Generic Ritual

A Generic Ritual
for the Southern Hemisphere

The Elements of the Ritual
This ritual does not include elements from the ritual structure of the Church of All Worlds. It's a simple Wiccan ritual. Of course, you can write your own chants, invocations and so on - you don't have to use the ones here, but they are a good guide for beginners and people wanting an outline from which to build their own ritual. This is a ritual for the Southern Hemisphere and so we cast the circle counter-clockwise - in the direction of the sun, as in the Northern Hemisphere. However, the sun moves in the opposite direction here. This table breaks the ritual down into its component parts.

Setting the Altars	Consecrations	Sweeping Out	Asperging	Welcome	Circle Casting
Calling the Quarters	Invoking the Goddess & God	Wine & Cakes	Closing the Circle

Basic Circle Procedure

Setting up the four altars

EAST: AIR
Ritual objects: Sword, Athame, Yellow Cloth, Yellow Candle, Incense, Feather

NORTH: FIRE
Ritual Objects: Wand, Red Cloth, Red Candle, Dragon statue

WEST: WATER
Ritual Objects: Chalice, Blue Cloth, Blue Candle, Cauldron, Shells

SOUTH: EARTH
Ritual Objects: Pentacle, Green or Brown Cloth, Green or Brown Candle, Rock salt, Crystal

Main altar

Consecrations

The pentacle is on the altar

Place the bowl of salt on the pentacle
Trace invoking earth pentacle with the athame over the salt, saying:

BLESSINGS BE UPON THIS CREATURE OF SALT
LET ALL MALIGNITY AND HINDRANCE BE CAST
FORTH FROM THEE AND LET ALL GOOD ENTER HEREIN
WHEREFORE I BLESS THEE AND INVOKE THEE
THAT THOU MAY AID ME IN THE NAMES OF THE
GODDESS AND THE GOD
AND SO MOTE IT BE

Set aside salt and replace with water
Trace the banishing earth pentacl;e saying:

I EXORCISE THEE OH CREATURE OF WATER
THAT THOU CAST OUT FROM THEE
ALL IMPURITIES AND UNCLEANLINESS
OF THE SPIRITS OF THE WORLD OF PHANTASM
MAY ONLY THE ESSENCE OF THE GREAT MOTHER REMAIN

Trace invoking water pentacle, saying:

IN THE NAMES OF THE GODDESS AND THE GOD
SO MOTE IT BE

or say:

I CAST OUT FROM THEE ALL ILLS AND IMPURITIES OF THE SPIRIT
AND I DO BLESS THEE AND CONSECRATE THEE
IN THE NAMES OF THE GODDESS AND THE GOD
AND SO MOTE IT BE

Add the salt to the water, stir anti-clockwise, remove from pentacle and set aside

Replace with Altar Candle. Trace over it with invoking fire pentacle, saying:

I BLESS THEE AND CONSECRATE THEE
IN THE NAMES OF THE GODDESS AND THE GOD
THAT THOU MAY AID ME IN MY WORK
AND SO MOTE IT BE

Remove from Pentacle, replace with Censor, incense and charcoal blocks

Trace over them banishing earth pentacle, saying:

AND I DO BLESS THEE AND CONSECRATE THEE
IN THE NAMES OF THE GODDESS AND THE GOD
AND SO MOTE IT BE

Light the charcoal blocks from the altar candle, add incense to block and set aside

Sweeping Out

With a small beson or broom, or leafy branch picked with respect, sweep out the circle area, moving counter-clockwise, spiraling out from the centre, saying forcefully:

Malignity be gone!
Interference be gone!
Opposition be gone!
Hindrance be gone!
Negativity be gone!

And any others needed!

Asperging

Sprinkle circle perimeter with salt followed by water, moving deosil, starting at the south altar. Sprinkle the quarters in particular and all within the circle.
Return salt and water to altar.

Take up incense censor and follow the same procedure.

Welcome

The coven members can then be spun into the circle. First the Priest is called and the Priestesses kisses him at the threshold, spinning him into the circle behind her to her right.

The rest are then beckoned in one by one, the Priest admitting each woman with a kiss, and the Priestess each man. With a kiss the same way.

Each member, if they wish, can take part in the summonsing of the Lords of the Watchtowers by duplicating the Priestesses gestures with their own Athame, having placed it on the altar before the circle was cast (or by the pointing finger of their right hand).

Casting the Circle

Using the Athame or Sword, HPS starts from the South, moving anti-clockwise, "drawing the veil around the globe".

From a horizontal point or the ground, describe the circle three times, saying:

CUT THE CIRCLE, MAKE IT SOUND
CUT THE CIRCLE THREE TIMES ROUND
BETWEEN THE WORLDS THE CIRCLE’S BOUND
WHERE LOVE AND JOY AND TRUTH ARE FOUND

or say:

I CONJURE THEE OH CIRCLE OF POWER
THAT THOU BE A BOUNDRY BETWEEN THE WORLD OF MEN
AND THE REALMS OF THE MIGHTY ONES
A PLACE OF JOY AND PEACE WHERE WE MAY MEET
IN LOVE AND TRUST FOR THE WORSHIP OF THE OLD ONES
A GUARDIAN AND PROTECTION THAT SHALL PRESERVE AND CONTAIN
THE POWER WHICH WE SHALL RAISE WITH THEE

Then say:

THREE TIMES ROUND
THE CIRCLE’S CAST
GREAT ONES’ SPIRITS FROM THE PAST
WITNESS IT AND HOLD IT FAST

Calling the Quarters

Light the EAST candle, trace invoking pentacle of Air, saying:

Mighty ones of the East
Guardian spirits of Air
I ask you to be present here to witness these rites
and guard this circle

When presence is felt, ring bell or gong once

Repeat for:

North
West
South
using proper words and pentacles for each point

At the South, one kneels first and starts with:

Oh Ancient Ones of the South….

Invoking the Goddess and God

Facing South, arms raised in drawing down the moon position, invoke the Goddess:

MIGHTY MOTHER OF THE EARTH
THREEFOLD LADY OF THE MOON
GREAT GODDESS OF THE STARS
WHOSE BODY ENCIRCLES THE UNIVERSE
WHO IS THE MYSTERY OF THE WATERS
AND THE DESIRE IN THE HEART OF HUMANITY
BY LOVE AND LIFE DO WE INVOKE THEE
TO DESCEND UPON THIS CIRCLE
AND CALL UPON THEE TO BE
WITH ALL OF US HEREIN

or by chanting:

ISIS, ASTARTE, DIANA, HECATE, DEMETER, KALI, INNANA

or other specific deity invocation

When the presence of the Lady is felt, turn to the North with arms raised in the Horned God salute and invoke the god thus:

HORNED GOD OF THE WILD AND FREE BY ANCIENT WAY
I SUMMON THEE!
COME WHERE THE ROUND OF THE DANCE IS TROD
HOOF AND HORN OF THE GOATFOOT GOD!
COME OH COME TO THE HEARTBEAT’S DRUM
CONSORT, PROTECTOR AND GUARDIAN
PHALLUS ERECT OH MIGHTY ONE!
MASTER OF THE BEASTS, LORD OF THE SUN
MIGHTY FATHER OF US ALL
COME IN ANSWER TO MY CALL

or chant:

OSIRIS, ADONIS, CERNUNNOS, PAN, DIONYSUS, SHIVA, DUMUZI

The magickal working or celebration or rite then takes place

Wine and Cakes

Priest holds cup, Priestess lowers athame into wine and says:

"As the Athame is to the male, so the cup is to the female
May this wine be blessed by the power of their union

The Priestess then kisses the Priest. She takes a sip from cup and they kiss again.

Priest takes a sip and sup is passed man to woman, woman to man, with a kiss around the circle, leaving a little for libation.

The Priest takes up cakes, the Priestess sprinkles wine from the cup onto cakes with her Athame and says:

"Queen most secret, bless this food into our bodies
Bestowing health, wealth, joy and peace
And that fulfilment of will and love under will
Which is perpetual happiness."

The Priestess kisses the Priest, takes a cake, kisses him again and he takes a cake. The plate is passed around as with the wine, man to woman, woman to man, with a kiss leaving at least one for libation.

Closing the Circle

Thanks is given to the Goddess and the God for their presence and blessings, then extinguish their candles on the altar. Moving then to the South kneel before the altar, then trace a banishing pentacle before you, saying:

"O Ancient Ones of the South
Guardian Spirits of Earth
We thank you for your presence in this circle
And do salute you as you return to your faery realms
Hail and farewell!"

The quarter candle is then extinguished . repeat procedure for East, North and then West, changing appropriate words and banishing pentagrams accordingly, only for South, kneel first and start with:
"O Mighty Ones of the …."

Note: If invoking Earth pentacle was used to call all quarters, use banishing Earth pentacle to dismiss all quarters.

Open the circle by either tracing perimeter with Athame or turning from centre facing out, saying:

"The Circle is open, but ever unbroken."

This page is Copyright Lilitu Babalon, 1999
I'll give you permission to reproduce anything on my page if you ask, provided it is mine.
However, if I find you plagiarising, well.....