




























                                   BOOK OF SHADOWS 
                                           


                                   VOLUME The FIRST

                                     pp. 1 - 452


                                           
                              RIDERS OF THE CRYSTAL WIND 



                                     TABLE OF CONTENTS 
          A Minster Speaks Out (J. gordon Melton) .........................975
          A Plea For Initiation Standards (Ellen Cannon Reed) .............908
          A Tale of Two Witches (Mike Nichols) ............................147
          All Hallows Eve (Mike Nichols) ..................................137
          Altar Dedication  (Durwydd) .....................................125
          Amazing (Pagan?) Grace ..........................................959
          Ancient Art, The ................................................551
          Answers (Grove of the Unicorn) ..................................479
          Asatru (Rathulvf Jamieson) ......................................952
          Astral Projection (Monroe Technique) ............................783
          Athame Dedication (Durwydd) .....................................125
          Autarchic Creed .................................................562
          Banes, Bindings, and Mirrors (Judy Harrow, Hugh Read) ...........628
          Bare Bones 3rd Degree (Humor) ...................................463
          Basic Beliefs of WICCA (C.O.G.) .................................947
          Basic Love Spell ................................................958
          Basic Spell Construction ........................................113
          Basic Principles (American Council of Witches)...................310
          Basic Ritual Outline (ED FITCH) ...................................6
          Beltaine Ritual (Firestar Coven, 1986) ...........................36
          Beltane Ritual (Seastrider) .....................................464
          Beltane, Its Origins (Rowan Moonstone) ..........................126
          Bible, Books not included .......................................652
          Bibliography (annotated) ........................................929
          Binding A Spell (Farrar & Farrar) ...............................157
          Blood Sacrifice (Althea Whitebirch) .............................547
          Burning Times, The (Marios) .....................................951
          C.O.G. Pledge ...................................................309
          Channeling (Jast) ...............................................969
          "Condensed" Definition of Wicca (Lady Phoenix) ..................948
          Candle Colors ...................................................982
          Candle Magic ....................................................417
          Candle Scents ...................................................988
          Candlemas (Gwydion) .............................................537
          Candlemas (Mike Nichols) ........................................168
          Catharsis Circle (Judy Harrow).....................................8
          Cauldrons (Elemental)............................................420
          CELTIC NUMEROLOGY (Mike Nichols) ................................454
          CELTIC BIBLIOGRAPHY (Rowan Moonstone) ...........................298
          Chants w/ASCII Notation (L.A.Hussey) ...........................1081
          Chaos Magic (Mark Chao) .........................................398
          Charge of the Phone Goddess (Magenta Griffith) ..................759
          Charge of the Goddess, The ......................................193
          Charge of The Horned God, The ...................................936
          Check List for A Well Working Group (Earthrite BBS) .............957
          Church of All Worlds ............................................353
          Christian "Cults" ..............................................1000
          Circle Closing ..................................................540
          Circle Casting (Avaloian)........................................541
          Circle Purification for Asthmatics ..............................780
          Circle Casting (after Valiente and Farrar) ......................130
          Circles, why use them? (Mel White) ...............................65
          Cleansing (Rowan Moonstone) .......................................2
          Comparison of Wicca and Christianity.............................622
          Computer Blessing (Zahai Stewart) ...............................757
          Coven Offices ...................................................762
          Coven Leadership ................................................543
          Covenant of the Goddess .........................................305
          Consciousness & Politics  (Carol Moore).........................

                                             i
          



                               TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) 
          Craft Ethics (J. Crowley) .......................................751
          Creation Story ..................................................619
          Creed Of The People Of God (Catholic) ..........................1005
          Crone Energies (Grey Cat) .......................................559
          Crystals, their care and feeding (Matrika).......................413
          Cult Danger Evaluation Frame (P.E.I.Bonewits) ...................343
          CUUPS (C.O.G. Salt Lake City) ..................................1002
          "Dark Night of the Soul".........................................286
          DCW Landmarks ...................................................492
          Degrees within Covens ...........................................623
          Deity Engineering Worksheet .....................................607
          Denver Area Wiccan Network ......................................200
          Descent of The Goddess (Sewna Silvara) ..........................750
          Dianic Wicca (Inanna Seastar) ...................................614
          Divination (Bibliography) .......................................605
          Divination (RMPJ) ...............................................603
          Drawing Down the Moon ...........................................557
          Dream Problem Solving ...........................................573
          Dream Bibliography ..............................................576
          Dream Life ......................................................571
          Dream-News ......................................................567
          Dreams Precognition .............................................575
          Dying God (Ammond ShadowCraft)...................................685
          Eclectic Circle Ceremony (Durwydd) ...............................40
          EcoMagick .......................................................614
          Eight Paths to Altered States (Carrie McMasters).................222
          Elements, A Hermetic Summoning (Marios) .........................960
          Elemental Correspondences (from Starhawk) .......................979
          Elemental Correspondences .......................................560
          Ethics and Morals (RMPJ) ........................................315
          Ethics and Magick (Warren Stott) ................................415
          Ethics and Love Magick (Mike Nichols) ...........................554
          Ethics or Etiquette .............................................565
          Etymology of "Wicca" ............................................356
          Evolution of Wiccan Ritual (Paul Hume) ..........................946
          Exorcism ........................................................613
          Festivals .......................................................587
          Film Guide '89 (Mike Nichols)....................................528
          First Degree, What is it? .......................................351
          FISH (Creative use of Christian Symbology) ......................611
          Five Fold Kiss ..................................................744
          Fool ............................................................590
          Fortune, The (RMPJ) .............................................953
          Full Deck Tarot Spread ..........................................625
          Full Moon Ritual (Seastrider)....................................634
          Fundamentals of Human Ecology ...................................616
          Glossary (Rowan Moonstone & Durwydd MacTara) ....................206
          Gnosticism.......................................................694
          God/Goddess Balance (Adrienne)...................................223
          Golden Dawn (Calif.).............................................689
          Golden Dawn Training (outline)...................................691
          Goodwife (Story by L.A. Hussey) .................................644
          Great Rite, The (Symbolic) ......................................656
          Greek Fire Initiation............................................982
          Halloween, Origins of (Rowan Moonstone) ..........................26
          Handfasting ......................................................68
          Harvest Home (Mike Nichols) .....................................176
          Harvest Thoughts (Gary Dumbauld) ................................630
          Harvest Home - 1987 (Michael Fix) ................................13

                                            ii
          



                               TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) 
          Heal The Earth (a meditation) ...................................661
          Healing (one method) ............................................655
          Healing Myth (Nihasa) ...........................................165
          Helpful Hints (Humor) ...........................................966
          Heretic's Corner (RMPJ) .........................................869
          Heyokah (RMPJ) ..................................................632
          Hidden Codes in the Torah .......................................733
          High Technology Meets The Ancient Wisdom ........................964
          History (Weyland Smith) .........................................786
          History of Witch Craft ..........................................791
          Homeblessing (Selena Fox) .......................................663
          Hypnosis 101 ....................................................667
          Imbolc (Solitary Ritual) ........................................664
          Initiation, Outdoor (adaptation) .................................72
          Initiation (Brad Hicks) ..........................................50
          Introductory Book List ..........................................926
          INVOCATIONS
               Freyja (unknown) ............................................56
               Frigg (Russ Anderson) .......................................55
               Brigit (Russ Anderson) ......................................57
               Baldur (unknown) ............................................55
               Freyr (unknown) .............................................56
               Herne (unknown) .............................................57
               Thorr (unknown) .............................................58
          Irish Myth Concordance (Mike Nichols) ...........................422
          Ishtar ..........................................................740
          Issian Circle (Matrika) ..........................................59
          K.A.M. ..........................................................735
          Kabballah (Colin Low)............................................236
          Kali and Modern Physics .........................................730
          Keltria (The Henge of) ..........................................739
          Lady Day (Mike Nichols) .........................................171
          Lammas (Mike Nichols) ...........................................174
          "Landmarks" (D.C.W.) ............................................990
          LBRP, an Essay (Tim Maroney) ....................................103
          Learning Process ................................................962
          Lilith (BBS Conversation) ......................................1083
          LLEW, Death of (Mike Nichols) ...................................179
          Lucid Dreaming (Omni Magazine) ..................................955
          MABON Outline (anonymous) ........................................43
          Magick, Physics, & Probability (Hurn) ...........................811
          Magick (A. Crowley) .............................................817
          Magick Vs. Prayer (Salgamma) ....................................684
          Magickal Book List ..............................................923
          Magick Course Outline (Amber K.).................................815
          Magickal Ethics (Judy Harrow) ...................................502
          Magickal History (Fra.: Apfelman) ...............................406
          Magickal Definitions (RMPJ) .....................................814
          Magickal Laws (after P.E.I. Bonewits) ...........................831
          Magickal Musical Selection Guide ...............................1079
          Magickal Pyramid, The (Durwydd MacTara).........................1096
          Magickal Stones & Gems ..........................................912
          Manhood Rituals (RMPJ) ..........................................760
          Mantra Web technique ............................................288
          Mayan Deities (777 Supplement) ..................................834
          Mayday Celebration (Mike Nichols) ...............................837
          MAYDAY Celebration (Mike Nichols) ................................79
          Media Management (Windfire Coven) ...............................851
          Maychants (4) (Tanscribed by SeaStrider).........................911

                                            iii
          



                               TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) 
          Memory & Perception, a new Model (Paul Seymour).................1077
          Midsummer (Mike Nichols) .........................................45
          Mind Control Techniques (Dick Sutphen) ..........................512
          Models of Magick (incomplete)....................................216
          Modern Pagaism, Q&A .............................................920
          Modern Pagan Persecution (Jonathan Hutchins) ....................942
          Mothers Day Message ............................................1076
          Monotheism vs. Polytheism (Dan Holdgriewe) ......................941
          Mycenaen Mysteries (J. Teller)...................................365
          Mystical Pentagram ..............................................110
          Nature Spirit Magick (Larry Cornett) ............................357
          Necromancy (reprint) ............................................841
          Neo-Pagan Ritual (Brad Hicks) ....................................77
          Neo-Paganism (J. Brad Hicks) ....................................329
          NeoPagism (Eric S. Raymond) .....................................333
          NLP- Applied Magic (Brandy Williams).............................459
          NROOGD SAMHAIN - 1987 (l.a. Hussey) ..............................21
          Occult Resurgence, A theory .....................................224
          ODINISM, What is it? ............................................764
          Open Circle Ethics (Brandy Williams) ............................377
          Open Letter to A New Witch ......................................910
          Open Letter to Selena Fox (Isaac Bonewits) .....................1089
          Opening (ending) The Circle ......................................12
          Origins of the Mandan (Madoc) ...................................949
          Pantacle, The (Gary Dumbauld) ...................................392
          Personal effects of Ritual (Nihasa) .............................868
          Polarity and Single Sex Covens (Marios) .........................945
          Pornography & Pagan Ideals ......................................972
          Power Animals (RMPJ).............................................411
          Psychic Self-Defense ............................................594
          Psychic Attack ..................................................563
          "Quantum" Kaballah...............................................282
          Quantum Magick (Larry Cornett) ..................................857
          Quilting and "Craft" (J.M. Cortese) ............................1103
          Rainforest Ritual (Michael Harismedes, 1988) ....................212
          Ritual Bath (Sewna Silvara) .....................................745
          Runes, What are they? (Lokrien) .................................215
          Runic Thorn Ritual (Faunus) ....................................1097
          Sangreal Sodality, The (Alfgar Maharg) ..........................944
          Samhain Notes (Farrar)...........................................143
          Samhain Ritual (L. A. Hussey) ....................................19
          Samhain Ritual (O.T.O.) .........................................145
          Samhain (United Wiccan Church) ..................................141
          Satanism vs. Wicca (Diane Vera)..................................194
          Saxon Wicca (Matrika) ...........................................158
          Scorpio Dragon (Sewna Silvara) ..................................749
          Second Degree (Gary Dumbauld) .....................................3
          Sex and Magick (Fra. Apfelmann)..................................231
          Shamanic Binding (Gaffer Maccluiunn) ............................937
          Shamanic Lifeways Fellowship (Michelle Haas) ....................384
          Smudging (Michelle Haas) ........................................184
          Solitary Moon Rite, Issian (Ellen Cannon Reed) .................1100
          Sophia and Gnosticism (Terry J. McCombs) .......................1105
          Spitual Emergence or Emergency (Paul Seymour) ...................939
          Spring Equinox (Farrar and Farrar) ..............................182
          Standing Stones Book Of Shadows (Scott Cunninham) ..............1010
          Strings On The Winds (Bardic Fiction)............................778
          "Super-Dimensionality" ..........................................289
          Taleisin's thoughts .............................................676

                                            iv
          



                               TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) 
          Tea Ritual (Sewna Silvara, Triskelion)...........................747
          Technology and The Craft (Fun!) .................................132
          The Postures of Ecstasy .........................................617
          Tool List (Seastrider) ..........................................136
          Tool Blessing Ritual ............................................122
          Tool Consecration ................................................17
          Traditional Wicca (K.A.M.) ......................................186
          Trickster Energies ..............................................234
          Twelve Exercises Nobody Needs ...................................619
          Wartime (Michelle Haas, 1991) ...................................117
          Watch Towers, Rethinking The (Mike Nichols) .....................344
          What is WICCA? (Texas Pamphlet) .................................322
          What is Shamanism? (Michelle Haas) ..............................354
          What is Wicca? (Amber K.) .......................................340
          Wicca, from My Point of View (Lady Phoenix) .....................149
          Wiccan Information Network .....................................1087
          Wiccan Way, The .................................................192
          Wiccan Pentagram Ritual (Paul Hume) ..............................98
          Wiccan Traditions, A comparison (Hurn, RMPJ) ....................154
          Wiccan Path (Madoc)..............................................227
          Wiccan Shamanism (Selena Fox) ...................................162
          Wiccan Principles (American Council of Witches, 1974)............190
          Wiccan Rede, An Exegesis (Judy Harrow) ..........................317
          Witchcraft Q&A (Dr. Leo Martello) ...............................150
          Witches Creed (Doreen Valiente_ .................................320
          Women vs. Men (Michele Haas).....................................195
          YULE (Mike Nichols) ..............................................84
          Yule in Britain (Tana) ...........................................94
          Yule Ritual (Starhawk) ...........................................88































                                             1
          



                                         CLEANSING 
                                Rowan Moonstone 05-28-89  
           
               When I  cleanse a dwelling  place, first I burn  a good cleansing
          incense, like frankincense or  sandalwood in the home while  I prepare
          for the  rest of the  ritual.   You should  have  in  addition to  the
          incense,  a candle,  a bowl  of salt  water and  a bowl  of herbs.   I
          particularly  like    to   use  rose  buds  for  love,   lavender  for
          preservation, rosemary  for protection,  and any other  sweet smelling
          ones that appeal to you personally.   If you can get them home  grown,
          so much the better.  You should proceed around the house, widdershins(
          counter clock wise) and cleanse the area with the salt water.  Be sure
          to  get each  corner, window,  door, drain,  etc.   Simply sprinkle  a
          little  salt  water  on each  and  ask  that  any  evil or  disruptive
          influences leave the place.  When this is finished, proceed around the
          house  deosil( clockwise)  sprinkling  the blessing  herbs and  invoke
          whatever deities or properties you wish on the home, such as peace 
          prosperity, tranquility, etc.   In the past, I have  used 3 candles on
          the central altar.   Blue, symbolizing tranquility, green  for healing
          and prosperity, and purple for  protection.  Others might be pink  for
          love, or brown  for hearth and home.   You and anyone who  is to share
          the  home with you  should share food  and drink, and  don't forget to
          leave a little of the food and drink to take outside and return to the
          Earth that which has been given.  
          Blessed Be. Rowan 
           --- DragonMail0.00 
            * Origin: Beagle Express - (405)848-2828 - *ISA* *IFNA* (1:147/4) 


































                                             2
          




                                 Second Degree Initiation

          This is a ceremony we have used a couple of times (with  variations to
          suit the candidate)  for the second degree initiation.   You will note
          that it  borrows from many  sources: Masonic, Gardnerian,  Celtic, and
          Flight of  Fancy.  We've done it robed, sky clad, and some interesting
          combinations.  Seems to work ok either way.  If the candidate has done
          the work,  the  initiation ceremony  is  more  of a  public  "rite  of
          passage" or  recognition  of that  fact...  the real  "initiation"  is
          between the Gods  and the  candidate, and therefore  cannot really  be
          "conferred". 
          ...Gary Dumbauld, High Priest, Hernesgaard Circle 
           
           
                               A ceremony to recognize completion 
                                       of the 2nd degree 
                                        course of study 
           
           
          The Circle is cast as usual.   All are properly prepared and purified.
          High Priestess and High  Priest perform the Ceremony in  concert.  The
          candidate  is brought into the circle by  a friend and circled 3 times
          deosil, ending north of the altar,  facing the Priest, who is standing
          south of the altar (where else?). 
           
          PRIEST: 
          "This is the time  of Full Moon, a time for rekindling  of light.  The
          struggle for higher light is: That we  may see it, and seeing it, work
          and  live by it.   We are  about to embark  upon a solemn  ceremony to
          rekindle the  light  of Knowledge,  the light  of Will,  the light  of
          Compassion, the light of Steadfastness; we will combine these  lights,
          and  rekindle the  light of  Dedication in  our Sister  (Brother) here
          before us. 
          _____ _________ , here have you been taught the ways of the Wise, that
          you might count  yourself among those  who serve  the Gods, among  the
          brothers and sisters of the Wicca, those who are called the shapers of
          the universe." 
           
          PRIEST: 
          "I now direct your attention to the two lights upon our altar, the one
          representing  the Sun,  the  God,  and  the  High  Priest;  the  other
          representing the Moon, the Goddess, and the High Priestess.   The High
          Priest and Priestess, presiding  over the coven, may be  thought of as
          `One light to rule the day, one light to rule the night'.  Since these
          lights are both beneficent, each having  honor in its place, the Craft
          of  the  Wise does  not set  day against  night, God  against Goddess,
          Priest against  Priestess.  In the Craft,  we do not define  evil as a
          negative power,  rather as the lack of light; where there is the light
          of Sun or Moon, God or Goddess, there can be no lack of light.  Choose
          one, or both; place light within yourself, and nurture it." 

          "In times past, the Circle of Initiation was called a `Hermetic 
          Circle', after Hermes, the ancient name for the planet Mercury." 
          In astrology,  the house  of the Sun  is in the  zodiacal sign  of the
          lion, which is  the fifth house; the house  of the Moon is  in Cancer,
          the crab, and is in the fourth house; and the day  house of the planet
          Mercury is in the Gemini,  the Twins, and is  the third house.   These
          numbers, three, four and five, were sacred to many ancient peoples, as
          the dimensions of  the Pythagorean  Triangle, in which  the square  of

                                             3
          



          five, twenty  five, is equal  to the  sum of the  squares of four  and
          three, or sixteen and nine.   Knowledge of this triangle was essential
          to builders; you are also a builder-you are building your character." 
           
          PRIESTESS: 
           
          "I now direct your  attention to the several lights surrounding us, in
          the East,  South, West, and North.   Let us now  examine these lights,
          and see what we can discern within them of human character." 
           
          "In the building of  character, the Eastern light is  denoted the Lamp
          of Beauty, and stands for accomplishments; for learning, skill in art,
          poetry, in song and instrumental music, in painting and sculpture.  It
          exemplifies the art  of making  one's self attractive  to those  about
          one.  It is an old saying that `Beauty is as Beauty does.'   It causes
          great distress to see  these noble graces of character  prostituted to
          ignoble ends.   Remember well the  lesson of the  Lamp of Beauty,  and
          accept the blessing of the East." 
           
          Initiate is censed with incense from the censer which has been 
          previously placed in the East. 
           
          PRIEST: 
           
          "The light in the  South is denoted the Lamp  of Life, and stands  for
          individuality, and for energy; for fervency, for zeal and vitality. It
          exemplifies  passions, desires  and  appetites.   It  means loves  and
          hates, sympathies  and abhorrences, and what is more than all the rest
          of  these, it means heart and joy in  the work of life.  Remember well
          the lesson of the Lamp of Life, and accept the blessing of the South."
          Initiate is circled three times with the brazier, previously placed in
          the South. 
           
          PRIESTESS: 
           
          "Look now to the West, and observe the Lamp of Compassion, which 
          stands for `fellow-feeling'.  Every work in life demands a price. 
          Labor, tears, self-denial, self-recrimination,  the very blood of life
          is sometimes the  price of a truly  great work.   Look to your  fellow
          travellers  on the road; note with care  what sacrifice they have made
          in  their  progress  toward  the  truth;  allow  them  their   faults,
          commiserate  with them in their  failures, and rejoice  with them when
          they succeed.  Remember well the lesson of the Lamp of Compassion, and
          accept the blessing of the West." 
           
          Initiate is circled three  times with water, and his/her  hands washed
          in a laving bowl, previously placed in the West. 
           
          PRIEST: 
           
          "Look now to  the North, and observe the lamp of  obedience.  The laws
          of the Gods are inevitable,  and the more we, as children of the Gods,
          understand and work in accordance with them, the greater is the sum of
          our  happiness.  Obedience in character means order, the subjection to
          one's principles, the fear to do wrong, and the desire to learn and do
          right.   Many would rather give  charity than do justice.   They swell
          with emotion, weep with sentiment, howl with the mob, so long as their
          own particular little tyranny  or injustice is not touched.   The Lamp
          of Obedience exemplifies firm will and determination of character,  in
          spite of  difficulties,  dangers and  losses.   So  also  the Lamp  of

                                             4
          



          Obedience stands for self-control, for perseverance, and for prudence.
          In time of  peace, prepare for  war; when shines  the sun, expect  the
          cloud; and in darkness wait patiently for the coming light.  `When all
          the sky  is draped in black  and beaten by tempestuous  gales, and the
          shuddering ship seems all  awreck, calmly trim once more  the tattered
          sail, repair the broken rudder,  and set again for the  old determined
          course.'   Remember  well the  lesson of  the Lamp  of  Obedience, and
          accept now the blessing of the North." 
           
          Initiate's hands  are marked with damp earth from a bowl in the North.
          Initiate is then led back south of the altar. 
           
          PRIESTESS: 
           
          "Of the character thus illuminated and thus guided by  the lights here
          on  the  altar,  and by  the  Lamps of  Beauty,  Life,  Compassion and
          Obedience,  it may  be said, `Though  the world perish  and fall away,
          he/she remains.' 
           
          Initiate then takes the Oath/Obligation, kneeling. 
           
          `In the names of  Arianhrod and Bran; Diana and  Appolyon; Heartha and
          Cernunnos;  and  by the  powers  of  Earth, Air,  Fire  and Water,  I,
          __________________  , pledge to love, worship and honor the Goddess in
          her many aspects; and her  Consort, the Horned One, Lord of  Death and
          Ruler of Chaos; to always be true to the Art and its secrets; to never
          abuse the Art or my own powers;  and to keep this pledge always in  my
          heart, in my mind, in my body and in my spirit.  This I pledge, by the
          Circle of Life, by Cerridwen's Sacred Cauldron, and by my own hopes of
          a future life.' 
           
          Initiate  stands.   High Priestess places  a necklace  over Initiate's
          head. 
           
          PRIESTESS: 
           
          "The Circle is a place between the worlds and outside time.  The 
          Circle is also the  Symbol of Life, Death, and  Rebirth.  We wear  the
          necklace  as a token  of the Sacred Circle  and as a  sign that we are
          part of all it symbolizes."       

          High Priest strikes the bell three times. 
           
          PRIEST: 
           
          "Hear  ye, Lady of Life and Lord of Death!  Hear ye, Ancient Guardians
          of the Powers of  Air, Fire, Water and Earth!   In this place,  by our
          hands and will, _____ ______________ , known to us as _______________,
          has been duly pledged and anointed a Priest/ess of the Second Degree!"












                                             5
          



                                   Pagan Ritual for Basic Use 
                                         (by Ed Fitch) 
           
          A circle  should be marked  on the floor,  surrounding those  who will
          participate in the  ceremony.  An altar is to be  set up at the center
          of the circle.  At the center of the altar shall be placed an image of
          the  Goddess, and an incense burner placed in front of it.  Behind the
          image should be a wand fashioned from a willow branch.  Candles should
          be set upon the altar ...  a total of five, since  on is to be set  at
          each quarter and one will remain on the altar during the rite. 
           
                    Whenall the people areprepared they shallassemble within the
          circle.  The woman acting  as priestess shall direct the man  who acts
          as priest to light the candles and incense.  She shall then say: 
           
                   "The presence of the noble Goddess extends everywhere, 
                    Throughout many strange, magical, 
                    And beautiful worlds, 
                    To all places of wilderness, enchantment, and freedom." 
           
                    She then places  a candle at  the north and  pauses to  look
          outwards, saying: 
           
                   "The Lady is awesome, 
                    The Powers of death bow before Her." 
           
                    The personclosest to theeast takes acandle from thealtar and
          places it at that quarter, saying:  
           
                   "Our Goddess is a Lady of Joy, 
                    The winds are Her servants." 
           
                    The personclosest tothe southtakes a candlefrom thealtar and
          places it at that quarter, saying: 
           
                   "Our Goddess is a Goddess of Love. 
                    At Her blessings and desire 
                    The sun brings forth life anew." 
           
                    Theperson closest tothe west takesa candle fromthe altar and
          places it at that quarter, saying: 
           
                   "The seas are the domain of our Serene Lady, 
                    The mysteries of the depths are Hers alone." 
           
                    The priestthen takes thewand, andstarting at thenorth, draws
          it along the entire circle clockwise back to the north point, saying: 
           
                   "The circle is sealed, and all herein 
                    Are totally and completely apart 
                    From the outside world, 
                    That we may glorify the Lady whom we adore. 
                    Blessed Be!" 
           
               All repeat: "Blessed Be!" 
           
                    The priestnow holdsthe wandout in salutetowards thenorth for
          a  moment and then hands it to the priestess, who also holds it out in
          salute.  She motions to the group to repeat the  following lines after
          her: 

                                             6
          



           
                   "As above, so below ... 
                    As the universe, so the soul. 
                    As without, so within. 
                    Blessed and gracious one, 
                    On this day do we consecrate to you 
                    Our bodies, 
                    Our minds, 
                    And our spirits. 
                    Blessed Be!" 
           
                    Now is the time for discussion and teaching.  Wine and light
          refreshments may  be served.   When  the meeting  has ended,  all will
          stand and silently  meditate for a  moment.   The priestess will  then
          take the wand and tap each candle to put it out, starting at the north
          and going clockwise around the circle, while saying: 
           
                   "Our rite draws to its end. 
                    O lovely and gracious Goddess, 
                    Be with each of us as we depart. 
                    The circle is broken!" 








































                                             7
          



                                  A CIRCLE FOR CATHARSIS 
           
          Introduction: 
           
                    One of my near and dear once spent an hour  in a therapist's
          office  kicking an innocent throw pillow around the room and screaming
          out rage  at his  abusive father.  At the end  of the  hour, he  had a
          broken foot -- and the first beginnings of a healed mind. 
           
                    But we havelearned thatmagic works throughsymbols. Callingan
          object  by  your  abuser's  name  and  then  abusing  that  object  is
          sympathetic magic used for the purpose of cursing. To throw a curse is
          to  project one's worst  feelings out into  the world of  form, and to
          invoke upon oneself the inevitable karmic 
          feedback. 
           
                    It isnot our way to blast the cropsand sour the milk. Wiccan
          tradition and plain common sense both tell us to avoid the practice of
          baneful magic.  But, as usual, it's  not quite as easy  as just saying
          no. 
           
                    Rape  and child abuse, loved ones killed by muggers or drunk
          drivers,  emotional manipulation  and betrayal,  economic exploitation
          and dishonest office politics - people hurt and victimize other people
          in many different ways every day. We are not immune. 
           
                    At somepoint in ourlives, probably everysingle one ofus will
          feel violated  by some other human  being. Often our  feelings will be
          based in fact.  Whether they are  or not, however, we need and deserve
          a safe way to discharge them. 
           
                    Symbolic banefulactions arealso cathartic actions.They drain
          and clear our poisonous  feelings and allow our own  emotional healing
          to begin.  If we deny ourselves this outlet, what happens to the grief
          and pain and rage? 
           
                    If projection  is bad  for us, introjection  is even  worse.
          Unreleased  bad feelings are a major source  of stress. In a very real
          sense, stress cripples  and kills. Ulcers, strokes,  heart attacks and
          more are all  heavily stress-related.  A simple refusal  to engage  in
          baneful  magic could  easily amount  to punishing  a victim  by adding
          serious illness to the original harm. 
           
                    I am partof the All. "Anit harm none"is about me too.Release
          of my feelings is my right. 
           
                    At  first it seems like  an insoluble paradox.  But the same
          understanding of magic that forbids projection of our bad feelings can
          open a safe channel for those feelings. Here's one possible form: 
           
           










                                             8
          



          Preparation: 
           
          1) Understanding 
           
                    Think about  the Alcoholics Anonymous prayer.  "Grant me the
          serenity to accept the things  I cannot change, the courage  to change
          the  things I  can change,  and the  wisdom to  know  the difference."
          People of any  religion can recognize the wisdom in  those words. This
          ritual  is intended to  ease emotional pressure.  I believe  that is a
          step towards granting all three of those things to ourselves. 
           
                    If your hurt isongoing, you must take stepsto stop it -leave
          the  abusive  relationship,  begin  searching  for  a new  job,  begin
          organizing politically to stop your oppression. What good this  Circle
          does  you will be temporary at best if  you are not acting on both the
          magical and material planes to change the things you can change. 
           
                    But some ofour pain comes from old, oldinjuries. And some of
          our feelings are not based on  fact at all. The source of  those hurts
          cannot be changed, but the pain can be. This particular  working is to
          release any bad feelings, not to judge them. 
           
                    Don'tworry aboutjustice. Youmay bemistaken about whohas hurt
          you,  but nobody will be  hurt by what we do  here. All energy will be
          contained  within the Circle. The  object of this  working is healing,
          not justice. You  deserve this  healing simply because  you hurt,  and
          even if you are mistaken. 
           
                    Prevention and healing arehuman tasks; to dothem is tochange
          the things we  can change. Justice - the evening  of karmic balances -
          is the business of the  Gods, and may take place across a span of many
          lifetimes. Karmic balance is a thing we cannot change. 
           
          2) Set Up 
           
                    You have some decisions to make. Thefirst one is whether you
          will work 
          alone  or ask one  or more trusted  friends to witness  and facilitate
          your 
          working. Some  of us can only  let our feelings go  in strict privacy.
          For others, 
          the presence of  people who will make sure we  don't hurt ourselves or
          our homes 
          removes  a source of inhibition.  And sometimes simply  being heard is
          part of the 
          release process. 

                    Next, exactly what kind of symbolic action will release your
          feelings?   Will kicking a  throw pillow  suffice, or do  you need  to
          actually make a poppet?  Or just screaming  may be enough. If you want
          to work with a physical symbol, prepare it in advance, and be sure not
          to use  anything you  will want  to keep  after the  rite or ever  use
          again. 
           







                                             9
          



                    Figure out whetheryou can either casta Circle toinclude your
          bathroom,  or leave  a cast  Circle for  a period  of time.  This will
          depend on your particular  training. If possible, have a  warm scented
          tub waiting  for you.  If not, a  basin of  warm scented  water and  a
          washcloth  within easy reach just outside of your Circle will suffice.
          Also, a ritual meal should be prepared and 
          waiting outside of Circle, and this should include something green and
          growing - I favor sprouts - and something sweet. 
           
          Procedure: 
           
          1)  Waning moon is a  good time for  this Circle, and the  Dark of the
          Moon is even better. Cast  the Circle and invoke the Watchers  in your
          usual  manner. Call  on the  Crone, on  She who  weeds and  prunes and
          disposes of the obstructive and unnecessary. 
           
          2) Just  inside the Circle, like  the membrane in an  eggshell, cast a
          grounding shield. One possible  image for this shield would be a black
          absorptive chain link  fence, supported at regular intervals  by fence
          posts that are lightning rods. Whatever happens within this space will
          be contained and grounded. 
           
          3)  Make clear to yourself  what wound you  seek to drain.  Say it out
          loud, even if you are alone. Recall what happened to you in detail and
          let the feelings grow strong. 
           
          4) Now,  let go of  your feelings. Do  whatever will help  you release
          what is  in you. Beat on  a pillow or rip  up a doll.  Scream till you
          cry. Don't stop till you are emptied. Then fling the thing you used as
          a symbol out of your Circle. 
           
          5)  When you  are sure  you are  all done,  all drained,  contract the
          shield into a tight ball in the center of the Circle. As it contracts,
          it will  gather all  the negative energy  from the Circle.  Ground it.
          Affirm that  you are sending this energy  to the fire at  the heart of
          the Earth - to Jarnsaxe or to Pele - to be 
          purified in that blast furnace and cycled to wherever strong energy is
          needed.  Know that what you now let go is gone. Affirm this out loud. 
           
          6) Wash or bathe in a ritual  manner, feeling the last traces of  your
          bad feelings dissolve away. If others  are present, allow them to wash
          and serve you. 
           
          7) Rest a few minutes. Feel the peace of emptiness. 
           
          8)  Then  invoke the  Maiden's energy  for  new beginnings.  Have your
          ritual feast,  and otherwise  indulge your  senses. Gentle and  joyful
          music would  be effective,  and you  may want to  switch to  a sweeter
          smelling incense. This is a  time to dream dreams and plan  plans. You
          have removed an energy drain  from your life, now you will  be able to
          ... ? 
           
          9)  Thank and dismiss whatever  Beings you have  called on, throughout
          the whole  ritual. Close  your Circle  as usual. Do  not do  any other
          kinds of working or worship within this particular Circle. 
           
           




                                            10
               



          Follow Through: 

                    Thefinal part of any effective magical working is "acting in
          accordance" on  the material plane. By doing this, we give the magic a
          channel through which to  manifest. For this working, there  are three
          forms of follow through, and all are important. 
           
           
          1)  Remember that  painful  feelings are  partly  habitual. Acting  in
          accordance with magic  to banish  such feelings requires  you to  stop
          feeding the  habit. Don't talk  about the pain  with anybody until  at
          least the second  full moon after the working. This  gives the habit a
          chance to fade out. As  much as you can, eliminate the topic from your
          internal  dialogue as well. When  you notice yourself  dwelling on the
          old pain, gently and firmly change the subject. 
           
                          Thinking aboutaction tochangeyour lifeinthe hereandnow
          is  perfectly  OK.  The problem  is  reiteration  of  old feelings  of
          frustration and helplessness that actually impede change. 
           
          2) If the hurtful situation is current and ongoing, continue  with any
          steps you  were taking to change  the things you can  change. In fact,
          you will probably  find you have  more energy than  you did before  to
          devote to your projects. 
           
          3) Be sure to use  some of your newly freed emotional energy to reward
          yourself.  Take time for friendship, love, and pleasure. The object of
          the  exercise is to  clear space for  the enjoyment of  life, so start
          right now. 
           
           
                                              Judy Harrow 
                                              HPs, Proteus Coven 




























                                            11
          



                               OPENING (Ending) THE CIRCLE 
            
          The High Priestess goes to each of the four directions in turn,  
          and draws a Banishing Pentacle, saying, 
           
           
               Guardians of the East (South, West, North), Powers of Air  
          (Fire, Water, Earth), we thank you 
               For joining in our circle 
               And we ask for your blessing 
               As you depart 
               May there be peace between us 
               Now and forever.  Blessed be. 
           
           
          She raises  her athame to  the sky and touches  it to the  earth, then
          opens her arms and says, 
           
               The circle is open, but unbroken, 
               May the peace of the Goddess 
               Go in your hearts, 
               Mercy meet, and merry part. 
               And merry meet again.  Blessed be. 






































                                            12
          



                                        Harvest Home Ritual
                                               1987 
                                          By Michael Fix 
           
                                          Circle Casting 
                                         (High Priestess) 
                        (Spoken while harvesting imaginary grain in perimeter of
          circle) 
           
          Birds circle hungrily overhead 
          As through harvested fields we tread. 
          The smokehouse fires and burning leaves 
          Their scents do spiral and interweave. 
          Ripples circle in our wake 
          As rice we harvest from a lake. 
          The dusty Earth now shorn of locks 
          Swirls as pass our fattened flocks. 
          Much bounty may our harvest see 
          As we cast, so mote it be! 
           
          Responsorial:  So mote it be! 
           
                                        Quarter Invocations 
                                           (High Priest) 
           
          Facing  East:  Guardians of the watchtower  of the east, we do summon,
          stir, and call thee  up to protect us in  our rite. Come to us  now on
          the cool  breath of Autumn's sigh  which heralds the  advent of Winter
          and the close of harvest time.  Breathe into us the spirit of the pure
          joy of life.  So mote it be! 
           
          Responsorial:  So mote it be! 
           
          Facing South:  Guardians of the watchtower of the south, we do summon,
          stir, and call thee up to protect us in our rite.  Come forth from the
          cook fires and  smokehouses where  food is  being made  ready for  the
          coming  cold  months.    Kindle  within  us  the  flame  of  spiritual
          awakening.  So mote it be! 
           
          Responsorial:  So mote it be! 
           
          Facing West:   Guardians of the watchtower of the  west, we do summon,
          stir, and call thee up to protect us in our rite.  Come forth from the
          rainbow hued morning  dew that covers  the fields, and  is soon to  be
          frost.  Asperge us with your  diadems and water our deepest roots that
          we may find peace of mind.  So mote it be!  
          Responsorial:  So mote it be! 
           
          Facing North:  Guardians of the watchtower of the north, we do summon,
          stir, and call thee up to protect us in our rite.  Come forth from the
          fertile bosom of our Blessed Mother  Earth, and nourish us so that our
          hopes may grow to fruition.  So mote it be! 
           
          Responsorial:  So mote it be! 







                                            13
          



                  Blessing, Consecration, and Procession of the Elements 
           
              (Four members of  the coven  who have been  chosen beforehand  now
          approach the  Priestess.  Each holds one of the following: an  incense
          burner, a candle, a  vessel of water, and a  vessel of salt.   Each in
          turn approaches  the Priestess,   recites  their  piece, receives  her
          blessing, and then processes deosil around 
          the  perimeter of  the circle  while stopping  to bow  at each  of the
          quarters.) 
           
          (Celebrant with the incense burner symbolizing the element of air) :
           
          "I am everywhere.  I fill the fleshy pouches of your lungs, I stir all
          things from  the smallest blade of  grass to the tallest  tree. I cool
          you with  my breezes and destroy  you with my storms.   Without me you
          would die.  Am I not holy and worthy of praise? "
           
          (Celebrant with the candle symbolizing the element of fire): 
           
          "I live in  the guarded embers  of campfires and  the pilot lights  of
          stoves, I spring from  the lightning and the hands of  men, I warm you
          and I destroy you. Without me you would die.  Am I not holy and worthy
          of praise? "
           
          (Celebrant with the water vessel symbolizing the element of water):
           
          "I rise from  the moist crevices of the Earth, I beat on the shores of
          Her body, I fall from the skies in silver sheets. Without me you would
          die. Am I  not holy and  worthy of praise?  " (Celebrant asperges  the
          circle with water) 
           
          (Celebrant with the salt vessel symbolizing the element of earth): 
           
          "I am your Mother.  From me come the fruit and grain and animals which
          feed you. I am your support, and my pull on your bodies keeps you held
          firmly to me.  Without me you would  die.  Am I not holy and worthy of
          praise? "
           
                                     Invocation of the Goddess 
                                           (High Priest) 
           
          "Come to us  Moist Mother Earth.  Come to us  and take your ease.  You
          have labored long and hard to bring forth your bounty, so that we your
          children  may survive.  Come and relax,  for well have you earned your
          rest.   Eat and drink  your fill, sing, dance, and  be merry, for  you
          have done well, and there is  plenty for all.  And, if it  pleases you
          to ask for the favors of one of us as 
          well, may you find satisfaction there too.  We shout your praises, for
          you are the essence of fulfillment,  love, and joy.  You are the  most
          beautiful, and  beyond measure is your grandeur and greatness.  May we
          never forget that we are  a part of your Sacred Body, and  may we work
          to  preserve it  in  all of  its  myriad forms.   All  hail  the Great
          Mother!"
           
          Responsorial:  All hail the Great Mother! 
           
                                       Invocation of the God 
                                         (High Priestess) 
           
          "Come to us Lord of the Hunt,  Sacred Herdsman, and Divine Smith.  Put

                                            14
          



          by your  horn, lay aside your  crook, stow your hammer,  and quit your
          forge for  now.  Wipe  your brow,  and come find  your leisure  in the
          midst  of our good company.   Have a seat, put  up your feet, and pour
          yourself a cold draught.  By the virtue of your work have you earned a
          rest, for well have  your cared for  the wild beasts and  domesticated
          flocks.   And many  a time has  your forge burned long  into the night
          with  you  hard at  work creating  lightning  bolts of  such exquisite
          beauty and terrible power as we have ever beheld.  Join us Great Lord,
          and  indulge yourself  to the fullest.   May  you know no  want in our
          presence, for thanks  to you and  the Goddess,  we know no  want.   We
          raise  our glasses high and toast your  greatness. All hail the God of
          the Wild Magicks."
           
          Responsorial:  All hail the God of the Wild Magicks. 
           
                                    Guided Meditation by Priest 
           
                                    (Meditationwillbeaboutourown
                                                               spiritualharvest.
                        Thiswill conclude with a personal empowerment           
          chant) 
           
                                         Empowerment Chant 
           
            (Holding  hands, the coven members repeat the  following chant until
          the high    priestess decides that enough energy has been raised,  and
          upon her signal   everyone will  direct a portion  of the energy  into
          themselves  to help  them  to develop  the  inner strength  to  attain
          personal spiritual goals.) 
           
          Ripen fruit, ripen seed 
          Harken to my inner need 
           
                                             Communion 
           
          (Fruit and Wine,  songs, and a  good time.   Also, each member of  the
          coven will be  asked to describe something that they  have done in the
          last liturgical year that has "borne fruit.") 
           



                                        Quarter Banishings 
                                           (High Priest) 
           
          Facing East:  

          "Guardians of the  watchtower of  the east,  return now  to the  brisk
          Autumn  breezes which are brimming  with the excitement  of the year's
          climax.  Take with you our blessings and thanks. Hail and farewell! 
           
          Responsorial:  Hail and farewell! 










                                            15
          



          Facing South:  

          "Guardians of the watchtower of the south, return now to the 
          dying fires  of Autumn's heat soon to give way to Winter's chill. Take
          with you our blessings and thanks.  Hail and farewell! 
           
          Responsorial:  Hail and farewell 
           
          Facing West:  

          "Guardians of the watchtower of the west, return now to the 
          Autumn rains which cool the Earth's  fevered brow baked in the heat of
          Summer afternoons. Take  with you our blessings and thanks.   Hail and
          farewell! 
           
          Responsorial:  Hail and farewell! 
           
          Facing  North:  Guardians of the watchtowers  of the north, return now
          to the Earth  where worms burrow deeper and seeds  nestle awaiting the
          long sleep of Winter.   Take with you our blessings and  thanks.  Hail
          and farewell! 
           
          Responsorial:  Hail and farewell! 
           
                                         Circle Banishing 
                                         (High Priestess) 
           
          Equal night and equal day 
          Soon the light will fade away 
          Equal day and equal night 
          This circle fades as does the light 
          Thus the magick we invoke 
          Fades anon like wisps of smoke 
          Until we next decide to play 

                                      SO MOTE IT BE!

























                                            16
          



                       CONSECRATION OF CHALICE, ATHAME OR OTHER TOOL: 
           
          Before  these  assembled spirits  I bring  (name type  of tool)  to be
          dedicated to the service of the Lady and Lord. 
           
          (Pass tool three times through smoke of the incense.) 
           
          By the power of air, be thou purified.  Be thou dedicated to purity of
          thought and to  harmlessness that  all intentions for  which thou  art
          used may harm none and be for the good of all. 
           
          (Pass tool three times through or over the flame of the fire candle.) 
           
          By the power of fire, be thou  purified.  Be thou dedicated to  purity
          of desire,  and to harmlessness  that all goals  which thou  art doest
          help achieve may harm none and be for the good of all. 
           
          (Take a few drops of water and sprinkle or dab on instrument.) 
           
          By  the power of water, be thou purified.  Be thou dedicated to purity
          of emotion, and to harmlessness that all  that thou shalt be used in a
          spirit of harmony, harming none and for the good of all. 
           
          (Touch instrument to the stone or salt in north quarter) 
           
          By  the  power of  earth,  be thou  purified.   Be  thou  dedicated to
          steadfastness  and purity of purpose, that my will be achieved without
          wavering, with harm to none and for the good of all. 
           
          (If this is a chalice, present it first to the Lady, then to the Lord,
          if  athame,  reverse  order.    All  other  instruments  use  personal
          preference, but it is courtesy to present them to Her first.) 
           
          PRESENTATION FOR CHALICE: 
           
          Lady Freya,  Keeper of Femininity, bless  this chalice.  Let  it be as
          Thy  cauldron, a  vessel  of productivity  that  it may  be worThy  to
          dispense Thy bounty.  Let it be used in Thy service and in the service
          of humanity.  Let it be  so bound that no harm  may come of it to  any
          being,  but  let  it   rather  be  an  instrument  of   good-will  and
          understanding; of loving harmony.  To  Thy sacred self I dedicate this
          vessel, (name  of vessel),  that it and  I may long  be of  service to
          Thee. 
           
          Lord Thor,  companion to  the Lady, champion  of the Gods,  bless this
          chalice and keep watch over it.  Guard the works which come forth from
          it, that they  ever be in the service of Thee  and Thy Lady, that they
          be  of service  to  humankind, and  that  they abide  by  the laws  of
          harmony.  To  Thee I vow I  shall use it for Her  sacred purposes, and
          for no other.  
                                      So mote it be. 
           
          PRESENTATION FOR ATHAME: 
           
          Lord Thor, thunderer & hammer  wielder, bless this athame.  Let  it be
          as the spring  rains which fall upon the  earth to cause Her  to bring
          forth Her bounty. 




                                            17
          



          Let it quicken my hopes  and dreams, yet keep them from  causing harm.
          Let  it guide them in the harmony  of the seasons, bringing forth only
          good for all. 
          Lord Thor, bless this athame,  (name of athame), that it be  used ever
          in the worship and honor of the Gods. 
           
          Lady Freya, companion to  the Thunderer, lover of the Gods, bless this
          athame  that it  shall bring forth  joy, and  shall cause  no pain nor
          disharmony to any. 
          I dedicate this athame (name athame), symbol of the Defender  and Rain
          Maker, to Thy service.  May it ever bring Thee joy and pride. 
                                      So mote it be. 
           
          (This ritual, with  suitable changes,  may be used  to dedicate  other
          tools as well as these.) 














































                                            18
          



                             SAMHAIN RITUAL FOR SMALL CIRCLE  
           
          [older woman to older man]: 
                          One-eye, Wanderer, God of wisdom, 
                          Hunt-lord, hail, who leads the hosting! 
                          Nine nights hanging, knowledge gaining, 
                          Cloaked at crossroads, council hidden. 
                          Now the night, your time, is near us -- 
                          Right roads send us on, Rune-winner. 
           
          [older man to older woman]: 
                          Every age your eye has witnessed; 
                          Cauldron-Keeper, hail wise Crone! 
                          Rede in riddles is your ration -- 
                          Wyrd-weaving at the World-tree's root. 
                          Eldest ancient, all-knowing one, 
                          Speak secrets to us, send us vision. 
           
          [younger woman to younger man]: 
                          Lord of Life, hail Land-Master! 
                          God of grain that grows and dies 
                          And rises reborn, full of richness; 
                          Fallow fields shall yet be fertile -- 
                          Spring sap runs as stirs your phallus 
                          Bless barren earth, let it bear again! 
           
          [younger man to younger woman]: 
                          Snow-shoes striding, hail swift Huntress! 
                          Wild one, free and willful Goddess 
                          Bow and blade you bear beside you, 
                          Finding food to fend off hunger -- 
                          Winter will not leave us wanting; 
                          Give good hunting, grant us skill. 
           
                  USHERING IN THE NEW YEAR: 
           
                          Welcome winter, waning season, 
                          Now with night the new year comes; 
                          Hail the horse's head with blessings -- 
                          Blessings be on those who bide here 
                          And indeed on all the world! 
           
                  SCRYING: 
           
                          Wide are the worldgates, 
                          Sights to be sent us; 
                          Ready for rede-gifts, 
                          We wait for your wisdom. 
           












                                            19
          



                  OFFERINGS/THANKSGIVING: 
           
                  Grateful, we give now, gifts of our own 
                  Heart-work and hand-work the hearth shall grace; 
                  Happiness, harmony,  health in the new year, 
                  Send to the world and we in it, we wish you. 
           
                  DISMISSAL/OPENING: 
           
                  To watching winds we wish fair travelling; 
                  To sleepless dead sweet rest we send; 
                  Gods and Goddesses, go with praises -- 
                  See: the circle is severed thus. [cut with sword at east] 
           
           
          I wrote that ritual for  David, myself, and two friends who  are older
          than we.  It  was the first  ritual that I wrote  not based on  NROOGD
          material  in any way, but on entirely original structure and material.
          The  horse's  skull  is  a  primitive form  of  the  Mari  Lwyd  (Grey
          Mare/Mary),  a Welsh folk traditional hobby horse that goes from house
          to  house at  the calendar  New  Year, but  she's such  a bizarre  and
          macabre  beast  that  she  was almost  certainly  a  Samhain leftover.
          There's interesting material about her in 
          Trefor Owen's WELSH FOLK CUSTOMS (which  is probably out of print, but
          I could provide photocopies for interested parties who provide copying
          costs...) 
          Happy Samhain! 
          Leigh Ann 
                     ThelemaNet of Berkeley * (415)548-0163 (161/93) 
                            (L.a. Hussey   20 Nov 86  12:05:56)































                                            20
          



                                   NROOGD SAMHAIN, 1987 
          A Cymro-Norse ritual 
           
          TOOLS:  Drinking Horn 
                  Hammer (Mjollnir) 
                  Sword 
                  Pentacle/Stone 
                  Bowl of Salt 
                  Water 
                  Censer & Incense 
           
          CELEBRANTS: 
                  White Priestess (Skadi) 
                  Gold Priest     (Freyr) 
                  Red Priestess   (Freyja) 
                  Red Priest      (Heimdallr) 
                  Black Priestess (Vala) 
                  Black Priest    (Odin) 
           
          Procession, consisting of Soulers (any small number) and White Mare.  
           
          Skadi takes the sword around the circle with these words: 
           
                  SHARP BRIGHT STEEL THE CIRCLE SCRIBES; 
                  CARVING, CLEAVING WORLD FROM WORLD. 
           
          Freyja banishes the circle with the hammer and these words: 
           
                  MANKIND'S FRIEND, BY MJOLLNIR'S MIGHT 
                  BANISH BEINGS THAT BODE US ILL! 
           
          She stands in the center and  to each quarter and above and  below she
          makes the Hammer-Sign, saying, 
           
                  HOLY HAMMER, HALLOW AND HOLD US. 
           
          Vala seals the circle, carrying pentacle and bowl of salt, saying, 
           
                  STOUT STONE SHIELD US, SHUT THE CIRCLE. 
           
          Skadi asperses the circle (Vala follows with censer) with these words:
           
                  BE ALL BLESS'D WHO BIDE HEREIN, 
                  BY STONE AND SEA, BY STORM AND SUN. 
           
















                                            21
          




          Now Heimdallr takes the sword and calls the quarters as follows: 
           
                  WISDOM'S WAIN,  EAST WIND I CALL THEE! 
                  THOUGHTS THY THANES  THAT THRIVE IN NEWNESS. 
                  BREATHE AND BLESS,  BLOW ALL CLEAN; 
                  WATCH AND WARD,  O WIND OF MIND. 
           
                  SUMMER'S SAVOUR,  SOUTH WIND COME NOW! 
                  BRIGHT THE BLESSINGS  YOU BEAR WITH YOU. 
                  STRONG OF SPIRIT,  SUN-LIKE FIRE; 
                  WATCH AND WARD,  O WIND OF SOUL. 
           
                  WILD AND WET,  WEST WIND I SUMMON! 
                  SEA-SPRAY BEARING,  SINGING, SHOUTING; 
                  BEATS THE EARTH'S BLOOD  IN THY BREAST; 
                  WATCH AND WARD,  O WIND OF HEART. 
           
                  WHITE WITH WINTER,  NORTH WIND, WAKEN! 
                  STONE'S STRENGTH BRINGING,  SNOW-CLOAKED WIND. 
                  FROM THE FROST-REALMS,  FRESH AND CHILL, 
                  WATCH AND WARD,  O WIND OF FORM. 
           
          The Priestesses and Priests stand opposite each other, and each one of
          the pair invokes the other, as follows: 
           
          Skadi (to Freyr) 
                  LORD OF LIFE, HAIL LAND-MASTER! 
                  GOD OF GRAIN THAT GROWS AND DIES 
                  AND RISES REBORN, FULL OF RICHNESS; 
                  FALLOW FIELDS SHALL YET BE FERTILE -- 
                  SPRING SAP RUNS AS STIRS YOUR PHALLUS -- 
                  BLESS BARREN EARTH, LET IT BEAR AGAIN! 
           
          Freyr (to Skadi) 
                  SHOW-SHOES STRIDING, HAIL SWIFT HUNTRESS! 
                  WILD ONE, FREE AND WILLFUL GODDESS, 
                  BOW AND BLADE YOU BEAR BESIDE YOU, 
                  FINDING FOOD TO FEND OFF HUNGER. 
                  WINTER WILL NOT LEAVE US WANTING; 
                  GIVE GOOD HUNTING, GRANT US SKILL! 
           
          Freyja (to Heimdallr) 
                  STANDING STEADFAST, HAIL FAR-SEER! 
                  WATCHFUL ONE, ON RAINBOW WAITING, 
                  HORN AT HAND TO ROUSE THE HEROES, 
                  NEWS YOU KNOW FROM NINE WORLDS OVER. 
                  PEOPLE'S PARENT AND OUR PATRON, 
                  OPEN OUR EYES TO ALTERED SIGHT. 
           











                                            22
          





          Heimdallr (to Freyja) 
                  VANIR BRIDE, HAIL VISION-GIVER! 
                  CAPPED IN CAT-FUR, CLOAKED IN FEATHERS, 
                  DRUMMING FOR THE DANCE OF DREAMS, 
                  YOU HASTE TO HUNT OUT HIDDEN THINGS. 
                  SCANT NOW THE SCREEN THAT HINDERS SIGHT; 
                  LET US LEARN THE LORE OF TRANCE-WORK. 
           
          Vala (to Odin) 
                  ONE-EYE, WANDERER, GOD OF WISDOM, 
                  HUNT-LORD, HAIL, WHO LEADS THE HOSTING! 
                  NINE NIGHTS HANGING, KNOWLEDGE GAINING, 
                  CLOAKED AT CROSSROADS, COUNCIL HIDDEN. 
                  NOW THE NIGHT, YOUR TIME IS NEAR US -- 
                  RIGHT ROADS SEND US ON, RUNE-WINNER. 
           
          Odin (to Vala) 
                  EVERY AGE YOUR EYE HAS WITNESSED, 
                  CAULDRON-KEEPER; HAIL, WISE CRONE! 
                  REDE IN RIDDLES IS YOUR RATION -- 
                  WYRD-WEAVING AT THE WORLD-TREE'S ROOT. 
                  ELDEST ANCIENT, ALL-KNOWING ONE, 
                  SPEAK SECRETS TO US, SEND US KENNING. 
           
          Odin reminds everyone what the festival is about, as follows: 
           
          Odin:   SO COMES THE SOULS'-DAY.  SUMMON FOR FEASTING 
                  ANCESTORS, ANCIENTS, HONOURED AND BLESSED; 
                  LET IN BELOVED ONES, LEND THEM YOUR BODIES -- 
                  WHOM DO YOU HALLOW?  HAIL THEM BY NAME! 
           
          Allow a  few minutes for everybody  to name the ancestor  they want to
          welcome.  Then Vala gives this admonition: 
           
          Vala:   AS ANCIENT ELDERS YOU LEARN FROM AND HONOUR, 
                  LET NOT THE LIVING ONES MOULDER ALONE. 
                  NEAR IS THEIR KNOWLEDGE  NEARER THAN SPIRITS', 
                  SEEN WITHOUT CEREMONY, SIMPLY FOR ASKING. 
           
          Both:   GRANDMOTHERS, GRANDFATHERS, GREAT BE THEIR BLESSINGS 
                  PAST ONES AND PRESENT  WE DANCE THEM ALL POWER! 
           
          All  the  Celebrants  but  Heimdallr  form  a  circle facing  outward;
          Heimdallr goes to the West, and all say: 
           
                  WIDE ARE THE WORLDGATES; NOW THE WIGHTS WANDER. 
                  WELCOME WITHIN ARE THE DEAD WHO WERE OURS; 
                  REST FROM RIDING HERE, REVEL AND FEAST HERE; 
                  COME IN, OLD KINSFOLK, KEEPERS OF WISDOM! 










                                            23
          



           
          Heimdallr cuts the Soulers'  Procession into the Circle on  "Come in",
          and moves to stand  with the other Celebrants while the  Soulers dance
          slowly around singing: 
           
                  WELCOME WINTER, WANING SEASON, 
                  NOW WITH NIGHT THE NEW YEAR COMES; 
                  ALL WHO HONOUR ELDER KINSFOLK 
                  DANCE THE DEAD TO EARTHLY DRUMS. 
                  SOULS RESPECTED SAFEGUARD LIVING 
                  HOUSE WE'LL HOLD, AND HALLOW HEARTH; 
                  BLESSINGS BE ON THOSE WHO BIDE HERE, 
                  AND INDEED ON ALL THE EARTH! 
           
          The Celebrants  begin also to  circle, dancing in  character, starting
          widdershins then  spiralling  in and  out  to end  deosil,  as in  the
          meeting dance, while the  Soulers encourage the outer circle  to dance
          also.   The  intent should  be for  luck in  the new year,  and better
          connection  with our  Ancestors (as  well as  better treatment  of our
          Elders!).   WE ARE  THE  OLD PEOPLE,  and BLOOD  OF  THE ANCIENTS  are
          appropriate and may be sung in polyphony... 
           
          As the  providers of  food, FREYR and  SKADI bring forward  the feast.
          Some food should  be laid out for the ancestors,  and people should be
          encouraged to  let the ancestors use their senses for a while to enjoy
          the food  with them.   The Soulers in  particular should  receive Soul
          Cakes.  A strong magical gesture  would be for people to bring forward
          canned and other non- 
          perishable food  (which can be later  given to a food  bank or similar
          organization). 
           
          Freyr speaks as follows: 
                  CAKES TO US CARRY, CORN FROM THE STOREHOUSE; 
                  WINE DEFIES WINTER, WARM WITH CAUGHT RIPENESS; 
                  MILK MADE TO CHEESES, MEAT DRIED AND SALTED; 
                  LAST OF THE LAND'S FRUITS ERE THE LONG SLEEP. 
           
          Skadi speaks as follows: 
                  GOOD NUTS AND GAME-FOOD ARE HUNTERS' GUERDON; 
                  SLEEPING EARTH'S SECRETS YIELD TO THE SEEKER 
                  TRUE BURIED TREASURE: ONIONS, POTATOES 
                  FOREST SHALL FEED US WHILE THE FIELDS REST. 
           
          Both say (if there is to be food donation): 
                  ALL WHO HAVE AUGHT TO OFFER, NOW BRING IT; 
                  WIGHTS, BEAR YE WITNESS  WORK WITH THE GIVERS. 
                  FEEDING OUR FELLOWS, LET US BE FED SO, 
                  SOPS FOR THE SPIRIT OR SUP FOR THE FLESH. 
           
          [If there is to be scrying and divination, it should be  done now in a
          quiet  space marked off as  separate from the  feasting-place.  FREYJA
          and HEIMDALLR lead the scrying and  VALA and ODIN lead rune-work, with
          the following optional speeches: 
           
          Heimdallr: 
                  LET THE LOTS TUMBLE, LOOSING THEIR LEARNING; 
                  WORD-WOOD AND WIT-STONES, WON THROUGH ORDEAL. 
                  COME UP AND CAST THEM, WHILE WORD IS CLEAREST 
                  AUGERS MAY ANSWER   AUGHT THE YEAR HOLDS. 
           

                                            24
          



          Freyja: WIDE ARE THE WORLDGATES, WINDOWS ARE OPEN; 
                  SIGHTS MAY BE SEEN NOW, ELSETIMES BUT SCARCELY. 
                  CRYSTAL AND CAULDRON   CAPTURE THE VISION; 
                  MYSTERY'S MEANING   SPEAKS TO THE MINDFUL.] 
           
          Note: it  is entirely  appropriate for  partying to go  on inside  the
          sacred circle  (people can get up  and move around), so  that the Dead
          have the opportunity  to enjoy their day before we  bid them farewell;
          the  circle  should be  cast  large,  with this  in  mind.   The  only
          constraint is to open in  sufficient time to clean up the  hall before
          the rental time runs out. The circle is opened as follows: 
           
          Heimdallr: 
                  TO WATCHING WINDS, WE WISH FAIR WANDERING; 
                  FAN US SWEET FRAGRANCE; HAIL, FAREWELL! 
           
          ALL:    TO SLEEPLESS SOULS, WE WISH SWEET RESTING; 
                  FRIENDS WILL KEEP FAITH; FAREWELL NOW! 
           
                  GODS AND GODDESSES, GO WITH PRAISES! 
                  FINISHED OUR FESTIVAL; HAIL, FAREWELL! 
           
          Celebrants ground with this formula: 
                  AS FROM THE EARTH OUR ENERGY COMES, 
                  INTO THE EARTH THE EXCESS FLOWS; 
                  EARTH AND ALL EMPOWERED ALIKE 
                  BE IT SO! 
           
          Skadi:  SEE: THE CIRCLE IS SEVERED THUS [she cuts] 
                  MERRY MEET, MERRY PART, MERRY MEET AGAIN! 
           
           
          B*B 
          Leigh Ann 
          ThelemaNet - Hail Eris! * (415) 548-0163 (Opus 1:161/93) 


























                                            25
          



                                THE ORIGINS OF HALLOWEEN
                           (c) copyright 1989, Rowan Moonstone

          In recent years,  there have been a number of  pamphlets and books put
          out  be various  Christian organizations  dealing with  the origins of
          modern- day Halloween customs.

          Being a Witch myself, and a student  of the ancient Celts from whom we
          get this holiday, I have found these pamphlets woefully inaccurate and
          poorly researched. A typical example  of this information is contained
          in the following  quote from the pamphlet entitled  "What's Wrong with
          Halloween?" by Russell K. Tardo.  "The Druids believed that on October
          31st, the  last day of  the year by  the ancient Celtic  calendar, the
          lord of  death gathered together  the souls of  the dead who  had been
          made to  enter bodies of animals,  and decided what forms  they should
          take the following year. Cats were held sacred because it was believed
          that they were once human beings ...  We see that this holiday has its
          origin, basis and root in the  occultic Druid celebration of the dead.
          Only they  called it 'Samhain',  who was the  lord of the  dead (a big
          demon)".1  When these  books and  pamphlets cite  sources at all, they
          usually  list the  Encyclopedia Britannica,  Encyclopedia Americana,
          and  the World  Book Encyclopedia.  The Britannica  and the Americana
          make no  mention of cats, but  do, indeed list Samhain  as the Lord of
          Death, contrary to Celtic scholars,  and list no references. The World
          Book mentions the cats, and calls Samhain the Lord of Death, and lists
          as  its  sources  several  children's  books  (hardly  what  one could
          consider  scholarly  texts,  and,  of  course,  themselves  citing  no
          references).

          In an  effort to correct  some of this  erroneous information, I  have
          researched the  religious life of  the ancient Celtic  peoples and the
          survivals  of that  religious life  in modern  times. Listed below are
          some of the  most commonly asked questions concerning  the origins and
          customs   of  Halloween.   Following  the   questions  is   a  lengthy
          bibliography where the curious reader can  go to learn more about this
          holiday than space in this small pamphlet permits.













                                            26
          




          1.      Where does Halloween come from?

                  Our  modern celebration  of Halloween  is a  descendent of the
                  ancient  Celtic   festival  called  "Samhain".   The  word  is
                  pronounced "sow-in", with "sow" rhyming with "cow".  
            
          2.      What does "Samhain" mean? 

                          The Irish-EnglishDictionary published bythe IrishTexts
                        Societydefinesthewordas follows:"Samhain,AllHallowtide, 
                      the feast ofthe dead inPagan andChristian times,signaling 
                    theclose ofharvest and the initiation ofthe winter season,  
                  lasting till May,during  which troopswere quartered. Fairies  
                wereimagined as particularly active at this season. From it,    
              the half-year is reckoned.  Also calledFeile Moingfinne (Snow     
            Goddess).2  The  Scottish  Gaelic  Dictionary  defines  it  as      
          "Hallowtide.  The Feast   of All  Souls. Sam  + Fuin  = end  of       
          summer."3  Contrary  to  the  information  published  by  many        
          organizations, there is  no archaeological or literary evidence       
          to indicate that Samhain was a deity. Eliade's Encyclopedia of        
          Religion states as  follows: "The Eve and day  of Samhain were        
          characterized as  a  time when  the barriers between  the human       
          and supernatural worlds were broken... Not  a festival honoring       
          any particular  Celtic deity, Samhain  acknowledged the entire        
          spectrum of nonhuman forces that  roamed the earth during that        
          period."4 The Celtic  Gods of the dead were  Gwynn ap Nudd for        
          the British and Arawn for the  Welsh. The Irish did not have a        
          "lord of death" as such. 

          3.      Why was the end of summer of significance to the Celts?       
            The Celts were a pastoral peopleas opposed to an agricultural       
          people. The end  of summer was significant to   them because it       
          meant  the time  of year   when the  structure of   their lives       
          changed  radically.   The  cattle  were  brought  down from the       
          summer pastures in the hills and the  people were gathered into       
          the houses  for the long  winter nights of  story- telling and        
          handicrafts . 











                                            27
          



          4. What does it have to do with a festival of the dead?         

          The Celts believed that when people  died, they went to a land        
          of eternal youth and happiness called Tir nan Og. They did not        
          have the concept of heaven  and hell that the Christian church        
          later brought into the land.  The dead were  sometimes believed       
          to be dwelling with the Fairy  Folk, who lived in the numerous        
          mounds,  or sidhe, (pronounced "shee" or "sh-thee") that dotted       
          the Irish  and Scottish countryside. Samhain   was the new year       
          to  the Celts.  In the  Celtic belief  system, turning points,        
          such as the time between one  day and the next, the meeting of        
          sea and shore,   or the turning of one year  into the next were       
          seen as magickal  times. The turning of the  year was the most        
          potent  of  these  times.  This  was  the  time when the "veil        
          between  the worlds" was at  its thinnest, and the living could       
          communicate with their beloved dead in Tir nan Og.     

          5. What about  the aspects of "evil'  that we  associate with the     
            night today?

          The  Celts did  not have   demons and  devils in   their belief       
          system.  The fairies,  however, were  often considered hostile        
          and  dangerous  to  humans  because  they  were  seen as being        
          resentful of man  taking over their land. On  this night, they        
          would sometimes   trick humans into becoming  lost in the fairy       
          mounds, where they would be  trapped forever. After the coming        
          of the Christians to the Celtic lands,  certain of the folk saw       
          the fairies as those angels who  had sided neither with God or        
          with  Lucifer in their dispute, and thus were condemned to walk       
          the earth  until judgment day.5   In addition   to the fairies,   many
          humans were  abroad on this night, causing mischief. Since  this night
          belonged neither to one  year  or  the  other,  Celtic  folk  believed
          that chaos reigned,   and  the  people  would   engage  in  "horseplay
          and practical jokes".6  This also served as a final outlet for high   
          spirits before the gloom of winter set in. 














                                            28
          




          6. What about "trick or treat"?         

          During the course   of these hijinks, many of  the people would       
          imitate  the fairies  and go  from house   to house begging for       
          treats.  Failure  to supply the treats  would usually result in       
          practical jokes being visited  on the owner of the house. Since       
          the fairies were abroad on this   night, an offering of food or       
          milk was frequently  left for them on the  steps of the house,        
          so the  homeowner could gain  the blessing of  the "good folk"        
          for the coming  year. Many of the households  would also leave        
          out  a "dumb  supper" for  the spirits  of the  departed.9 The        
          folks who were abroad in the night imitating the fairies would        
          sometimes carry turnips carved to represent faces. This  is the       
          origin of our modern Jack-o-lantern. 

          7. Was there any special significance of cats to the Celts?

          According  to Katherine  Briggs in  Nine Lives:   Cats   in           
          Folklore,, the Celts associated cats with the  Cailleach Bheur,       
          or Blue Hag  of Winter. "She was  a nature goddess, who herded        
          the   deer as  her cattle.  The touch  of her   staff drove  the      
          leaves off the trees and  brought snow and harsh weather."7   Dr. Anne
          Ross addresses the  use  of  divine animals in  her book Pagan  Celtic
          Britain   and has  this to day   about cats."Cats do  not play a large
          role in  Celtic mythology ... the evidence for the cat as an important
          cult animal  in Celtic  mythology is slight"8 She cites  as supporting
          evidence,   the    lack   of  archaeological  artifacts  and  literary
          references in surviving works of mythology.    
           
          8. Was this also a religious festival?         

          Yes. Celtic  religion was very closely tied to the Earth. Their       
          great  legends are  concerned with  momentous happenings which        
          took  place around  the time    of Samhain.  Many of  the great       
          battles and legends of kings  and  heroes center on this night.       
          Many of the legends concern  the promotion of  fertility of the       
          earth and the insurance of the continuance of the lives of  the       
          people through the dark winter season. 










                                            29
          




          9.      How was the religious festival observed?        

          Unfortunately,   we  know    very  little   about  that.    W.G.      
          Wood-Martin,   in  his  book,  Traces  of  the   Elder Faiths of      
          Ireland, states,  "There  is comparatively little  trace of the       
          religion of the Druids  now  discoverable, save in the folklore       
          of the peasantry, and  the references relative to it that occur       
          in  ancient  and  authentic Irish  manuscripts are,  as far   as      
          present  appearances go,   meager and  insufficient to  support       
          anything  like  a  sound   theory  for  full development of the       
          ancient  religion."10    The Druids  were  the priests  of  the Celtic
          peoples. They passed  on  their teachings  by  oral  tradition instead
          of committing them  to  writing,  so  when  they  perished,  most   of
          their religious teachings  were lost. We do  know  that this festival 
          was characterized  as one of the four great "Fire Festivals" of       
          the  Celts. Legends tell us that  on this night, all the hearth       
          fires in  Ireland were extinguished, and   then re-lit from the       
          central  fire of  the Druids  at Tlachtga,  12 miles   from the       
          royal  hill of  Tara. This   fire was  kindled from "need fire"       
          which had been generated by the friction of rubbing two sticks        
          together, as opposed to more conventional methods (such  as the       
          flint-   and-steel  method)   common  in   those  days.11  The        
          extinguishing  of  the fires symbolized the  "dark half" of the       
          year, and the re-kindling from  the Druidic fires was symbolic        
          of the returning life hoped for, and brought about through the        
          ministrations of the priesthood. 

          10.     What about sacrifices?         

          Animals were certainly  killed at this time  of  year. This was       
          the time to "cull" from the herds those animals which were not        
          desired  for   breeding  purposes   for  the  next  year.  Most       
          certainly,  some of  these would  have been  done in  a ritual        
          manner for the use of the priesthood.    














                                            30
          




          11.     Were humans sacrificed?         

          Scholars are sharply divided on  this account, with about half        
          believing that  it took place and  half doubting its veracity.        
          Caesar  and   Tacitus  certainly  tell   tales   of  the  human       
          sacrifices of the  Celts, but Nora Chadwick points  out in her        
          book  The Celts  that "it   is not  without  interest  that the       
          Romans  themselves  had  abolished  human  sacrifice  not long        
          before  Caesar's time,  and references   to the  practice among       
          various   barbarian   peoples   have   certain   overtones  of        
          self-righteousness.   There  is  little  direct  archaeological       
          evidence  relevant to  Celtic sacrifice."12  Indeed, there  is        
          little reference  to this practice  in Celtic literature.  The        
          only  surviving story echoes the  tale of the Minotaur in Greek       
          legend: the Fomorians,  a race of evil giants   said to inhabit       
          portions of Ireland before the   coming of the Tuatha de Danaan       
          (or "people  of the Goddess Danu"),   demanded the sacrifice of       
          2/3  of the   corn, milk,  and first  born children  of the Fir       
          Bolg,  or human  inhabitants of  Ireland. The  de Danaan ended        
          this  practice  in  the  second  battle   of  Moy  Tura,  which       
          incidentally,  took  place  on   Samhain.  It  should be noted,       
          however,  that  this  story  appears  in  only one (relatively        
          modern) manuscript from Irish literature,  and that manuscript,       
          the  "Dinnsenchus", is  known to  be a  collection of  fables.        
          According to  P.W. Joyce  in  Vol. 2 of  his Social History  of       
          Ancient  Ireland,  "Scattered  everywhere  through  our ancient       
          literature, both secular and  ecclesiastical, we find abundant        
          descriptions and details of the rites and superstitions of the        
          pagan Irish; and in no place - with this single exception - do        
          we find   a word or hint  pointing to human sacrifice  to pagan       
          gods or idols."13 

          12. What other practices were associated with this season?         
          Folk   tradition  tells   us  of   many  divination  practices        
          associated   with  Samhain.   Among  the    most  common   were       
          divinations  dealing with  marriage, weather,  and  the  coming       
          fortunes for  the year. These were  performed via such  methods       
          as ducking  for apples and  apple peeling. Ducking  for  apples       
          was a marriage   divination. The first person to  bite an apple       
          would be the first to marry  in the coming year. Apple peeling        
          was  a divination   to see  how long  your life  would be.  The       
          longer  the  unbroken  apple  peel,  the  longer your life was        
          destined to  be.14 In  Scotland,  people would place  stones in       
          the ashes of the hearth  before  retiring for the night. Anyone       
          whose stone had been disturbed during the night was  said to be       
          destined to die during the coming year.    


                                            31
          



          13. How did these ancient Celtic practices come to America?         
          When the potato  crop in  Ireland failed,  many of  the Irish  people,
          modern   descendants   of     the   Celts,   immigrated    to America,
          bringing  with them their folk   practices, which were remnants of the
          Celtic festival observances. 

          14. We in America view this as a harvest festival.  Did the  Celts    
             also view it as such? 

          Yes. The Celts had 3 harvests. Aug  1, or Lammas, was the first       
          harvest,  when the  first fruits  were offered  to the  Gods in       
          thanks. The Fall  equinox was the true  harvest.  This was when       
          the  bulk  of the crops  would be brought  in. Samhain was  the       
          final harvest  of  the year. Anything  left on the vines  or in       
          the  fields  after   this  date  was  considered blasted by the       
          fairies ("pu'ka") and unfit for human consumption. 

          15. Does anyone today celebrate Samhain as a religious observance?

          Yes.  many  followers  of  various  pagan  religions,  such  as       
          Druidism and Wicca, observe this  day as a religious festival.        
          They  view it  as a   memorial day  for their  dead friends and       
          family,  much  as  the  world  does  the national Memorial Day        
          holiday in May. It is still  a night to practice various forms        
          of divination concerning future  events. It is also considered        
          a time to wrap up old  projects, take stock of one's life, and        
          initiate  new  projects  for   the  coming  year. As the winter       
          season is  approaching, it is  a good  time  to do studying  on       
          research   projects, and  also a  good time  to begin hand work       
          such as  sewing, leather working, woodworking,  etc., for Yule        
          gifts later in the year.  And while "satanists" are using this        
          holiday as their  own, this is certainly not  the only example        
          of a holiday (or even religious symbols) being "borrowed" from        
          an older religion by a newer one. 

          16.     Does this involve human or animal sacrifice?

          Absolutely NOT! Hollywood to  the contrary, blood  sacrifice is       
          not practiced by modern followers  of Wicca or Druidism. There        
          may  be some  people who  THINK they   are practicing  Wicca by       
          performing  blood sacrificing,  but  this  is NOT  condoned by        
          reputable practitioners of today's neo-Pagan religions.    







                                            32
          



                                        FOOTNOTES: 
          1       Tardo, Russell K., What's Wrong with Halloween?, Faithful Word
                 Publishers, (Arabi, LA, undated), p. 2 

          2       Rev.  Patrick Dinneen,  An Irish  English Dictionary, (Dublin,
                 1927), p. 937 

          3       Malcolm MacLennan,  A Pronouncing and  Etymological Dictionary
                 of the Gaelic Language, (Aberdeen, 1979), p. 279 

          4       The Encyclopedia  of Religion, ed.  Mircea Eliade, "Halloween"
                 by Primiano, (New York, 1987) pp. 176-177 

          5       Katherine Briggs, Nine Lives: Cats in Folklore, (London,1980),
                 p.5 

          6       Dr. Anne Ross, Pagan Celtic Britain, (London,1967), p. 301-302
          7       W.G. Wood-Martin, Traces of the  Elder Faiths of Ireland, Vol.
                 II, (Port Washington, NY, 1902), p. 5 

          8       Kevin Danaher, The Year in Ireland, (Cork, 1972), p. 214 

          9       Alwyn & Brinley Rees, Celtic Heritage, (New York, 1961), p. 90

          10      Wood-Martin, op. cit., p. 249 

          11      Rees & Rees, op. cit., p. 90 

          12      Nora Chadwick, The Celts, (Harmondsworth, 1982), p. 151 

          13      P.W. Joyce,  A Social History of  Ancient Ireland, Vol.2, (New
                 York, 1968), pp. 282-283 

          14      Madeleine Pelner Cosman, Medieval Holidays and Festivals, (New
                 York, 1981), p. 81   














                                            33
          



                                       BIBLIOGRAPHY:

            *Bord,  Janet &   Colin, The   Secret Country,   (London: Paladin   
          Books,1978)

            *Briggs, Katherine, Nine Lives, Cats inFolklore, (London: Routledge 
          & Kegan Paul, 1980)

            *Chadwick, Nora, The Celts, (Harmondsworth,  England: Penguin Books,
            1982)

            *Coglan, Ronan, ADictionary of Irish Myth and Legend, (Dublin: 1979)
            *Cosman, Madeleine  Pelner, Medieval  Holidays and Festivals,  (New 
          York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1981)

            *Danaher, Kevin,The Year in  Ireland, (Cork, Ireland: The  Mercier  
          Press, 1972)

            *Dinneen,  Rev.  Patrick S.,  M.A.,  An  Irish-English Dictionary,  
          (Dublin: The Irish Texts Society, 1927)

            *Joyce,  P.W., A  Social  History of  Ancient Ireland,  (New  York: 
          Benjamin Blom, 1968)

            *MacCana,  Proinsias,  Celtic  Mythology,    (London:  The  Hamlyn  
          Publishing Group Limited, 1970)

            *MacLennan, Malcolm, A pronouncing   and Etymological Dictionary of 
          the  Gaelic Language, (Aberdeen: Acair and  Aberdeen University       
          Press, 1979)

            *MacNeill, Maire', The Festivalof Lughnasa, (Dublin: Comhairle      
          Bhealoideas Eireann, 1982)

           *Powell, T.G.E., The Celts, (New York: Thames & Hudson, 1980) 
            *Primiano, Leonard Norman, "Halloween" from The Encyclopedia of     
          Religion, ed. Mircea   Eliade, (New  York, McMillan Publiching        
          Co., 1987)

            *Rees, Alwyn and Brinley, Celtic Heritage, Ancient Tradition in     
          Ireland and Wales, (New York: Thames & Hudson, 1961)








                                            34
          



            *Ross, Dr. Anne, Pagan Celtic Britain, (London: Routledge  and Kegan
            Paul, 1967)

           *Sharkey, John, Celtic Mysteries, (New York: Thames & Hudson, 1975) 
            *Spence, Lewis, British Fairy Origins, (Wellingborough:  Aquarian   
          Press, 1946)

            *Squire, Charles, Celtic Myth & Legend, Poetry & Romance, (New York:
            Newcastle Publishing Co., Inc., 1975)

            *Toulson, Shirley,  The  Winter  Solstice, (London:  Jill Norman &  
          Hobhouse, Ltd., 1981)

            *Wood-Martin, W.G.,Traces of the Elder Faiths of Ireland, Vols. I & 
          II, (Port Washington, NY: Kennikat Press, 1902) 

          Published by CultWatch Response, Inc., P O Box 1842, Colorado Springs,
          CO  80901-1842.  This  article  may  be  reprinted  only  if it is not
          excerpted  or  abridged  in  any   way  except  for  review  purposes.
          Permission to republish  must be requested in writing  from the author
          at  the above address. Price:  $1.00 each,  10/$8.00,  over  100/$0.65
          ea.,  other quantities available. All prices are postpaid.   



























                                            35
           



                                  FIRESTAR BELTAINE 1986
            
          Note: there is NO meeting dance before the ritual because the spiral 
          dance occurs inside it. 
            
          BARD                    PRIESTESS               GODDESS 
          FIREMAKER               PRIEST                  GOD 
            
            
          BARD:(harp accompaniment) 
            
          This is the air, oh people; these are the creatures: 
          Far-flying Goose; far-seeing Hawk; 
          Owl who knows; Raven who talks; 
          Crane who dances; Thrush who sings; 
          Quail the humble; Wren the king; 
          Lark who revels; Loon who weeps; 
          Jay who scatters; Buzzard reaps. 
          This is the air I conjure, and this is the birth of the world. 
            
          This is the fire, oh people; these are the creatures: 
          Drake who hoards; Kirin who gives; 
          Angel heals; Chimera reaves; 
          Coal the slow; lightning the quick; 
          Salamander, power's wick; 
          Soul who praises; Gryphon scorns; 
          Phoenix dies and is reborn. 
          This is the fire I conjure, and this is the birth of the world. 
            
          This is the sea, oh people; these are the creatures: 
          Whale who chants; Dolphin who speaks; 
          Clam content; Salmon who seeks; 
          Pike who rages; Shark who mourns; 
          Walrus steadies; Carp transforms; 
          Seal who gathers; Crab the lone; 
          Otter wave-borne; Eel in stone; 
          This is the sea I conjure, and this is the birth of the world. 
            
          This is the earth, oh people; these are the creatures: 
          Deer who worries; Boar who schemes; 
          Cat who conjures; Sheep who dreams; 
          Hare the playful; Brock the stern; 
          Mouse who teaches; Horse who learns; 
          Wolf who wanders; Bear who stays; 
          Stag who guards; Puma who preys. 
          This is the earth I conjure, and this is the birth of the world. 



                                            36
          



            
          Now is the darkness.  Now is the pain.  Now is the fear. 
          Now is the danger.  Now is the hate.  Now are the tears. 
          Call on our mother!  She is the one!  Hers is the way! 
          She will bring comfort.  She will bring life.  She will bring day. 
            
            
          PRIEST: 
            
          Earth Mother, Birth Mother, Birch Mother, 
          Sea Mother, Stone Mother, Star Mother! 
          Queen of night and death and birth, 
          Womb of deep and fertile earth, 
          Dame of heaven's silver wheel, 
          Lady of the greening field, 
          Keeper of the apple grove, 
          Mistress of the arts of love, 
          Shine out in the fearsome dark -- 
          Teach us how to strike the spark. 
          People, we can feel Her near! 
          She is coming!  She is here! 
            
            
          GODDESS:(emerging  from hiding  -- should  be in  green, with  amber &
          copper) 
            
          Now the veils of worlds are thin; 
          To move out you must move in. 
          Let the Balefires now be made, 
          Mine the spark within them laid. 
          This My gift: that people meet 
          In peace and plenty made complete. 
          This I give: the Sacred Way, 
          The strength, the soul, the sight, the say. 
          Move beyond the fiery screen 
          Between the seen and the unseen; 
          Shed your anger and your fear, 
          Live anew in a new year! 
            










                                            37
          



            
          FIREMAKER:(at each tree name, holds up twig, then binds all together 
          into a torch) 
            
          The Nine I sing, the Nine blessed trees 
          Which were empowered of old: 
          Oak, thou druid's door, open the way for us. 
          Apple, thou knowledge-giver, break our circle of blindness. 
          Ash, thou world-supporter, drive away ill powers. 
          Birch, thou tree-mother, help in our healing. 
          Hawthorn, thou branch of May, give us light and hope. 
          Willow, thou soul-leader, grant us safe passage. 
          Holly, thou forest king, be our safe refuge. 
          Hazel, thou wise-one's branch, give us true vision. 
          Alder, thou river's love, let us flow outward. 
          In peace let us flow outward; in power let us flow outward; in beauty 
          let us flow outward. 
            
          (The Goddess lights the torch, the Firemaker lights the two fires, 
          which have been saturated with some flammable material, ie charcoal 
          starter.  White Sage and Cedar chips may be thrown thereon.) 
            
            
          FIRE-PASSING CHANT:(drum) 
            
          Dark to light, night to day, 
          Through the fires lies the way; 
          Old to new, death to birth, 
          Between the worlds to our rebirth. 
            
            
          (Once all have passed between the fires) 
          PRIESTESS: 
            
          Sky's Father, Wise Father, Wine Father, 
          Sun Father, Sap Father, Song Father! 
          Lord of forest, field and beast, 
          Lord of harvest, hunt and feast, 
          King of heaven's golden fire, 
          Dancer of the soul's desire, 
          Master of the drum and flute, 
          Keeper of the vineyard's fruit, 
          Shine on us and warm our souls -- 
          Teach us how to make us whole! 
          People, we can feel Him near! 
          He is coming!  He is here! 
            


                                            38
          



            
          GOD:(emerging from hiding, dressed in green, with leaves & horns) 
            
          Let the light of living blaze! 
          Dance within the spiral maze; 
          Cry of pipe and thump of drum; 
          Out you go and in you come! 
          Mine the living pole of May -- 
          Outside loving starts today! 
          This My gift: that lovers join 
          Touching at the lip and loin. 
          This I give: the Joyous Dance, 
          Music, song, the vine, the chance! 
          Now do fear and anger cease: 
          Dance the healing and release! 
            
            
          (A fairly simple triple spiral should be traced on the  ground in lime
          or flour, to give the people guidelines for dancing.  The dance should
          go on until satiation or until the circle forms again; there is no one
          human focal point -- the intent should be for peace, understanding, 
          tolerance, etc.) 
            
          SPIRAL-DANCING CHANT:(drum) 
            
          Joy, health and peace be in the world 
          That spins into the May-o, 
          For summer is a-comin' in 
          And winter's gone away-o. 
            
          BLESSING THE FOOD: 
            
          God: Mine is the ripening sun. 
          Goddess: Mine is the nurturing soil. 
          God: Mine is the fruit of the vine. 
          Goddess: Mine is the chalice of life. 
          Both: We are the blessing of wine!  And the wine blesses us. 
            
          God: Mine is the planted seed. 
          Goddess: Mine is the fertile earth. 
          God: Mine is the mower's blade. 
          Goddess: Mine is the oven of making. 
          Both: We are the blessing of bread!  And the bread blesses us. 
            
          Feasting, dancing,  singing,  party,  etc.   Some  kind  of  grounding
          afterwards. 



                                            39
          



                                AN ECLECTIC CIRCLE CEREMONY
                                     Durwydd, 1989-90

                                       Preliminaries

          WATER :
           
               Blessings  upon thee, O  creature of water, I  cast out from thee
          all impurities and uncleanness of the spirits  of phantasm, confusion,
          or any other influence not for the free will of all. 

          SALT :
           
               Blessings be upon  this creature of salt;  let all malignity  and
          hindrance be cast  forth thencefrom, and let  all good enter  therein.
          Wherefore I bless thee and invoke thee, that thou mayest aid me. 

          MIXING : 

               I take this salt of the Earth, Blessed with the will of 
               Fire; I take this water of spirit,Exorcised with mind of merit; 
           
               I mix them with words of power, Dedicated to every Tower. 
           
               By the power of moon and sun,  
               By the power of Spirit,earth and sea, 
               God and Goddess are part of One, 
               As I Will, so mote it be! 
           
                                   CASTING OF THE CIRCLE
           
               I conjure thee, O circle of power, 
               As thou encircle every Tower. 
               That thou beest a place of Truth, Joy and love, 
               Encircling Flight of Eagle, Hawk and Dove.  
               Mighty Aegis of the Lady and Lord, 
               Rampart of thought, action and word. 
               To work in Peace, Powerful and Free, 
               Who walk between two worlds conjure thee; 
               A boundary to Protect, Concentrate and Contain, 
               That Power raised here be not in vain. 
                
          Wherefore do  I  bless  thee and  consecrate  thee, in  the  names  of
          Cernunnos and Aradia. 





                                            40
          




                                   SEALING OF THE CIRCLE

          (seal with water/salt mixture) 
           
          With potion of earth and water, I seal the sacred circle, 
          Linking air and fire! 
          With potion of earth and air, I seal the sacred circle, 
          Linking fire with water! 
          With potion of earth,air,and fire, I seal the sacred circle, 
          Linking water with the Earth! 
           
          As the four directions are brought to merge, 
          Let influence of the mighty ones converge! 
           
          (Seal with Censer) 
           
               With Incense and air of Mind, 
               East to South,I do Bind! 
           
               With Incense and air of mind, 
               South to West, I do Bind! 
           
               With Incense and air of Mind, 
               West to North, I do Bind! 
           
               With Incense and air of Mind, 
               North to East Completion Find! 
           
          (Seal with Candle) 
           
               With the Fire of emotion and will 
               East to South, our dedication fulfill! 
           
               With the Fire of veneration and Will, 
               South to West, our allegiance fulfill! 
           
               With the Fire of Devotion and Will, 
               West to North, our consecration  fulfill! 
                
               With the Fire of Commitment and will, 
               From  North to East, This inscription fulfill! 
           
               Within the circle All wills be free, 
               The circle is sealed, So Mote it Be! 




                                            41
          



           
                                  SETTING THE WATCHTOWERS
               Ye Lords of the Eastern Tower, 
               Airy Lords of Spirit; 
               Let your influence of Power, 
               Aid our minds with merit! 
          I do summon, stir and call you up, to witness these rites and to guard
          the circle. 
           
               Ye Lords of Southern Power 
               Fiery Lords of Will. 
               Pray do grace your Tower, 
               Your Powers to fulfill! 
          I do summon, stir and call you up, to witness these rites and to guard
          the circle. 
           
               Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the West,  
               Watery Lords of Death and Initiation;  
          I do summon, stir and call you up, to witness these rites and to guard
          the Circle. 
           
               Ye Northern Lords of the Earth, 
               Though we be yet but Mortals; 
               Bless our work with worth, 
               Boreas, guardian of Northern portals. 
          I do summon, stir and call you up, to witness these rites and to guard
          the Circle. 
           
               Goddess and God, I would know, 
               As 'tis above, so 'tis below 
               Blessings on this work, please bestow! 
           
               This be my will, true and free, 
               I do so will, so mote it be 
           
                                INVOCATION OF THE ELEMENTS
               Air, Fire, Water, Earth, 
               Elements of astral birth, 
               I call you now; attend to me! 
               In the Circle, rightly cast, 
               Safe from curse or blast, 
               I call you now, attend to me! 
           
               From cave and desert,sea and hill, 
               By wand, blade,and pentacle, 
               I call you now, attend to me! 
               This Is my will, so mote it be!


                                            42
          



           
                              A MABON OUTLINE: 
           
           (soon to be a major Mabon Ritual, at a terminal near you.) 
           
          General Mabon info to start with, set the mood, ect... : 
           
               What is Mabon? 

          Mabon,  sometimes known as the   Harvest/Thanksgiving   Ritual  of the
          Autumn Equinox, is one of the Spokes of the Wheel of the Year.  In the
          many Earth of Pagan Religions, a  special  kinship with the passing of
          the seasons is felt... this is usually  due to the history of the said
          Tradition, most of which stem from agrarian  culture, where the season
          marked the way  of  life.   From  planting  to  reaping  to  winter to
          summer... the  seasons were of great  importance to our ancestors, for
          their very existence depended upon good harvests, mild winters, enough
          rainfall, and the like. 
           
          So... having shown  the importance of  the seasons, we  shall turn  to
          Mabon itself.  Autumn.. Harvest  time..  the  reaping of what was sown
          and cared thru during the year.  A time of Thankfulness and Rejoicing.
          So, of course, someone, at some  point  in time must have said... "Now
          that the work is over... LET'S PARTY !!!" 
           
          This is  the essence of  Mabon.    Rejoicing  in  a bountiful harvest,
          thanking the Gods for being so  kind  during the year, and, hopefully,
          helping in winning over the Gods' favor for the coming year. 
           
           
               About THE MABON RITE itself: 
           
          Now, this will be a very Discordian  Ritual in that each participant 
          will be (more or less)  writing  his/her  own  part.   This outline is
          provided to sorta nudge (nudge,  nudge,  wink,  wink, say no more sir,
          say no more!) people into making  their  individual pieces able to fit
          into the whole thing...    ( I  feel  like the Green Ball outta "HEAVY
          METAL", the movie, something which ties things together). 
          Back to the rite itself. 
          Basically, 6 personages will be represented: 

          A Caller or Watcher of the EAST 
                                     SOUTH 
                                     WEST 
                               and   NORTH. 
          A High Priest, and  A High Priestess. 



                                            43
          



           
          Of  course, since this  is   a  generic  Rite,   the  terms "Lord" and
          "Lady" will be used when referring  to  the Male and Female aspects of
          divinity/godhood/whatever... individuals may use which ever names they
          wish, for a Rose, by any other name, would still smell as sweet. 

                                         OUTLINE: 
           
          A. Invocation...  once everybody has  arrived, a Circle shall be cast,
          more or less, and the 4  Watchers/Callers  each  get to do their thing
          invoking that which that direction  symbolizes  to come and attend the
          festivities.   After  which,  either  the  HPS  or  HP,  or both would
          consecrate the circle... in our case..  the circle will be around each
          person at their 'puter.. with a sense of being connected to each other
          via the others' 'puters.  So.. what we'll do is... after the circle is
          cast, and the 4 corners have done their  things, then the HP will call
          upon the Lord to attend, and the HPS shall call upon the Lady, (or, if
          we want to be different, we can have the HP call the Lady, and the HPS
          call the Lord... it's not as  traditional,  but  I know of some Ladies
          who are more likely to pay  attention  to some Young HP than some HPS,
          if you get my meaning [wink]). 
           
          B. Once invoked... it's time for the thanksgiving part... 
            we all got things we're thankful for... now's the chance 
           
          C. After the Thanks are over, a  customary  requesting of Blessing for
          the coming year is asked. 
           
          D. That done with, it's time to  dismiss  the  summoned ones... first,
          around the circle..  each  corner  doing  it's  thing...the  dismissal
          consists of a Hail to the being  summoned,  a flattery (as I call it),
          and then a structured dismissal (eg.   "Air of the EAST... blah, blah,
          blah,.. Go if thou must, but stay if thou wilt"). 
            The HP and HPS dismiss the Lord and Lady last with similar words. 
           
          E.  PARTY TIME!!!!  get out the Beer, munchies, what have you... 
          celebrate.. you've earned it. 
           











                                            44
          



           
                                  A MIDSUMMER CELEBRATION

                             by Mike Nichols (a.k.a. Gwydion) 
           
           
                  In additionto the four greatfestivals of the PaganCeltic year,
          there are  four lesser holidays as  well:  the two  solstices, and the
          two  equinoxes.   In  folklore,  these are  referred  to  as the  four
          'quarter-days'  of the  year, and  modern Witches  call them  the four
          'Lesser Sabbats', or  the four 'Low Holidays'.  The Summer Solstice is
          one of them. 
           
                  Technically,a solstice is an astronomicalpoint and, due to the
          precession  to the equinox, the date may  vary by a few days depending
          on the  year.   The summer  solstice occurs when  the sun  reaches the
          Tropic  of Cancer, and we experience the  longest day and the shortest
          night of the year.  Astrologers know this as the date on which the sun
          enters the sign of Cancer.  This year it will occur at 10:57 pm CDT on
          June 21st. 
           
              However, since most European peasants were not accomplished at 
          reading an ephemeris  or did not live close enough  to Salisbury Plain
          to  trot  over to  Stonehenge and  sight down  it's main  avenue, they
          celebrated the event on a fixed  calendar date, June 24th.  The slight
          forward  displacement  of  the  traditional  date  is  the  result  of
          multitudinous calendrical changes down through the ages.  It is 
          analogous to the winter solstice celebration, which is astronomically 
          on or about  December 21st, but is celebrated on  the traditional date
          of December 25th, Yule, later adopted by the Christians. 
           
                  Again, it mustbe remembered that the Celts reckoned their days
          from  sundown to sundown, so the  June 24th festivities actually begin
          on  the previous  sundown  (our June  23rd).   This  was Shakespeare's
          Midsummer Night's Eve.   Which brings  up another  point:  our  modern
          calendars are quite  misguided in suggesting  that 'summer begins'  on
          the solstice.  According to the old folk calendar, summer BEGINS 
          on May  Day and ends on Lammas (August 1st), with the summer solstice,
          midway  between the two, marking MID-summer.   This makes more logical
          sense than  suggesting that summer  begins on  the day when  the sun's
          power begins to wane and the days grow shorter. 
           







                                            45
          



              Although our Pagan ancestors probably preferred June 24th (and 
          indeed  most  European  folk  festivals  today  use  this  date),  the
          sensibility of  modern Witches  seems  to prefer  the actual  solstice
          point, beginning the  celebration at sunset.   Again, it gives  modern
          Pagans a  range of  dates to  choose from with,  hopefully, a  weekend
          embedded in it.  (And this year, the moon is waxing throughout.) 
           
                  As the  Pagan mid-winter  celebration of Yule  was adopted  by
          Christians as Christmas (December 25th), so too the Pagan mid-summer 
          celebration was adopted by them as the feast of John the Baptist (June
          24th).   Occurring 180 degrees  apart on  the wheel of  the year,  the
          mid-winter  celebration commemorates  the  birth of  Jesus, while  the
          mid-summer celebration commemorates the birth of John, the prophet who
          was born six months before Jesus in order to announce his arrival. 
           
                  This last tidbit is extremely conspicuous, in that John is the
          ONLY saint in the entire Catholic hagiography whose feast day is a 
          commemoration of his birth, rather than his death.  A generation ago, 
          Catholic nuns were fond of explaining that a  saint is commemorated on
          the anniversary  of his or her  death because it was  really a 'birth'
          into the Kingdom of Heaven.  But John the Baptist, the sole exception,
          is emphatically commemorated on the anniversary of his birth into THIS
          world.    Although  this  makes  no  sense  viewed  from  a  Christian
          perspective, it makes perfect poetic sense from the viewpoint of Pagan
          symbolism. 
           
                  Inmost Pagan cultures, the sun godis seen as split between two
          rival  personalities: the god of light and  his twin, his 'weird', his
          'other self',  the god of  darkness.   They are Gawain  and the  Green
          Knight, Gwyn and Gwythyr, Llew and Goronwy, Lugh  and Balor, Balan and
          Balin, the Holly King and the Oak King, etc.  Often they  are depicted
          as fighting seasonal battles for the favor of their goddess/lover, 
          such as Creiddylad or Blodeuwedd, who represents Nature. 
           
                  The godof light is always born at the winter solstice, and his
          strength  waxes with  the lengthening  days, until  the moment  of his
          greatest power, the summer solstice, the longest day.  
          And, like a look in a mirror, his 'shadow self', the lord of darkness,
          is born at the summer solstice, and his strength waxes with the 
          lengthening nights until the moment of his greatest power, the winter 
          solstice, the longest night. 
           







                                            46
          



                  Indirect  evidence  supporting  this mirror-birth  pattern  is
          strongest in the Christianized form of the  Pagan myth.  Many writers,
          from Robert Graves to Stewart Farrar, have repeatedly pointed out that
          Jesus was identified  with the Holly King, while  John the Baptist was
          the  Oak King.  That is  why, 'of all the trees  that are in the wood,
          the Holly tree bears the crown.'  If the birth of Jesus, the 'light of
          the  world', is  celebrated  at mid-winter,  Christian folk  tradition
          insists  that  John  the  Oak King  was  born  (rather  than  died) at
          mid-summer. 








































                                            47
              




                  It isat this pointthat I mustdiverge from the opinionof Robert
          Graves and other writers who have followed him.   Graves believes that
          at midsummer, the Sun King is slain by his rival, the God of Darkness;
          just as the God of Darkness is, in turn, slain by the God of Light at 
          midwinter.   And yet, in  Christian folk  tradition (derived from  the
          older Pagan  strain), it is  births, not  deaths, that are  associated
          with  the solstices.  For  the feast of John the  Baptist, this is all
          the  more conspicuous,  as  it breaks  the rules  regarding  all other
          saints. 
           
                  So if births  are associated with the  solstices, when do  the
          symbolic deaths occur?   When  does Goronwy  slay Llew  and when  does
          Llew, in  his turn, slay Goronwy?  When does darkness conquer light or
          light conquer  darkness?  Obviously (to  me, at least), it  must be at
          the two equinoxes.  At the autumnal equinox, the hours of light in the
          day are eclipsed by the hours of darkness.  At the vernal equinox, the
          process  is reversed.   Also,  the autumnal  equinox,  called 'Harvest
          Home', is already  associated with sacrifice, principally  that of the
          spirit of grain or vegetation.   In this case, the god of  light would
          be identical. 
           
                  In Welshmythology inparticular, thereis astartling vindication
          of the seasonal placement of the sun  god's death, the significance of
          which  occurred to  me in  a recent  dream, and  which I  haven't seen
          elsewhere.  Llew is the Welsh god of light, and his name means 'lion'.
          (The  lion is often the symbol  of a sun god.)   He is betrayed by his
          'virgin' wife Blodeuwedd, into standing with  one foot on the rim of a
          cauldron and the other on the back of a goat.  It is only in this  way
          that Llew can  be killed, and Blodeuwedd's lover, Goronwy, Llew's dark
          self, is hiding  nearby with  a spear at  the ready.   But as Llew  is
          struck  with it, he is not killed.   He is instead transformed into an
          eagle. 
           
                  Puttingthis in theform of aBardic riddle, itwould go something
          like this:  Who can tell in what season the Lion (Llew), betrayed by 
          the Virgin (Blodeuwedd), poised on the Balance, is transformed into an
          Eagle?  My readers who are astrologers are probably already gasping in
          recognition.  The sequence is astrological and in proper order:  Leo 
          (lion), Virgo (virgin), Libra (balance), and Scorpio (for which the 
          eagle is a well-known alternative symbol).  Also, the remaining icons,
          cauldron  and goat,  could  arguably symbolize  Cancer and  Capricorn,
          representing  summer and  winter,  the signs  beginning  with the  two
          solstice  points.   So  Llew is  balanced between  cauldron  and goat,
          between summer  and  winter,  on  the balance  (Libra)  point  of  the
          autumnal equinox. 



                                            48
          



           
                  This, of  course, is the  answer to  a related Bardic  riddle.
          Repeatedly, the 'Mabinogion'  tells us that Llew must be standing with
          one foot on the cauldron and  one foot on the goat's back in  order to
          be killed.   But nowhere does it tell us why.   Why is this particular
          situation  the ONLY  one in which  Llew can  be overcome?   Because it
          represents the equinox point.  And the equinox is the only 
          time of the entire year when light (Llew) can be overcome by darkness 
          (Goronwy). 
           
                  It should now come as nosurprise that, when it is time forLlew
          to kill Goronwy in his turn, Llew insists that Goronwy stands where he
          once  stood  while  he (Llew)  casts  the  spear.    This is  no  mere
          vindictiveness on  Llew's part.   For, although the  'Mabinogion' does
          not say so, it should by now be obvious that this is the only time 
          when Goronwy can be overcome.  Light can overcome darkness only at the
          equinox -- this time the vernal equinox. 
           
                  So Midsummer (to me,at least) is acelebration of the sun godat
          his  zenith, a crowned king on his throne.  He is at the height of his
          strength and still  1/4 of a  year away from  his ritual death  at the
          hands of his rival.   The spear and the cauldron  have often been used
          as symbols for this holiday and it should now be easy to see why.  Sun
          gods  are  virtually  always associated  with  spears  (even Jesus  is
          pierced by one),  and the midsummer cauldron of Cancer  is a symbol of
          the Goddess in her fullness.  It is an especially beautiful time of 
          the year for an outdoor celebration.  May yours be magical! 






















                                            49
          



           
                                  CEREMONY OF INITIATION
          AUTHOR'S NOTE: 
          This ritual is  a compilation of Gardnerian,   Fairy,  and traditional
          Wiccan  sources,  and   is  intended  to be used as  an initiation for
          graduates of my training  course in Basic Technologies  of Witchcraft.
          While  the  ritual is  powerful  enough  as  it  stands,   I  strongly
          recommend  that  it  be reserved  for  people who  have  been prepared
          through training at least equivalent to  that which I give, or much of
          the impact may be lost.   
                                          Blessed be! 
                                  J. Brad (Talespinner) Hicks  

                                     Guided Meditation
           
          (The  following will  be read  to all  participants in  the form  of a
          guided  meditation, prior to the processional.   It helps if the first
          paragraph is read by a male voice and the second paragraph by a female
          voice.  NOTE: All are nude; the initiate is also blindfolded.)  
           
          Hear the  words  of  the Threefold  Goddess,  who of  old  was  called
          Artemis,  Astarte,  Dianna,   Aphrodite,  Ceridwen,  Isis,  Arianrhod,
          Brigid, Aradia, and many other names:  
           
          "Whenever  you have need of anything,  once  in the month,  and better
          it be when the moon is full,  you shall assemble in some  secret place
          and   adore the spirit of  Me who is Queen  of all the Wise.   She who
          would learn all sorcery yet has not  won its deepest secrets,  them  I
          will teach her, in truth, all things as yet unknown.  And you shall be
          free from slavery, and as  a sign that you be free you  shall be naked
          in  your  rites.   Sing,  feast,  dance, make  music  and  love in  My
          presence,  for Mine is the ecstasy of the  spirit and Mine also is joy
          on earth.  For  My  law   is  love unto all  beings.  Nor do  I demand
          aught of sacrifice, for  behold, I am the mother of all  things and My
          love is poured out upon the earth."  
           
                                       Processional
           
          The  Initiate  is  left  to meditate as the others rise and follow the
          High Priest/ess into the Circle area and three times around, chanting:

           
                  "We all come from the Goddess, 
                   And to her we shall return 
                   Like a drop of rain, 
                   Flowing to the ocean." (repeat) 



                                            50
          



           
                                   Raising of the Circle
           
          HIGH PRIEST/ESS  takes the Sword from  the altar and traces  a  circle
          around the  coveners.  When he/she returns to the north, he/she kneels
          and salutes, saying, "Hail and well come, frosty Spirits of the North.
          Lend to  us your  power  and protection this night,   that <initiate's
          born name> may be given  a true initiation, to justly wield  the power
          of Earth.  So mote it be!"  
           
          ALL:  (envisioning  a wall of dark-green  light springing up  from the
          circle) "So mote it be!"  
           
          HIGH  PRIEST/ESS advances  to the  east, kneels  and salutes,  saying,
          "Hail and  well come, bright  Spirits of  the East.   Lend to us  your
          power and protection that <initiate's  born name> may be given  a true
          initiation, to justly wield the power of Air.  So mote it be!"  
           
          ALL:  (envisioning a wall of  lemon-yellow  light  springing  up  from
          the circle, within the wall of green) "So mote it be!"  
           
          HIGH PRIEST/ESS advances to the south,   kneels and salutes,   saying,
          "Hail  and well  come, fiery Spirits  of the  South.  Lend  to us your
          power and protection that  <initiate's born name> may be given  a true
          initiation, to justly wield the power of Fire.  So mote it be!"  
           
          ALL:  (envisioning  a wall of crimson  light springing up   from   the
          circle, within the walls of green and yellow) "So mote it be!"  
           
          HIGH PRIEST/ESS  advances to  the  west, kneels  and salutes,  saying,
          "Hail and well  come, tireless Spirits of the  West.  Lend to  us your
          power and protection that  <initiate's born name> may be  given a true
          initiation, to justly wield the power of Water.  So mote it be!"  
           
          ALL:  (envisioning   a wall of  dark blue light springing  up from the
          circle, within the walls of green, yellow, and red) "So mote it be!"  
           
                                   Statement of Purpose
           
          HIGH PRIEST/ESS:  "I call upon the Horned God; I call upon the Maiden,
          the Mother,  and the Crone;  I call  upon the Spirits  of Earth,  Air,
          Fire, and Water; I call upon the  Hosts of the Mighty Dead; and I call
          every true  Witch within this  circle to witness  that we are  here to
          consecrate <initiate's name>  as Priest(ess) and Witch.  The circle is
          cast!"  




                                            51
          



           
          ALL:   (envisioning the walls of  the circle bending together overhead
          and  flowing together under the floor to  form a hemisphere of  bright
          white light) "So mote it be!"  
           
                                        The Warning
           
          HIGH PRIEST/ESS   cuts a gate  in the circle,   and roughly  leads the
          Initiate to  kneel at  the  edge before  the gate,  then balances  the
          sword-point over the  Initiate's heart (the Initiate raises his or her
          hands to support the point).   "You stand at the edge of a  place that
          is  between the  worlds, in  the presence  of the  Gods and  under the
          watchful eye of the  Mighty Dead.  If you  go any further, you  embark
          on a path that cannot  be safely turned aside before your death.  Feel
          the sharpness of the blade at your breast, and know this in your heart
          - it would be better  for you to throw yourself forward and  spill out
          your  life than to  enter this circle  with fear or  falseness in your
          heart."  
           
          INITIATE: "I come with perfect love and perfect trust."  
           
          HIGH PRIEST/ESS lays down the sword,  lifts the Initiate to his or her
          feet, and kisses  him or her.   "Thus are  all first brought into  the
          Circle.",  then  leads the  Initiate to  the altar  and taking  up the
          sword, re-draws the circle over the gateway.   
           
                                Administration of the Oaths
           
          ALL   (except  the  High Priest/ess  and the Initiate)  begin a  quiet
          "Aum"  and sustain it  throughout the Five-fold Kiss  and the Oaths of
          Initiation.   
           
          HIGH PRIEST/ESS, administering the Five-fold Kiss:   "Blessed are your
          feet, that  have brought you to  this place.  Blessed  are your knees,
          that  shall kneel at the altars  of the Gods.  Blessed  is  your  sex,
          without which we  could not be.   Blessed is  your breast,  formed  in
          strength and  beauty.  Blessed are  your lips,  which  shall speak the
          Words of Truth.  Are you prepared to take the oath?"  
           
          INITIATE:  "I am."  
           
          HIGH PRIEST/ESS: "Then kneel." Takes the Initiate's Measure.  "You who
          have from birth been called <born  name> but now seek to become <Craft
          name> - do you willingly pledge yourself to the God and the Goddess?" 
          INITIATE  places his or her left hand on the top of the head and right
          hand on the soles of the  feet.  "All between my two hands  belongs to
          the Gods.  So mote it be."  


                                            52
          



           
          ALL others raise the volume of the "Aum" slightly.   
           
          HIGH  PRIEST/ESS:  "And  do  you swear to keep silent all those things
          that must be kept silent, and to respect that which is taught to you?"

          INITIATE:   "I willingly swear  to keep silent  all that must  be kept
          silent, and to respect that which is taught to me.  So mote it be."  
           
          ALL others raise the volume of the "Aum" a little more.   
           
          HIGH  PRIEST/ESS: "And  by  what  surety do  you  swear  all of  these
          things?"  
           
          INITIATE:  "All of these things I do swear, by my mother's womb and my
          hope of future  lives, knowing well that my Measure  has been taken in
          the presence of the  Mighty Ones.  Should I fail  utterly in my oaths,
          may  my powers desert  me, and may my  own tools turn  against me.  So
          mote it be.  So mote it be.  So mote it be!   
           
          ALL yell quickly: "SO MOTE IT BE!"  
           
                                    Triggering of the Spell  
           
          ALL   grab the Initiate quickly  and hoist him or  her completely into
          the air (if possible), chanting the Initiate's new name over and  over
          again,  as fast  as possible,  as they  carry him  or her  three times
          quickly  around the  circle.  When  they return to the starting point,
          they  set him or her down face-down  and  press  him   or  her  firmly
          into  the  ground.   
                  Gradually, thepressure relents togentle massage. Through allof
          this they   continue chanting the Initiate's new name,  falling off in
          volume and speed as the pressure relaxes.   
           
          HIGH PRIEST/ESS:  "Know that  the hands that have touched you  are the
          hands of love."  Removes the Initiate's blindfold and helps him or her
          up.   "In the Burning Times,   when each member of the Coven held  the
          lives of the others in  her hand, this would have been  kept, and used
          against  you should you endanger others.   But in these happier times,
          love  and trust  prevail,  so  take this  (hands  the  Measure to  the
          initiate),   keep it or  burn it,  and be free  to go  or stay as  you
          please."  







                                            53
          




                           Follow-Through and Earthing of Power
           
          HIGH PRIEST/ESS  hands the sword  to the Initiate,   and leads  him or
          her  to  the East, where they both  kneel.  The Initiate  salutes, and
          the  High Priest/ess announces, "Behold, restless  Spirits of Water  -
          I bring before you <new   name>, who has been consecrated as Priestess
          and Witch!" Repeats at the South, West, and finally North.   
           
          ALL (including High Priest/ess and Initiate) join hands in the Circle.
           
           
          HIGH PRIEST/ESS: "Thank you Spirits of the Mighty Dead, Spirits of the
          Four Elements, and awesome Lord and Lady for hallowing our circle.  Go
          or stay as you will - our circle is ended."  
           
          ALL ground  and center, then absorb the power of the Circle and return
          it to the Earth beneath their feet. 
           
          HIGH PRIEST/ESS  (after a suitable pause):   "Our lovely rite draws to
          its end.  Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again.  Blessed Be!" 
           
          ALL:  "BLESSED BE!" 


























                                            54
          



                                    INVOCATION TO FRIGG
                                       Russ Anderson

          When this invocation was first used,  each person in a healing  circle
          invoked  a healer  into (her/him)self.   This was my  invocation.  The
          rest of the  circle was asked to echo "Join us, Frigg" as I was saying
          "Join  us.  Frigg,".  This  was  my  first    attempt  at  writing  an
          invocation, and it DID work. I hope that it also works for anyone else
          who wishes to use it, because it now feels like time to share it. 
               Blessed Be, Russ 
           
          "Frigg, Daughter of Jord, Join us. 
           Frigg, Daughter of Fiorgyn, Join us. 
           Frigg, Wife of Odin, Join us. 
           Frigg, Sister of Thorr, Join us. 
           Frigg, Mother of Balder, Join us. 
           Frigg, Mother of Hodr, Join us. 
           Frigg, Mother of Hermod, Join us. 
           Frigg, Mother of the gods, Join us. 
           Frigg, Wise in all fates, Join us. 
           Frigg, Who will tell no fortunes, Join us. 
           Frigg, First among the Asynjur, Join us. 
           Frigg, Queen of Asgard, Join us. 
           Frigg, Mistress of home and hearth, Join us. 
           Frigg, Mistress of Eire, Join us. 
           Frigg, Mistress of healing, Join us. 
           Frigg, Your servant _______ calls you! Come to me NOW!" 
           
                                   INVOCATION TO BALDUR
           
          "Baldr, Son of Frigg, Join us. 
           Baldr, Son of Odin, Join us. 
           Baldr, Husband of Nanna, Join us. 
           Baldr, Brother of Hodr, Join us. 
           Baldr, Brother of Hermod, Join us. 
           Baldr, Father of Forsetti, Join us. 
           Baldr, Slain by blind Hodr, Join us. 
           Baldr, Master of Breidablik, Join us. 
           Baldr, Who is much loved, Join us. 
           Baldr, Who Thokk alone would not mourn, Join us. 
           Baldr, The Fairest of the Aesir, Join us. 
           Baldr, Whose Judgments stand unaltered, Join us. 
           Baldr, Whose Judgments stand unheeded, Join us. 
           Baldr, The Wisest of the Aesir, Join us. 
           Baldr, The Shining One, Join us. 
           Baldr, Your servant _______ calls you! Come to me NOW!" 
           


                                            55
          



                                   INVOCATION TO FREYJA
           
          "Freyja, Of the many names, Join us. 
           Freyja, Of the golden tears, Join us. 
           Freyja, Daughter of Njord, Join us. 
           Freyja, Wife of Od, Join us. 
           Freyja, Sister of Freyr, Join us. 
           Freyja, Mother of Hnoss, Join us. 
           Freyja, Claimed by Thrym, Join us. 
           Freyja, Driver of cats, Join us. 
           Freyja, Goddess of Fertility, Join us. 
           Freyja, Who shares the slain with Odin, Join us. 
           Freyja, Who taught the Aesir Magick, Join us. 
           Freyja, Lender of Falcons' Flight, Join us. 
           Freyja, Mistress of Brisingamen, Join us. 
           Freyja, Mistress of Folkvang, Join us. 
           Freyja, Mistress of nature, Join us. 
           Freyja, Your servant _______ calls you! Come to me NOW!" 

                                    INVOCATION TO FREYR

          "Freyr, Son of Njrd, Join us. 
           Freyr, Husband of Gerdr, Join us. 
           Freyr, Brother of Freyja, Join us. 
           Freyr, Father of kings, Join us. 
           Freyr, Whose sword would fight for itself, Join us. 
           Freyr, Who gave his sword for Gerdr, Join us. 
           Freyr, Patron of married couples, Join us. 
           Freyr, Most beautiful of Gods, Join us. 
           Freyr, Whose tooth-gift was Alfheimr, Join us. 
           Freyr, Master of Gullinbursti, Join us. 
           Freyr, Owner of Skidbladnir, Join us. 
           Freyr, Slayer of Beli, Join us. 
           Freyr, Master of Frodi's Peace, Join us. 
           Freyr, Who directs Man's good fortune, Join us. 
           Freyr, Who brings fruitful seasons, Join us. 
           Freyr, Your servant _______ calls you! Come to me NOW!" 












                                            56
          



                                   INVOCATION TO BRIGIT

          "Brigit, Wise One, 
           We, your children, call to you. 
           Lady, Smithy, 
           We, your children, invite you here. 
           Triple Goddess, 
           We, your children, ask your presence. 
           Brigit, Wise One, 
           We, your children, call to you. 
           Lady, Smithy, 
           We, your children, invite you here. 
           Triple Goddess, 
           We, your children, ask your presence. 
           Brigit, Wise One, 
           We, your children, call to you. 
           Lady, Smithy, 
           We, your children, invite you here. 
           Triple Goddess, 
           We, your children, ask your presence, NOW." 
           
           
                                    INVOCATION TO HERNE
           
          "Herne, Winter Lord, 
           We, your children, call to you. 
           Horned One, Hunter, 
           We, your children, invite you here. 
           Woodland Spirit, 
           We, your children, ask your presence. 
           Herne, Winter Lord, 
           We, your children, call to you. 
           Horned One, Hunter, 
           We, your children, invite you here. 
           Woodland Spirit, 
           We, your children, ask your presence. 
           Herne, Winter Lord, 
           We, your children, call to you. 
           Horned One, Hunter, 
           We, your children, invite you here. 
           Woodland Spirit, 
           We, your children, ask your presence, NOW." 







                                            57
          



                                    INVOCATION TO THORR

          "Thorr, Red-beard, Join us. 
           Thorr, Son of Jord, Join us. 
           Thorr, Brother of Frigg, Join us. 
           Thorr, Father of Mdi, Join us. 
           Thorr, Father of Magni, Join us. 
           Thorr, Father of Thrdr, Join us. 
           Thorr, Husband of Sif, Join us. 
           Thorr, Jtunn bane, Join us. 
           Thorr, Foe of Irmungandr, Join us. 
           Thorr, Who bears Marriage Hallower, Join us. 
           Thorr, Who bears Death Hallower, Join us. 
           Thorr, Who wields Mjllnir, Join us. 
           Thorr, Defender of Asgard, Join us. 
           Thorr, Thunderer, Join us. 
           Thorr, Storm Lord, Join us. 
           Thorr, Your servant _______ calls you! Come to me NOW!" 
           
           





























                                            58
          



                                 AN ISSIAN CIRCLE CASTING

          Circle  casting  adapted  by Matrika  of  PAN -  the  ORIGINAL Psychic
          Awareness Network BBS at 1-703-362-1139 
           
          ADAPTED from the Community of Isis Rites in Salem MA. 
          for use by the Moonchildren Coven 
           
          This requires the use of a duly consecrated wand, a chalice, an athame
          and  a container for salt  and water - NON -  plastic PLEASE - on your
          altar as well as 2 candle  sticks with candles in them and an  incense
          burner for stick or hanging incense.  You should work robed or nude as
          you  prefer.  In the  4  directions  you should  have  either  air (as
          incense) or fire (as candle  - lit, of course, and preferably  red) in
          the east - according to your tradition.   The OTHER element - the  one
          not  used  in  the east  -  in  the  south,  again according  to  your
          tradition.  ( i prefer air-east- wand, fire-south - athame, personally
          - but I realize there are differences in tradition.

          THE HIGH PRIESTHOOD OF A CIRCLE IS THE FINAL SAY IN ANY RITE - 
          SO ALWAYS FOLLOW THEIR TRADITIONS.

              Abowl - again NOT plastic - of water in the west and some rocks or
          a dish of salt in the North for earth. 
           
          IF  you wish you may lay a circle of salt on the floor, leaving a gate
          for the priest/ess to enter  and leave for the temple  purification or
          you may visualize the circle coming as electric blue light out of your
          athame point  as you cast it.   after s/he returns  from purifying the
          outer perimeter, the gate would  be closed and the circle cast  (after
          the directions are  called) by pointing  the athame (or the  sword) at
          the salt and charging  it instead of casting  into the air.  The  gate
          would be closed by completing the circle of salt. 
           
          Okay, I am writing  this as used by a person working  alone, but the P
          or PS in parenthesis is how it would  be done if done by a couple.  PS
          is the female and P is the male.  THis is the IDEAL form of the rite. 
           
          (PS) picks up bowl of salt and bowl of water on alter.   (P) picks  up
          athame and  places it point down in the  water and says "SALT is pure,
          let this salt be pure and let it purify our rites as we use it in  the
          service of the Lady and the Lord? 

          ALL- SO MOTE IT BE 





                                            59
          



          (PS) pours some  of the salt  into the water.   (P) stirs it  with his
          athame and says: 
               "May this sacred salt purify this water so it may be used in this
               service of the Lord  and Lady, throughout  this rite, in any  way
          and at any time we 
               may wish to use it."  

          ALL- SO MOTE IT BE 
           
          (PS)  takes the salt-water and sprinkles it about the perimeter of the
          circle  (outer) saying  the  following while  walking WIDDERSHINS  (to
          banish) or counter-clockwise:
               "Salt and water where I cast thee 
               No spell or unknown purpose be 
               Unless in full accord with me 
               and as I will SO MOTE IT BE" 
           
          She returns to the circle.  The (P) then takes the incense burner - if
          a  swinging one - or the burning  stick of incense and goes around the
          circle deosil saying:
                 "ever  as we walk in  the ways may we feel  the presence of the
          Lady and the Lord We know that in all we do they are ever with us They
          abide in us and we in them forever.  No disharmony or  imbalance   can
          be entertained for purity, harmony and balance are     the    dwellers
          within and without us:
               For good do we strive and 
               for good do we live 
               Love unto all things 
               SO be it forever 
               Love is the law and Love is the bond 
               Blessed be the Lady and the Lord" 

          All - SO MOTE IT BE 
           
          He returns to the circle.   He then picks up his wand  and goes to the
          East, raising it high he invokes the element of air visualizing either
          the ruler  of that element  as he understands  that being OR  a yellow
          pentacle can  be substituted.  I like to imagine a weeping willow tree
          budding in the spring  being moved by the  gentle breezes through  the
          center of the pentacle - as if  through the center of a window.  (  IF
          YOU USE FIRE IN THE EAST- SUBSTITUTE VISUALIZATION HERE WITH THE ONE I
          GIVE IN THE SOUTH AND CHANGE THE INVOCATION ACCORDINGLY) 
               "Hail to thee 
               Lord of the Watchtower of the EAST 
               element of air (fire?) 
               We invite your presence and your power in our circle and 
               our magick this night. 


                                            60
          



          ALL- SO MOTE IT BE 

          (P) - Welcome and Blessed be 

          ALL- BLESSED BE 
           
          Go to the south and repeat  this visualizing either your conception of
          the  ruler of the watchtower for the south  OR a red pentacle - I like
          to "see" a campfire through it's center, as if through a window. 
          Repeat invocation with raised wand substituting  OF THE SOUTH 
          and ELEMENT OF FIR#E 
           
          Go to the WEST  and repeat this visualizing either your  conception of
          the ruler of the watchtower of the west OR a BLUE pentacle - I like to
          see a  mountain stream or  the ocean through  the center of it,  as if
          through a  window.    Repeat  invocation making  suitable  changes  of
          direction and element in it. 
           
          Go to  the  North  and  repeat the  process  visualizing  either  your
          conception  of the ruler  of that watchtower  OR a Green  pentacle - I
          like to see Mountains rising up in the distance through  the middle of
          it, again as if through a window. 
           
          He returns to the altar and replaces the wand. 

          THE (PS) takes up hers and invokes the Deities:
          "HAIL TO THEE LORD AND  LADY" (Substitute aloud or silently  the names
          you are using  for the Goddess and the God  here - with non-initiates,
          some prefer to use the  generic "Lord and Lady" out loud,  keeping the
          names by which the inner circle of initiates know Them a secret.  This
          is also a good idea to use when you have members of several traditions
          present who may not  agree on what names are used for them) "We invite
          your presence and power in our circle and our magick this night". 
           
          ALL - SO MOTE IT BE 

          (PS) - WELCOME AND BLESSED BE 
          ALL - Blessed be 
           
          She then replaces her wand on the altar and picks up her athame or the
          coven sword and  casts the circle -  either straight out,  visualizing
          blue light coming from  it's point - or, if a circle  of salt is used,
          straight DOWN at the salt, to charge it. 
           





                                            61
          



          THIS IS DONE DEOSIL, OF COURSE. (clock-wise - just like the censing of
          the circle was done earlier! the ONLY time widdershins is used is the 
          salt-water banishing /  cleansing to prepare for circle casting and in
          opening the circle) 
           
          First casting - " I conjure this circle, a mighty Psychic rampart that
          turns back ANY excess positive or negative energy which may come to do
          us harm" 

          ALL - SO MOTE IT BE 
           
          Second casting -  "I cast this circle, a place that  is not a place, a
          time that is not a time, a sacred place between the worlds, a place to
          commune with eternity (or THE LADY AND THE LORD)" 
           
          All - SO MOTE IT BE 
           
          Third casting - "I charge this circle, a place of perfect love  and of
          perfect trust where all may know peace profound" 

          ALL- SO MOTE IT BE 
           
          SHE RETURNS TO  THE ALTAR.  If  a bell is  used (brass or silver  ONLY
          please) she rings it and says "Now is the circle cast" 

          All - SO MOTE IT BE 
           
          The  circle then  perform the  full-moon rite,  raising the  power and
          drawing down the energy into themselves by whatever rites they use and
          Magick is performed as is appropriate and necessary  OR the ritual for
          one  of the  8 sabbats  is  performed -  a much  lighter and  informal
          occasion - according to the time and purpose of the circle. 
           
          The cakes and ale/wine (I substitute APPLE juice or SPRING water, as I
          am allergic to alcohol) are consecrated by the athame in the chalice 
           
          NOTE - the cakes should be  as natural as possible, HAVE SOME RESPECT!
          Please no twinkies or oreos - I've seen some "people" do that! 
           










                                            62
          



          Circle closing

          The (P) takes up his wand and goes to the 4 quarters, beginning at the
          north and  going widdershins,  where he raises  his wand  at each  and
          dismisses the rulers of the elements thusly:

               " Farewell to thee 
               Lord of the watchtower of the (direction) 
               element of (name element) 
               We thank you for our presence and power 
               in our circle and our magick this night" 

          ALL - SO MOTE IT BE 
          (P) - MERRY PART AND BLESSED BE 

          ALL - BLESSED BE 
           
          As he does this, he visualizes whatever he visualized earlier and then
          "sees" it fading out.  When he has done all 4 quarters he replaces his
          wand on the altar 

          THE (PS) picks hers  up and raises it high says  "FAREWELL TO THE LORD
          AND LADY" (again names may be substituted silently or aloud) "WE thank
          you for your presence and your power in Our circle and our magick this
          night".

          All - SO MOTE IT BE 
          (PS) - GO IF YOU MUST, STAY IF YOU WILL and BLESSED BE 

          ALL- BLESSED BE 
           
          She then picks up her athame (or sword ) and pointing it either in the
          air or at the salt, whatever she did before, she walks widdershins and
          as she  opens the circle she  pictures in her mind's  eye the electric
          blue light fading out or  being reabsorbed by the tool she  carries as
          she says:. 
               "THE CIRCLE IS OPEN, YET REMAINS UNBROKEN "

          ALL - SO MOTE IT BE 

          (PS) MERRY PART AND BLESSED BE 

          ALL - BLESSED BE (they all hug each other in many circles here ) 
           
          (candles  are snuffed on altar here -  never blow out candles) If bell
          is used, she rings it and says THE CIRCLE IS NOW OPEN 



                                            63
          



          Note  - our  circle in  New England,  which met  only for  the Sabbats
          except  for it's leadership which did  the full-moons themselves as it
          was  a training  coven, tended  to use  a lot  of chanting  and simple
          ritual drama  to raise energy as  we worked in a  very confined space.
          Other   methods  can  be  used.  In   full-moon  work  I  like  active
          deep-meditation or guided trance and chanting because of size of space
          available to me at this time.  However many covens also use the dance,
          the  cords, the great  rite - actual  or symbolic,  and other methods.
          Always remember there is NO one right path. 
           
          There is  also  no one  right  way of  casting  a circle.    Different
          traditions differ greatly.  The main body of this rite is that used by
          the community  of Isis -  but I have  added invocations at  the circle
          cleansing that I like which come from Al Manning  (for the salt-water)
          and  Ray Buckland (for the censing  of the circle).    The blessing of
          the salt and  water are also from Ray Buckland's  teachings - I prefer
          his method,  because of it's clarity  of intent, to the  one I learned
          here so I use it. 
           
          Part of the circle closing was also adapted from Starhawk. Many people
          like  to elaborate on the invocations at the quarters and present them
          in poetic  formats, as  they do  with the invocation  of the  Lord and
          Lady.


























                                            64
          



                                  CIRCLES, WHY USE THEM?
                                         MEL WHITE

          They say that the longest journey begins with a single step.  So, too,
          the exploration of Magickal studies begins with a single step.  Though
          the first step in  a physical journey is often self-evident, the First
          Step  on a  Magickal  journey is  often  not quite  so  clear.   While
          formally organized  groups often have  a path  of lessons to  instruct
          newcomers, the solitary  or isolated student is often left standing in
          perplexity  on this broad plain of  knowledge, wondering just where in
          the heck  to begin. And wondering,  too, if it's "okay"  to start just
          anywhere. 
           
          While it's true that studies can begin in any  direction that attracts
          you, the  necessary  first  step  must be  learning  to  make  psychic
          shields. There  are "Things  of the  Dark" out there.   There  are any
          number  of  explanations for  what  these  things  might be--  ghosts,
          demons,  or simply  uncontrolled urges  of the  subconscious  mind. In
          truth, it doesn't matter what they are. What does matter is that their
          effect is very real and  unless they are put under your  control, they
          will drag you over the borders of sanity into psychosis.  You are most
          vulnerable  to them  while you're  in an  "open" trance  or meditative
          state. That's why  the wise practitioner always begins by taking steps
          to define exactly what will be permitted  through the portals of their
          "psychic shields"-- no matter how simple the ritual.  And this, in 
          a nutshell, is what "protective magic" is about. 
           
          There are a number of ways to do this.  The most common is to begin by
          drawing a  circle (around a group or yourself) and invoking the one or
          more  protective powers.  Generally, this is  done by  candlelight, in
          front of  an altar that holds certain  magical objects. The circle may
          be further  "secured" and "cleared"  by using  salt, salt water,  rum,
          incense, or some other method.   You may be wearing a special robe and
          will have taken a bath ( or performed a cleansing ritual) earlier. The
          powers that protect you will be called on and THEN you will begin your
          ritual. 
           
          Is it  psychological?  Absolutely!   Is there a  reason why protection
          rituals always  take this form?   Positively!  Let's take  a step back
          and see what you're actually doing  and how the process works-- from a
          psychological  standpoint-- and how to use  this knowledge to help you
          refine your circles to enhance your rituals. 
           






                                            65
          



          Psychologists  and  psychics alike  view  the  mind's structure  as  a
          three-part entity: The ego (that which you  think of as yourself), the
          superego (the  "higher self") and the  Id (the child within).   The Id
          is, in  a sense, a computer.  Like most computers, it  operates on the
          "garbage in-garbage  out" principle.  There's an old  superstition "as
          you name something, so will it become." Tell yourself that you're very
          unlucky and your id will obligingly give you bad days by enhancing any
          negatives in your  environment. Tell yourself that you are clumsy, and
          your id-computer will obligingly arrange for you to break a  leg while
          stepping off  the sidewalk.  The bad news is  that the Id can't make a
          judgement  as to whether  or not this is  a good idea.   It only knows
          that it's received these "instructions" and  must carry them out.  The
          good  news is that you can  actually program/reprogram this portion of
          your mind. 
           
          You begin programming  this Internal Servant of yours by first drawing
          its attention  to what you want done and then explaining what you need
          done in  a simple and clear manner.    Repeating the instructions in a
          chant help fix the  goals for the Id-- rhymed chants seem to be easier
          for  it to process.  Each time you  perform the ritual  and repeat the
          chant,  the programming is strengthened.  Never mind that your ego and
          superego understand  that you're going  to program the  child-like Id.
          It works just the same. 
           
          To direct the Id's attention to the process, you first have to impress
          it.  Using special tools and clothing  alert it that something unusual
          is going  on and that it must pay attention.  Acquiring hard-to-obtain
          items,  drawing symbols,  performing  a  symbolic sacrifice  (donating
          money, say,  to a good  cause) are  all ways of  reinforcing the  Id's
          impression that this ceremony is very special and that the result will
          be  very  powerful.   Organized,  meaningful  symbols,  speak  to your
          subconscious mind  in ways it  understands, reinforcing the  goals you
          have set. 
           
          Drawing  the   circle  itself   establishes  boundaries   within  your
          environment ("The  rest of the world  can do what it  likes Out There.
          All within this  circle is in MY control!").  Purifying the circle and
          consecrating it  (sprinkling  water which  has been  blessed and  salt
          added) further enforce your territory, defining the borders where  you
          are  "safe".   Nothing  can enter  this area  except  what you  invite
          inside.   You  further  tighten these  borders by  calling  on certain
          Powers. 
           






                                            66
          



          You can call  on any powers you like.   Some use traditional Christian
          images. Others  call  up  deities  from the  religion  they  are  most
          comfortable  with. And many people use  the thought/image of a beam of
          light that  represents either God/Goddess (whichever one they like) OR
          The power of light and life and goodness in the Universe. 

          The number  of powers called as  guardians varies.  You  may choose to
          invoke one powerful being to protect your circle. Or you might call on
          the Universal Being/Light  AND four guardians (one for each quarter of
          the  compass). A  third approach  is to  use a  guardian for  the four
          quarters of  the compass and no higher being.  There is no "absolutely
          correct"  system;  the   correct  system  is  the  one  that  YOU  are
          comfortable with. 
           
          Take  time to  choose the  guardians  of your  circle carefully.   You
          should select guardians (gods or  animals or some form of  life) which
          have a deeper meaning to  you and whose qualities are in  harmony with
          your goals. For the new student, it's best to have all your Powers and
          Guardians from the same belief system/religion/mythic universe so that
          the symbols will be consistent and not confuse the Id. 
           
          You CAN use people-- saints, movie actors, figures from favorite books
          as guardians.  DO, however, pick  someone who's dead  or non-existent.
          The dead  can't argue with  your interpretation  of them, whereas  the
          living may be highly offended to be approached as gods/ guardians). 
           
          As your  studies continue, you will find that your totems or guardians
          change.   This is to  be expected; as  you explore new realms  in your
          studies, you may  find you need guardians who deal  with very specific
          areas to strengthen and guide you in these new fields. 
           
          But  don't make the mistake of assuming that you'll become so powerful
          that  you will  never  need the  protection of  the  psychic shielding
          circle in some form.  And don't assume that you will not need a circle
          for "positive"  magicks such as healing.   Open is open--  and open is
          vulnerable.   And circles strengthen and  protect you by defining what
          psychological influences will be allowed to work with you. 












                                            67
          



                                   HANDFASTING (WEDDING)
                                        Ryan Hunter

          [The following wedding ceremony was written to provide for Pagans  
          who  must of necessity be wed in the presence of the  uninitiated  
          who  are  not  pagan and are perhaps unaware that the  bride  and  
          groom are pagan. Replace the words Bride and Groom below with the  
          names of the happy couple. This ceremony was used by both my wife  
          and  myself and by my sister and her husband.  They modified  the  
          text  at the point below where it says "loving each other  wholly  
          and completely" to add the phrase "forsaking all others" as  they  
          are into monogamy.  Either version works beautifully, I recommend  
          the participants rewrite where necessary to form a legal contract  
          that  they  can  and  will keep.  It is easy to  avoid  being  an  
          oathbreaker  if  you only swear to that you  will  keep  and  
          avoid swearing to something just because the other party wants it  
          or because it might be "expected" by the family. Notice: parts of  
          this ritual were cribbed from the writings of others. I apologize  
          in  advance  for  failure  to reference  sources  but  after  the  
          fifteenth rewrite we had forgotten where we got the text and what  
          was and what was not original to us.  I doubt if there are quotes  
          from  other sources longer than paragraph length and thus  should  
          not  be a copyright problem.  If you see something that is yours,  
          please send me mail and I will reference you in the  future.  Our  
          thanks to those who paved the way. --Ryan Hunter] 
           
          [PRIEST] We have come together here in celebration of the joining  
          together of ____bride______ and ____groom______.  There are  many  
          things to say about marriage. Much wisdom  concerning the joining  
          together  of  two  souls,has come our way through  all  paths  of  
          belief,  and from many cultures.  With each union, more knowledge  
          is gained and more wisdom gathered.  Though we are unable to give  
          all this knowledge to these two, who stand before us, we can hope  
          to  leave  with them the knowledge of love and its strengths  and   
          the anticipation of the wisdom that comes with time.   The law of  
          life  is love unto all beings.    Without love,  life is nothing,  
          without love,  death has no redemption.  Love is anterior to Life,  
          posterior  to  Death,   initial of Creation and the  exponent  of  
          Earth.   If we learn no more in life, let it be this.   
           
          Marriage  is  a bond to be entered into only  after  considerable  
          thought  and reflection.  As with any aspect of life,  it has its  
          cycles, its ups and its downs, its trials and its triumphs.  With  
          full understanding of this,  Groom and Bride have come here today  
          to be joined as one in marriage.  




                                            68
          



          Others would ask,  at this time, who gives the bride in marriage,  
          but,  as a woman is not property to be bought and sold, given and  
          taken,  I ask simply if she comes of her own will and if she  has  
          her family's blessing.  
           
          Bride,   is   it  true that you come of your own free  will   and  
          accord? 
           
          [BRIDE] Yes, it is true. 
           
          [PRIEST] With whom do you come and whose blessings accompany you. 
           
          [FATHER] She comes with me, her father, and is accompanied by all  
          of her family's blessings. 
           
          [PRIEST] Please join hands with your betrothed and listen to that  
          which I am about to say. 
           
          Above you are the stars,  below you are the stones,  as time doth  
          pass, remember... 
           
          Like  a  stone should your love be firm like a star  should  your  
          love be constant. Let the powers of the mind and of the intellect  
          guide you in your marriage,  let the strength of your wills  bind  
          you  together,  let the power of love and desire make you  happy,  
          and  the  strength of your dedication make  you  inseparable.  Be  
          close,   but  not  too  close.    Possess  one  another,  yet  be  
          understanding.   Have patience with one another,  for storms will  
          come, but they will pass quickly. 
           
          Be free in giving affection and warmth.  Have no fear and let not  
          the  ways of the unenlightened give you unease,  for God is  with  
          you always. 
           
          Groom,  I have not the right to bind thee to Bride, only you have   
          this right.   If it be your wish,  say so at this time  and place  
          your ring in her hand.  
           
          [GROOM] It is my wish. 
           









                                            69
          



          [PRIEST]  Bride,   if  it be your wish for Groom to be bound   to   
          you,  place the ring on his finger.  (places ring on Groom's left  
          ring finger) 
           
          Bride  I  have not the right to bind thee to Groom only you  have   
          this right.   If it be your wish,  say so at this time  and place  
          your ring in his hand. 
          [BRIDE] It is my wish. 
          [PRIEST] Groom,  if it be your wish for Bride to be bound to you,  
          place   the   ring on her finger.(places ring on   Bride's   left  
          ring finger) 
           
          (to Groom) Repeat after me: 
           
          I,   (grooms full name),   in the name of the spirit of God  that  
          resides  within us all,  by the life that courses within my blood  
          and  the love that resides within my heart,   take thee  (bride's  
          full  name) to my hand,   my heart,   and my spirit,   to be   my  
          chosen  one.  To desire thee and be desired by thee,  to  possess  
          thee,  and be possessed by thee, without sin or shame, for naught  
          can  exist in the purity of my love for thee.   I promise to love  
          thee wholly and completely without restraint,  in sickness and in  
          health,  in plenty and in poverty,  in life and beyond,  where we  
          shall meet, remember, and love again.  I shall not seek to change  
          thee in any way.   I shall respect thee, thy beliefs, thy people,  
          and thy ways as I respect myself. 
           
          (to Bride) 
          I  (bride's full name),   in the name of the spirit  of  God that   
          resides  within  us  all,   by the life that courses  within   my  
          blood,  and  the  love that resides within my heart,  take  thee,  
          (Groom's full name) to my hand,   my heart,   and my spirit to be  
          my  chosen one.   To desire and be desired by  thee,  to  possess  
          thee,  and be possessed by thee, without sin or shame, for naught  
          can  exist in the purity of my love for thee.   I promise to love  
          thee wholly and completely without restraint,  in sickness and in  
          health,  in plenty and in poverty,  in life and beyond,  where we  
          shall meet, remember, and love again.  I shall not seek to change  
          thee in any way.   I shall respect thee, thy beliefs, thy people,  
          and thy ways as I respect myself. 
           








                                            70
          



          [PRIEST] 
          (hands  chalice to the groom,  saying:) May you drink  your  fill  
          from the cup of love. 
           
          (Groom  holds  chalice to bride while she sips then  bride  takes  
          chalice and holds it to groom while he sips.  The chalice is then  
          handed  back to the Priest who sets it on the  table.   Next  the  
          Priest  takes the plate of bread,  giving it to the groom.   Same  
          procedure  repeated  with bread,  groom feeding bride  and  bride  
          feeding groom.) 
           
          By the power vested in me by God and the State of Alabama,  I now  
          pronounce you husband and wife.  May your love so endure that its  
          flame remains a guiding light unto you. 



































                                            71
          



                        INITIATION INTO THE COVEN  OUTDOOR VERSION

               Candidates for  initiation should be in good  mental and physical
          health. They should also  be of legal age and sought  out the Craft of
          their own free will. 

               Before being accepted into the Coven (s)he should  spend sometime
          learning about the Craft and  magic and such. (S)he should know  about
          practices that most people get uptight about. She should be  told that
          initiations are  perfectly safe and  voluntary. Also,  if at any  time
          prior to taking the oath she wants to back out, she can do so with out
          fear or other recriminations.

               The candidate  must chose a Craft name. This name should not be a
          common American name and must have personal meaning to the candidate.

               Traditionally the  apprenticeship lasted  for a year  and a  day.
          This is a good idea if it can be  done. Before (s)he can be initiated,
          the  Coven must  vote. A  single  no is  sufficient to  not allow  the
          candidate to be initiated into that particular Coven.

               This ritual is  written for use in  the woods. There has  to be a
          path leading  from the staging area  to a clearing where  afire can be
          lit. To save time, the fire should be setup but not lighted.

               The bathtub  should be set up along the path and filled with warm
          water and  the other  ingredients.  The water  will  also have  to  be
          consecrated. 

               The  candidate should  be brought  to the  staging area  by their
          sponsor. She should be wearing clothing that can be cutaway  easily by
          a sword  without undoing buttons or  stepping out of pants  legs.  The
          candidate should be lead down the  path by the sponsor.After a  little
          ways a member of the Coven,  the Challenger,should step onto the path.
          They might want  to wear a mask.  They take the sword  that they carry
          and say:

               "Who comes to the gate?"











                                            72
          




          The candidate, coached before hand, answers:

               "It is I, (new Craft name), child of earth and starry heaven."

          Challenger:

               "Who speaks for you?"

          Sponsor:

               "It is I, ________ , who vouches for her."

          The  Challenger holds  the  point of  the sword  up to  the candidates
          heart, and says:
               "You are about to enter a vortex of power, a place beyond
                            imagining,where birthand death,darkand light,joy and
          pain,
                   meet and make one. You are about to step between the worlds,
                   beyond time, outside the realm of your human life.
                   You who stands on the threshold of the dread Mighty Ones,
                have you the courage to make the essay? 
                   For know it is   better to fall on my blade and perish than 
                   to make the attempt with fear in thy heart!"

          The apprentice answers:

               "I tread the path with perfect love and perfect trust."

          The Challenger replies:

               "Prepare for death and rebirth."

          And  the  Challenger  takes the  sword  and cuts  off  the apprentices
          clothing  till she  is standing  naked.  The Challenger  grounds their
          sword to the Earth. The Challenger should then blindfold the candidate
          and tie a cord around their wrists and one ankle while saying:

               "And She was bound as all living things must be,
                            who would enterthe Kingdom of Death.And Her feetwere
          neither bound nor free."








                                            73
          



          The candidate is  led to the tub and bathed,  while still blindfolded,
          by the rest of the  Coven. While being bathed, she must  remain quiet.
          She is helped from the tub and dried off.The candidate is then carried
          to the Circle. Everyone  in the Coven,  starting with the High  Priest
          (Priestess in the case of a man), kisses her and says:

               "Thus are all first brought into the world,
                   and thus are all first brought into the Coven."

          The High Priest  (Priestess in case of a man)  now leads the candidate
          to each  of the four corners  and introduces her to  the Guardians, of
          course going deosil. 

               "Hail Guardians of the Watchtowers of the East and all the Mighty
          Ones of the Craft. Behold _________(new name), who     will   now   be
          made Priestess and Witch."

          The candidate is brought back to the altar. The High Priest kneels and
          gives her  the Five Fold Kiss;  that is, he  kisses her on  both feet,
          both  knees, womb, both breasts, and  the lips,starting with the right
          of each pair. He says, as he does this:

               "Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways.
               Blessed be thy knees, that shall kneel at the sacred altar.
                  Blessed be thy womb, without which we would not be.
               Blessed be thy breasts, formed in beauty.
               Blessed be thy lips, that shall utter the Sacred Names."

          For  the kiss on the lips,  they embrace, length-to-length, with their
          feet touching each others. When  he reaches the womb, she spreads  her
          arms wide,  and the same after  the kiss on the  lips.The candidate is
          then measured  with the other piece of cord,from head to toe. The cord
          is cut. She is then measured  around the head and chest and  knots are
          tied to mark  these lengths.The High Priestess rolls up  the cord, and
          asks the candidate:

               "Are you willing to swear the oath?"

          The candidate answers:   "I am."

          The High Priestess asks:

               "Are you willing to suffer to learn?"

          The candidate answers:   "Yes."




                                            74
          




          The  High Priestess  takes the  apprentice's hand,  and with  a needle
          properly purified by fire and water, pricks her finger,squeezing a few
          drops out onto the measure. The candidate then kneels, and places  one
          hand on  her head and the other beneath her  heel and she repeats what
          is read to her. The High Priest says:

                    "This is the Charge of the Coven:
                    That I will keep secret what I am asked to keep   secret,
          and never divulge the names or dwelling places of our people 
          unless by their consent.
                    That I will learn and try to master the Art Magical;
                    but ever remember  the rune: "What good be the tools without
                    the inner light? What good be magic without wisdom sight?"
                    That in due course I will strive to find a worthy pupil in 
                              magic,to whominfutureyearsIcanhanddowntheknowledge
                    I acquire.
                    That  I will  never use  the Art  Magical merely  to impress
          foolish persons, nor for any wrongful end.
                    That I  will help the Craft of the Wise, and hold it's honor
                    as I would my own.
                    That I consider these vows taken before the Elder Gods;
                    and that if I betray this Charge I accept as my just reward
                              thatretribution
                                            ofdestinywhichovertakes
                                                                  thosewhobasely
                            betraythe trustandconfidence thatothershave placedin
          them.  Know that none can escape the fate, be it curse or 
          blessing, which they make for themselves,    either in this      life
          or in another life.

          The High Priestess says:
               "Repeat after  me: 'I,  ________,  do of  my own  free will  most
          solemnly  swear to protect, help and defend my sisters and brothers of
          the Art and to keep the Coven's Charge.
               I always keep secret all that must not be revealed.
               This do I swear on my mother's womb and my hopes of future lives,
                  mindful that my measurehas been taken, andin the presence of  
          the Mighty Ones.'
               All between my two hands belongs to the Goddess."

          The candidate repeats the oath. The Coven shouts:

               "So mote it be!"

          The High Priest says:

               "Arise and be anointed"



                                            75
          




          The High Priest then makes an X  mark on the initiates forehead,breast
          and genitals while saying:

               "May your mind be free. May your heart be free. May your  body be
          free.
                   I give you the Craft name of ______"

          The rest of the Coven members grab her suddenly, lift  her if possible
          and  carry her three times around  the Circle, laughing and shrieking.
          They then lay  her face down before  the altar and press her  into the
          ground. Gradually the pressure changes to stroking. They chant her new
          name, raising a Cone of Power over her. The blind fold is removed  and
          she is told:

               "Know that the hands that have touched you are the hands of love.
          Thus are  all first brought  into the  world, and thus  are all  first
          brought into the Coven."

          The Charge of  the Goddess is  spoken and any other  myths, mysteries,
          and  secrets are revealed. She is also told the Coven names of all the
          members. The High Priestess returns the measure, saying:

               "In the Burning  Times, when each  member of  the Coven held  the
          lives of the others in  their hands, this would have been  kept and be
          used against you should you endanger the     others. But in these more
          fortunate times, love and trust prevail, so take this, keep it or burn
          it, and be free to  go or to stay as your heart leads you."

          The service goes on as usual, be  it New or Full Moon or Sabbat.Before
          the Circle  is opened, the new  initiate is taken to  the four corners
          again and introduced to the Guardians again.

          Starhawk; "The Spiral Dance: Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of  t h e
          Goddess"; HarperRow 1979
          Valiente, Doreen; "Witchcraft for Tomorrow"; Phoenix Publishing 1985

          Transcribed to computer file by Seastrider











                                            76
          



                                     NEO-PAGAN RITUAL

          #1619  05 Aug 85  22:48:33 (RECV'D) 
          From: Curly Howard  To: Da Sysop 
          See also msg # 17  
          Subject: NEO-PAGANISM 
          Alright,  I don't want  to sound dumb,  but I have no  idea what these
          rituals entail. What goes on during these, and what is their purpose ?
                                           Curly Howard 
           
          #1719  06 Aug 85  11:59:57 (RECV'D) 
          From: Brad Hicks  REPLY To: Curly Howard 
          Reply to msg # 16    See also msg # 18  
          Subject: NEOPAGAN RITUAL 
           
                Boy, youdon't ask the easyones.  Dr. Regardie takes12 volumes to
          answer this one; Aleister  Crowley, 13 or so; Isaac Bonewits, two (and
          that's only introductory).   
            
                I'lltry to summarize, but ifyou're really interested, track down
          Starhawk's THE SPIRAL DANCE for further details.  Most scholars divide
          ritual into two classes:  1)  theurgic, and 2) thaumaturgic.  In fancy
          words,  this means that  either you are  praying to make  your self "a
          better person" or "closer to God/ess" or "to be saved from your sins",
          or you  are praying for the  God/ess to intervene in  the world around
          you - prayers for peace, for money, for health, etc.   
            
                Neopagan ritual partakes of  both aspects, to some extent.  In a
          typical ritual, various  techniques (as old as  humanity) are used  to
          "raise the  power," then the power is focused via  magickal symbols to
          contact  the God(s)  and/or  Goddess(es) who  are  being called  upon.
          He/She/They take that  magickal energy, augment it,  and return it  to
          the circle.   The  High Priest/ess  then focuses  that  energy on  the
          target  - the  object or  person to  be  affected, if  any -  then any
          energies that remain  (or the total  energy, if  there is no  magickal
          target) are returned to the Gods, via a processes called "grounding." 
            












                                            77
          




                To paraphrase UncleIsaac's wonderful book onthe subject, youhave
          the wind-up, the pitch, and the follow-through.   
            
                The windup uses any ritual techniques that are appropriate to a)
          the  setting,  b) the  purpose of  the  ritual, c)  the  deities being
          contacted, and d) the skills of  the participants.  The universals are
          chanting, dance, and "ritual theatre."  There are, of course, others. 
           
                The "pitch" uses beautiful, poetic imagery in guided meditations
          and ritual movement.   Occasionally (if possible), this uses music and
          dance.   Once the  gods  are contacted  and the  energy  flows, it  is
          concentrated  in an object - usually  cakes and wine, but occasionally
          by  other   means  -   and  distributed,   symbolically  to   all  the
          participants.   Having partaken of the  energy thus raised, the guided
          meditations direct the  people in focusing their energy on the purpose
          at hand.   
            
                Finally,   the  High   Priest  or   Priestess  goes   through  a
          "follow-through",   which  involves   dissolving  the   "group  mind",
          reassuring  people that what we have worked is done and was effective,
          and then "grounding" any loose energies, so that when the group leaves
          the ritual circle, they are back in their normal minds.   
            
                As I write, it occurs to me thatthe real answer to your question
          lies in that last sentence  - "back in their normal minds."   Neopagan
          ritual  is a  collection  of tools  and techniques  for  altering your
          consciousness, temporarily,  to a place  where the Gods  and Goddesses
          are real and near, where  we as their children and lovers  and friends
          can worship them, and where the magick  we work can come true.  Having
          convinced ourselves  of this, we act  on it, then return  to our daily
          lives refreshed.   
            
                (Gods, what a bunch of gibberish! You would have been better off
          reading the books!)  
            
                Anyway, I tried.  Anyone else  (esp. Black Dragon if he shows up
          again, as he's worked at  least as much ritual as I)  please feel free
          to add or comment.  Was this the kind of answer you wanted, Curly?   
            
                             - Reverend Talespinner, O.S.C. 
                               Clan Destiny Chapel of Eris & Dionysus 
                               (aka, Brad Hicks) 






                                            78
          



                             A Celebration of  M A Y   D A Y 
              
                             --by Gwydion Cinhil Kirontin 
              
                           *     *     *     *     *     * 
                          "Perhaps its just as well that you 
                        won't be here...to be offended by the 
                         sight of our May Day celebrations." 
                           --Lord Summerisle to Sgt. Howie 
                                from "The Wicker Man" 
                           *     *     *     *     *     * 
              
              There are four great festivals of the Pagan Celtic year and  
          the modern Witch's calendar, as well.  The two greatest of these  
          are Halloween (the beginning of winter) and May Day (the  
          beginning of summer).  Being opposite each other on the wheel of  
          the year, they separate the year into halves.  Halloween (also  
          called Samhain) is the Celtic New Year and is generally  
          considered the more important of the two, though May Day runs a  
          close second.  Indeed, in some areas -notably Wales - it is  
          considered the great holiday.   
              
              May Day ushers in the fifth month of the modern calendar  
          year, the month of May.  This month is named in honor of the  
          goddess Maia, originally a Greek mountain nymph, later identified  
          as the most beautiful of the Seven Sisters, the Pleiades.  By  
          Zeus, she is also the mother of Hermes, god of magic.  Maia's  
          parents were Atlas and Pleione, a sea nymph.   
              
              The old Celtic name for May Day is Beltane (in its most  
          popular Anglicized form), which is derived from the Irish Gaelic  
          "Bealtaine" or the Scottish Gaelic "Bealtuinn", meaning "Bel- 
          fire", the fire of the Celtic god of light (Bel, Beli or  
          Belinus).  He, in turn, may be traced to the Middle Eastern god  
          Baal.   
              
              Other names for May Day include: Cetsamhain ("opposite  
          Samhain"), Walpurgisnacht (in Germany), and Roodmas (the medieval  
          Church's name).  This last came from Church Fathers who were  
          hoping to shift the common people's allegiance from the Maypole  
          (Pagan lingam - symbol of life) to the Holy Rood (the Cross -  
          Roman instrument of death).   







                                            79
          



              
              Incidentally, there is no historical justification for  
          calling May 1st "Lady Day".  For hundreds of years, that title  
          has been proper to the Vernal Equinox (approx. March 21st),  
          another holiday sacred to the Great Goddess.  The nontraditional  
          use of "Lady Day" for May 1st is quite recent (within the last 15  
          years), and seems to be confined to America, where it has gained  
          widespread acceptance among certain segments of the Craft  
          population.  This rather startling departure from tradition would  
          seem to indicate an unfamiliarity with European calendar customs,  
          as well as a lax attitude toward scholarship among too many  
          Pagans.  A simple glance at a dictionary ("Webster's 3rd" or  
          O.E.D.), encyclopedia ("Benet's"), or standard mythology  
          reference (Jobe's "Dictionary of Mythology, Folklore & Symbols")  
          would confirm the correct date for Lady Day as the Vernal  
          Equinox.   
              
              By Celtic reckoning, the actual Beltane celebration begins on  
          sundown of the preceding day, April 30, because the Celts always  
          figured their days from sundown to sundown.  And sundown was the  
          proper time for Druids to kindle the great Bel-fires on the tops  
          of the nearest beacon hill (such as Tara Hill, Co. Meath, in  
          Ireland).  These "need-fires" had healing properties, and sky- 
          clad Witches would jump through the flames to ensure protection.   
              
                           *     *     *     *     *     *  
                           Sgt. Howie (shocked):  "But they  
                           are naked!" 
                           Lord Summerisle:  "Naturally.   
                           It's much too dangerous to jump  
                           through the fire with your  
                           clothes on!" 
                           *     *     *     *     *     * 
              
              Frequently, cattle would be driven between two such bon-fires  
          (oak wood was the favorite fuel for them) and, on the morrow,  
          they would be taken to their summer pastures.   
              
              Other May Day customs include: processions of chimney-sweeps  
          and milk maids, archery tournaments, morris dances, sword dances,  
          feasting, music, drinking, and maidens bathing their faces in the  
          dew of May morning to retain their youthful beauty.   







                                            80
          



              
              In the words of Witchcraft writers Janet and Stewart Farrar,  
          the Beltane celebration was principly a time of "...unashamed  
          human sexuality and fertility."  Such associations include the  
          obvious phallic symbolism of the Maypole and riding the hobby  
          horse.  Even a seemingly innocent children's nursery rhyme, "Ride  
          a cock horse to Banburry Cross..." retain such memories.  And the  
          next line "...to see a fine Lady on a white horse" is a reference  
          to the annual ride of "Lady Godiva" though Coventry.  Every year  
          for nearly three centuries, a sky-clad village maiden (elected  
          Queen of the May) enacted this Pagan rite, until the Puritans put  
          an end to the custom.   
              
              The Puritans, in fact, reacted with pious horror to most of  
          the May Day rites, even making Maypoles illegal in 1644.  They  
          especially attempted to suppress the "greenwood marriages" of  
          young men and women who spent the entire night in the forest,  
          staying out to greet the May sunrise, and bringing back boughs of  
          flowers and garlands to decorate the village the next morning.   
          One angry Puritan wrote that men "doe use commonly to runne into  
          woodes in the night time, amongst maidens, to set bowes, in so  
          muche, as I have hearde of tenne maidens whiche went to set May,  
          and nine of them came home with childe."  And another Puritan  
          complained that, of the girls who go into the woods, "not the  
          least one of them comes home again a virgin."  
              
              Long after the Christian form of marriage (with its  
          insistence on sexual monogamy) had replaced the older Pagan  
          handfasting, the rules of strict fidelity were always relaxed for  
          the May Eve rites.  Names such as Robin Hood, Maid Marion, and  
          Little John played an important part in May Day folklore, often  
          used as titles for the dramatis personae of the celebrations.   
          And modern surnames such as Robinson, Hodson, Johnson, and Godkin  
          may attest to some distant May Eve spent in the woods.   
              
              These wildwood antics have inspired writers such as Kipling:  
                        Oh, do not tell the Priest our plight, 
                            Or he would call it a sin; 
                        But we have been out in the woods all night, 
                            A-conjuring Summer in! 
              








                                            81
          



          And Lerner and Lowe: 
                           It's May!  It's May! 
                           The lusty month of May!... 
                           Those dreary vows that ev'ryone takes, 
                           Ev'ryone breaks. 
                           Ev'ryone makes divine mistakes! 
                           The lusty month of May! 
              
              It is certainly no accident that Queen Guinevere's  
          "abduction" by Meliagrance occurs on May 1st when she and the  
          court have gone a-Maying, or that the usually efficient Queen's  
          guard, on this occasion, rode unarmed.   
              
              Some of these customs seem virtually identical to the old  
          Roman feast of flowers, the Floriala, three days of unrestrained  
          sexuality which began at sundown April 28th and reached a  
          crescendo on May 1st.   
              
              By the way, due to various calendrical changes down through  
          the centuries, the traditional date of Beltane is not the same as  
          its astrological date.  This date, like all astronomically  
          determined dates, may vary by a day or two depending on the year.   
          However, it may be calculated easily enough by determining the  
          date on which the sun is at 15 degrees Taurus.  British Witches  
          often refer to this date as Old Beltane, and folklorists call it  
          Beltane O.S. ("Old Style").  Some Covens prefer to celebrate on  
          the old date and, at the very least, it gives one options.  If a  
          Coven is operating on "Pagan Standard Time" and misses May 1st  
          altogether, it can still throw a viable Beltane bash as long as  
          it's before this date.  This may also be a consideration for  
          Covens that need to organize activities around the week-end.   
              

















                                            82
          



              This date has long been considered a "power point" of the  
          Zodiac, and is symbolized by the Bull, one of the four  
          "tetramorph" figures featured on the Tarot cards the World and  
          the Wheel of Fortune.  (The other three are the Lion, the Eagle,  
          and the Spirit.) Astrologers know these four figures as the  
          symbols of the four "fixed" signs of the Zodiac (Taurus, Leo,  
          Scorpio, and Aquarius, respectively), and these naturally align  
          with the four Great Sabbats of Witchcraft.  Christians have  
          adopted the same iconography to represent the four gospel- 
          writers.   
              
              But for most, it is May 1st that is the great holiday of  
          flowers, Maypoles, and greenwood frivolity.  It is no wonder  
          that, as recently as 1977, Ian Anderson could pen the following  
          lyrics for Jethro Tull:  
              
                      For the May Day is the great day, 
                      Sung along the old straight track. 
                      And those who ancient lines did ley 
                      Will heed this song that calls them back. 
                                        THE END 




























                                            83
          



                             MIDWINTER NIGHT'S EVE:   Y U L E 
                             ================================ 
                                      by Mike Nichols
           
           
                  Our  Christian  friends  are  often  quite  surprised  at  how
          enthusiastically  we Pagans  celebrate the  'Christmas' season.   Even
          though we prefer to use the word 'Yule', and our celebrations may peak
          a  few days  BEFORE  the  25th,  we nonetheless  follow  many  of  the
          traditional  customs  of  the  season:   decorated  trees,  carolling,
          presents,  Yule  logs, and  mistletoe.   We might  even  go so  far as
          putting  up  a  'Nativity  set',  though  for  us  the  three  central
          characters are likely to be interpreted as Mother Nature, 
          Father  Time, and  the Baby  Sun-God.   None of  this will  come  as a
          surprise  to anyone  who knows  the  true history  of the  holiday, of
          course. 
           
                  In fact, if truth be known,the holiday of Christmas has always
          been  more Pagan  than  Christian, with  it's  associations of  Nordic
          divination, Celtic fertility  rites, and Roman Mithraism.  That is why
          both  Martin Luther  and  John Calvin  abhorred it,  why  the Puritans
          refused to acknowledge it, much less  celebrate it (to them, no day of
          the year could  be more holy  than the Sabbath),  and why it was  even
          made  ILLEGAL  in  Boston!    The  holiday  was  already  too  closely
          associated with the birth of older Pagan gods and heroes.  And many of
          them  (like  Oedipus,  Theseus, Hercules,  Perseus,  Jason,  Dionysus,
          Apollo, Mithra, Horus and even Arthur) possessed a narrative of birth,
          death, and resurrection that was uncomfortably close to that of Jesus.
          And  to  make  matters worse,  many  of them  pre-dated  the Christian
          Savior. 
           
                  Ultimately,of course, the holiday isrooted deeply in the cycle
          of  the year.   It is  the Winter  Solstice that  is being celebrated,
          seed-time  of the year, the longest night and shortest day.  It is the
          birthday of the new  Sun King, the Son of God --  by whatever name you
          choose to  call him.  On  this darkest of nights,  the Goddess becomes
          the Great  Mother and once  again gives birth.   And it  makes perfect
          poetic sense  that on the longest night of the winter, 'the dark night
          of our souls', there springs the new spark of hope, the Sacred Fire, 
          the Light of the World, the Coel Coeth. 
           








                                            84
          



              That is why Pagans have as much right to claim this holiday as 
          Christians.  Perhaps even more so, as  the Christians were rather late
          in laying  claim to it, and tried more than  once to reject it.  There
          had been a tradition in the West that Mary bore the child Jesus on the
          twenty-fifth day,  but no  one  could seem  to  decide on  the  month.
          Finally, in 320 C.E., the Catholic Fathers in Rome decided  to make it
          December,  in an  effort  to co-opt  the Mithraic  celebration  of the
          Romans and the Yule celebrations of the Celts and Saxons. 
           
                  There wasnever much pretensethat the datethey finally chosewas
          historically  accurate.  Shepherds  just don't  'tend their  flocks by
          night' in the high pastures in the dead of winter!  But if  one wishes
          to use the  New Testament as historical  evidence, this reference  may
          point to sometime in the spring as the time of Jesus's birth.  This is
          because  the lambing season occurs in the  spring and that is the only
          time when shepherds are likely to  'watch their flocks by night' -- to
          make sure  the lambing goes well.   Knowing this, the  Eastern half of
          the  Church continued  to reject  December 25,  preferring  a 'movable
          date' fixed by their astrologers according to the moon. 
           
                  Thus, despite itsshaky start (for over three centuries, no one
          knew when Jesus  was supposed to have been born!), December 25 finally
          began  to catch on.  By  529, it was a civic  holiday, and all work or
          public business (except that of cooks, bakers, or any that contributed
          to  the  delight  of  the  holiday)  was  prohibited  by  the  Emperor
          Justinian.  In 563, the Council of Braga forbade fasting on  Christmas
          Day, and four years later  the Council of Tours proclaimed  the twelve
          days from December  25 to Epiphany as a sacred,  festive season.  This
          last point is  perhaps the hardest to impress upon  the modern reader,
          who is lucky to get  a single day off work.  Christmas,  in the Middle
          Ages, was  not a SINGLE day, but rather a  period of TWELVE days, from
          December 25 to January 6.  The Twelve Days  of Christmas, in fact.  It
          is  certainly  lamentable that  the  modern world  has  abandoned this
          approach, along with the popular Twelfth Night celebrations. 
           














                                            85
          



              Of course, the Christian version of the holiday spread to many 
          countries  no  faster  than  Christianity  itself,  which  means  that
          'Christmas' wasn't celebrated in Ireland until the late fifth century;
          in  England, Switzerland,  and Austria  until the seventh;  in Germany
          until the eighth; and in  the Slavic lands until the ninth  and tenth.
          Not that these countries  lacked their own mid-winter  celebrations of
          Yuletide.  Long  before the world had heard of  Jesus, Pagans had been
          observing the season by bringing  in the Yule log, wishing on  it, and
          lighting it from the remains of last year's log.  Riddles were 
          posed and answered, magic and rituals were practiced, wild boars were 
          sacrificed and consumed along with large quantities of liquor, corn 
          dollies were carried  from house to  house while carolling,  fertility
          rites  were practiced (girls standing under  a sprig of mistletoe were
          subject to a bit more  than a kiss), and divinations were cast for the
          coming  Spring.   Many  of these  Pagan customs,  in  an appropriately
          watered-down   form,   have  entered   the  mainstream   of  Christian
          celebration, though most  celebrants do not realize (or do not mention
          it, if they do) their origins. 

                  For modern Witches, Yule (from the Anglo-Saxon 'Yula', meaning
          'wheel'  of  the  year) is  usually  celebrated on  the  actual Winter
          Solstice, which may vary by a few days, though it usually occurs on or
          around December 21st.  It is a Lesser Sabbat or Lower Holiday in 
          the modern Pagan calendar,  one of the four quarter-days of  the year,
          but a very important one.  This year (1988) it occurs on December 21st
          at 9:28 am  CST.  Pagan customs  are still enthusiastically  followed.
          Once, the Yule  log had been the  center of the  celebration.  It  was
          lighted on the eve of the solstice (it should light  on the first try)
          and must be kept burning  for twelve hours, for good luck.   It should
          be made of  ash.  Later, the  Yule log was  replaced by the Yule  tree
          but, instead  of burning it,  burning candles were  placed on it.   In
          Christianity, Protestants might claim that Martin Luther invented the 
          custom,  and Catholics  might grant  St. Boniface  the honor,  but the
          custom can  demonstrably be traced  back through the  Roman Saturnalia
          all the way to ancient Egypt.   Needless to say, such a tree should be
          cut down rather than purchased, and should be disposed  of by burning,
          the proper way to dispatch any sacred object. 
           











                                            86
          



              Along with the evergreen, the holly and the ivy and the mistletoe 
          were important plants of the season, all symbolizing fertility and 
          everlasting life.  Mistletoe was especially venerated by the Celtic 
          Druids, who  cut it  with a golden  sickle on the  sixth night  of the
          moon,  and believed  it  to  be an  aphrodisiac.   (Magically  --  not
          medicinally!  It's highly toxic!)  But aphrodisiacs must have been the
          smallest  part of the Yuletide menu  in ancient times, as contemporary
          reports indicate that  the tables fairly creaked  under the strain  of
          every type of good food.  And drink!  The most popular of which was 
          the 'wassail cup'  deriving its name from  the Anglo-Saxon term  'waes
          hael' (be whole or hale). 
           
                  Medieval Christmasfolklore seems endless: that animalswill all
          kneel down  as the Holy Night arrives, that bees hum the '100th psalm'
          on Christmas Eve, that a windy Christmas will bring good  luck, that a
          person born on Christmas Day can see the Little People, that a cricket
          on the hearth brings good luck, that if one opens all the doors of the
          house at midnight all the evil spirits will depart, that you will have
          one lucky month for each  Christmas pudding you sample, that the  tree
          must  be taken down  by Twelfth Night  or bad luck is  sure to follow,
          that  'if Christmas on a Sunday be, a windy winter we shall see', that
          'hours of sun on  Christmas Day, so many frosts in  the month of May',
          that one can use the Twelve Days of Christmas to predict the weather 
          for each of the twelve months of the coming year, and so on. 
           
              Remembering that most Christmas customs are ultimately based upon 
          older  Pagan customs,  it only  remains for  modern Pagans  to reclaim
          their lost traditions.  In doing  so, we can share many common customs
          with  our   Christian  friends,  albeit  with   a  slightly  different
          interpretation.   And  thus we all  share in  the beauty  of this most
          magical of seasons, when the Mother Goddess once again gives birth 
          to  the baby Sun-God and sets the  wheel in motion again.  To conclude
          with a long-overdue paraphrase, 'Goddess bless us, every one!' 
           
           














                                            87
          



                                  WINTER SOLSTICE OR YULE
           
               The High Priestess says: 
           
               "This is  the night  of the  solstice, the longest  night of  the
          year.  Now darkness  triumphs;  and yet,  gives way  and  changes into
          light. The breath  of nature is suspended: all waits  while within the
          Cauldron, the Dark King is transformed into the Infant Light. We watch
          for the coming of dawn, when the Great Mother again gives birth to the
          Divine Child  Sun, who is bringer  of hope and the  promise of summer.
          This  is the  stillness  behind motion,  when time  itself  stops; the
          center is also the circumference of all. We are awake in the night. We
          turn the Wheel  to bring the light. We  call the sun from the  womb of
          night. Blessed Be!" 
           
               Purify, cast the  circle, but do not light the candles.Invoke the
          Goddess and God. All sit down, and begin an antiphonal chant. All: 
           
               "To die and be reborn, 
               The Wheel is turning, 
               What must you lose to the  night? (repeat)" 
           
          Covener:  "Fear." 
           
          All: 
               "Fear is lost to the night. 
               Fear is lost to the night. 
               To die and be reborn, 
               The Wheel is turning, 
               What must you lose to the night?" 
           
               Continue  interjecting lines  and echoing  each other,  until the
          energy  dies away.  Stand up  and link  hands. The High  Priest stands
          before the altar, holding and animal  skull filled with salt. The High
          Priestess leads a  slow, spiral procession, that first  snakes outward
          so  that each  member is  brought to  face the  High Priest.  They are
          chanting: 
           
               "The light was born,     
               And the light has died." (repeat) 
           
          Another Priestess whispers, 
           
               "Everything passes,  
               All fades away.      (repeat) 




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          The High Priest  places a pinch  of salt  on each member's  tongue,and
          says: 
           
               "My body is salt, 
               Taste the breath of death." 
           
               The High Priestess leads the spiral inward, until the members are
          huddled  together. She  leads an  improvised trance  induction, slowly
          suggesting that they crumble to the  Earth and sleep. As all lie down,
          they are sent into a deeper trance with a multivoiced induction. As it
          fades out, they are told, 
           
               "You are entering a space of perfect freedom." 
           
               Time  is allowed  for trance  in the  state of  suspension before
          birth. 
           
               The High Priestess  approaches one of the coveners, stands by her
          head  with her legs  apart, and pulls  her through,symbolically giving
          her  birth. She  becomes part  of the birth  canal; they  continue the
          process  with the other coveners, the  birth canal growing longer. The
          men of the coven take  the newborns one by one and lay  them back down
          to sleep, telling them: 
           
               "Sleep the sleep of the newborn." 
           
               As  all  sink   back  into  trance,  they   are  guided  into   a
          visualization of  their  hopes for  their new  life to  come.Priestess
          smear honey on their tongues, one by one, saying: 
           
               "Taste the sweetness of life." 

















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               A new chant begins softly, builds in  power as it gradually wakes
          the sleepers, who join in on repeating lines: 
           
               "Set sail, set sail, 
               Follow the twilight to the West, 
               Where you may rest. 
           
               Set sail, set sail, 
               Turn your face where the sun grows dim, 
               Beyond the rim, beyond the rim. 
           
               Set sail, set sail, 
               One thing becomes another, 
               In the Mother, in the Mother. 
           
               Set sail, set sail, 
               Make of your heart a burning fire, 
               Build it higher, Build it higher. 
           
               Set sail, set sail, 
               Pass in an instant through the open gate, 
               It will not wait, it will not wait. 
           
               Set sail, set sail, 
               Over the dark of the sunless sea, 
               You are free, you are free. 
           
               Set sail, set sail, 
               Guiding the ship of the rising sun, 
                  You are the one, you are the one. 
           
               Set sail, set sail, 
               Into the raging wind and storm, 
               To be reborn, to be reborn. 
           
               Set sail, set sail, 
               Over the waves where the spray blows white, 
               To bring the light, to bring the light. 
           
          All: 
               We are awake in the night! 
               We turn the Wheel, to bring the light! 
               We call the sun from the womb of night!" 





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          The High Priestess says: 
           
               "He sets his face to the West, but in the East arises!" 
           
          All: "Who is that?" 
           
          P:   "Who goes down in darkness?" 
           
          All: "Who is that?" 
           
          P:   "Who sails?" 
           
          All: "Who is that?" 
           
          P:   "The Renewer." 
           
          All: "Who is that?" 
           
          P:   "Who brings the golden fruit." 
           
          All: "Who is that?" 
           
          P:   "Unstained." 
           
          All: "Who is that?" 
           
          P:   "Whose hands are open?" 
           
          All: "Who is that?" 
           
          P:   "Whose eyes are bright?" 
           
          ll: "Who is that?" 
           
          P:   "Whose face is shining?" 
           
          All: "Who is that?" 
           
          P:   "Mornings hope." 
           
          All: "Who is that?" 
           
          P:   "Who passes the gate?" 
           
          All: "Who is that?" 
           


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          P:   "Who returns in light?" 
           
          All: "Who is that?" 
           
          P:   "A glow between twin pillars." 
           
          All: "Who is that?" 
           
          P:   "A cry between thighs." 
           
          All: "Io! Evohe! Io! Evohe!" 
           
          High Priestess: (leading, repeated by all) 
           
               "Queen of the sun! 
               Queen of the Moon! 
               Queen of the horns! 
               Queen of the fires! 
               Bring to us the Child of Promise! 
           
               It is the Great Mother 
               Who gives birth to Him, 
               It is the Lord of Life, 
               Who is born again! 
               Darkness and tears 
               Are set aside, 
               When the sun comes up again! 
           
               Golden sun, 
               Of hill and field, 
               Light the earth! 
               Light the skies! 
               Light the waters! 
               Light the fires! 
           
          All: Io! Evohe! Io! Evohe!" 
           
          The  High Priest  lights the  fire and  point  candles, and  all begin
          chanting: 
               "I who have died am alive again today, 
               And this is the sun's birthday! (repeat) 
           
               This is the birthday of life and love and wings, 
               And the gay great happening illimitably earth. 
           
               We are born again, we shall live again! (repeat). 
               The Sun Child, the Winterborn King!" 


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          Build  a Power Chant, focused on  reawakening life. Share feasting and
          friendship,  ideally until  dawn.  Before ending,  the High  Priestess
          says: 
           
               "The Dark God has passed the Gate, 
               He has been reborn through the Mother, 
               With Him we are each reborn!" 
           
          All: 
               "The tide has turned! 
               The light will come again! 
               In a new dawn, in a new day, 
               The sun is rising! 
               Io! Evohe! Blessed Be!" 
           
          Open the Circle. 
            
          Starhawk; "The Spiral Dance: Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of  t h e
          Goddess"; HarperRow 1979 
           




























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                                      YULE IN BRITAIN
          Copyright 1987, Tana Culain 
           
          Midwinter has long been a traditional time for celebration and 
          merrymaking in Britain. All of the activities at midwinter were 
          meant to ensure that the season would renew itself and the days 
          would begin to grow longer again. Greenery was brought into 
          decorate the house: evergreen to symbolize the promise of life to 
          come even in the darkest winter; the mistletoe, believed to hold 
          the life of the host tree even when the tree itself appeared to 
          be dead in winter; and the holly and ivy, symbols of male and 
          female, both of course necessary for new life. Carols, some of 
          which survive to this day, such as the Gower Wassail, were sung. 
          The earliest carols consisted of taking hands and singing while 
          dancing in a ring or around a bush, May tree, or even an apple 
          tree (as in the case of the Apple Tree Wassail, sung in hopes of 
          a good crop of cider the following year).  
            
          The Wassail Carols in particular date back to the Viking 
          invasions of England, about 700 A.D. , when the greeting was Ves 
          heill. By Anglo-Saxon times, the greeting had evolved into Waes 
          thu hal, meaning "be whole" or "good health". The response was 
          "drink  hail" , meaning "I drink and good luck be to you". People 
          would travel from house to house in the village bringing good 
          wishes and carrying an empty bowl. The master of the house being 
          wassailed was expected to fill the bowl with a hot spicy ale and 
          then it would be passed around to the carolers. 
           
          Midwinter was also a time for exchanging gifts and for feasting. 
          Turkey only dates to the 1500's. Much more common were boar, 
          geese, capons, swans, and pheasants. Minced pies were originally 
          made with meat, and with the coming of spices to England during 
          the Crusades, plum pudding became quite the traditional dish. 
          Plum pudding makes a great dish for cakes and wine in the Yule 
          circle, especially if you pour warmed brandy over it and set it 
          afire before the blessing. 
           












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          While I am writing about midwinter customs in Britain because our 
          heritage in .K.A.M. is largely Celtic in origin, the Isles do not 
          have a monopoly on Yule. The Romans celebrated Saturnalia for 
          seven days around the Solstice, and it was a time to look ahead 
          and rejoice in the longer days to come. Slaves and masters 
          switched places at table, and presents were exchanged. The 
          Persian Mithraists held December 25th as sacred to the birth of 
          their Sun God, Mithras, and celebrated it as a victory of light 
          over darkness. And in Sweden, December 13th was sacred to the 
          Goddess Lucina, Shining One, and was a celebration of the return 
          of the light. On Yule itself, around the 21st, bonfires were lit 
          to honor Odin and Thor. 
           
          Midwinter has always been a Pagan holiday, so much so that during 
          the 1600's the Christian Christmas was recognized as a 
          celebration based on Pagan customs and was outlawed in England 
          and many of the colonies in America. 
           
          (Text version of the Journal has "Gower Wassail" here) 
           
          A Monthly Rune (Traditional) 
           
          January   By this fire I warm my hands 
          February  And with my spade I delve my lands 
          March     Here I set my seeds to spring 
          April     And here I hear the birds to sing 
          May       I am as light as bird in the treetop 
          June      And I take pains to weed my crop 
          July      With my scythe my mead I mow 
          August    And here I shear my corn full low 
          September With my flail I earn my bread 
          October   And here I sow my wheat so red (Winter wheat) 
          November  At Martinmas I kill my swine * 
          December  And at Yule I drink red wine 
           
          * Martinmas, November 11, is a christianization of the Pagan 
          Celtic Hallows when the herds were culled 
           
           










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          Recipe for Wassail for 8 
           
          3 red apples 
          3 oz brown sugar 
          2 pints brown ale, apple cider, or hard cider 
          1/2 pint dry sherry or dry white wine 
          1/4 tsp cinnamon 
          1/4 teaspoon ginger 
          strips of lemon peel 
           
          Core and heat apples with brown sugar and some of the ale or 
          cider in an oven for 30 minutes.  Put in large pan and add rest 
          of spices and lemon peel, simmer on stove top of 5 minutes. Add 
          most of the alcohol at the last minute so it heats up but does 
          not evaporate. Burgundy and brandy  can be substituted to the ale 
          and sherry. White sugar and halved oranges may also be added to 
          taste. 
































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          Plum Pudding 
           
          1/4 lb. flour 
          1/4 lb. currants 
          1 tsp. salt 
          1/4 lb. sultanas (small raisins) 
          1 tsp. allspice 
          2 cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped 
          1 tsp. ginger 
          1 ounce cut mixed (citrus) peel 
          1 tsp. cinnamon 
          2 oz. shredded almonds 
          pinch fresh grated nutmeg 
          Juice and grated rind of 1 orange and 1 lemon 
          1/4 lb. fresh breadcrumbs 
          1/4 lb. molasses (treacle) 
          1/2 lb. shredded suet 
          4 large eggs 
          1/4 lb. brown sugar 
          2 tbsp. brandy 
          1/4 lb. dried chopped apricots 
          1/4 lb. prunes 
          1/4 lb dates 
           
           
          Sift flour, salt and spices into a large bowl. Stir in 
          breadcrumbs, suet and sugar. Add fruits, peel and rind. Beat 
          lemon and orange juice, molasses and eggs together and add to 
          other ingredients.  Steam for 6 hours -- a coffee tin filled with 
          the mixture and placed in a steamer in a covered pan does well.  
          A little vinegar and lemon juice in the water will prevent the 
          pan from discoloration.  After steaming cover in a cool place and 
          let age as long as possible -- usually about 5 weeks.  To serve, 
          re-steam for another 3 hours.  Remove from tin, douse with warm 
          brandy and set it ablaze! 
           
          If you haven't got six weeks before Yule to prepare a proper 
          pudding (I never do) a tinned one from Crosse & Blackwell will do 
          fine. Just be sure to always heat the pudding first, no matter 
          who made it, or all the warmed brandy in the world won't help. 
          And don't forget the hard sauce! 








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                     WITCHES LESSER BANISHING RITUAL OF THE PENTAGRAM
                                       by Paul Hume

          The following text was an addendum to some Wiccan friends of  mine 
          written in 1986.  It followed a fairly standard instruction  in the 
          Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, with which they  were not 
          familiar.  We were feeling out some linking techniques  leading to a 
          proposed joint ritual involving several Wiccans and  two ceremonial 
          qabalists (one Thelemite - ie. myself, and  another).  While events 
          conspired to torpedo this project, some  interesting ideas came along 
          on  both sides.   The goal was a  set of   brief rituals meaningful to
          both traditions  which we could  practice  individually, thus building
          up a group current prior to  the date of the proposed rite (Samhain of
          that year).   Herewith my notes on "The Wiccan Pentagram" ritual which
          evolved during this project.  My primary source of God Forms  was Paul
          Huson's  MASTERING WITCHCRAFT which was my  main source of information
          on Wicca at the time  (I've done considerable study elsewhere since). 

           
                                   NON-SOLAR SYMBOLISM  
           
           
          A ritual can  be modified in  many ways, to  refit it for a  different
          set of symbols, for example.  I have taken the liberty of doing  some 
          research into alternate symbols for the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram
          since I know that you work a lunar-feminine current  (Wicca) whereas I
          use more solar-masculine symbols in my  current (Thelemite).  The 
          Qabalistic Cross This might be used as is, though you could use the 
          English if you  don't feel that the Hebrew is relevant.  I am sure you
          recognize  the words as being similar  to the end of the Lord's Prayer
          in the  King James Version:  'Unto thee, the Kingdom and the Power and
          the Glory, forever!  Amen.'  I would point  out that this formula  was
          around a long time before Christ, much less the translators  of the 
          Standard Revised Version of the Bible.  If you dislike such a 
          specifically Christian form, it may be  replaced with the words KETHER
          (KEH-THER), MALKUTH,  GEBURAH, GEDULAH (or Crown, Kingdom, Power, 
          Mercy), the  spheres of occult energy that you are invoking with the 
          Q-Cross. The  mental images  remain the  same.  You  could even  avoid
          these Hebrew symbols entirely, using  Names and formulae more suitable
          to  raising the cone of  power,  which  is what you are  doing here in
          Wiccan terms.  See the  'Wiccan Cross,' below.   
           







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          The principle is:  
               1)  Invoke strongly the presence of the Supreme Creative  
               Principle as you conceive it (or in your case, Her) to be.  
               Your  Name for the Goddess as Creatrix would be most suitable.   
                    2)  Draw down power from this Godhead and projectit through 
          your body  into the  Earth.   Invoke strongly the  Supreme symbol   of
          Creation in your Tradition:  maybe the God - as Son of the  
          Goddess and Lord of the Trees, and as John Barleycorn,  the ever- born
          and dying One.   
                    3)  Establish on yourright side the Active Principle -Yang -
          the Projective Energy of the Universe.  A God image, I should 
          think.   
                    4)Establish on yourleft side thePassive Principle -Yin - the
               Receiving Energy of the Universe.  A Goddess force I feel.   
               5) Strongly visualize yourself at the center of these axes  
               between the Infinities.  This  centers you at the middle of  the 
          Sacred  Space to be  created - the still  point at the  center of the 
          universe.   
            
                                      The Pentagrams 
           
                    Again,the pentagram should be used. This symbol is universal
          to many, many systems of magick, including Wicca, as you know.   The 
          five-pointed star has  supreme power over the Elements:  Spirit, Fire,
          Water,  Air,  and  Earth.   It  drives off  negative    influences and
          attracts positive  ones.  It  is an essential  part of   the rite  and
          there is no symbol that can take its place as  effectively.    
           
                                        The Names  
           
               I prefer using the Hebrew God-Names as is.  In this connection  
          they express formulae that govern the Elements and are no  more 
          religious than E=MC squared.  However, there are  equivalent Wiccan 
          God-Names, which I describe in the next  section, as substitutes for 
          the Archangels.  The use of the same  Names to  activate the stars and
          to invoke the Elemental force is  quite in keeping with the Wiccan 
          tradition, which does not use  the same hierarchical system of 
          God-Name, Archangel, Angel,  Ruler, Spirit, etc. that Qabalism does.  










                                            99
          




                                The Archangelic Invocation  
           
               Instead of the Hebrew Archangels I described, you could use  
          Wiccan Deities to invoke the 'pure' form of the Elements. 
               
          AIR-EAST:  The Air image in Wicca seems to be masculine and  
               relates to Herne, the Black  Man, the messenger of the Gods,  or 
          the Sky  Gods:  Odin, or Lug  as the rising Sun God.   The God can  be
          imagined as riding through the night sky, at the head of the     Wild
          Hunt, or rising above the branches of the world-ash.   Instead  of the
          Sword given to Raphael, the God might carry a     staff, or spear,  or
          wand, which is attributed to Air in most     Wiccan traditions.   
               
          FIRE-SOUTH:  The Fire image is definitely masculine and relates  
               to the Horned God:  Cernunnos,  Lucifer, call Him what you will. 
               He stands in the hot  light of the noonday sun, radiating  fiery 
          energy.  He would bear an Athame or sword, which is the  weapon  o   f
          Fire in most Wiccan styles.   
               
          WATER-WEST:  The Water image is the Maiden, the mistress of  the 
               Moon  and the  Tides:   Aradia, Artemis,  Venus rising from  the 
          waves.   Her image  is lit by  the silver light  of the moon,  upon a 
          tranquil reach of water or the foaming sea. She might hold the 
          chalice, symbol of water (alternatively, the  cauldron might be 
          envisioned).  
               
          EARTH-NORTH:  The Goddess in Her aspect as Earth Mother is  here:  
               Hertha, Habondia,  Demeter.   She  stands  beneath the    golden,
          life-giving sun surrounded by the fruits of the Earth.   Before  her,
          a platter flows with good things of the Earth, for the  
          disk/shield/platter  is the  pentacle,  magick instrument  of Earth.  
          These  are only  bare sketches of  the magickal  images that  a witch 
          might use to replace the Qabalistic images of the traditional  
          pentagram ritual.  I offer them for what they are worth.   
               













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