The Real Witches’ Book of Spells and Rituals. Kate West

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СКАЧАТЬ you feel encapsulate their Spirit on the Altar.

      ALTAR PENTACLE

      There are many fine Pentacles available today, but you can just as easily create your own in salt (if you have a steady drawing hand) or paint one onto a flat stone or circular board. If you were to look closely at mine you might notice a distinct similarity to a circular breadboard! In addition to the Pentagram (see Terms and Definitions), other symbols of the Craft may also decorate the Pentacle.

      ATHAME

      This is the Witches’ blade. Strictly speaking, you do not need an Athame, as anything you cannot invoke with a finger you will not be able to invoke with the knife! Many consider that the Athame should be placed on the Altar, however these days many Witches will wear theirs in a special holder or scabbard which hangs from a cord at the waist. Certainly, if you are working in a group it is easier to have your Athame at your belt than it is to have 10 to 20 placed on the Altar.

      WINE AND CAKES

      Most, if not all, Rituals will contain the Rite of Wine and Cakes, so you will need a Chalice with wine in it (or fruit juice if you cannot or should not drink alcohol). If there are many of you, you may need to have the bottle on hand for topping up. Red wine is usual, although on some festivals and other occasions you might feel something else is more appropriate. Also, you should have a plate with enough biscuits for everyone in Circle plus one (for the offering). These can be specially made, or you can buy ordinary small biscuits. An alternative is pieces of fruit.

      NOTES OR SCRIPT

      This can be a short note to remind yourself of the purpose and steps of your Ritual, or it could be a whole ‘script’ in a special book, supported in a book holder, which everyone in Circle can access if the need arises. This latter option is more often used in complex Rituals which are performed infrequently, such as Handfasting.

      AND ALSO

      There are many other tools which can be placed on, or by, the Altar for specific purposes:

      * Boline, the white-handled knife used for cutting and carving, etc.

      * Sword, sometimes used for casting the Circle.

      * Cauldron, for containing fire to burn things, or water for scrying.

      * Besom, or broom for sweeping the Circle and for use in Handfasting.

      * Wand, sometimes used for invoking Air and Water.

      * Scourge, representing the sorrows of life and used in some Covens to maintain and enforce discipline.

      * Cords, representing self-control and discipline and used in cord magics.

      There are other objects, such as parchment, crystals, etc, into which the magic can be placed in specific spells, and these form charms, talismans, and so on. You may also wish to add to your Altar pictures of your ‘clients’, flowers to decorate, gifts for Coven members, and so on. There is more on these in Chapter 6, Magical Resources.

      What you should not place on the Altar are things unconnected with the Craft and the Ritual: tea and coffee cups (although a glass of water might be placed there if you feel the need to sip during Ritual), ashtrays, cigarettes, and any other bits and pieces from daily life.

      CREATING THE SACRED SPACE

      Having tidied and cleaned your working space, set your Altar and checked that you have everything you need, you are now ready to create your Sacred Space. In a Coven, whilst one or two people will prepare the Altar, the others will be checking that they understand the Ritual and, where these are used, changing into their Ritual clothes.

      The steps are as follows:

      * Centring.

      * Blessing the Elements on the Altar.

      * Invoking each of the Elements – Air, Fire, Water, and lastly, Earth.

      * Inviting the Goddess and the God.

      * Casting the Circle.

      If you are working in a group then you can have different people taking different roles and they can stand at the appropriate points of the Circle to do so, either staying in place or moving (Deosil) into place to perform their parts. Depending on numbers you may have enough individuals to cover all the parts or some may have to double up on roles. In group working it is important that everyone is focused on each action every time. So when one person is invoking Air, they will say the words and perform the actions whilst visualizing the element, and everyone else will turn to face the East and will also visualize that element. When working on your own you can remain in one place and either remain facing the Altar or turn to face the different directions.

      CIRCLE ETIQUETTE

      Before I move onto the actual method of Creating the Sacred Space, there are some rules which really must be followed in Circle:

      * Move Deosil, clockwise, at all times. Walking Widdershins, anticlockwise, undoes things and is reserved for a very few occasions. If this means you have to walk the whole circumference to get to where you should be, that’s fine.

      * Take your time. There is no hurry in Circle, so try to move sedately and carefully. Also give other people the time to return to their place or get to where they should be.

      * Repeat the Blessed Be’s. Every time someone says ‘Blessed Be’, it should be echoed by everyone in Circle, preferably in unison, although that takes some practice.

      * Remain focused. Even when it is not your turn, or someone seems to be unnecessarily long-winded, remain focused on what is happening and on the purpose of the Ritual. There should be no whispered comments, witty asides or small talk.

      * Never, ever, touch another Witch’s Athame. The Athame is personal to each Witch, far more so than, say, a toothbrush. To touch another Witch’s Athame, unless they have specifically asked you to, is the height of bad manners.

      HOLDING THE ATHAME

      Your Athame is held in your strong hand (right if you are right-handed or vice versa), with your forefinger pointing along the flat edge of the blade towards the tip. You should hold it firmly, so that when moving around it is not likely to fly out of your hand and injure someone.

      CENTRING

       Everyone gathers and stands in a Circle facing inwards. In our Coven people will usually stand so that they are in place for whichever part of Creating the Sacred Space they will be performing. We also try to ensure that men and women alternate around the Circle to balance the energies. The High Priestess stands in front of the Altar with her High Priest on her right-hand side, and she goes through the outline of the Ritual to ensure everyone knows what they will be doing. Everyone holds hands. The High Priest then says:

      ‘Let us centre ourselves. Feel the earth beneath your feet that is as our flesh. Feel the air which passes in and out of your lungs, which is as our thoughts. Feel the fire that is around us and which is our passions. Feel the water which flows in our veins and is our emotions. Blessed Be.’

       In my Coven and its Daughter Covens we then together recite The Witches’ Rune, originally written by Doreen Valiente:

      Darksome СКАЧАТЬ