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Rituals almost invariably take place within a magick or sacred circle; this circle becomes a portal between two worlds. Whilst working within the circle we are neither wholly in this world or the astral world, but in a sort of midpoint between the two. In this halfway house, we have not lost contact with the physical world, however, we are in a dimension where our actions can be felt upon the astral plane. This circle is traditionally 9 feet in diameter and is marked out by a ceremonial chord of 4 feet 6 inches in length. This size of circle may not appropriate for all circumstances, for example, a circle tightly packed with athame waving witches could be downright dangerous, and so a larger circle would be appropriate. Similarly, if performing your rituals indoors, 9 feet may be too large to fit within your floor space. Do not worry, a smaller circle will suffice and work just as well, providing that all participants can safely fit within.
Preparation for your ritual is vitally important. Plan the sequence of your ritual, and define your goals. Make a list of the items that you will require and make sure that you have ALL necessary items to hand before commencing the ritual. It is quite acceptable to take written notes of ritual wordings into the circle with you, but leaving and thus breaking the circle to go and collect that forgotten item is NOT.
Choose the appropriate time for the type of ritual or magickal working you wish to perform. If you are working indoors, unplug the phone and close the door to keep pets and any other non-participants out of the room. Tell other family members or guests that you are not to be disturbed. Nighttime is the traditional time for ritual workings, two reasons really, firstly you are less likely to be disturbed, and secondly, night is when the unconscious mind is at its peak.
Unless the ritual is a Sabbat ritual, it is important to choose the correct phase of the moon (see pagan calendar) for the type of ritual magick you wish to perform. Spells that relate to construction and increase are more successfully performed during the waxing phase of the moon. Banishing and reducing/destruction spells are best performed during the waning phase of the moon. Full moon rituals are called Esbats, and can be used for virtually all forms of magick. Dark phases of the moon are best avoided for ritual unless you are very skilled.
Mark a guide circle on the ground using chalk or tape, this will help you later on when you construct the ritual circle for real. Place your altar outside of the circle in the northern quadrant. Why the north? This is because the north is the 'dark side' of the sky, a plane that neither sun nor moon traverse, as such it is seen as the territory of secrecy and introspection. Sometimes the altar is placed at the centre of the circle facing north, but this may be impractical due to space limitations. Both methods are equally valid.
Upon the altar are placed two candles, preferably one red candle for the God and one green candle for the Goddess. If red and green candles are not available, then substitute these with white candles. If the ritual is a Sabbat ritual then appropriate seasonal offerings should be placed upon the altar. Other objects to be found upon the altar are a wand, bell, bowl of water, pentacle, knife, bolline, bowl of salt, incense, and a chalice/goblet or cup.
You should place a candle at each of the four compass points of the circle, either of the appropriate elemental colour associated with that cardinal point, or white if coloured candles are not available.
Cleansing of the self and the space in which you will perform your ritual are vital. Cleansing of the self usually involves a ritual bath before commencing. I also find performing the ritual of lesser banishing pentagram very helpful for cleansing any negative energy I may have accumulated. Cleansing of the ritual space is done with a besom (broom). The besom is used to "sweep away" negative energies, however it is possible to achieve the same result by waving your hands over the area and 'blowing away' any negative energies that may be present. It is also possible to cleanse the area by scattering salt, either by itself, or mixed with herbs such as thyme or rosemary. Salt water can also be used, but be wary of ruining your carpet! Yet another method is to ring a bell to drive out unwanted entities. Yet another method is to use the bell to 'ring out' any negative energies.
In the description below, I cast from the north but invoke from the east, however some traditions start everything at the east or north. An east starting point is usually associated with ceremonial magick, north is usually associated with a more pagan tradition, however there is no hard and fast rule. In a similar vein, some traditions close the circle widdershins (anticlockwise in the northern hemisphere). This ritual layout does not conform to any one particular tradition.
Light your altar candles. Stand at the centre of the circle and meditate, open your chakras, or do
whatever works for you in in-order to raise energy to create the sacred circle
proper. Although it is referred to as a circle, you actually create a sphere
extending above and below you, the circle is merely the boundary where this
sphere cuts through the ground upon which you are standing.
Light your quarter candles, starting in the east. When lighting the candles, an example wording would be...
Let there be light, light and air brought to the east. May it illuminate this sacred space and bring it life.
Cast your circle deosil (clockwise in the northern hemisphere), beginning at the north, using either you finger or athame/sword to trace the circle. As you trace the circle, visualise energy flowing from your finger or athame/sword, creating a circle of bluish purple light. When you have created this circle, expand it with you visualisation to form a sphere of energy encapsulating the marked circle on the ground.
Variant 1 - Outdoors in the open...
Return to the altar, and consecrate
the bowl of salt. It's not uncommon to inset the athame, point down, into the bowl of salt whilst doing this. An example wording would be...
Let this salt be blessed, that it may be used to purify body and spirit to the greater glory of the God and Goddess.
Add some of the consecrated salt to the bowl of water; an example wording would be...
Let this sacred salt purify this water, that it may be used to purify this sacred space and all within it.
Variant 2 - Indoors on the carpet...
Return to the altar, and consecrate
the bowl of salt, an example wording would be...
Let this salt be blessed, that it may be used to purify body and spirit to the greater glory of the God and Goddess, and so that it may be used to purify this sacred space and all within it.
Sprinkle the salt or salt water around the edge of the circle, starting with the north, working deosil.
Now repeat the same
movements using the burning incense in its carrier.
The next step varies between traditions, but many now invoke the guardians
of the four Watchtowers or Elemental guardians, starting at the east. An example wording would be...
Guardians of the Watchtower of the east, I do summon
thee and call upon you now to witness this rite and protect this circle.
At each quarter, an appropriate invoking pentagram is traced in the air as each
Watchtower guardian is called. In a coven setting, a person is assigned to each
quarter and it is their responsibility to call and dismiss the guardians, although
certain traditions vary this rule. Naturally in a solitary ritual, you alone
are responsible for the entire procedure from start to finish.
The next stage is to invoke the God and Goddess. In a coven setting, the Goddess is invoked into the High Priestess of the coven and the God is invoked into the High Priest of the coven. Yet again, this format can vary from tradition to tradition, and in an all female coven the God may be invoked into another priestess. As a solitary, you may wish to invoke their presence, or if you are very skilled you can invoke both into yourself although this is not advised. It is common in many traditions to bid them hail and welcome by pouring consecrated wine into the libation dish and offering a toast from it.
Next comes the statement of purpose, this is self-explanatory and involves informing the God & Goddess of the purpose of this ritual and asking for their blessing. You are now ready to perform the working itself. This will involve completing any physical or visual tasks required, raising energy, focusing the energy and directing as appropriate, and finishing by grounding any unused energy.
When the working is complete, it is usual to partake of cakes and wine/ale. Again, these objects are consecrated as an act of honour to the God and Goddess and are then consumed by the coven members. It is common in many traditions to leave a small amount that is cast upon the ground afterwards as an offering. You may now wish to meditate or contemplate for a while before dismantling the circle, or you may wish to perform another ritual while you still have your circle constructed.
To dismantle the circle, first you must bid farewell to the God and Goddess
and thank them for their presence at your ritual. Next you will need to banish
the quarters. This is done by asking the each Watchtower guardian in turn, starting
at the east, to take back any unused energy and to return to their realm. An example
wording would be...
Take for your use o western watchtower guardian any
powers of water that have not been used as we bid you hail and farewell.
At each quarter, an appropriate banishing pentagram is traced in the air as
each Watchtower guardian is 'banished', and the quarter candle extinguished.
Mentally and verbally, close the circle by starting at the north and working deosil (clockwise in the northern hemisphere), drawing back the energy of the circle into either your fingers or your athame/sword. It is now important to ground this reabsorbed energy, this can be easily done by sitting on the ground, palms down for a few minutes or until you feel balanced once more.
As it is often difficult to remember wordings and where to start when drawing pentagrams, I have compiled a crib sheet for each quarter. The file is in Adobe Acrobat 4 format and can be saved by right clicking on the link below, and selecting "save target as".
Quarters crib sheet
When performing rituals, you will need to utilise invoking and banishing pentagrams. To draw an invoking pentagram visualise light of the appropriate colour flowing from your athame. Start at the point opposite the element and follow the arrow, continue until you have completed the pentagram and arrived back at your starting point. In some traditions you must now seal the pentagram by drawing a sixth and final stoke (same as first stroke) ending at the element to be invoked.
Air
Fire
Water
Earth
To draw a banishing pentagram, start at the point of the element, visualise light of the appropriate colour flowing back into your athame and follow the arrow. Again in some traditions you will need to draw a sixth and final stroke to complete the banishing pentagram, this time ending at the point opposite the element being banished.
Air
Fire
Water
Earth
Ritual of the lesser banishing pentagram
Golden Dawn protection and cleansing ritual
