Suga Boom Boom's blog: "Wicca Stuff"

    Firstly you need to form the shape that your Ritual will take, planning exactly what you are going to do, the reasons behind your Ritual, what form your Casting will take, what resources you will need, and what you hope to achieve! At first it can be a good idea to write (or print out) your Casting Instructions so as to be able to do them easily, the Deities present won't mind you referring to notes, and this is better than to keep making mistakes!

    Next you need to cleanse and 'ground' yourself, a simple way to do this is to take a Ritual Bath (a Simple Ritual Bath and Self Blessing Ritual is included in our Cleansing Section), once this is complete you may dress in your Ritual Clothes (if you have any!) or go 'skyclad' if you prefer, whichever feels right to you!

    Once you are 'cleansed', then tis time to cleanse the space you will be using for your Ritual, your Sacred Space. If it's an indoor area, you may want to tidy and clean before you have your Ritual Bath, but if outdoors then this may not be possible. You can sweep the chosen area clean Magickally using your Besom (if you have one), use a Special Ritual (such as the one included upon Our Cleansing page) or use a variety of visualization techniques to cleanse the space! (Two personal favourites of our are to sweep the area clean with your Athame, Wand (see our Altar and Tools page for details) or pointing finger (whilst stood in the centre of where your Circle will be) and to then visualize either fire coming from your pointing finger and burning away and removing all negativity and impurities, or to visualize the Air Element (in the form of a strong wind) streaming from your fingers and blowing all negativity out and away from the Sacred Space. 

    Once the area is cleansed, then tis firstly time to mark out the area that will become your Sacred Space for the duration of your Ritual. This is normally a circle, the precise dimensions of which will depend upon the room you have available, and your personal preferences, within which is usually scribed a Pentacle (please see the Altar & Tools page for instructional details). Traditionally the Circle should be 9' across, and have 3 outer circles, each 6" apart in radius, with the Pentacle inscribed inside the smaller circle, facing North (a compass is useful here if you don't know the direction of North!), but if this isn't possible for you then don't worry, The Lord and Lady will understand and still enjoy your Ritual for the honour that you pay them! If indoors, you could mark its boundaries with Tarot Cards, Crystals, Cord, Chalk or if you are fortunate to have an area that can be reserved for Ritual use, then you may well choose to use paint or permanent marker pen! Ourselves, we are very fortunate to be able to have a 9' Circle permanently scribed on the floor, within which is a Pentacle, and around the edge of which is written in Runes our Patron Deities, the Wheel of the Year Sabbats and symbols for the Elements. (There are a few pictures of the Circle on the Silver Wolf's Lair page.) If outdoors then you could use Cord, Leaves, Earth or Flour to mark out your boundaries!

    Then tis time to set out your Altar and the Elemental representations (four coloured candles or other symbols of the Four Elements, Earth, Air, Fire and Water to be placed in the relevant directions, see Guardians page for details) before Consecrating the Ground and Casting Your Circle. Remember, once you've cast your circle, you may not leave it's boundaries (or break the circle) until your Ritual is ended, so be sure to have everything you will need inside it's boundaries before you cast! (Some folk feel that tis OK to 'cut' a door in the Circle, as suggested by Scott Cunningham, others feel that this isn't wise! Whatever you're personal preference, as long as you are happy with your choice, then tis OK!) . If you haven't set out an Altar before, then please visit our Altar and Tools page for information and details! The basic set up of a Wiccan Altar remains the same for most celebrations and Rituals, though you may well have differing decorations and colours depending upon what time of year, Magick you are planning or Sabbat you are celebrating! (See the Wheel of the Year and individual Sabbat pages for suggested Altar decorations)

                               

Consecrating the Sacred Space

    Some Folks like to consecrate the Ground before Casting their Circle, others actually do it as part of their actual Casting (Our own preference), whichever you prefer is perfectly acceptable, after all, tis better to go with something you feel comfortable with rather than do something just because you've seen (or heard of ) others doing it. We've included a simple Consecration Ritual below if this is your particular preference, or there's our Full Casting at the Bottom of the Page!

    

'I call upon you Oh creature of Earth,

To protect and consecrate this Circle,

May this ground be pure and clean,

Free from negativity and harm!' 

Scattering a pinch of salt as you walk the boundary. Next walk around again, but this time with Water, saying,

'I call upon you Oh creature of Water,

To protect and consecrate this Circle,

May this ground be safe and pure and clean,

Free from negativity and harm!'

Again scattering drops as you circle the boundary (visualize the water hissing and boiling away as it hits the floor, burning away the negativity). Lastly repeat with burning Incense (an Air and Fire symbol), 

'I call upon you Oh creatures of Fire and Air,

To protect and consecrate this Circle,

May this ground be pure and clean,

Free from negativity and harm!'

    Your Space is now consecrated, ready for you to Cast Your Circle and begin you Rites!  

        

Casting the Sacred Circle

(A Wiccan Ritual)

    Firstly we light the Candles upon the Altar, the Work (White) and Goddess and God candles (Silver & Gold, White & Black, or just white), following which we consecrate the Salt and Water upon Our Altar. This is done by drawing an Invoking Pentacle in the Salt with Our Athame, and saying,

    'We call upon you Oh creature of Earth,

To protect this Circle and Aid in Our Rites.

Wherefore do We Bless and Consecrate Thee,

So Mote It Be'

    Next we insert the Tip of Our Athame into the Water, again drawing an Invoking Pentacle, and saying,

    'We call upon you Oh creature of Water,

To protect this Circle and Aid in Our Rites.

 Wherefore do We Bless and Consecrate Thee, 

So Mote It Be'

    After the Altar supplies have been consecrated we mix some of the Salt with the Water and stir with Our Athame (deosil), saying,

 'We call upon you Oh creatures of Water and Earth,

 To protect this Circle and Aid in Our Rites. 

Wherefore do We Bless and Consecrate Thee,

 So Mote It Be'

    Once this is complete we personally choose to light the candles we have to represent the Elements, (at the Four Directions of the Circle, North (Earth - Green or Brown), South (Fire - Red), East (Air, Yellow) and West (Water - Blue), then proceed to Cast the Circle itself. This is done by walking Deosil around the Inner Boundary of the Outer Circle three times, firstly with the Consecrated Water and Salt (the mixed ones), to represent both Earth and Water, sprinkling it as we go (visualize the water hissing and boiling away as it hits the floor, burning away the negativity). Second time around we use a burning Incense stick, to represent both Fire and Air Elements, drawing pentacles as we go (usually to the Four Directions), and third time around we use the Athame, visualizing a bluish/white light coming out from the tip of the Athame, which builds into the walls of the Circle as it touches the floor. As you walk the Circle, say these words of Power, repeating for each circuit of the boundary,

    'Oh Thou Circle, Be Thou a meeting place of Love and Joy,

 In Perfect Truth and Trust

 A Shield against all wickedness and evil intent,

 A Rampart of Protection for All who stand herein! 

Wherefore do we Bless and Consecrate Thee,

By the Holy and Sacred names of Athena, Cerridwen, Rhiannon,

Mercury and Pan (you can substitute your own alignments if preferred).

This Circle is Cast, safe and secure, 

Sacred Space created for all that is Pure!

 So Mote It Be!'

    We usually Visualize the Circle itself spreading out in a multi-coloured hue, arching both above our heads and below our feet through the ground to meet and form a perfect sphere, a barrier against all that is not pure and clean!

    Next we Summon the Guardians of the Elemental Watchtowers, these being the entities that control the Elemental Forces, and are invited to attend from the Elemental Realm where they normally reside. 

    Firstly we call North, standing before Our Altar, facing to the North, and state the following whilst drawing an invoking Pentacle above the Altar with either the Wand (Silver Dove) or Athame (Spiritwolf). 

    'Hail to Thee, Guardian of the Watchtower of the North, 

Here Our Cries, Lend Us Your Presence and Power,

 Give Us Protection, Grounding and Good Sense, 

By Hill and Dale, Deep Cave, Old Bone,

By Fertile Field, Hill and Soil and Stone,

Be with Us Now Oh Powers of Earth!'

    Whilst invoking Earth, visualize fields of lush Corn, Mountains High and Proud, Silent Standing Stones and the richness of the soil that supports the plants. Feel the weight of the Earth, it's reality and rootedness.

    Then turning to the East, again we summon by drawing an invoking Pentacle above the Altar and saying, 

'Hail to Thee, Guardian of the Watchtower of the East.

Here Our Cries, Lend Us Your Presence and You Power,

Give Us Clarity, Vision and Swift Thought,

By Wind and Cloud, Tall Mountains Height,

By Blue Horizon and Clear Mornings Light,

Be with Us Now, Oh Powers of Air!'

    Whilst Invoking Air, Visualize standing on top of a Mountain, surrounded by crystal clear Air, Clouds beneath you, with a gentle cool breeze blowing against your face. Feel the freshness of Air, how bright and clear it is.

    Next we turn to the South, and again invoke by drawing an invoking Pentacle above the Altar whilst saying,

'Hail to Thee, Guardians of the Watchtower of the South,

Here Our Cries, Lend Us Your Presence and Your Power,

Give Us Inspiration, Energy and Intuition,

Bonfire Beacon Burning Bright,

Embers rich, Wild Lightning Strike,

Be with Us Now, Oh Powers of Fire!'

    Whilst invoking Fire, Visualize Heat, Sun beating upon your face, wild passionate dances, firelight and wild lightning. Feel the energy and passion of Fire, warmth, heartiness, comradeship and the flash of inspiration.

  Next we turn to the West, and again invoke by drawing an invoking Pentacle above the Altar whilst saying,

'Hail to Thee, Guardians of the Watchtower of the West,

Here Our Cries, Lend Us Your Presence and Your Power,

Give Us Love, Wisdom and Empathy,

Green Hearted Lake and River Wide,

Crystal Fountain and Ocean Tide,

Be with Us Now, Oh Powers of Water!'

    Whilst invoking Water, Visualize waterfalls, the swell of the Ocean, the song of a mountain stream. Feel the cool, soothing presence of water, akin to a long cool draught of drink on a burning hot day.

    The Circle is now cast, and all that remains is for us to invite the Goddess and the God to witness our Rites! This we do by visualizing the Lord and Lady, resplendent in all their finery upon the Astral Plane, and then humbly ask them to attend our Rites as follows.

'Hail to Thee,

Sun Lord, Lady Moon,

Hear Our Cries, Grant us Thy presence and Thy Boon!

We ask Thee both to attend Our Rites,

On Hill or In Dale, beneath Moon's Lite,

Where Ever We Be,

To Give Praise to Thee!

Ne'er for Ill, Always for Right!

Be with Us now this Blessed Night!

This Circle is Cast, Safe and Secure,

Sacred Space created for all that is Pure!

 So Mote It Be!'

    Once the Circle is cast, we then move onto any specific Ritual that we may have planned, such as a Sabbat or Esbat celebration (some simple suggested Sabbat Rituals are included upon our Wheel of the Year and individual Sabbat pages, and some Full Moon Rituals for the Esbats in our Goddess Rituals page), and then onto any other Magick that we feel we'd like to do. This could be a Guided Visualization to meet up with Our Spiritguides, Spellcraft for any specific purpose, Healing, Dedication and/or Consecration of any new Tools we may have, or any other form of Craft related pursuits.

    Once we have finished any other workings then we partake of 'Cakes and Ale', a celebratory feast (which may take any form you'd like, normally wine and cake for us!) to honour the Bounty shown to us all by the Goddess and the God (remember to save some as an offering to the Goddess and God, by placing it onto your offering plate, and leaving it outside / burying in the earth to show that you give back to them what you are also receiving), before releasing the Circle.

Releasing the Circle

    Once the Ritual has ended you need to release it before returning to the more mundane world, this is best achieved by reversing the order that you Cast the Circle in.

    Firstly, bid farewell to the Lord and Lady, thanking them for their presence, and their help in witnessing your Rites. A good way of doing this is as follows,

'Hail to Thee,

Gracious Lady, Protecting Lord,

 We Thank Thee for Thy presence and Thy Boon!

This Rite hath ended!

You are welcome to Stay, Depart if you Must,

In Perfect Love and Perfect Trust!

Athena, Cerridwen, Rhiannon,

Farewell to Thee

Our Gracious Ladies Three!

Mercury and Pan,

Farewell to You

Our Gods times Two!

You are welcome to Stay, Depart if you Must,

In Perfect Love and Perfect Trust!'

    You can then extinguish the Goddess and God candles, either by snuffing or by pinching them out, never by blowing, as this will offend the Fire Elemental Guardian, by dissipating their energies with the Air Element.

    The next thing to do is to thank and dismiss the Guardians of the Watchtowers, and the Power of the Elements that they have brought with them. We usually do this by Thanking them individually, and extinguishing their Candles as we go, this time Widdershins (anti-clockwise, as this is considered the direction for Banishing) as follows below. 

    Starting with North, we speak the following whilst drawing a Banishing Pentacle in the Air above the Candle, extinguishing the Candle once the Farewell has been said.

  'Hail to Thee, Guardians of the Watchtowers of the North,

We Thank Thee for Thy Presence and Thy Power Here Tonight,

As Guardians of Our Circle and Witness to Our Rites!

Go in Peace, Oh Mighty Ones of the North,

With Our Blessings and Our Thoughts!

Hail and Farewell'

    Next we move to the West, and again we speak the following whilst drawing a Banishing Pentacle in the Air above the Candle, extinguishing the Candle once the Farewell has been said.

  'Hail to Thee, Guardians of the Watchtowers of the West,

We Thank Thee for Thy Presence and Thy Power Here Tonight,

As Guardians of Our Circle and Witness to Our Rites!

Go in Peace, Oh Mighty Ones of the West,

Within Our Thoughts Be Ever Bless't!

Hail and Farewell'

    Next we move to the South, and again we speak the following whilst drawing a Banishing Pentacle in the Air above the Candle, extinguishing the Candle once the Farewell has been said.

'Hail to Thee, Guardians of the Watchtowers of the South,

We Thank Thee for Thy Presence and Thy Power Here Tonight,

As Guardians of Our Circle and Witness to Our Rites!

Go in Peace, Oh Mighty Ones of the South,

Be Thee Ever Blessed From the words spake through Our Mouths !

Hail and Farewell'

    Finally we move to the East, and again we speak the following whilst drawing a Banishing Pentacle in the Air above the Candle, extinguishing the Candle once the Farewell has been said.

'Hail to Thee, Guardians of the Watchtowers of the East,

We Thank Thee for Thy Presence and Thy Power Here Tonight,

As Guardians of Our Circle and Witness to Our Rites!

Go in Peace, Oh Mighty Ones of the East,

Within Our Thoughts Be Ever Bless't!

Hail and Farewell'

    Now tis time to Release the Circle, setting it free into the Cosmos to do Our Bidding, This is best done by saying the following whilst visualizing the Circle shrinking to a multi-coloured Ring (the same diameter as the original circle, but only a few inches thick), which then rises into the sky, shrinking into the distance to become one with the All!

'This Circle hath Ended,

The Rites Here are Done,

By the Light of the Moon and Power of the Sun,

This Circle is Free, Released Whole and Pure,

Free to do Our Bidding upon distant Shore!

The Circle Here Hath Ended,

Open but Never Broken,

This is Our Will,

So Mote It Be!'

Now Your Ritual is Ended!

    Before then departing, tis an idea to spend a short while reflecting upon what you have achieved during your Ritual, taking time to consider your actions and what they mean to you, and to think upon any happenings and whether they may be a sign from anyone else. Usually this is when we write in our personal Book of Shadows, noting all and everything that happened, as tis a good idea to note it down immediately before you begin to forget things! You may also feel it necessary to spend a short while 'grounding' yourself, dissipating any 'energies' that arose whilst in the Circle, before returning to the everyday mundane world.

We hope you found Our Ritual an Inspiration, feel free to use it for your own personal use, and to change such things as you see necessary, though if you want to use it for anything other than personal use, then please