"In the magic circle drawn by the priestess the strident ego is stilled"
I'm going to describe the rite of invocation of the Goddess, but before doing so I want to explain the meanings of two words which are so often misunderstood and, in one case, so often misused, and these words are witch' and wizard'. The etymology of witch' is uncertain, but it's believed to derive from Old English wicca' (male) or wicce' (female) and the verb wiccian' which meant to bewitch' or to practise sorcery'. However, it seems evident that witch' and wizard' derive from the same source, and wizard' means simply wise one' and is a word made on the same pattern as bastard', communard', dastard' and so on. A wise-ard is a wise person. The word wise' is cognate with the German wissen' which means to know' and is almost certainly related to the Irish fios' meaning knowledge' and feasa' meaning a witch' (a w-v-f' mutation). Closely related to wise' is the word wit', especially in its older use of intelligence' or sense' and we can see an immediate relationship with Sanskrit vid' meaning to know' and the Latin video' and the Welsh gwiddon' or widdon' meaning witch'. Now the Latin video' literally meant I see' but it was even then used metaphorically to mean to see with the mind' or to understand' or, in archaic English, to wit', for the Latin v' had the sound of English w'. So the meaning of witch' is wise one', that is, one who sees in a deep way, one who knows. When this deep wisdom resides in a woman she is a witch; when in a man, he is a wizard. And the wisdom which lies deep in the bosom of a witch is not the wisdom which is writ in the mind of the wizard; for all his wisdon, a wizard cannot make egoes. The wizard knows the secret paths; he will strike the Earth with his staff and you will be in a strange land; the witch will draw the circle with her wand and her land will not change, but you'll be a hare at her feet, a snake in the grass, or one of the stones in the purse at her hip.
I've discussed the meaning of witch' and wizard' at some length because there's a lot of misunderstanding about these words and a lot of immodest claims. It isn't necessary to be a witch or a wizard to worship the pagan gods or to work magic in the drawn circle, and this is fortunate for it it were not so, there would be little magic practised and little worship of the gods. But this has an inverse side, and that is that if you dabble' in magic, you will not escape the effects because you were merely dabbling. Nevertheless, there is little to fear in the hands of Mabh. Your magical ability will not be great in the beginning and if you make a few mistakes at this stage, what you learn by so doing will stand to you in good stead when you set foot on the ferny road, and on that road, you can't afford to make too many mistakes. Pagan magic is cummulative, both in the sense that tribal magic is more powerful by far than the magical efforts of a lone person, and in the sense that as person adds to person, so Moon adds to Moon and Sun to Sun. What you and your companions build together will stand to you always, immune to the passing of Summers; it will leave you only if you drive it away, and that you must avoid at all costs. Adopt this as your code and it will not leave you:
1) However sceptically or experimentally you approach ritual expression, there will come a time when you know you are no longer experimenting, and this will most likely occur during your very first rite. From that moment, don't ever again enact a rite except in earnest.
2) If ever you must break an appointment with the gods and cancel your presence at a rite, make your peace with the goddess or the god whose rite you vacated. But it were better you made no appointment than to make an appointment and break it.
3) If you decide to work a spell to accomplish some end, your decision is inviolate. Even though sometimes the end is accomplished before the time you set to work the spell, nevertheless your obligation is in no way changed. Your decision is an oath with the gods; never betray that trust.
4) When you have worked a spell in the name of the goddess or of the god and you have accomplished your purpose, always express your gratitude to the goddess or to the god by whose magic your end was accomplished.
5) Never, under any circumstances, or at any time, use the names of the gods in vain. This doesn't by any means signify that you shouldn't joke in their presence, during their rites or even at their expense, and holy jokes are every bit as good as the nonconsecrated ones! But don't express a blessing, a greeting or a curse unless you intend it.>
6) Lastly, never despise another's gods.
I'll describe a rite which is suitable for at least three people, among whom at least one is a woman and at least one is a man, but to make it fairly general, we'll imagine that in fact there are several women and several men present. It will be necessary to choose a woman to act as priestess for the group and a man to act as priest. At first, virtually nobody will know anybody else and the people who most enthusiastically offer themselves for these functions are not necessarily the people most capable of fulfilling them, and this is particularly so with regard to a priestess. The only way to discover who is most capable of fulfilling this function is to avoid coming to any decision until each woman has done so a number of times, and for the first year or so, it would be well if each woman acted as priestess in turn. The same is true of the priest except that it is also essential that he can function with the priestess and is acceptable to her as her priest. I've already described how you will recognise the man who will eventually become the group's priest. There will be no need to describe how you will recognise your priestess; the rite you enact and the way you develop it will show you soon enough who among you is the priestess of Mabh, and the whole group will be of one accord as to her identity. But don't fix roles too soon, and it is in any case possible, though rare, that there will be more than one among you able to fulfil the obligations of a priestess or of a priest, and if this turns out to be so, it will be a fortunate group. This is probably the best place to say that during a rite, especially in the early stages, but even in the late stages as well, there will be occasional mistakes, slips or accidents; don't judge a priestess by her mistakes, but by how she handles them; and don't worry unduly about an occasional blunder. The gods themselves are not beyond occasional error, and if they were we'd be redundant.
There are two ways in which a priestess or a priest might carry out their work, and the two ways differ radically from each other. A priestess might act as intermediary between her people and the gods, invoking the Goddess on all their behalves and calling in the Goddess' blessing about them, and this appears to be the only way among the priesthood of very many religions. The other way is that whereby the priestess invokes the Goddess and offers herself so completely to her that from that stage onward, she is a goddess among her people and, during the rite, her own personality no longer functions. This is the way in some of the pagan religions and is often referred to as shamanism, though the currents flow much more deeply than I've just indicated in this brief description of the differences. We will be concerned almost exclusively with the second mode of expression.
Dress for the rite is largely optional, some groups working naked, some in specially consecrated robes, and some in ordinary clothes, and some indeed in a mixture, and this is best left almost entirely to the group to decide as it wishes. You will almost certainly begin in everyday clothes and may continue thus indefinitely, but even so, a few adjustments are almost essential. Both hands and feet should be bare and people should remove all footwear, socks or stockings before the consecration of the circle, and the same is true of any clumsy items of clothing such as coats, jackets or headwear. Jewelry, by contrast, is helpful, both for men and for women. If the group are content with everyday clothing at least in the beginning, it is nevertheless highly desirable almost to the point of being essential (and especially in the beginning!) that the priestess provide herself with, or be provided with, something more appropriate than everyday clothing, and this should take the form of a long gown or robe which reaches almost but not quite to the ground, which may be opened at the front from the top to the bottom, and a belt to fasten at her waist. The sleeves may be long or it may be sleeveless. The material will depend on whether the priestess is otherwise naked, or whether she wears her ordinary clothes beneath it, and the colour will be as green as the rye grass. At first it will be necessary to improvise, and if there is nothing green to hand, the Earth colours may be used, but even in the beginning, it would be well for the group to invest a few pounds in a few metres of cheap green material. Don't get anything expensive at this stage and be content with simple draperies and a minimum of safety pins because it will have to be altered frequently to fit the different women in the group. It's not at all necessary to make a professional job of it, and we've enacted a rite in a table cloth; but it is almost essential for the priestess to effect some significant and appropriate change in her clothing. Avoid black robes as you avoid the elder wand, for if you can handle that magic you have no need of these instructions, and if you can't handle it, it were better by far not to invoke it.
You will need a candle, either an ordinary one or one the colour of the Earth, something to put it in and something to light it with, and you'll need incense and something in which to burn it or, if more convenient, a few joss sticks and something to hold them. For communion you will need a small quantity of water, apple juice or cider and a goblet which should be made of copper or earthenware and which is never used for any other purpose. And you will need a wand of apple or willow. To make a wand which will serve well enough, let one of the women of the group cut a length of twig from a tree measuring about 60cm in length and of a thickness similar to the middle phalange of her little finger. The measurements are not in the least critical and the essential criterion is that it should feel easy to handle. In use, the wand should be held by the end which grew nearest to the roots of the tree. All of these things can be improvised if necessary while you are building up, but it would be well to have them all as soon as possible.
There should be a clear space on the floor big enough to accommodate all the people sitting in a ring and with enough space for someone to walk round behind them, and the floor should be reasonably soft for sitting on; that is, there should be a carpet or a rug rather than lino, uncovered wood or stone.
When the time has come to begin the rite, the priestess should put on the ritual clothes and prepare herself for the rite and, if at all possible, she should be provided with a room for this purpose in which she will not be disturbed; some women need little time and others somewhat more to prepare themselves to take on the kachina of the Goddess and this depends entirely on the individual priestess. During her absence the priest will make any preparations that are necessary, clearing a floor space or organising a clearance if this hasn't already been effected, and organising the people into a circle as wide as the space will allow, not forgetting to leave a walking space behind everyone, but not so wide that people can't reach each other at all. As to arranging the people, it's best to alternate men and women around the circle as far as this is possible; it's best that people who live together should not form a tight group during a meeting; it's best that very new people be sat as far sunwise round the circle from the priest as possible; and otherwise a chance device is advisable unless the priest has a very good reason for a particular arrangement. He should place the candle and the incense in the centre of the circle, after which he takes his place in the ring with the other people, there to await the priestess. Everyone should be comfortably seated on the floor and it's helpful if these few minutes are used as a quiet period to allow thoughts to flow away like widening ripples on a pool and the emotions open out into the deep, warm bosom of the Earth.>
The priestess enters, bearing her wand in her right hand, and the priest rises. She closes the door with her free hand, pauses momentarily to greet the priest with her eyes and in silence, and walks forward to enter the circle. In the circle, she goes down on one knee, places her wand on the ground and raises the candle to a convenient height for the priest who sets a flame upon it. The priestess now stands up with the lighted candle and the priest extinguishes any lights that are now no longer needed, and generally, the candle will cast all the light that is needed without driving the shadows away. When the priest has extinguished the superfluous lights, he comes back to the priestess who gives him the candle, and he follows her out of the circle to give her light while she fills the goblet with the communion draught. This she brings back and, kneeling on one knee, she places it on the ground in the centre of the circle. She remains kneeling thus while the priest sets the candle down, and then she lights the incense. As soon as the incense is burning, she takes her wand in her hand, stands up and takes her place in the circle with the priest, who has now returned, on her left hand. At this stage, everyone is sitting except the priestess who is standing, and this completes the preliminary setting up preparatory to the invocation.
When the priestess has judged that the actions of the last few minutes have found their homes among the shadows and a peace has come among her companie, she will begin the invocation.
" Mabh, from whose womb we take birth,
From whose breast we take food and
In whose arms we find everlasting love,
Our Earth, Beloved Earth.
Bless our togetherness. "
She begins by leaning forward slightly, her wand resting vertically with its root on the ground and her own fingers resting lightly on the radiation tip, and standing thus, she calls on the name of the Goddess expressing all the love that is in her breast and all the warmth that is in her voice, and when she has thus spoken the name of Mabh, she raises her wand to her breast, standing erect, her head inclining slightly forward and her eyes to the Earth, and thus standing, she speaks the words which follow the Goddess's name. The action of raising the wand to her breast is best effected as follows: the priestess's hands will be resting on its tip while its root is on the ground. She lifts it with her right hand, at the same time grasping it with her left hand at about its middle, and then places her right hand immediately below her left as she draws it to her breast with both hands. It's best held then between the thumbs and middle phalange of the fingers. If the priestess holds it in her mind and in her heart that the first calling on the name of the Goddess with the wand resting on the ground is an act of consecration of the wand which calls the Goddess from the Earth into her wand, this will best indicate how the wand should be handled. And when she is standing with the wand at her breast, pronouncing the other words of the invocation, she is not only bringing her people together in the arms of the Earth Mother, but she is herself taking the Mother into herself from the radiation tip of the wand. This can be very difficult to the point of being impossible in an upstairs flat, and is not always possible even on the ground floor, and if the priestess feels this is likely to be so, she should first consecrate the wand for the purpose by placing its root on the Earth by herself at some time during the day and saying the invocation to herself or, better, if the relationship is becoming strong, by just calling on the name of Mabh.
Following the invocation, the priestess, when she feels ready, will draw the circle round her people. This is done by her walking slowly round the circle sunwise, her wand held in her right hand and extended somewhat beyond her, its tip pointed to the place on the ground at which the ring is bring constructed. It isn't necessary for the wand actually to touch the ground for its influence extends, even at this stage, at least a wand's length beyond its tip. At first somewhat faintly, but with progressive meetings more and more strongly, as the priestess draws the magic circle, there will be a powerful feeling of containment within it which will grow considerably stronger at the instant the circle is completed. This power is drawn from the Earth and directed through the priestess by her wand, and doesn't require any effort of will or imagination on the part of her people. While the ring is being made, the people will help the priestess by imagining her and the Earth Mother to be identified, her body extending throughout the Earth like the roots of the trees and Mabh herself in the priestess' presence. Don't worry too much about the detail and boundaries; if there is too much to imagine at first, concentrate only on the name of Mabh and the body of the priestess, and even then don't make a business' of it. It isn't at all necessary to will it to happen (and indeed it can't be willed) but it is necessary to allow it to happen.
When the priestess has drawn the ring, she returns the wand to the centre and takes her place (on the priest's right hand) sitting on the ground in the circle with her people. As soon as she is ready, she extends her arms to the people on either side of her who grasp her hand and extend their other arm and so on until everyone is joined hand to hand round the ring. Sitting thus, linked to one another, the priestess, now magically identified with the Goddess, extends her love to her people, and they in turn feel their love for her. It's very important in this not to imagine love as though it were stuff' being pumped around the circle, which is a common error; the magical currents which do flow in the circle need no help from the imagination. Instead, the priestess feels her arms as enfolding her people and her breast giving them her warmth. The people, in turn, feel whatever love for her that arises in them, and it's not love for a disembodied spirit, but love for her person, her body, her personality and her devotion towards them. Don't try to imagine a discarnate goddess at this stage because if you do, it will break the spell; love the priestess because she is the goddess, and as you go on meeting and develop deeper magic, she will become more and more a goddess among you when the circle is drawn.
When the priestess feels her group has grown together - and it may be in the first flicker of the candle or it may be in half an hour - and when she feels she has bound herself about them in Mabh, she says quietly and in a low voice:
" Be still, my people;
My love is about you. "
And after a few moments she withdraws her arms and places her hands in her lap, and so too the persons sitting next to her, and then the people sitting next to them, and so on to the opposite side of the circle. As soon as this is completed the priest turns his eyes to the priestess whose eyes meet his and he says:
" Here in our circle till the ring be unmade
I give you myself and my love.
Blessed of all names be your name, our Mabh. "
When the priest has thus spoken the person sitting on his left hand devotes themself in the same words to Mabh, an then the next person, and so on until everyone, sunwise, has made their personal dedication to the Earth Mother. In each case the pagan dedicating themself to the Earth Mother looks into her eyes while making their dedication, and she looks into their eyes as they speak to her. If their heart is with her, the eyes will speak the same dedication as the words.
When the last person has made their dedication to her, the priestess raises herself onto one knee and turns to face the priest, saying:
" Pahh, my son, astir in my womb..... "
And then, taking both his hands in her own, she stands, bringing him up with her and continues:
" Rise, be the light of my people. "
The priest now picks up the candle and stands with it behind the person who was on his left and the priestess moves in front of the same person, goes down on one knee in front of them and places her hands gently on their head, and as their eyes meet she says to them:
" X, you are dear to me. "
In place of X' will be the person's familiar name. This is, of course, the secret name in a coven context, but in an open meeting it will be perfectly alright to use the familiar name. It's very important that this really is the familiar name; if a man is known to himself and all his friends as Dave' it's quite useless to accept him as David'; there's no magic in a label, only in a name. When the priestess has spoken she stands up, moves to the next person and goes down on her knee as before and the priest stations himself behind the person as before. The priest does not move until the priestess has risen to her feet.
After the last person the priestess returns to her position in the circle andwhile she is standing there the priest puts the candle back in the centre, and then returns to his position where he stands facing the priestess and says to her:
" A day I have brought your peoples, Earth.
The night draws near and your western hills are dear to me. "
And the priestess opens her arms to him and as he moves towards her she folds them about him and says:
" Come beloved. Sink your fire
Deep in our twilight's glow. "
And as the Sun sinks into the Earth after his circuit of light, the priestess and the priest press their lips together and consummate their union with a kiss. Again it's very important not to project discarnate deities; if there's love of the Earth Mother between the people there will be love enough between person and person, and it's this love, which is love of the Goddess, which is expressed by the kiss in the magic circle. When they deem their kiss has expressed what is in their hearts, the priest sinks to his place in the circle under the tender gaze of the priestess who takes her place after him. As soon as the priestess is seated, she says:
" My love bind you together one to another
And bind you together in me.
Draw near, my people. "
And thereon the circle draws together so that the people are in contact, knee to knee, and their hands come together in this manner: each person places their right hand, palm uppermost, on the thigh of the person on their right and their left hand, palm downward, in the hand of the person on their left, adjusting until the position feels right. The priestess now asks if anyone has anything to say, and at this stage the meeting is open to talk about anything that people want to discuss. Obviously, this isn't the time to discuss business matters which are best left until afterwards or some other time, but it is a good time to discuss such things as changes in a rite, the deeper meanings of certain aspects of mythology, any pressing psychological problems of any person present and in fact anything of an intimate nature which can't be easily discussed (or at all) outside of the circle. If nobody has anything to say, and sometimes indeed if they have, the priestess will ask each person in turn to describe any recent dreams they've had, and these should be discussed by the group and tentatively unravelled. This should be very tentative for many dreams have diverse layers and even if the first unravelling is right it does not exclude others which are equally or more relevant. With sensitive handling, quite a lot of the future development of the group and its ritual expression will grow out of this practice and the people's dreams, in turn, will tend more to suggest ritual expression as the two are brought together. Even the apparently most ordinary dreams can be valuable when placed in the hands of another. During this period, and indeed during any part of the rite, but especially during this period if vivid images are built, intense emotions may arise and they may be emotions of intense joy or grief, sexual passion, despair, emptiness, contentment, love and in fact anything from the whole range of experience, and reactions will be appropriate and vary from laughter to sexual erections in men to tears of uncontrolled grief. If this happens let it happen and hold to each other the tighter; and if a person seems altogether overcome with emotion, it would be well for the priestess to go to them inside the circle and the circle close behind her.
When there is nothing more to say, or if there is no time to say more, the priestess will make this known, and then she says:
" Be still, my People. "
And when the quiet has settled among her people the priestess withdraws her arms and so the persons on her sides withdraw and so on round the circle. The priestess now moves to the centre of the circle and, kneeling on one knee, she lifts the goblet and, holding it to her breast in both her hands, but a little way from her breast, she looks down into the communion draught and speaks to it with these words:
" Milk of my breast, flow from me.
Love of my breast, go from me.
Carry my warmth and carry me
Into my beloved people. "
And when the priestess feels her love has flown into the communion draught she stands and moves over to the priest who stands up before her and, holding the goblet up in her two hands, she says to him:
" My love go into you
And be with you
Till the next gathering of the Moon. "
And then she gives him drink, and when he has drunk of her love he takes the candle out of the centre of the circle and places it in her vacated place, sitting down again and guarding its flame. The priestess moves to the first person on the priest's left, goes down on her knee in front of them and, holding up the goblet in both of her hands before them, says to them as she said to the priest:
" My love go into you
And be with you
Till the next gathering of the Moon. "
And she gives them the goblet which they take in their hands and drink from it, and then return into her hands. She puts it down on the ground to her right, and not too close to her skirt, and then she puts her arms about the communicant and kisses them on the lips, and the takes up the goblet and moves to the next person, and so on round the circle. When the priestess kisses the communicant the communicant may feel a need to express their love for her with their hands and if this feeling arises within them it should be expressed, gently and in love, and not so as to upset her balance. If you put your hands gently on her shouders, at her breasts, or by her sides, this will actively convey your love and gratitude towards her. A small point: don't drink too much from the consecrated goblet because if it runs dry it will be a disturbance to refill it. When the last person has received communion the priestess herself will drink from the cup and if there is any left over now it should later be tipped back into the Earth.
The priestess now replaces the goblet in the centre of the circle and takes up her wand which she holds in her right hand pointing downward, and when she is standing she says:
" Rise, my People. "
And the people then stand, the priest lifting the candle as he stands, holding it in front of him facing towards the centre of the circle. The priestess goes into her place, faces the centre of the circle, and says:
" As within, so without.
Our love with the Old Ones always. "
And then she unmakes the circle by slowly moving round as before, but this time in the direction opposite to the Sun. The wand, however, is held exactly as before. When the circle has been unmade, the priest places the candle on the ground at some distance from the place of the circle and the priestess places her wand beside it and, returning to the place of the circle, the people join their hands one to another and the priest says:
" Merrie meet "
And the people reply: " And merrie part "
And the priestess says: " And merrie meet again! "
And thus the rite is ended. At this stage there is very often an intense bond of love between all the people present which is usually expressed by everybody going into a tight huddle and people may kiss each other regardless of sex, and as the group gradually breaks apart the priestess, with whatever help she chooses, organises something to eat and drink and people can sit around and talk and generally express themselves to each other. A lot of groups bring out wine at this stage, which is a matter for each group to decide for itself, but it's something which should be discussed because if some people drink rather a lot and some little or none, the alcoholic haze can be deadening for those who are not in it. But don't be too rigid about it because while some people become dull and boring, others lose their inhibitions and open out to people.
Two things which should be thought about very carefully are these: Firstly, take great care with the candle; this is especially important for the priestess, and indeed for anyone wearing a long gown or robe. Secondly, when the circle has been undrawn the priestess no longer carries the kachina of the Goddess; her own nature returns. Don't expect her to continue to function as she did within the magic circle. One other thing: the incense may need attention from time to time and the priest will look after it as the priestess wishes.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
I haven't described rites for special purposes, magical work or the seasonal rites or anything in the least invocatory of the other gods, but there is something I will describe straight away as you may need it, and that is the means of entering or leaving a consecrated circle. This is something which should be avoided if at all possible, but if you really have to leave the magic circle temporarily, the following method will usually enable you to do so without damage to yourself or your companions.
Let us suppose, for example, that someone's bursting to do a piss. When they've communicated their need to the priestess she and the priest stand and she summons them to stand between her and the priest, just inside the rim of the circle and facing outward, and when they are thus standing, the priest says (using the person's familiar name):
" X is unloved among us. "
And this is straightaway repeated together by everyone present except the priestess. The priest again pronounces this statement and the people again repeat it. For a third time the priest reiterates the statement and for a third time the people repeat it after him. And when it has thus been said three times by the priest and three times by the people, the priestess says:
" Go from us, thing of no worth! "
And immediately she places her wand across the circle, its root pointing inwards and its tip outwards, and the person steps out of the circle across this bridge, without actually touching the wand, and the priestess immediately removes the wand, whereupon she and the priest sit down again, the priestess holding the wand in her hand and the group remaining silent.
When the person returns to re-enter the circle, they stand some distance away and, thus standing, they say:
" Mabh, admit me to your circle. "
The priestess asks: " Who calls? "
They reply: " Nobody calls. "
The priestess replies: " Nobody is unloved among us. "
Again they say: " Mabh, admit me to your circle."
Again she asks: " Who calls? "
Again they reply: " Nobody calls. "
And the priestess says: " Nobody is unloved among us.
X who is gone from us is our beloved. "
They ask a third time: " Mabh, admit me to your circle. "
Again she asks: " Who calls? "
For a third time they reply: " Nobody calls. "
And the priestess says: " Nobody is unloved among us. X is our beloved."
And with this, the priestess stands up and places her wand across the circle as before, the person quickly steps across it, again taking care not to touch it, and the priestess immediately takes the wand up and replaces it in the centre of the circle. Having done this, the priestess takes both the person's hands into her own and says to them:
" X, you are my beloved. "
She looses her right hand now, letting go of their left, whereupon the priest rises, and the three join their hands left to right in a little circle, and the priestess say
" How is X to you? "
And the priest replies: " X is a gladness to me. "
Still holding the person with her left hand, the priestess leads them to the person next round the circle sunwise who stands and they form a little circle again, and the priestess again asks her question, and the reply is the same, and thus they go round the circle until each member of her companie has reaffirmed their love of the returned person, and as soon as each person has thus affirmed their love, that person sits down. During this circuit the priest will see that the candle is well clear of the priestess' clothing.
This is a rather elaborate ritual for a simple thing, but it's very necessary and will become more and more necessary as you gain experience in a circle. Even in the beginning you will be generating enough magic to attract entities who would take it from you and even, by so doing, harm you as a result, so it's necesary to protect the person who is leaving by covering them with a veil to deceive, and to maintain this veil whenever the circle is open or about to be opened. Such entities are simple and indeed primitive in their actions and cannot distinguish a deceptive name of Nobody' from nobody, so this is a useful deception to employ, but it is then necessary to reaffirm the person when they return and are safely inside the circle again.
Now I said in B1 that it is isn't necessary or even helpful to have faith, and that belief is of no worth at all. And so it is. But such entities as these have the property so characteristic of their kind that they are able to exert their primitive powers even though they don't exist. Where the wind blows in the reeds this is as obvious as an oath sworn on the fern, but in the drier winds of the east you can see it by analogy with the ogres of your dreams. From where do they come? For assuredly, existence' is not their most notable property! You could, even now, suffer harm if you ignore this precaution, though the harm will not be great; it will have the effect in the main of preventing the growing of your magic by draining it away. That's bad enough. But when you come to invoke the more ambiguous magic of the Moon Maiden and the Horned God it will be another matter, and if ever you invoke the Cailleach, you will need at least such protection as this will afford, so it were well to gain proficiency while you are yet learning of the love of Mabh.
I won't describe any further rites at this stage because until you have come to know the Earth Mother some of the others can be dangerous both to the people practising them and to others, and those that are not would be largely ineffectual. But use the rite described and communicate your experiences back to the tribe. You will soon make your own changes to this rite and the changes will vary from one group to another, and the rite is so described that it has built into it an intrinsic evolution potential. If you work with this rite and mean all you say, you will soon enough see what more you will need when you come near to forming your coven. But until then, do invoke the Mother; she would be filled with gladness for she likes to have you near her to mingle your love with hers. Come near to her, and she will come nearer yet to you.
Mabh be with you now
And take you into her secrets
I'm going to describe the rite of invocation of the Goddess, but before doing so I want to explain the meanings of two words which are so often misunderstood and, in one case, so often misused, and these words are witch' and wizard'. The etymology of witch' is uncertain, but it's believed to derive from Old English wicca' (male) or wicce' (female) and the verb wiccian' which meant to bewitch' or to practise sorcery'. However, it seems evident that witch' and wizard' derive from the same source, and wizard' means simply wise one' and is a word made on the same pattern as bastard', communard', dastard' and so on. A wise-ard is a wise person. The word wise' is cognate with the German wissen' which means to know' and is almost certainly related to the Irish fios' meaning knowledge' and feasa' meaning a witch' (a w-v-f' mutation). Closely related to wise' is the word wit', especially in its older use of intelligence' or sense' and we can see an immediate relationship with Sanskrit vid' meaning to know' and the Latin video' and the Welsh gwiddon' or widdon' meaning witch'. Now the Latin video' literally meant I see' but it was even then used metaphorically to mean to see with the mind' or to understand' or, in archaic English, to wit', for the Latin v' had the sound of English w'. So the meaning of witch' is wise one', that is, one who sees in a deep way, one who knows. When this deep wisdom resides in a woman she is a witch; when in a man, he is a wizard. And the wisdom which lies deep in the bosom of a witch is not the wisdom which is writ in the mind of the wizard; for all his wisdon, a wizard cannot make egoes. The wizard knows the secret paths; he will strike the Earth with his staff and you will be in a strange land; the witch will draw the circle with her wand and her land will not change, but you'll be a hare at her feet, a snake in the grass, or one of the stones in the purse at her hip.
I've discussed the meaning of witch' and wizard' at some length because there's a lot of misunderstanding about these words and a lot of immodest claims. It isn't necessary to be a witch or a wizard to worship the pagan gods or to work magic in the drawn circle, and this is fortunate for it it were not so, there would be little magic practised and little worship of the gods. But this has an inverse side, and that is that if you dabble' in magic, you will not escape the effects because you were merely dabbling. Nevertheless, there is little to fear in the hands of Mabh. Your magical ability will not be great in the beginning and if you make a few mistakes at this stage, what you learn by so doing will stand to you in good stead when you set foot on the ferny road, and on that road, you can't afford to make too many mistakes. Pagan magic is cummulative, both in the sense that tribal magic is more powerful by far than the magical efforts of a lone person, and in the sense that as person adds to person, so Moon adds to Moon and Sun to Sun. What you and your companions build together will stand to you always, immune to the passing of Summers; it will leave you only if you drive it away, and that you must avoid at all costs. Adopt this as your code and it will not leave you:
1) However sceptically or experimentally you approach ritual expression, there will come a time when you know you are no longer experimenting, and this will most likely occur during your very first rite. From that moment, don't ever again enact a rite except in earnest.
2) If ever you must break an appointment with the gods and cancel your presence at a rite, make your peace with the goddess or the god whose rite you vacated. But it were better you made no appointment than to make an appointment and break it.
3) If you decide to work a spell to accomplish some end, your decision is inviolate. Even though sometimes the end is accomplished before the time you set to work the spell, nevertheless your obligation is in no way changed. Your decision is an oath with the gods; never betray that trust.
4) When you have worked a spell in the name of the goddess or of the god and you have accomplished your purpose, always express your gratitude to the goddess or to the god by whose magic your end was accomplished.
5) Never, under any circumstances, or at any time, use the names of the gods in vain. This doesn't by any means signify that you shouldn't joke in their presence, during their rites or even at their expense, and holy jokes are every bit as good as the nonconsecrated ones! But don't express a blessing, a greeting or a curse unless you intend it.>
6) Lastly, never despise another's gods.
I'll describe a rite which is suitable for at least three people, among whom at least one is a woman and at least one is a man, but to make it fairly general, we'll imagine that in fact there are several women and several men present. It will be necessary to choose a woman to act as priestess for the group and a man to act as priest. At first, virtually nobody will know anybody else and the people who most enthusiastically offer themselves for these functions are not necessarily the people most capable of fulfilling them, and this is particularly so with regard to a priestess. The only way to discover who is most capable of fulfilling this function is to avoid coming to any decision until each woman has done so a number of times, and for the first year or so, it would be well if each woman acted as priestess in turn. The same is true of the priest except that it is also essential that he can function with the priestess and is acceptable to her as her priest. I've already described how you will recognise the man who will eventually become the group's priest. There will be no need to describe how you will recognise your priestess; the rite you enact and the way you develop it will show you soon enough who among you is the priestess of Mabh, and the whole group will be of one accord as to her identity. But don't fix roles too soon, and it is in any case possible, though rare, that there will be more than one among you able to fulfil the obligations of a priestess or of a priest, and if this turns out to be so, it will be a fortunate group. This is probably the best place to say that during a rite, especially in the early stages, but even in the late stages as well, there will be occasional mistakes, slips or accidents; don't judge a priestess by her mistakes, but by how she handles them; and don't worry unduly about an occasional blunder. The gods themselves are not beyond occasional error, and if they were we'd be redundant.
There are two ways in which a priestess or a priest might carry out their work, and the two ways differ radically from each other. A priestess might act as intermediary between her people and the gods, invoking the Goddess on all their behalves and calling in the Goddess' blessing about them, and this appears to be the only way among the priesthood of very many religions. The other way is that whereby the priestess invokes the Goddess and offers herself so completely to her that from that stage onward, she is a goddess among her people and, during the rite, her own personality no longer functions. This is the way in some of the pagan religions and is often referred to as shamanism, though the currents flow much more deeply than I've just indicated in this brief description of the differences. We will be concerned almost exclusively with the second mode of expression.
Dress for the rite is largely optional, some groups working naked, some in specially consecrated robes, and some in ordinary clothes, and some indeed in a mixture, and this is best left almost entirely to the group to decide as it wishes. You will almost certainly begin in everyday clothes and may continue thus indefinitely, but even so, a few adjustments are almost essential. Both hands and feet should be bare and people should remove all footwear, socks or stockings before the consecration of the circle, and the same is true of any clumsy items of clothing such as coats, jackets or headwear. Jewelry, by contrast, is helpful, both for men and for women. If the group are content with everyday clothing at least in the beginning, it is nevertheless highly desirable almost to the point of being essential (and especially in the beginning!) that the priestess provide herself with, or be provided with, something more appropriate than everyday clothing, and this should take the form of a long gown or robe which reaches almost but not quite to the ground, which may be opened at the front from the top to the bottom, and a belt to fasten at her waist. The sleeves may be long or it may be sleeveless. The material will depend on whether the priestess is otherwise naked, or whether she wears her ordinary clothes beneath it, and the colour will be as green as the rye grass. At first it will be necessary to improvise, and if there is nothing green to hand, the Earth colours may be used, but even in the beginning, it would be well for the group to invest a few pounds in a few metres of cheap green material. Don't get anything expensive at this stage and be content with simple draperies and a minimum of safety pins because it will have to be altered frequently to fit the different women in the group. It's not at all necessary to make a professional job of it, and we've enacted a rite in a table cloth; but it is almost essential for the priestess to effect some significant and appropriate change in her clothing. Avoid black robes as you avoid the elder wand, for if you can handle that magic you have no need of these instructions, and if you can't handle it, it were better by far not to invoke it.
You will need a candle, either an ordinary one or one the colour of the Earth, something to put it in and something to light it with, and you'll need incense and something in which to burn it or, if more convenient, a few joss sticks and something to hold them. For communion you will need a small quantity of water, apple juice or cider and a goblet which should be made of copper or earthenware and which is never used for any other purpose. And you will need a wand of apple or willow. To make a wand which will serve well enough, let one of the women of the group cut a length of twig from a tree measuring about 60cm in length and of a thickness similar to the middle phalange of her little finger. The measurements are not in the least critical and the essential criterion is that it should feel easy to handle. In use, the wand should be held by the end which grew nearest to the roots of the tree. All of these things can be improvised if necessary while you are building up, but it would be well to have them all as soon as possible.
There should be a clear space on the floor big enough to accommodate all the people sitting in a ring and with enough space for someone to walk round behind them, and the floor should be reasonably soft for sitting on; that is, there should be a carpet or a rug rather than lino, uncovered wood or stone.
When the time has come to begin the rite, the priestess should put on the ritual clothes and prepare herself for the rite and, if at all possible, she should be provided with a room for this purpose in which she will not be disturbed; some women need little time and others somewhat more to prepare themselves to take on the kachina of the Goddess and this depends entirely on the individual priestess. During her absence the priest will make any preparations that are necessary, clearing a floor space or organising a clearance if this hasn't already been effected, and organising the people into a circle as wide as the space will allow, not forgetting to leave a walking space behind everyone, but not so wide that people can't reach each other at all. As to arranging the people, it's best to alternate men and women around the circle as far as this is possible; it's best that people who live together should not form a tight group during a meeting; it's best that very new people be sat as far sunwise round the circle from the priest as possible; and otherwise a chance device is advisable unless the priest has a very good reason for a particular arrangement. He should place the candle and the incense in the centre of the circle, after which he takes his place in the ring with the other people, there to await the priestess. Everyone should be comfortably seated on the floor and it's helpful if these few minutes are used as a quiet period to allow thoughts to flow away like widening ripples on a pool and the emotions open out into the deep, warm bosom of the Earth.>
The priestess enters, bearing her wand in her right hand, and the priest rises. She closes the door with her free hand, pauses momentarily to greet the priest with her eyes and in silence, and walks forward to enter the circle. In the circle, she goes down on one knee, places her wand on the ground and raises the candle to a convenient height for the priest who sets a flame upon it. The priestess now stands up with the lighted candle and the priest extinguishes any lights that are now no longer needed, and generally, the candle will cast all the light that is needed without driving the shadows away. When the priest has extinguished the superfluous lights, he comes back to the priestess who gives him the candle, and he follows her out of the circle to give her light while she fills the goblet with the communion draught. This she brings back and, kneeling on one knee, she places it on the ground in the centre of the circle. She remains kneeling thus while the priest sets the candle down, and then she lights the incense. As soon as the incense is burning, she takes her wand in her hand, stands up and takes her place in the circle with the priest, who has now returned, on her left hand. At this stage, everyone is sitting except the priestess who is standing, and this completes the preliminary setting up preparatory to the invocation.
When the priestess has judged that the actions of the last few minutes have found their homes among the shadows and a peace has come among her companie, she will begin the invocation.
" Mabh, from whose womb we take birth,
From whose breast we take food and
In whose arms we find everlasting love,
Our Earth, Beloved Earth.
Bless our togetherness. "
She begins by leaning forward slightly, her wand resting vertically with its root on the ground and her own fingers resting lightly on the radiation tip, and standing thus, she calls on the name of the Goddess expressing all the love that is in her breast and all the warmth that is in her voice, and when she has thus spoken the name of Mabh, she raises her wand to her breast, standing erect, her head inclining slightly forward and her eyes to the Earth, and thus standing, she speaks the words which follow the Goddess's name. The action of raising the wand to her breast is best effected as follows: the priestess's hands will be resting on its tip while its root is on the ground. She lifts it with her right hand, at the same time grasping it with her left hand at about its middle, and then places her right hand immediately below her left as she draws it to her breast with both hands. It's best held then between the thumbs and middle phalange of the fingers. If the priestess holds it in her mind and in her heart that the first calling on the name of the Goddess with the wand resting on the ground is an act of consecration of the wand which calls the Goddess from the Earth into her wand, this will best indicate how the wand should be handled. And when she is standing with the wand at her breast, pronouncing the other words of the invocation, she is not only bringing her people together in the arms of the Earth Mother, but she is herself taking the Mother into herself from the radiation tip of the wand. This can be very difficult to the point of being impossible in an upstairs flat, and is not always possible even on the ground floor, and if the priestess feels this is likely to be so, she should first consecrate the wand for the purpose by placing its root on the Earth by herself at some time during the day and saying the invocation to herself or, better, if the relationship is becoming strong, by just calling on the name of Mabh.
Following the invocation, the priestess, when she feels ready, will draw the circle round her people. This is done by her walking slowly round the circle sunwise, her wand held in her right hand and extended somewhat beyond her, its tip pointed to the place on the ground at which the ring is bring constructed. It isn't necessary for the wand actually to touch the ground for its influence extends, even at this stage, at least a wand's length beyond its tip. At first somewhat faintly, but with progressive meetings more and more strongly, as the priestess draws the magic circle, there will be a powerful feeling of containment within it which will grow considerably stronger at the instant the circle is completed. This power is drawn from the Earth and directed through the priestess by her wand, and doesn't require any effort of will or imagination on the part of her people. While the ring is being made, the people will help the priestess by imagining her and the Earth Mother to be identified, her body extending throughout the Earth like the roots of the trees and Mabh herself in the priestess' presence. Don't worry too much about the detail and boundaries; if there is too much to imagine at first, concentrate only on the name of Mabh and the body of the priestess, and even then don't make a business' of it. It isn't at all necessary to will it to happen (and indeed it can't be willed) but it is necessary to allow it to happen.
When the priestess has drawn the ring, she returns the wand to the centre and takes her place (on the priest's right hand) sitting on the ground in the circle with her people. As soon as she is ready, she extends her arms to the people on either side of her who grasp her hand and extend their other arm and so on until everyone is joined hand to hand round the ring. Sitting thus, linked to one another, the priestess, now magically identified with the Goddess, extends her love to her people, and they in turn feel their love for her. It's very important in this not to imagine love as though it were stuff' being pumped around the circle, which is a common error; the magical currents which do flow in the circle need no help from the imagination. Instead, the priestess feels her arms as enfolding her people and her breast giving them her warmth. The people, in turn, feel whatever love for her that arises in them, and it's not love for a disembodied spirit, but love for her person, her body, her personality and her devotion towards them. Don't try to imagine a discarnate goddess at this stage because if you do, it will break the spell; love the priestess because she is the goddess, and as you go on meeting and develop deeper magic, she will become more and more a goddess among you when the circle is drawn.
When the priestess feels her group has grown together - and it may be in the first flicker of the candle or it may be in half an hour - and when she feels she has bound herself about them in Mabh, she says quietly and in a low voice:
" Be still, my people;
My love is about you. "
And after a few moments she withdraws her arms and places her hands in her lap, and so too the persons sitting next to her, and then the people sitting next to them, and so on to the opposite side of the circle. As soon as this is completed the priest turns his eyes to the priestess whose eyes meet his and he says:
" Here in our circle till the ring be unmade
I give you myself and my love.
Blessed of all names be your name, our Mabh. "
When the priest has thus spoken the person sitting on his left hand devotes themself in the same words to Mabh, an then the next person, and so on until everyone, sunwise, has made their personal dedication to the Earth Mother. In each case the pagan dedicating themself to the Earth Mother looks into her eyes while making their dedication, and she looks into their eyes as they speak to her. If their heart is with her, the eyes will speak the same dedication as the words.
When the last person has made their dedication to her, the priestess raises herself onto one knee and turns to face the priest, saying:
" Pahh, my son, astir in my womb..... "
And then, taking both his hands in her own, she stands, bringing him up with her and continues:
" Rise, be the light of my people. "
The priest now picks up the candle and stands with it behind the person who was on his left and the priestess moves in front of the same person, goes down on one knee in front of them and places her hands gently on their head, and as their eyes meet she says to them:
" X, you are dear to me. "
In place of X' will be the person's familiar name. This is, of course, the secret name in a coven context, but in an open meeting it will be perfectly alright to use the familiar name. It's very important that this really is the familiar name; if a man is known to himself and all his friends as Dave' it's quite useless to accept him as David'; there's no magic in a label, only in a name. When the priestess has spoken she stands up, moves to the next person and goes down on her knee as before and the priest stations himself behind the person as before. The priest does not move until the priestess has risen to her feet.
After the last person the priestess returns to her position in the circle andwhile she is standing there the priest puts the candle back in the centre, and then returns to his position where he stands facing the priestess and says to her:
" A day I have brought your peoples, Earth.
The night draws near and your western hills are dear to me. "
And the priestess opens her arms to him and as he moves towards her she folds them about him and says:
" Come beloved. Sink your fire
Deep in our twilight's glow. "
And as the Sun sinks into the Earth after his circuit of light, the priestess and the priest press their lips together and consummate their union with a kiss. Again it's very important not to project discarnate deities; if there's love of the Earth Mother between the people there will be love enough between person and person, and it's this love, which is love of the Goddess, which is expressed by the kiss in the magic circle. When they deem their kiss has expressed what is in their hearts, the priest sinks to his place in the circle under the tender gaze of the priestess who takes her place after him. As soon as the priestess is seated, she says:
" My love bind you together one to another
And bind you together in me.
Draw near, my people. "
And thereon the circle draws together so that the people are in contact, knee to knee, and their hands come together in this manner: each person places their right hand, palm uppermost, on the thigh of the person on their right and their left hand, palm downward, in the hand of the person on their left, adjusting until the position feels right. The priestess now asks if anyone has anything to say, and at this stage the meeting is open to talk about anything that people want to discuss. Obviously, this isn't the time to discuss business matters which are best left until afterwards or some other time, but it is a good time to discuss such things as changes in a rite, the deeper meanings of certain aspects of mythology, any pressing psychological problems of any person present and in fact anything of an intimate nature which can't be easily discussed (or at all) outside of the circle. If nobody has anything to say, and sometimes indeed if they have, the priestess will ask each person in turn to describe any recent dreams they've had, and these should be discussed by the group and tentatively unravelled. This should be very tentative for many dreams have diverse layers and even if the first unravelling is right it does not exclude others which are equally or more relevant. With sensitive handling, quite a lot of the future development of the group and its ritual expression will grow out of this practice and the people's dreams, in turn, will tend more to suggest ritual expression as the two are brought together. Even the apparently most ordinary dreams can be valuable when placed in the hands of another. During this period, and indeed during any part of the rite, but especially during this period if vivid images are built, intense emotions may arise and they may be emotions of intense joy or grief, sexual passion, despair, emptiness, contentment, love and in fact anything from the whole range of experience, and reactions will be appropriate and vary from laughter to sexual erections in men to tears of uncontrolled grief. If this happens let it happen and hold to each other the tighter; and if a person seems altogether overcome with emotion, it would be well for the priestess to go to them inside the circle and the circle close behind her.
When there is nothing more to say, or if there is no time to say more, the priestess will make this known, and then she says:
" Be still, my People. "
And when the quiet has settled among her people the priestess withdraws her arms and so the persons on her sides withdraw and so on round the circle. The priestess now moves to the centre of the circle and, kneeling on one knee, she lifts the goblet and, holding it to her breast in both her hands, but a little way from her breast, she looks down into the communion draught and speaks to it with these words:
" Milk of my breast, flow from me.
Love of my breast, go from me.
Carry my warmth and carry me
Into my beloved people. "
And when the priestess feels her love has flown into the communion draught she stands and moves over to the priest who stands up before her and, holding the goblet up in her two hands, she says to him:
" My love go into you
And be with you
Till the next gathering of the Moon. "
And then she gives him drink, and when he has drunk of her love he takes the candle out of the centre of the circle and places it in her vacated place, sitting down again and guarding its flame. The priestess moves to the first person on the priest's left, goes down on her knee in front of them and, holding up the goblet in both of her hands before them, says to them as she said to the priest:
" My love go into you
And be with you
Till the next gathering of the Moon. "
And she gives them the goblet which they take in their hands and drink from it, and then return into her hands. She puts it down on the ground to her right, and not too close to her skirt, and then she puts her arms about the communicant and kisses them on the lips, and the takes up the goblet and moves to the next person, and so on round the circle. When the priestess kisses the communicant the communicant may feel a need to express their love for her with their hands and if this feeling arises within them it should be expressed, gently and in love, and not so as to upset her balance. If you put your hands gently on her shouders, at her breasts, or by her sides, this will actively convey your love and gratitude towards her. A small point: don't drink too much from the consecrated goblet because if it runs dry it will be a disturbance to refill it. When the last person has received communion the priestess herself will drink from the cup and if there is any left over now it should later be tipped back into the Earth.
The priestess now replaces the goblet in the centre of the circle and takes up her wand which she holds in her right hand pointing downward, and when she is standing she says:
" Rise, my People. "
And the people then stand, the priest lifting the candle as he stands, holding it in front of him facing towards the centre of the circle. The priestess goes into her place, faces the centre of the circle, and says:
" As within, so without.
Our love with the Old Ones always. "
And then she unmakes the circle by slowly moving round as before, but this time in the direction opposite to the Sun. The wand, however, is held exactly as before. When the circle has been unmade, the priest places the candle on the ground at some distance from the place of the circle and the priestess places her wand beside it and, returning to the place of the circle, the people join their hands one to another and the priest says:
" Merrie meet "
And the people reply: " And merrie part "
And the priestess says: " And merrie meet again! "
And thus the rite is ended. At this stage there is very often an intense bond of love between all the people present which is usually expressed by everybody going into a tight huddle and people may kiss each other regardless of sex, and as the group gradually breaks apart the priestess, with whatever help she chooses, organises something to eat and drink and people can sit around and talk and generally express themselves to each other. A lot of groups bring out wine at this stage, which is a matter for each group to decide for itself, but it's something which should be discussed because if some people drink rather a lot and some little or none, the alcoholic haze can be deadening for those who are not in it. But don't be too rigid about it because while some people become dull and boring, others lose their inhibitions and open out to people.
Two things which should be thought about very carefully are these: Firstly, take great care with the candle; this is especially important for the priestess, and indeed for anyone wearing a long gown or robe. Secondly, when the circle has been undrawn the priestess no longer carries the kachina of the Goddess; her own nature returns. Don't expect her to continue to function as she did within the magic circle. One other thing: the incense may need attention from time to time and the priest will look after it as the priestess wishes.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
I haven't described rites for special purposes, magical work or the seasonal rites or anything in the least invocatory of the other gods, but there is something I will describe straight away as you may need it, and that is the means of entering or leaving a consecrated circle. This is something which should be avoided if at all possible, but if you really have to leave the magic circle temporarily, the following method will usually enable you to do so without damage to yourself or your companions.
Let us suppose, for example, that someone's bursting to do a piss. When they've communicated their need to the priestess she and the priest stand and she summons them to stand between her and the priest, just inside the rim of the circle and facing outward, and when they are thus standing, the priest says (using the person's familiar name):
" X is unloved among us. "
And this is straightaway repeated together by everyone present except the priestess. The priest again pronounces this statement and the people again repeat it. For a third time the priest reiterates the statement and for a third time the people repeat it after him. And when it has thus been said three times by the priest and three times by the people, the priestess says:
" Go from us, thing of no worth! "
And immediately she places her wand across the circle, its root pointing inwards and its tip outwards, and the person steps out of the circle across this bridge, without actually touching the wand, and the priestess immediately removes the wand, whereupon she and the priest sit down again, the priestess holding the wand in her hand and the group remaining silent.
When the person returns to re-enter the circle, they stand some distance away and, thus standing, they say:
" Mabh, admit me to your circle. "
The priestess asks: " Who calls? "
They reply: " Nobody calls. "
The priestess replies: " Nobody is unloved among us. "
Again they say: " Mabh, admit me to your circle."
Again she asks: " Who calls? "
Again they reply: " Nobody calls. "
And the priestess says: " Nobody is unloved among us.
X who is gone from us is our beloved. "
They ask a third time: " Mabh, admit me to your circle. "
Again she asks: " Who calls? "
For a third time they reply: " Nobody calls. "
And the priestess says: " Nobody is unloved among us. X is our beloved."
And with this, the priestess stands up and places her wand across the circle as before, the person quickly steps across it, again taking care not to touch it, and the priestess immediately takes the wand up and replaces it in the centre of the circle. Having done this, the priestess takes both the person's hands into her own and says to them:
" X, you are my beloved. "
She looses her right hand now, letting go of their left, whereupon the priest rises, and the three join their hands left to right in a little circle, and the priestess say
" How is X to you? "
And the priest replies: " X is a gladness to me. "
Still holding the person with her left hand, the priestess leads them to the person next round the circle sunwise who stands and they form a little circle again, and the priestess again asks her question, and the reply is the same, and thus they go round the circle until each member of her companie has reaffirmed their love of the returned person, and as soon as each person has thus affirmed their love, that person sits down. During this circuit the priest will see that the candle is well clear of the priestess' clothing.
This is a rather elaborate ritual for a simple thing, but it's very necessary and will become more and more necessary as you gain experience in a circle. Even in the beginning you will be generating enough magic to attract entities who would take it from you and even, by so doing, harm you as a result, so it's necesary to protect the person who is leaving by covering them with a veil to deceive, and to maintain this veil whenever the circle is open or about to be opened. Such entities are simple and indeed primitive in their actions and cannot distinguish a deceptive name of Nobody' from nobody, so this is a useful deception to employ, but it is then necessary to reaffirm the person when they return and are safely inside the circle again.
Now I said in B1 that it is isn't necessary or even helpful to have faith, and that belief is of no worth at all. And so it is. But such entities as these have the property so characteristic of their kind that they are able to exert their primitive powers even though they don't exist. Where the wind blows in the reeds this is as obvious as an oath sworn on the fern, but in the drier winds of the east you can see it by analogy with the ogres of your dreams. From where do they come? For assuredly, existence' is not their most notable property! You could, even now, suffer harm if you ignore this precaution, though the harm will not be great; it will have the effect in the main of preventing the growing of your magic by draining it away. That's bad enough. But when you come to invoke the more ambiguous magic of the Moon Maiden and the Horned God it will be another matter, and if ever you invoke the Cailleach, you will need at least such protection as this will afford, so it were well to gain proficiency while you are yet learning of the love of Mabh.
I won't describe any further rites at this stage because until you have come to know the Earth Mother some of the others can be dangerous both to the people practising them and to others, and those that are not would be largely ineffectual. But use the rite described and communicate your experiences back to the tribe. You will soon make your own changes to this rite and the changes will vary from one group to another, and the rite is so described that it has built into it an intrinsic evolution potential. If you work with this rite and mean all you say, you will soon enough see what more you will need when you come near to forming your coven. But until then, do invoke the Mother; she would be filled with gladness for she likes to have you near her to mingle your love with hers. Come near to her, and she will come nearer yet to you.
Mabh be with you now
And take you into her secrets