a brass bowl
shaped in the fashion of a miniature cauldron.
Finally, because this festival is one of springs new beginnings, we like
to add a bowl or several bowls of seeds that we will use to plant in the
spring. We've done this in many of the harvest festivals, and with each
blessing we add new seed to the alter. Keeping these special ceremonial
seeds separate from the rest. By the time we're ready to plant our
garden, all the seed we harvested, will have been blessed within the
ritual of a Sabbat. To bless the seed, we say something like this:
- Hold the smudge stick in your left hand and light it with the
right. Then hold up the burning stick to the Goddesses with both
hands.
"We offer this gift as a symbol of our love and thanks to Maiden,
the Mother and the Crone; We honor each aspect of the Goddess,
within ourselves, within the world and within the divine universe."
- Lower the smudge and blow out the flames, allow the stick to
smolder. Again with both hands hold the stick up to the Goddess and
state:
"We share the fragrance of this offering with the Maiden Goddess and
pray for the fertile year."
- Set the smudge in the bowl and retrieve a bowl of seed, holding
it up to the Goddess:
"We give thanks the Mother Goddess for the abundance of our gardens
past; And we share in the blessings of these seeds for gardens yet
to come."
- Replace the seeds on the alter, raise the bell and state:
"We give great homage the Crone Goddess for the wisdom and knowledge
she bestowed upon our brow last year. We honor her wisdom and vow to
use what we have learned as we plant a new garden and set our feet
upon this path of renewed faith."
- Ring the bell nine times, in groups of three to honor each
aspect of the Goddess.
- Replace the seeds on the alter and ring the bell nine times.
For Honoring
Partake of cakes and wine that you have set upon a platter.
(Some covens like to serve the cakes upon small dishes, while others
prefer to hold the cakes in their hand. Which ever you chose, the cakes
should start on a platter for the dedication. The wine starts in a
special decanter and is poured into ceremonial goblets. Once again
different covens have different rituals. Some provide individual cups,
much like silver shot glasses, while others insist each witch bring
their own goblet.)
To dedicate your cakes and wine, you might say something like:
- Hold the plate of cakes up using both hands and say:
"On this eve of Imbolg we come to honor the Goddesses and share in
the fertility and rebirth of the divine universe. We offer these
cakes made of carrots and flour {or whatever} and this wine made of
grapes {again whatever wine you've chosen} as our thank you for all
you have given and all you are about to provide. "
- Ring the festival bell three times, then walk up to each person
in the circle and allow them to take a cake from the tray with the
right hand. Make sure there's one or two cakes left for the two
Goddesses. When everyone has received a cake, each individual should
hold it in both hands and raise it up to the Goddesses; then say:
"With the partaking of this cake I take into my body the essence of
Imbolg, the Goddess of renewal. I align my spirit and soul with the
physical well being of my body and mind; As the Goddess is the
teacher and bridge builder between the earthly and divine worlds."
- Each person eats their cake.
- With your right hand grasp the neck of the decanter. With your
left hand hold your chalice and pour the wine. When everyone has
their share of wine, each person raises their goblet to the Goddess
and say something like this:
"With the partaking of this wine I take into my body the essence of
the Goddess, I align my soul with the balance and rebirth of our
spiritual family."
- Each person drinks half their wine, then holds the goblet up
again.
"We ask the Goddess of Fertility to accept this wine as our offering
of honor and thanksgiving on this the festival of Imbolg."
Some people like to pour the remaining wine from the goblets into a
large cauldron. As a symbolistic gesture that we are all one and all
part of the divine. Some covens go a step farther and light the wine
allowing it evaporate into the ethers through the flames. And others add
to the ceremony and pour the wine onto the ground, making a circle and
pentagram with the liquid.
Meditation
The Priest should guide everyone through a brief meditation. No matter
what your ceremony is for, we believe you should add a moment of
meditation to the event. In this altered state a witch can contact the
God/Goddess and engage them in a private ritual.
You can use this time to thank them for the knowledge and wisdom they
brought you last year and how you might use that this year. Whether it
be in planting your garden, creating a financial plan or starting a
family. In our view, the Sabbat ceremonies are not the time to ask for
something for yourself. This is a time of honoring what the God/Goddess
has already given you. You might ask for clarity of vision or better
understanding of the messages they provided you with the growth and the
tasks you were given to move forward this year.
Conclude your meditation by closing your chakra centers.
Thank the Deities and Spirits
The Priest should guide everyone through a statement of thanks.
This is one of the more important steps to any ritual. You spent a good
deal of time asking for their assistance, calling the quarters, your
personal spirit guide and the deities, so be polite and spend time
thanking them as well. Here's a simple example:
- Stand facing the alter, hold your hands together as if you are
praying, only open the top slightly at the thumbs as if you're
making a bowl with your hands. Then state:
"I, (state your magik name), thank the God, Goddess, Divine Spirits
and the WatchTowers of the Four Corners for watching over this
ceremony of Imbolg. By the light and love of All that Is, we honor
the blessings we have received on this day. We thank you for your
guidance, your wisdom and your strength as we embark on this new
year. We send many blessings to each and all as we walk along the
path of enlighentment forever."
Close the Circle
The Priest should guide everyone through a process of closing the
circle.
Mentally and verbally close the circle. You don't want to leave the
gateway between worlds open for several reasons. You could be inviting
forces you don't necessarily want around you. You can also be
maintaining a state of heightened perception. While this is great for
ceremonies and ritual work, it isn't necessarily good for daily
activities. If you find yourself saying "I feel out of it today", then
you need to close your senses and get grounded. This is another reason
for closing the circle.
- Imagine the "cone of power" you established at the beginning of
the ritual, slowly coming down and dissipating back within the solar
plexus of each person. Move to the center of the circle, holding a
ceremonial sword or knife. Starting in the North, turn
counter-clockwise and state:
"We give thanks to the Goddess once more. We honor each other in
this state of divine experiences. And we close this circle that
binds us to spirit, and can never be broken."
- Snuff out the candles (don't blow them out). (Some people
like to leave the two ritual candles burning during the night until
they burn out by themselves. Then, if they last, you use these two
on the next day of the festival as you continue our honor of Maiden
Goddess.)
We prepare a special meal and invite family or friends to join us. These
two candles are placed as the center-piece of the table. If the original
candles have extinguished before the meal, we will light another candle
from the flame of the original; allowing all candles to burn as long as
they can.
Physically close the circle by exiting over the broom. Pick up the broom
and sweep away any energy that may have been left over.
Clean your working area and prepare your offerings, gifts and candles
for burial. If there are any cakes left over from the ritual, set them
outside for the animals and spirit folk. Pour out any left over wine on
the ground. Once again some people like to pour out the drink in the
shape of a pentacle. Wash all dishes and clean all tools.
Ritual Is Concluded
Finally, some people like to share their experiences during the ritual.
Some even carry the festival on and hold a party to share in some of the
fruits, vegetables and breads they labored over. For the solitary, now
is a good time to record the events and make notes about what you felt,
what you did and didn't do that you might like to do next time.