by K. L Roth
‘It is only an incantation to calm down the wind,’ she declared and rubbed the lit candles with oil from a small jar repeatedly down the wax shafts. The blasting breeze immediately stopped, to Elle’s disbelief. ‘See, you ask from the Earth and believe in her and she will hear you and respond. This is our way, soon to be yours as well, Elle. Mother Earth will provide and take care of you as she does with all of us.’ Cassie waved her hand towards the cave opening and lovingly placed it across her heart. ‘Kneel and repeat this phrase after me,’ Cassie said, dropping to her knees. ‘Mother Earth, take me in your arms and warm embrace. I will forever be your humble servant.’
Elle knelt at the altar and aped the words Cassie spoke to her, ‘Mother Earth, take me in your arms and warm embrace. I will forever be your humble servant.’
‘Now take this taper and light it with the large candle in the middle then place it in the empty holder on your left.’ Cassie picked up the sage bundle from the iron cauldron and held it close to Elle.
Elle lit the single candlestick awaiting her. The flame flickered red and raised high above their heads. Cassie nodded to her, ‘Mother Earth has heard your plea and takes you as her daughter.’ Cassie stopped wafting the sage and placed it back into the cauldron to continue to burn out. She lifted the large amethyst crystal to the smoke and then held it in the flames of Elle’s red flamed candlestick. ‘There, the crystal is now cleansed. Place the pine and mistletoe into the cauldron with the smouldering sage, please.’ Elle did as she was asked, carefully placing each small branch into the black iron pot. Their scent began to fill the air around them. It reminded her of Yule when she was a child, a time long forgotten before now. Elle smiled at Cassie when she produced the pure white robe from within the small trunk set beside them. ‘Now, put this on. I will place the cauldron on the floor, then you step over it, legs spread to the outside of the pot. Be careful, it is hot to the touch and will burn you.’ Cassie held out the robe to her and picked up the hot pot with the sage, pine and mistletoe still burning inside and gently placed it on the cleansed floor in front of her. Elle carefully took the robe, put her arms in and fluffed her hair out of the hood. ‘Here let me help you tie it,’ Cassie offered. Elle nodded and handed her the robe’s red tie. The sleeves of the robe hung to the floor and belled outward in a pretty manor. Cassie tied the robe around Elle’s waist in a double knot very neatly. Elle felt like she could float on air, an angel in white. She stood across the pot, careful to not touch the pot itself. She could feel the heat and the smoke wrap around her body, up the robe and into her sleeves. As she waited, Cassie removed her robe from the trunk and placed it on. Her long blonde hair fell across the white silk, nipples protruded through the thin material as she belted the robe with a red tie. Elle wondered why she wore purple and Cassie’s was red, but didn’t ask. Cassie motioned for her to step away from the smoking pot and took Elle’s place. Elle thought she was seeing things as the green smoke snaked its way around every inch of Cassie’s taunt body. The silky robe stuck to her body like a second skin now. ‘How odd!’ Elle thought, ‘It did not do that to me, at least not that I noticed.’ Cassie threw her head back as the smoke billowed out the top of her head and died out. She waited a few moments then placed the pot back onto the altar, careful to not stain her robe with soot. ‘We must go now to the circle. I imagine Melina is waiting for us. Best to not keep her and the others. Follow me and be extremely careful and quiet. You do not want to dirty your robe. Keep it off the forest floor and stay behind me as you do not want to step on any thorns or sharp sticks. We will not be wearing our footings.’ Cassie told her as she grabbed her own robe up and held it so it no longer draped the floor. Elle did the same and followed Cassie out the cave opening and into the darkness. They made their way through the woods, Elle tiptoeing behind Cassie like a good puppy. Cassie seemed to know the way even though the moon gave little light to see by. Once they reached the crest of the wood line, Elle could see a small fire in the clearing. A few white figures stood near and one she could barely make out. Cassie kept walking into the clearing towards the crowd. Elle was a few steps behind her. She stepped on a small, rotted log, making a loud noise. She stopped in her tracks. ‘Did I just hear a horse whiney? Or was it just the creaking of the trees? She thought about calling to Cassie but remembered what she had said about keeping quiet so she bunched up her robe more and ran after her in the tall grass.
♚♚♚
Melina reached the clearing in no time, it was not very far from the waterfall encased cave. The triplets had a nine-foot perfect circle shaped out in the grassy opening. She took her red ceremonial gown out of the parchment she kept it in. Once she was fully cloaked, she was careful to touch the ground with only her sept continuing in a clockwise circle once then going back over the circle with ground salt from the sea to cleanse the space and keep out dark spirits. Melina then placed candles at the four points: North, South, East and West. Each point has its own coordinating colour candle. Green for Earth at the North, Red for Fire at the South, Yellow for Air at the East and Blue for Water at the West. The other girls arrived minus Cassie and Elle. Cassie holds the station of Guide within this coven so she will bring forth Elle, the Seeker when she is called. Melina finally spoke when she finished salting the circle. ‘I, the High Priestess of the Coven of The Nine call upon the deities of Emotion, Intellect and Strength.’ She entered the circle from the East with a single taper candle that one of the girls lit from the tiny fire nearby. ‘Let it be known that the Circle is about to be cast. All who enter the Circle may do so in perfect love and perfect trust.’ The girls stayed back all cloaked in white robes, except the triplets due to their curse they wore the fated colours, and awaited their entry into the circle. Melina moved clockwise once again around the circle with the candle lit, stopping at each point. ‘Guardians of the East, I call upon you to watch over the rites of The Nine Coven. Powers of knowledge and wisdom, guided by Air, we ask that you keep watch over us this morning within this circle. Let all who enter the Circle under your guidance do so in prefect love and perfect trust.’ She then lit the candle to the East. Moving to the South, she evoked the power of energy and will guided by Fire and lit red candle. West, the powers of passion and emotion guided by Water and the blue candle was lit. North was last, powers of endurance and strength guided by Earth then lit the green candle. ‘Circle is now cast.’ Each girl entered singularly, Melina asking each one, ‘How do you enter the Circle?’ They answered, ‘In prefect love and perfect trust.’ They all waited for Cassie and Elle to come forth from the woods.
Cassie appeared first, her stark white robe peeking through the tall prairie grass. Melina gave her a questioning look as if to ask where Elle was. Cassie looked behind and saw that Elle was a few yards behind her. It was not light enough yet to see her fully, just her white outline weaving in and out of the sea of green. The sun was starting to rise in the distant sky and she knew Melina must be growing impatient. She turned and looked behind her once more but did not see any sight of Elle.
Elle was standing a few feet away from Cassie to her right and grabbed her arm just as she was pivoting. Cassie jumped and almost screamed.
‘Damn it, Elle! Do not ever do that to me again,’ she whispered, trying to keep her voice down. She did not want to break the aura surrounding the Circle. Cassie put her finger to her lips to silence Elle and grabbed her hand, intertwining their fingers.
She led her to the East entrance of the Circle and waited for Melina to allow them to enter. Melina used the athame to “cut” a door then extended her hand to Cassie.
‘How do you enter the Circle?’ Melina asked Cassie. She replied, ‘In perfect love and perfect trust,’ then entered the Circle taking her spot as Guide by the South candle.
Elle watched as they all paraded inside the Circle chanting three times, ‘We all come from the Goddess, and to her we shall return. Like a drop of rain, flowing to the ocean.’ She noticed that the other girls all wore the same purple around th
eir waist as she did.
Elle watched as they gathered in the middle of the Circle. In the horizon, the sun brought forth its brightly coloured yellow rays. Melina eyed her with a raised brow, then took her athame and traced a circle around the coveners. She then knelt and saluted before the North candled point saying, ‘Hail and well come, frosty Spirits of the North. Lend us your power and protection this night, that Elle may be given a true initiation, to justly wield the power of the Earth. So mote it be!’
The girls all replied as a wall of dark-green light sprung up from the middle of the Circle, ‘So mote it be!’
Elle could not believe what her eyes were seeing. Melina practiced the same speech at the East and as the girls replied, a beam of lemon-yellow raised forth within the wall of green. She moved to the South next and produced a crimson beam of light next to the lemon-yellow one after the girls chanted. Elle was wide-eyed and her mouth hung open wide. She fisted both hands and rubbed her eyes with them. When she stopped, she blinked back the water forming at the corners of each eye, the coloured lights remained, still. Melina then proceeded to the last point, the West. A blue ray appeared among the other beams as the coven chanted, ‘So mote it be!’
Melina walked over to the coloured rays of light, still visible even though the sun began to shine low in the trees and held her hands up high. She called out to the heavens, ‘I call upon the Horned God; I call upon the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone; I call upon the Spirits of Earth, Air, Fire and Water; I call upon the Hosts of the Mighty Dead; and I call every true Witch within this circle to witness that we are here to consecrate Elle as Witch. The Circle is cast!’
The girls all chanted, ‘So mote it be!’ while hailing to Melina. Melina bowed to the coven and turned abruptly facing Elle.
Melina once again used the athame to “cut” a door into the Circle before Elle. She pushed Elle to her knees and held the athame point at her heart, poking into her robe. Elle placed both hands on each side of the blade to push it back, afraid it would cut her.
Melina nodded and raised her eyebrow, ‘You stand at the edge of a place that is between the worlds, in the presence of the Gods and under the watchful eye of the Mighty Dead. If you go any further, you embark on a path that cannot be safely turned aside before your death. Feel the sharpness of the blade at your breast, and know this in your heart- it would be better for you to throw yourself forward and spill out your life than to enter this circle with fear and falseness in your heart.’
She stared into Elle’s eyes and calmly asked her, ‘How do you enter the Circle?’
Elle replied the same way Cassie did, ‘In perfect love and perfect trust.’
Melina removed the athame from her chest and lifted Elle to her feet. She embraced her and kissed each cheek before helping her carefully enter the Circle, making sure she did not step on the salt lining.
Once Elle stepped across the line of the Circle, the girls all began a quiet “Aum”. Melina brought Elle into the coloured rays directly in the middle of their Circle and came to a halt. She placed both hands at Elle’s elbows, firmly pressing them into her side.
‘Blessed are your feet, that have brought you to this place. Blessed are your knees, that shall kneel at the altars of the Gods. Blessed is your sex, without which we could not be. Blessed is your breast, formed in strength and beauty. Blessed are your lips, which shall speak the Words of Truth. Are you prepared to take the Oath?’
Elle felt the blessings Melina spoke of radiate through her body as she stood in the light. The other girls watched her face, still humming their “Aum” as she replied, ‘I am.’
Melina lowered her head before she spoke. ‘Then kneel.’ Elle knelt again before her, the dewy grass catching the colours of the light bouncing off her stark white robe.
Melina took the athame and brought it across her whole body with one hand and the measure with the other, just close enough to not touch her.
‘You who have from birth been called Elle but now seek to become Elle the Black- do willingly pledge yourself to the God and the Goddess?’
Elle placed her left hand on top of her head and the right one on the soles of her feet. She then replied to Melina, ‘All between my two hands belong to the Gods. So mote it be!’
The coven then raised the volume of their “Aum” when Melina did and stared at Elle. They turned their attention back to Melina when she started to speak again.
‘And do you swear to keep silent all that must be kept silent, and to respect that which is taught to you?’ Melina looked down at Elle as she stared back up at her.
Elle replied simply, ‘I willingly swear to keep silent all that must be kept silent, and to respect that which is taught to me. So mote it be!’
The girls kept up their hum while Melina continued. ‘And by what surety do you swear all of these things?’
Elle swallowed the lump in her throat back down. Her mouth was dry and in desperate need of water. The rays running through her body felt as if they were now starting to turn her insides into dust. She had one more reply and then it would be over.
‘All of these things I do swear, by my mother’s womb and my hope of future lives, knowing well that my Measure has been taken in the presence of the Mighty Ones. Should I fail utterly in my oaths, may my powers desert me, and may my own tools turn against me. So mote it be! So mote it be! So mote it be!’ She exclaimed with the last drop of saliva in her mouth.
They all yelled out around her, ‘So mote it be!’ The girls all ran at her quickly and somehow hoisted her in the air, chanting, ‘Elle the Black,’ repeatedly as they turned her three times around the Circle. They stopped at the East point and set her face down, pressing her firmly into the ground below still chanting her new craft name loudly. Gradually they let up the pressure and began to massage her back lowering the chants to match the speed at which they worked into her at.
‘Know that the hands that have touched you are the hands of love. In the Burning Times, when each member of the Coven held the lives of others in her hand, this would have been kept, and used against you should you endanger others. But in these happier times, love and trust prevail, so take this Elle the Black, keep it or burn it, and be free to go or stay as you please.’ Melina handed her the measure and knelt beside her. Elle was helped to her feet and then she knelt beside her at the East point. Melina handed her the athame and both saluted each other.
‘Behold, restless Spirits of Water- I bring before you Elle the Black, who has been consecrated as Witch!’ Melina exclaimed into the open sky. The sun shined down on them both as they moved from point to point boldly presenting Elle with her new craft name.
Once Melina and Elle visited the last point, they all joined hands in the middle of the Circle again. ‘Thank you Spirits of the Mighty Dead, Spirits of the Four Elements, and awesome Lord and Lady for hallowing our Circle. Go or stay as you will- our Circle has ended,’ she proclaimed, waving her arms and holding her head high.
They all bent to touch the ground and raised their hands into the sky above. Melina waited as they reached for the heavens, each thanking the Earth and Air for their powers. ‘Our lovely rite draws to its end. Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again. Blessed be!’
They all responded, ‘Blessed be!’
She moved to the entrance at the East side of the Circle and brought the athame up above her head and “cut” the door so they could leave.
Each member of the coven was asked before crossing the crusted salt below them, ‘How do you leave this Circle?’
They all replied, ‘With perfect love and perfect trust.’
Melina was the last to leave the confinement of their sacred ground. She used her athame to spread the salt into the ground so there would be no trace of their ritual. The girls all walked back towards the woods congratulating and welcoming Elle into their coven.
‘Welcome Elle the Black!’ They all sung out.
‘Now you are really one of us, Elle. We are so happy. The Nine have ju
st become Ten!’ Jayne, Jerilynn and Janell all grab and hug her at the same time. Elle just laughs and hugs them back, ‘I love you gals. You all make me feel like I have a family again.’
