• Make sure the charcoal is lit.
Outline
• Banishing (optional).
• Circle casting (optional).
• Calling of quarters and spirit entities (optional).
• Setting space.
Sprinkle a pinch of incense on the charcoal.
Focus on breathing deeply into your belly. As you breathe you may want to walk around the space once, thinking of the qualities that this blend of resins will bring to the space: love, purification, safety, healing, and connection with spirit. Then sit before your altar. Breathe consciously for a few minutes, letting the scent of the incense permeate your body, inside and out, and allowing your cells to absorb the positive qualities of the incense. Perform this step until you feel present in your body, and in ritual space.
Record the following script in advance, or read it in ritual space:
Breathe deeply, allowing your breath to expand your chest, and then even more deeply, letting your breath expand your belly, your lower abdomen. As you breathe, allow the smoke of this special blend of incense to enter your body and infuse each cell with blessing. Let this magickal and sacred blend of scents fill you with love, purification, safety, healing, and connection with spirit. As you breathe, allow your body to become the sacred temple where you worship.
Once you are fully present in your body, open your eyes, and come present in the space. Take a moment to feel the energy you have already created by centering here in this sacred space. Say:
I am in sacred space.
As you light the mother candle, say:
Lighting this candle, I invoke revelations of the senses. I invoke a sense of awe at the power and sacred perfection of my body, which works exactly in the ways that it works. I invoke awe at my ability to smell, taste, hear, feel, and see. I claim this awe, and offer blessings and thankfulness to my body for all it does, and for all it is.
From the source candle, light your personal candle. As you light this candle, say:
As I light my flame, I drop deeper into that space that allows for healing. I know my body as a sacred, wonderful temple. A space sacred and powerful. A space where I know the truth of my own being. I drop deeper into that space inside where I have true self-devotion, where I know that each act of self-love, self-adoration, and self-definition is a sacred act. The place where I alone define the boundaries of my temple; this sacred temple that is me.
As you place your lighted candle on your altar, say:
With this light I create a sacred circle that allows honor and devotion to grow, and my light shining becomes a beacon in the darkness that allows each seeker to find her own way home.
Consecration of Writing, Art, and Altar
Once your candle is placed on the altar, it is time to consecrate the items you created during the week. This may be one piece of writing and one piece of art you have created during the week, or it may be all of them. It depends only on how much time you want to devote to being in ritual space.
Lay whatever items you want to consecrate in front of the altar. You may compose your own words of consecration, or you can use the ones I offer here. Say:
I consecrate these works to the unfolding of self-awareness. May this act serve me, and may it serve all beings through the revelation of awareness. May my increasing awareness and presence serve to bring awareness of presence to all beings everywhere throughout space and time. So it is.
Take time to witness, honor, and cherish each item you are consecrating. Read your writing out loud if it feels comfortable (voicing words may add to their power). You may also want to pass the items through the smoke from the incense, or do some other act of purification and consecration.
If you feel inclined to add to your altar, this is the time to do it. What item from this week’s exploration would like to live on your altar for the duration of your initiation cycle?
Bead Consecration
After you have consecrated your artifacts, consecrate this week’s bead. Say:
I consecrate this bead in the journey of sensual awareness. May it serve as a reminder to me that my senses are a sacred gift.
Place the bead in your bead pouch.
Honoring with Treats, Water, and Wine
Bless the food, water, and wine. Say:
This food is not just a symbol of, but the true substance of, nurturance, and of the cycles of life. May the sacrifice of this that I am about to ingest feed my body, my spirit, and my soul. May I always experience, receive, and honor my hungers. May all true hungers be fulfilled.
Water is life. Life, and regeneration, and healing. Let this water remind me of my origins; of the womb, and of the blessed sea, the birthplace of life and that which forms the flow.
This wine is the blood of willing sacrifice. It represents the cycles of life, death, and birth. It offers succor, and a doorway to new perception. May this wine bless me with the awareness of choice, and with divine vision and ecstasy.
Take time to honor your body with treats, water, and wine. As you eat and drink, sit in awareness of the magick of transmutation: how the food, water, and wine affect your senses, and how these edible items become part of the very fabric of your cells. Allow gratitude, honor, and acceptance of and for the elements you are bringing into your body.
Ending of Ritual
Sit before the altar again, and breathe, and then say:
Mine is the temple. As I walk through the world, I know that my body is a sacred vessel. It is consecrated to me, and to my unfolding and empowerment. As I learn to love and honor my body as the beautiful temple, wondrous tool, and amazing vehicle for transformation that it is, I become closer to the divine gift of creation.
Now, as I breathe again, inhaling the sacred scents, I prepare to walk forward into the world. I carry sacred space everywhere I go, and all I need is to remember: My body is sacred. My breath is sacred. My bones and blood and sweat and tears are sacred. My laughter is sacred, my voice is sacred, and my skin is sacred. I claim this mantra: this temple is mine.
Turn your focus inward, close your eyes, breathe, and relax. Allow yourself to slowly come back to the world you inhabit, the room you are sitting in, and your daily life. As you open your eyes, give yourself a hug, remembering that even as you reenter the world, your body remains a sacred temple of creation and empowerment.
• Releasing of quarters and entities (optional).
• Opening of circle (optional).
• Banishing (optional).
[contents]
ritual six
Witch Power Rising
(Dedication)
★ Suggestions:
1. Consider consecrating your creation artifact or your mentor icon this week (see “Spell Working: Creating Creation” and “Magickal Act: Creating a Mentor Icon” in chapter six).
2. Consider performing a temple visualization in ritual space (see “Spell Working: Breath of Life” in chapter six).
What You Will Need
• A bead. This week’s bead should in some way represent one or more of your mentors, or your creation myth.
• Wine, if desired. See “Wines” in Appendix I.
• A platter of star-shaped cookies.
• Your empowerment mantra. See “Spell Working: Creating an Empowerment Mantra” in chapter six.
• Incense. See “Incenses” and incense recipes in Appendix I.
How-To
• Build the altar with the items listed here and on the main altar list on page 140, or integrate any items not already present into your existing altar. For comfort and ease in ritual space, place everything you need near where you will be seated.
• Make sure the charcoal is lit.
Outline
• Banishing (optional).
• Circle casting (optional).
• Calling of quart
ers and spirit entities (optional).
• Setting space.
Sprinkle a pinch of incense on the charcoal.
Focus on breathing deeply into your belly. As you breathe you may want to walk around the space once, thinking of the qualities that this blend of resins will bring to the space: love, purification, safety, healing, and connection with spirit. Then sit before your altar. Breathe consciously for a few minutes, letting the scent of the incense permeate your body, inside and out, and allowing your cells to absorb the positive qualities of the incense. Perform this step until you feel present in your body, and in ritual space.
Record the following script in advance, or read it in ritual space:
Breathe deeply, allowing your breath to expand your chest, and then even more deeply, letting your breath expand your belly, your lower abdomen. As you breathe, allow the smoke of this special blend of incense to enter your body and infuse each cell with blessing. Let this magickal and sacred blend of scents fill you with love, purification, safety, healing, and connection with spirit. As you breathe, allow your body to become the sacred temple where you worship.
Once you are fully present in your body, open your eyes, and come present in the space. Take a moment to feel the energy you have already created by centering here in this sacred space. Say:
I am in sacred space.
As you light the mother candle, say:
Lighting this candle, I invoke the journey I have taken to get where I am now. I invoke the courage and power of my ancestors. I invoke lineage of spirit, and lineage of flesh. I invoke my strength as a leader, and I invoke my ability to find inspiration and support in my times of need. I invoke new stories of creation, new patterns to build my life upon, and new beginnings.
From the source candle, light your personal candle. As you light this candle, say:
As I light my flame, I drop deeper into that space that allows for healing. I know my body as a sacred, wonderful temple. A space sacred and powerful. A space where I know the truth of my own being. I drop deeper into that space inside where I have true self-devotion, where I know that each act of self-love, self-adoration, and self-definition is a sacred act. The place where I alone define the boundaries of my temple; this sacred temple that is me.
As you place your lighted candle on your altar, say:
With this light I create a sacred circle that allows honor and devotion to grow, and my light shining becomes a beacon in the darkness that allows each seeker to find her own way home.
Consecration of Writing, Art, and Altar
Once your candle is placed on the altar, it is time to consecrate the items you created during the week. This may be one piece of writing and one piece of art you have created during the week, or it may be all of them. It depends only on how much time you want to devote to being in ritual space.
Lay whatever items you want to consecrate in front of the altar. You may compose your own words of consecration, or you can use the ones I offer here. Say:
I consecrate these works to the unfolding of self-awareness. May this act serve me, and may it serve all beings through the revelation of awareness. May my increasing awareness and presence serve to bring awareness of presence to all beings everywhere throughout space and time. So it is.
Take time to witness, honor, and cherish each item you are consecrating. Read your writing out loud if it feels comfortable (voicing words may add to their power). You may also want to pass the items through the smoke from the incense, or do some other act of purification and consecration.
If you feel inclined to add to your altar, this is the time to do it. What item from this week’s exploration would like to live on your altar for the duration of your initiation cycle?
Empowerment Mantra
Now, read aloud your empowerment mantra.
Bead Consecration
After you have consecrated your artifacts, consecrate this week’s bead. Say:
I consecrate this bead in the journey of choice, regeneration, and lineage. May it serve as a reminder to me that my past and my future are sacred.
Place the bead in your bead pouch.
Honoring with Treats, Water, and Wine
Bless the food, water, and wine. Say:
This food is not just a symbol of, but the true substance of, nurturance, and of the cycles of life. May the sacrifice of this that I am about to ingest feed my body, my spirit, and my soul. May I always experience, receive, and honor my hungers. May all true hungers be fulfilled.
Water is life. Life, and regeneration, and healing. Let this water remind me of my origins; of the womb, and of the blessed sea, the birthplace of life and that which forms the flow.
This wine is the blood of willing sacrifice. It represents the cycles of life, death, and birth. It offers succor, and a doorway to new perception. May this wine bless me with the awareness of choice, and with divine vision and ecstasy.
Take time to honor your body with treats, water, and wine. As you eat and drink, sit in awareness of the magick of transmutation: how the food, water, and wine affect your senses, and how these edible items become part of the very fabric of your cells. Allow gratitude, honor, and acceptance of and for the elements you are bringing into your body.
Ending of Ritual
Sit before the altar again, and breathe, and then say:
Mine is the temple. As I walk through the world, I know that my body is a sacred vessel. It is consecrated to me, and to my unfolding and empowerment. As I learn to love and honor my body as the beautiful temple, wondrous tool, and amazing vehicle for transformation that it is, I become closer to the divine gift of creation.
Now, as I breathe again, inhaling the sacred scents, I prepare to walk forward into the world. I carry sacred space everywhere I go, and all I need is to remember: My body is sacred. My breath is sacred. My bones and blood and sweat and tears are sacred. My laughter is sacred, my voice is sacred, and my skin is sacred. I claim this mantra: this temple is mine.
Turn your focus inward, close your eyes, breathe, and relax. Allow yourself to slowly come back to the world you inhabit, the room you are sitting in, and your daily life. As you open your eyes, give yourself a hug, remembering that even as you reenter the world, your body remains a sacred temple of creation and empowerment.
• Releasing of quarters and entities (optional).
• Opening of circle (optional).
• Banishing (optional).
[contents]
ritual seven
Goddess in the Mirror
(Completion)
Have you chosen your witnesses? How many witnesses do you want to have at your seventh initiation? Your witnesses may be of any gender, and of any age. You can have just two, or as many as you’d like. Choose a number that feels right to you. You must have at least two.
In choosing, remember that these must be people you trust, people you love, and ideally people who will be in your life for a long, long time. In the future, these witnesses will have the responsibility of reminding you of your vows. During the ritual, they will play a part in your initiation. They will have the opportunity to see you honor the healing work you have done, and to offer their testimony to your unfolding. If you have a partner, this will be an amazing opportunity to create a new level of trust and depth in your relationship. Perhaps you have a mentor you’d like to have as witness, or maybe your best girlfriend or boyfriend.
Are you comfortable taking your vows in the nude? Will your witnesses be comfortable with your nudity? Nudity is not required, but it can be a powerful element of this ritual. In many cultures and since time began, nudity has been a common element in taking vows of initiation. There are a lot of symbolic reasons that nudity is a positive component of initiation. One is the idea of coming before the Divine with nothing to hide. Another is the act of “baring it all.” Another element is that of worship. You have noth
ing to hide. This body of yours is an amazing and wondrous temple, dedicated to you and to the work you are doing.
Your witnesses will have an opportunity to honor you by taking on the facilitation and performance of part of this final ritual. Be prepared for some surprises, and place your trust in the process of initiation.
After the bead consecration section, there is a note in the ritual outline that says: “WITNESSES ONLY READ OUTLINE PAST THIS POINT!!!” Obviously, you shouldn’t read past that point. You should, however, make sure to get this part to your witnesses well in advance of the ritual, and tell them to read it as soon as they can. After the part that they perform, you may either perform the food, water, and wine blessing, and the ending of ritual, or you may allow your witnesses do it. Let them know in advance which option you like better. You may also offer them personal candles to light in ritual space. It’s up to you and your witnesses. This ritual will likely be longer than any of the others you have performed in the course of working Sexy Witch. Give it the time. I promise it’ll be worth it. Plan for a whole afternoon and evening, and have a celebration after the ritual! It’ll be like a début.
No really, do have a party after the ritual! Then you can invite as many of your peeps to honor your transition as you’d like, without having to share this very intimate ritual with all of them. You can be as overt or as covert as you wish. If you don’t want to share all the wondrous details of your process with your buddies, just say you are having an “unbirthday” party, or that you just wanted to take some time to celebrate your wonderful self and your amazing circle of friends. If you want to open up the discussion about what’s been putting that pretty grin on your face for the past few days, put out your altar and start answering questions once someone gets brave enough to ask them.
Now, on to your final Sexy Witch initiation!
Ritual Seven
★ Suggestions:
1. Allow one of your witnesses to prepare a ritual bath or at least a foot bath (see Appendix I for recipes and instructions) for you before the initiation.
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