September 2012. Presented for a group of about 10 people.
Tools and Materials:
Set to the side: broom near doorways, chairs for drummers, drums and/or shakers.
Altar in the centre of the space: Dish of salt, dish of water, centre candle (already lit), incense and dish, athame for circle casting, bell or singing bowl, plate of fresh bread, pitcher of water, goblets for all participants.
Small altar in hallway: Mandrake ointment1 with spreader, dish of oil, card with intention written on it.
Cleansing:
Everyone gathers at the south edge of the living room.
Call to ritual: Let us prepare to step in between and dance on the edge.
One person will cleanse the living room and front hallway space with a broom:
Around and around
Throughout and about
The good stay in
And the bad stay out
The broom gets set aside and the person goes back to the rest of the group.
Another person will cleanse the living room and front hallway space with salt water:
By sacred salt
By blessed water
I cleanse this space
Still carrying their salt water, they will stand in the north doorway.
Another person will cleanse the living room and front hallway space with lit incense:
By sacred flame
By blessed smoke
I cleanse this space
Still carrying their incense, they will stand in the south doorway.
Participants go through the south doorway and get cleansed with incense, then re-enter through the north doorway and get cleansed with salt water.
Opening:
Group breathing meditation for grounding and to unite energies.
One person casts the circle with the athame, including the entire living room and front hallway:
I create this circle
This boundary fine
A space for worship
For me and mine
I walk this circle
I set this place
A moment aside
From time and space
From heaven to earth
From first to last
By my will
This circle is cast
Blessed be
West quarter call:
Gentle rains and cleaning rivers
Ocean mother and waters of life
We call to you
Flooding
Massive storms
We respect you
Powers of the west, be welcomed
Blessed be
North quarter call:
Rich soil and source of food
Earth mother and salt of life
We call to you
Falling
Powerful earthquakes
We respect you
Powers of the north, be welcomed
Blessed be
East quarter call:
Fresh air and gentle breeze
Father wind and the breath of life
We call to you
Spinning
Great tornado
We respect you
Powers of the east, be welcomed
Blessed be
South quarter call:
Warming glow and hearth fire
Father sun and the passion of life
We call to you
Burning
Mighty volcano
We respect you
Powers of the south, be welcomed
Blessed be
Goddess invocation:
Lady of the harvest
Goddess of the food that gives us life
Lady of the fruits and vegetables
Goddess of the deaths that feed us
Be welcomed
Blessed be
God invocation:
Lord of the hunt
God of the food that gives us life
Lord of the animals, domestic and wild
God of the deaths that sustain us
Be welcomed
Blessed be
Centre:
Introduction:
This is a time in between.
We are between summer and fall.
As nature plants, we harvest.
This is a place in between.
We are between the worlds of the divine and the mundane.
As the gods talk, we hear.
We are beings in between.
We are bodies, and brains, and spirits.
We are all three, and we neglect one to the detriment of all.
In between, we are all things at once.
In between, we can reach all places and all times.
In between, we can speak to the divine, and it can speak to us.
I invite you to step through a doorway – another place of in between – and re-enter this space with the intention of engaging in trance together and using this special time and space to connect to the divine in each other and to the divine beyond us. Between the doorways, there is a small altar. Please take a moment at the altar to set your intention and to anoint the inside of your wrists with either the mandrake ointment or the blessed oil.
One by one, participants leave by the south door, stop at the altar in the hallway, then re-enter by the north door. As they do, the priestess pushes the altar to the north wall and brings any chairs needed into the centre. Anyone who prefers to drum rather than dance picks up a drum and takes a seat in the centre. Everyone else stands in a circle.
The group chants for as long as possible, allowing the energy to ebb and flow while they enter a trance state. The trance leader will keep the bell or singing bowl close at hand to ring to signal the end of the chanting.
Horse and hattock!
Horse and go!
Horse and pallatis!
Ho! Ho!2
Food and Drink:
Move chairs and drums back to the side and move the altar back to the centre.
Food blessing:
Through food, we take in earth and water, fire and air. By the elements, this food is blessed. By consuming it, may we be blessed.
The food is passed clockwise with “may you never hunger” as the person offers the food to the next in the circle, then the recipient says “blessed be”.
One person holds the pitcher as the other blesses it with the athame:
As the athame is to the lover, so the chalice is to the loved; and joined they are one in truth.
The pitcher is passed clockwise with “thou art God" or "thou art Goddess" as the person pours from the pitcher to fill the next person's cup. Then the recipient says “blessed be” and puts the cup on the altar and takes the pitcher in turn. Once all cups are filled, all raise their cups in a toast: "May you never thirst." / "Blessed be."
Blessing:
We will go clockwise around the circle and each person says the blessing as they draw a spiral on the next person’s forehead with salt water:
May you be blessed with the power of in between.
Closing:
God devocation:
Lord of the hunt
Lord of the animals
We thank you for all that sustains us
Blessed be
Goddess devocation:
Lady of the harvest
Lady of the fruits and vegetables
We thank you for all that feeds us
Blessed be
South quarter dismissal:
Powers of the south
We respect that you can burn us
We thank you for your soothing warmth
Stay if you will; go if you must
Blessed be
East quarter dismissal:
Powers of the east
We respect that you can throw us
We thank you for your fresh air
Stay if you will; go if you must
Blessed be
North quarter dismissal:
Powers of the north
We respect that you can drop us
We thank you for your rich soil
Stay if you will; go if you must
Blessed be
West quarter dismissal:
Powers of the west
We respect that you can drown us
We thank you for your healing waters
Stay if you will; go if you must
Blessed be
The circle is cut:
The Circle is open, but unbroken. Merry meet, merry part and merry meet again!
Mabon: Between by Melissa Hope is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
- My source for mandrake ointment is Poisoner's Apothecary.
- Traditional Scottish chant. For more information, check out Sarah Lawless' article: Horse and Hattock: The Origins of the Witch's Chant.