The Ritual

Casting the Circle Ariel

I cast this circle in the names of Herne, Cerridwen, Hecate and the Morrigan and all the ancient Ones who have gone before. Naught but love shall enter it, naught but love shall emerge from it.

Charge this by your powers Ancient Ones.

Summoning the Guardians of the Watchtowers

Male lights the East lantern and says

Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the East, Ye Lords of Air.

I do summon, stir and call you up to witness our rites and to guard the circle.

Female lights the South lantern and says

Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the south, Ye Lords of Fire.

I do summon, stir and call you up to witness our rites and to guard the circle.

Male lights the West lantern and says

Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the West, Ye Lords of Water

Ye Lords of Death and Initiation.

I do summon, stir and call you up to witness our rites and to guard the circle.

Female lights the North lantern and says

Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the North, Ye Lords of Earth.

Boreas thou guardian of the Northern Portals. Thou powerful God, thou gentle Goddess.

I do summon, stir and call you up to witness our rite and to guard the circle.

Drawing Down the Moon

All stand in a cirlce

Male I invoke thee and call upon thee mighty Mother of us all, bringer of all fruitfulness, by seed and root, by bud and stem, by leaf and flower and fruit, by life and love do I invoke thee to descend upon the body of this thy servant and priestess.

Female O Mother darksome and divine

Mine the scourge and mine the kiss

The five point star of love and bliss

Here I charge you in this sign

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The Charge of the Goddess

Male Let us listen to the words of the Great Mother: -

Female Whenever ye have need of anything, once in the month, and better it be when the moon is full, then shall ye assemble in some secret place and adore the spirit of me, who am Queen of all Witches. There shall ye assemble, ye who are fain to learn all sorcery, yet have not won it’s deepest secrets; to these will I teach things that are yet unknown. And ye shall be free from slavery; and ye shall dance, sing, feast, make music and love, all in my praise.  For mine is the ecstasy of the spirit, and mine also is joy on earth; for my law is love unto all beings. 

Male Keep pure your highest ideal; strive ever towards it; let naught stop you or turn you aside. For mine is the secret door which opens upon the Land of Youth, and mine is the cup of the wine of life, and the Cauldron of Cerridwen, which is the Holy Grail of immortality. I am the gracious Goddess, who gives the gift of joy unto the heart of man. Upon earth, I give the knowledge of the spirit eternal and beyond death, I give peace, and freedom, and reunion with those who have gone before. Nor do I demand sacrifice; for behold, I am the Mother of all living, and my love is poured out upon the earth.

Let us listen to the words of the Star Goddess; -

Female I who am the beauty of the green earth, and the white Moon among the stars, and the mystery of the waters, and the desire of the heart of man, call unto thy soul. Arise and come unto me.  For I am the soul of nature, who gives life to the universe.  From me all things proceed and to me all things must return; and before my face, beloved of Gods and of men, let thine innermost divine self be enfolded in the rapture of the infinite.

Let my worship be within the heart that rejoiceth; for behold all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals. And therefore let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honour and humility, mirth and reverence within you. And though who thinkest to seek for me, know thy seeking and yearning shall avail thee not unless thou knowest the mystery; that if that which thou seekest thou findest not within thee, thou wilt never find it without thee.  For behold, I have been with thee from the beginning; and I am that which is attained at the end of desire.

Invocation of the God

Male Great God Cernunnos, return to earth again!

Come at my call and show thyself to men.

Shepherd of Goats, upon the wild hill’s way,

Lead thy lost flock from darkness into day.

Forgotten are the ways of sleep and night –

Men seek for them whose eyes have lost the light.

Open the door, the door that hath no key,

The door of dreams whereby men come to Thee

Shepherd of Goats, O answer unto me!

Witches Rune Chant

All Darksome night and shining moon,

East, then South, then West, then North;

Hearken to the Witches’ Rune –

Here we come to call ye forth!

Earth and Water, Air and Fire,

Wand and Pentacle and Sword,

Work ye unto our desire,

Hearken ye unto our word!

Cords and censer, scourge and knife,

Powers of the witch’s blade –

Waken all ye into life,

Come ye as the charm is made!

Queen of heaven Queen of hell,

Horned hunter of the night –

Lend your power unto the spell,

And work your will by magic rite!

By all the power of land and sea,

By all the might of moon and sun –

As we do well, so mote it be;

Chant the spell, and it be done!

Female Welcome Great Guardians to our Circle of Light.  In the name of all who dwell within your realms I proclaim that the turning of the year is nigh.

All sit

Prayer to the Horned God – Leader of the Wild Hunt

Male Horned One of the Wilderness

Winged One of the shining skies

Rayed One of the glorious sun

Fallen One of the Samhain cries

I call amidst the standing stones

Praying that you O Ancient One

Will deign to bless my mystic rite

O fiery Lord of the Blazing Sun.

Prayer to the Goddess

Female Hecate Lady of Mystery, high priestess of the concealed Silver Star, divine light that rules in darkness.  Appear to us at this time and dwell in our hearts that we may share in your power and be the true channels of your strength. Bless this rite and grant that the spirits be with us.

Cerridwen, Bri’id our Lady Bright

Harvest Mother, Queen of Night

Horned Cernunnos, Robin, Herne

Be with us as the year doth turn.

Male This is a time that is not a time,

In a place that is not a place,

On a day that is not a day,

Between the worlds

And beyond.

The Samhain Ceremony

Male Lord of the flickering shadows you who are also the Lord of Life, triumphant over death. Open the gates through which all must pass and let those who would return to share the Samhain feast.

Female Now is the ending and beginning of the year. As the snake does curl upon itself and make a never-ending circle so does the year complete the sacred cycle of birth, death and re-birth.  The Lady has given us the last of the harvest and gathered in the bounty of her fertile fields.  Now will she sleep until the seasons call her back to once more birth the Lord of the Sun.  Then she will melt the icy crown of the Hunter and garland him with love as she brings in the spring. But the veils between the worlds are thinnest and the Lady walks between them to take her rest. Snow will blanket her and keep her safe in the arms of the earth while the Hunter is abroad. For now is the time of wintry nights and cold moons touched by tattered clouds.

Male I am the Father of all that is

And many are my names.

I am Master of the Animals

Keeper of the woodlands and trees.

I am Sky-Rider and Storm Bringer

I wield the lightning bolt.

I forges the sword’s steel

I guide the arrow's path.

Hawks sit at my wrist

Stags bound beside me.

I am the double-faced gatekeeper

I am the triple guardian.

I spark the flames of life

I lead to the darkness of death.

I am the strength of the oak

I am crowned with horns of power.

I am Son, Lover, and Sacrifice

I am the Father of all that is.

Now is my dark season come, when I take up the bow and the hunting horn and lead the Wild Hunt across stormy skies. Beware of riding in my train now, for my touch can both inspire and make mad. Only those who travel to the Gates of Death are assured a safe journey. Others must take their chances if they join my wild ride.  But if you would dare [pause] if you have courage [pause] if you would take my hand [pause] You might learn the language of the animals, You might see the fairy folk and dance a round with them. You might listen and learn the secrets of the wind.  You might lift the veil of the moon and know the beauty of her smile. You might ride the night on a great stags back.  You might hear music from a castle dark and dead. You might even be brought back safe and sound to your own bed [pause] with only the dim memory of a horns blast, a far away hunting cry, and, if a maid, perhaps the lingering hint of a kiss upon your lips.

So make your choice and ride the night with me,

If magical wondrous sights you would see.

Some I'll leave behind; others I will bless:

Which I'll do for you , only you can guess.

With baying hound and horn the Wild Hunt flies,

Herne the Hunter rides the dark, midnight skies,

Upon my wrist there sits a falcon bold

Bright eyes like amber set in shining gold.

Lord of the Wildwood

Female A silence lies on the wildwood

The light of the stars grows dim.

The wind has died in the branches

But a shadow moves.  It is him!

Male He is the stag in the moonlight

The stallion alone on the hill.

The bull that paws at the tussocks

The salmon that leaps in the rill.

Each is a part of the Hunter

The godhead that lives in the dark.

Lord of the wild and the hidden

At midnight the small breathing spark.

He is the glory of sunrise

The greenness that rises in Spring.

He is the force of the tempest

The strength in the wild eagles wing.

He is the voice of the panpipes

The power that governs the land

Female But She is his wife and his Mother

And he dwells in the palm of her hand.

  All stand

Honoring the Crone

I am the Crone, the Keeper of Wisdom, Mistress of Magik, Keeper of Riddles.  The knowledge I own I have gained from pain and from joy.  Once I wore the Maidens white and the Queens red cloak, but the flowers have withered and the King is dead.

Male says the lines in normal print – Female the lines in italics

The black of night

I take up

The hue of death

I take up

The cold of winter

I take up

The crown of wisdom

I take up

Female The earth opens at my command the blackness before me. In the underworld, the sorrow world, my love waits behind the locked and bolted gates.  But the power is mine.  Through pain have I gained the answer to the riddle and the gates yield before me.

Male says the lines in normal print – Female the lines in italics

Cloaked in black

I descend

Crowned with wisdom

I descend

Through the ice

I descend

To the realm of sleep

I descend

To the realm of death

I descend.

Female I ascend the throne of the Queen of the Night. I who once ruled beside the Sun now oversee his exile. I the Lady of Light now blacken my face. Once I gave life to the earth, Now I smite my children with violent storms.

Male says the lines in normal print – Female the lines in italics

The black raven

I command

Herald of death

I command

Bringer of dreams

I command

Rider of North winds

I command

Croaker of wisdom

I command.

Blessed be the Crone bringer of death and giver of life.

Now the Goddess and God are part of two different worlds.  They are separated from one another.

On this night, the first and the last, the wheel turns to darkness, the Moon hides her face, the Sun lies in the grave. Soon the earth will be wrapped in snow, in sleep.

Lighting the Samhain fire

This is a celebration  of home and hearth and of the New Year.

Friends and friendly spirits blessed be the New Year.

Male Blessed be spirit and flesh

Blessed be the ever turning wheel

Behold the Summer’s end

Behold a New Winter

Blessed be the New Year

Share the chalice to salute the New Year – The chalice is passed from hand to hand deosil (clockwise) around the circle.

We celebrate and give thanks for the year that has passed. Remembering for a time both the good and the bad. Reminding ourselves of the need for balance and equality in our thoughts, our actions and our dealings with others. We have invited the ancestors to join us and now invite them if they wish to share their ancient wisdom with us.

 Female The wheel of the year has made yet another transit.  We are poised at a time, which is an ending and yet is also a beginning.  As it was and ever shall be we pause to look back at times remembered and we look forward to times yet to come.

Male lights the Samhain fire as the following is being said

Farewell old year go in peace.

We have lit the new Samhain fire upon the hearth stone.  It is the symbol of warmth and of light.  The new fire represents the beginnings of the New Year.

Each person anoints their Samhain candle with the oil and then takes the taper lit from the Samhain fire and lights their candle remembering as they do the dreams and aspirations imbued into the candle during its preparation.  - Pause

Male May this light shine in the inner realms as it does in the world.  It is the Samhain Fire all who come to sit beside its flames are welcome.

Female May the warmth and light of the Samhain fire fill our homes throughout the coming year and may they be comfortable, harmonious havens of love and peace where we can nurture body, mind and spirit both of ourselves and of our loved ones.

Now let us see what the New Year will hold.

 At this point each person takes the scrying instrument of their choice and gazes into it meditating and thinking about those things which each would like to bring into their lives during the next year.

We have seen where we are travelling for it is where we have been.

We are one with all that is.

Male Who is Goddess?

Female I am Goddess.

Male Who is God?

All We are God.

Female Who are Goddess and God?

All All living beings are Goddess and God.

Female And who are we?

All We are the children of deity and we are deity

We are a part of the creative life forces, which own the universe.

We are microcosm and macrocosm.

We are part of all that is.

The wheel of life must always turn

And death is preparation for re-birth.

As darkness deeply holds the seeds of light

We shall meet and know and remember and love again.

Blessed be the Goddess and God

Blessed be creation

Blessed be the darkness

Blessed be the light.

Female Blessed be the Crone, Cerridwen, Hecate, the Morrigan, powerful and wise guardians of the cauldron of death, life and re-birth.

Pause -

Male Hail Herne mighty Lord of the Forest, Dread Guardian of the Gates of Life and Death, gentle Love of Our Lady.  May the stag of Herne give us sustenance while the world lies frozen and may his antlers protect us and keep the chill of winter from our hearts.

Female Though we will extinguish the flame of this circle of light in the mundane world, our Samhain fire still dances on the inner planes. Once again we draw down the veil between the worlds but the joy of our journey in the realms beyond remains in our memories to gladden our hearts.

This rite of Samhain is ended.

Male We thank our guests from the realms beyond and bid them depart in peace if they wish, or stay to share our Samhain feast.

All Though we are apart we are ever together, for we are one in the spirit of our Goddess and God.

Ariel – withdraws the circle

Female Our circle is open but never broken.

Male Merry meet and merry part

All And merry meet again.

Blessed be.