Sexy Witch

by LaSara FireFox

  g. Bringing her hands to the prayer position, she says:

  forever and ever.

  h. Placing her left hand, palm down, on top of her right hand, palm up, she says:

  So it is.

  i. All participants say:

  So it is.

  4. The banishing.

  For the banishing, you can use whatever words make you feel that the guardian, entity, energy, or intention of a direction has been brought present. This can be done by assigning a Goddess to each quarter (e.g., Aurora in the east, Pele in the south, Oshun in the west, and Kali in the north); or by saying the name of the direction, or an idea that the direction represents (e.g., inspiration in the east, passion in the south, regeneration in the west, wisdom in the north); or you can use any of the words that have been used by any of the Ceremonial magickians. There are many, and you can easily find them by doing a web search on the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram.

  a. The Priestess walks to the eastern edge of the circle and draws a pentagram in the air with her finger or her wand. In drawing the pentagram, start at the left lower point, and draw upward to the apex on the pentagram. This is the basic earth-invoking pentagram, but can be used at all quarters.

  b. Starting with her arms at her sides, the Priestess slowly raises them, focusing intently on the pentagram she has drawn in front of her, and the word she will use to invoke the direction.

  c. Once her arms are pointing out from her shoulders, parallel to the ground, the Priestess brings her hands to the sides of her face, palms facing back.

  d. Next, she steps forward with her right foot, and while forcefully thrusting the energy with her hands towards the direction she is facing, she says the word out loud.

  e. She will then step forward with her left foot meeting the right, and bring the index and middle fingers of her right hand to her lips in the sign of “shh…” (This is the sign of the initiate. For more information on the significance of this sign, do your research.)

  f. Next, the Priestess will go to the south, and do the same, using whatever word she has chosen for the south.

  g. The same in the west.

  h. And in the north.

  i. And she completes the circle at the east.

  5. The center.

  a. Again the Priestess stands in the center of the circle, facing east. She stands with her arms outstretched at her sides, parallel to the ground.

  b. All participants face east and stand the same way.

  c. All say:

  Before me the rushing wind, behind me the raging sea, to my right hand the leaping fire, and to my left hand the cool and trembling earth. For about me is the omnipresence of her body, and within me is the consciousness of the continuity of existence.

  6. The Tree.

  a. The Priestess performs the Tree again, as in step 3.

  7. The Priestess joins the circle. All participants face the center, and sit or stand.

  Sort of Wiccan Circle Casting and Opening

  The Basics: To cast the circle, walk clockwise, also known as sun-wise, or deosil. To open (remove, dissolve) the circle, walk counterclockwise, otherwise known as widdershins. In many traditions, clockwise is the direction of building, and counterclockwise is the direction of dissolution.

  Depending on your orientation, you may perform only this circle casting, and then move on to the rituals as I have written them for this book. Or, you may perform the circle casting and the calling of the quarters (see the next section), and then the ritual. Or, you may perform the banishing just described, then this circle casting, and the calling the quarters (and deities, if you’d like), and then the ritual.

  You may also choose to do none of the above, and use just the simple format of the rituals written here. Remember, it’s your magick! Perform it as you Will.

  Many Witches use the Rule of Three as a basis for ritual and magick. The circle casting for most Witches relies on a three-time circumambulation. To cast a circle in the Wiccan, Dianic, Faerie, and many other traditions, you walk the perimeter of the circle three times clockwise to cast the circle, and three times counterclockwise to open it. Depending on the tradition, you will have different assignations for the three times around.

  To cast a circle is to create a bubble, or sphere, of sacred space. Many practitioners use an athame to cast and dissolve the circle. With a blade (or a hand, used with intention), it becomes the “cutting” of a circle. You are cutting yourself out of the mundane world, and into a space that is amplified, protected, and sanctified.

  Casting and opening a circle, as with any magickal act, must be done with intention as well as the actual function of movement. As you cast—and then open—the circle, visualize these things occurring. As you cast, envision the circle becoming a protective sphere. As you open, envision the sphere of sacred space dissolving into nothing.

  You may choose to invoke Maiden with the first circle, Mother with the second, and Crone with the third. Or you can just “cast the circle, three times round . . .” You may do this as you voice an incantation (which you can write yourself, or find on web sites or in any number of books), or you can do the casting and opening in silence. Whichever route you take, employ the energy of visualization in the casting and opening. You can lend your energy to the casting and opening without even saying a word.

  Calling (aka Invoking) the Quarters

  and Spiritual Entities

  The Basics: The calling of the quarters and deities or energy forms can be done in many different ways. Many traditions have their own script for callings. Another way to do it is just to focus on the representations that the entities hold for you, the practitioner. If you want some correspondences for the quarters, see “Correspondences: Quarters, Elements, Directions, and Other Entities” in Appendix I.

  The calling of the quarters is a widespread Wiccan and Neopagan practice. It is also employed in the Ceremonial, Faerie, and many other traditions. Calling the quarters is asking the elements (or “guardians of the watchtowers”) to be present in your working. Calling the quarters is performed as an aspect of the banishing, but if you choose to not perform the banishing, calling the quarters may be done in concert with circle casting.

  A really nice aspect of calling the quarters is that you can employ more people in the function of creating sacred space. You may have four people call the four quarters (air, fire, water, and earth), or five (the four already listed, plus center), or seven (the five already listed, plus above and below). You can also invoke Goddess, and God, if you desire. You may also invoke the ancestors.

  With all callings, it is traditional to close with a statement such as, “So it is,” or “So mote it be,” or “Fire (or Earth, or She, or He) is here.” It is also traditional for the other participants to respond, with the same words, to the statement.

  Working in this more intuitive manner, callings might go something like this:

  For East

  Priestess:

  Spirits of air, I call upon you to bring clarity, inspiration, and ease of communication to this circle. I call the spirits of dawn, new ideas, and freedom of thought. Please be present here, and bring your blessings to this circle. So it is.

  Group response:

  So it is.

  For South

  Priestess:

  Spirits of fire, I call upon you to bring passion, warmth, and transformation. I call upon fire to warm and transform this sacred space. Bring your heat, desire, and light. Burn bright in this circle. So it is.

  Group response:

  So it is.

  And so on, through the other quarters and whatever energies/entities you choose to call.

  The quarters are called in a clockwise progression, starting in many traditions with east/air, or with north/earth in some others. Starting from east, the progression would be east, south, west, nort
h. Then, if you choose, you may call center, or the ancestors. Then Goddess, then God. Or, you may call east, south, west, north, Goddess, God, and then the ancestors. Again, intuition is key. Do what feels right to you and your group.

  Releasing the Quarters and Spiritual Entities

  At the end of the ritual, the entities and quarters that have been called will be released. Releasing goes in the opposite order as calling, starting with the last entity or quarter called and working back to the first. Releasing can be very simple, such as, “Spirits of earth, thank you for your presence, and your blessings on this circle.”

  Or, you can get as flowery as you’d like. In the tradition I grew up in, we would end the releasing with the statement “Go if you must, stay if you will.” You can use whatever wording feels right.

  Here are some concepts to work with when releasing:

  • Expressing gratitude to the entities who attend.

  • Granting them permission to move on if they must.

  • Recognizing that they are ever present, and that it is our attention that leaves them.

  The Most Obnoxiously Option-Oriented Ritual Outline

  You Have Ever Seen!

  If you choose to take all of the steps offered so far, here’s how the ritual will look:

  1. The Priestess chosen to lead the ritual performs the banishing.

  2. The Priestess casts the circle by circumambulating three times clockwise.

  3. Call the quarters.

  a. One circle mate calls air.

  b. One calls fire.

  c. One calls water.

  d. One calls earth.

  e. One calls center.

  f. One calls Goddess.

  g. One calls God.

  4. Next, the group moves on, with the Priestess leading, to the ritual outline for the week.

  a. Setting space (breathing, lighting of source candle).

  b. Consecration of altar (placing devotional items) and lighting of candles.

  c. Sharing of writing and art.

  d. Honoring with treats, water, and wine (communion).

  e. Ending of ritual.

  5. Opening the circle.

  At the end of the circle, each participant “undoes” what she did at the beginning. Everything must be undone in the opposite order of how it was done—last to first. It’s like you are walking back out into the world, and you want to retrace your steps. Starting with the last invocation, each participant releases each deity, guardian, or entity that she called. The releasing will move around the circle counterclockwise. If working with all seven quarters listed, that would look like this:

  6. Releasing the quarters.

  a. Release God energy.

  b. Release Goddess energy.

  c. Release center.

  d. Release earth.

  e. Release water.

  f. Release fire.

  g. Release air.

  7. The Priestess opens the circle by circumambulating counterclockwise three times.

  8. The Priestess performs the banishing counterclockwise.

  Remember, you can use as many or as few of these elements as you’d like. If you choose to use only the weekly outlines as they are presented, the following is the basic outline, though there will be some variations from week to week:

  a. Setting space (breathing, lighting of source candle).

  b. Sharing of writing and art.

  c. Consecration of writing and art.

  d. Bead consecration.

  e. Honoring with treats, water, and wine (communion).

  f. Ending of ritual.

  [contents]

  ritual one

  Your Body Is a Temple

  ★ Suggestions:

  1. Bring items to share and consecrate. This week, consider bringing your temple artifact (see “Magickal Act: Visiting the Temple” in chapter one). One (or more) of the items you consecrate may also be added to your personal altar if you choose to expand it.

  2. Your journal. Choose one piece (or more) of writing from this week that you will share with the group.

  3. Consider wearing something that makes you feel beautiful, sexy, hot, really comfy, or all of these.

  What the Facilitator/Priestess Will Need

  • Beads for all the participants. This week’s bead should represent the body as temple, or the concept of sacred space.

  • A platter of luscious morsels to eat. I recommend dates, figs, and other rich, sweet, dried fruits, as well as chocolate, cherries, and honey.

  • Sweet red wine (like Muscat). See “Wines” in Appendix I.

  • DON’T FORGET: Make sure everyone in your group can tolerate scents and smoke. Incense can be intense, and can alter your senses in a good way, as long as it’s not triggering an asthma attack or allergies.

  How-To

  Before everyone gathers around the altar, the Priestess will:

  • Create the altar with the items listed here and on the main altar list on page 205. The altar should be pleasing to the senses, and functional. The Priestess should place everything she will need near where she will be seated.

  • Make sure the charcoal is lit. It takes a few minutes for the charcoal to be ready for the incense.

  • Have everyone change into, or strip down to, their fun/sexy/comfy attire.

  • Have everyone gather their items (personal candles/holders, journals, copy of Sexy Witch, bead pouch, works of art, comfort items) to bring to circle.

  • Choose a person to bless the treats/water/wine, or the Priestess can do this.

  • Describe the flow (outline) of the ritual so the participants will know what to prepare for (although ideally, everyone will have already read it).

  Outline

  • Banishing (optional).

  • Circle casting (optional).

  • Calling of quarters and spirit entities (optional).

  • Setting space.

  Once the attendees gather, the Priestess sprinkles a pinch of incense on the charcoal. She instructs everyone to focus on breathing, deeply into their bellies. The Priestess says:

  Breathe deeply, allowing your breath to expand your chest, and then even more deeply, letting it expand your belly, your lower abdomen.

  As everyone breathes together, the Priestess 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 she sits with the other participants in a circle. Breathe together as a group for a few minutes, letting the scent of the incense permeate your bodies, inside and out, allowing your cells to absorb the positive qualities of the incense. The Priestess says:

  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 everyone is fully present in their bodies, the Priestess instructs everyone to open their eyes, and come present in the space. As a group, you may want to take a moment and hold hands, feeling the shared energy you have already created by centering here in this sacred space. All participants may say together:

  We are in sacred space.

  The Priestess lights the mother candle so that everyone will be able to light their individual candles from the source. As she lights the mother candle, the Priestess says:

  Lighting this flame, I invoke the sacredness of the body. I invoke the awareness that our bodies are sacred temples that we consecrate to the purpose of our own growth, experience, and empowerment. I invoke not only self-acceptance but self-devotion.

  As each participant lights her personal flame, you will all drop deeper into that
space where you know your body as a sacred, wonderful temple. A space sacred and powerful. A space where you know the truth of your own being. You will find that space inside where you have achieved true self-devotion, where you know that each act of self-love, self-adoration, and self-definition is a sacred act. The place where you alone define the boundaries of your temple: the sacred temple that is each of us.

  Each participant may state a prayer, a wish, or an intention as she lights her candle.

  Lighting of Personal Candles

  Each person in the group now approaches the altar and lights her candle from the source candle. The Priestess says:

  One by one, as you feel moved, approach the altar and light your candle, and place it at the perimeter of the altar cloth. With this light we create a sacred circle that allows honor and devotion to grow, and we become a beacon in the darkness that allows each seeker to find her own way home.

  Sharing of Writing and Art

  Once the candles are lighted, it is time to start sharing the items created during the week. Ideally, each participant (including the Priestess) will share one piece of artwork and one piece of writing (or more, if you have made that agreement as a group) in ritual space. The Priestess says:

  Now is the time to share the works you created this week. Reading your writing out loud in ritual space and talking about your artifacts, with all of us as witnesses, adds to their power. Who would like to start?

  You all may choose to conduct this sharing in a clockwise (deosil) flow, though only if it feels necessary to your group.

  Consecration of Writing and Art

  Once everyone has had a chance to share, it’s time for the consecration. Each participant will lay whatever items she wants to consecrate out in front of herself, or around the altar. All together, 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.