Bead Consecration
After each initiate is done with the consecration of artifacts, she will take a bead from the basket and consecrate it. All together, say:
I consecrate this bead in the journey of initiation. May it serve as a reminder to me that my path is my own, and is constantly unfolding in accordance with Love and Will.
Now, P1 or P2 says:
Take a length of string, and in this sacred space, string the beads that serve as reminders of the steps you have taken on this path of initiation. As you string them, you may speak aloud or just focus internally on what each bead represents. Once finished, hand this talisman of initiation to one of the Priestesses.
Preparation for Mirror Ceremony
P1 or P2 instructs the initiates to sit in silence, close their eyes, and focus on the work they have done. P1 says:
Close your eyes, and allow yourself to remember all the wonderful, challenging, amazing, fun, revelatory work you have done in the past weeks. Feel who you are now, and how you have changed. Recall the moments of challenge, and the moments of insight. Let the new ways that you have found settle into your body, and make room for further growth. Allow yourself to look into the future, and notice how these changes will keep rippling through your life as you walk upon your path, more clear now than it has ever been, even as it is still shrouded in the mystery of the unknown.
As P1 speaks, P2 blindfolds the initiates. The initiates have not been told this will happen, but have been told to expect some surprises and to trust in the process.
P1 keeps speaking until all the participants are blindfolded.
They’re Blindfolded, Now Get Them Naked!
No, really . . . if your group has decided to employ nudity, this is the time to encourage it. Ask everyone to remove their clothes, with blindfolds in place. Yeah, it may be a bit challenging, but who said initiation was supposed to be easy? Besides, after all the intense work you have all done over the past weeks, this is a piece of cake!
Trust Walk, Leap of Faith
P1 and P2 approach each initiate in turn. They ask the direction each initiate has chosen for her path to take, and walk the initiate to the direction, still blindfolded. At the appropriate “gate” (direction), both Priestesses kneel down and hold the broom, symbolizing the threshold, and instruct the initiate to step, alone and blindfolded, into the unknown. They guide her if need be, but allow her to step over the threshold unaided if possible.
Goddess in the Mirror
The Priestesses uncover the mirror, and assemble the initiates, still blindfolded and naked, in a semicircle, facing the mirror. The Priestesses then find the initiates’ bundles of artifacts of initiation, and place them at the feet of the initiates.
If witnesses are present, the Priestesses may integrate them into the circle beside their loved one, or create a second semicircle standing behind the initiates. P1 stands to one side of the mirror, and P2 to the other. P2 says:
You may now remove your blindfolds, and behold the path before you.
Once the blindfold has been removed, P1 instructs each initiate, in turn, to behold herself in the mirror. P1 says:
Behold, the initiate. This woman has worked to claim her voice, has cried tears of purification and gratitude, has laughed, and has learned to love herself in all her imperfect perfection. She has chosen her path, and that path has lead her home to her own being.
P2 says:
One by one, please pick up your bundle of artifacts of initiation, and approach the mirror. As each of your circle sisters stands in witness of her own reflection, honor her with your attention.
As each initiate in turn approaches and looks in the mirror, the Priestess most intimate with the particular initiate anoints her. If figuring that out seems too complicated, you can take turns between the two of you, or you can choose one of you to do all the anointings. Use the devotion oil for all the anointings if the initiate is unclothed. If she is clothed, use water on all the parts clothed, using the oil only on the unclothed parts.
Anointing
1. Wet finger and anoint the feet. Say:
Blessed are your feet, which walk the Sacred Path.
2. Wet finger and anoint the knees. Say:
Blessed are your knees, which touch the earth in humility and gratitude.
3. Wet finger and anoint the pubis, or the genitals if you are intimate enough with the initiate. Say:
Blessed is your sex, which brings the gifts of pleasure and creation.
4. Wet finger and anoint the womb. Say:
Blessed is your womb, the seat of life.
5. Wet finger and anoint the solar plexus (stomach region). Say:
Blessed are your power and presence.
6. Wet finger and anoint the heart chakra (sternum). Say:
Blessed is your heart, which loves with strength and beauty.
7. Wet finger and anoint the throat. Say:
Blessed is your voice, which says what must be heard.
8. Wet finger and anoint the lips. Say:
Blessed are your lips, which speak the words of power.
9. Wet finger and anoint the third eye (center of forehead, just above the brow line). Say:
Blessed be your vision, which sees the way things are, and the way things may become.
10. Wet finger and anoint the crown (top of the head). Say:
Blessed be your crown, where you and all of creation are one.
11. Step back and say:
Blessed are you, and blessed is your presence on the earth. Blessed is your body, your soul, and your spirit. Blessed is the world that you create, and blessed is your path in that world.
Vows
To each initiate facing the mirror, P1 says:
Do you have vows?
Each initiate responds in the affirmative.
P1 says:
We are here to witness these vows, but these are vows you make to yourself. As you take these vows, look into the mirror and commit your vows to the person you are becoming.
Each initiate reads her vows, looking at herself in the mirror.
Empowerment Contract
Once each initiate finishes reading her vows, P2 hands her a pen, and says:
Now, find your empowerment contract, and sign it before the witnesses assembled here.
Each initiate signs her empowerment contract.
Talisman(s) of Initiation
Once each initiate finishes signing her contract, P1 says:
Find your talismans of initiation, and put them on. You wear these talismans as a reminder of the path you have taken to get to this moment, and as a commitment to walking the path that stretches forth from here.
Honoring of Initiates
One by one, as each initiate continues facing the mirror, the circle of her ritual sisters and her witness(es), if present, honor her with blessings, compliments, and gratitude for her work, her growth, and her self-commitment. The initiate may look at the witnesses as they speak, but her attention should be primarily on watching herself be adored by those she loves and respects. Before beginning the honoring, P2 says to the initiate:
Allow us to honor you. As we speak, watch the image in the mirror. You are a woman worthy of worship, and we are here to worship you. We are here to honor your growth, your commitment to your growth, and your beautiful unfolding.
Once the honoring of this initiate is complete, P1 offers the initiate the chalice of wine or water, and says:
To know, to will, to dare, to be silent.
P2 offers the initiate cake/cookie/a scrumptious morsel, and says:
Blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
Once she has taken the wine and food, the initiate goes back to semicircle, and allows the next initiate to approach. This can be performed in a clockwise flow, or as you please.
Once all initiates have been honored, P1 performs the Goddess in the Mirror for P2, then P2 for P1, allowing P1 and P2 to be anointed, take vows, sign contracts, don their talismans, be honored by the circle, and receive the wine and cakes of initiation.
Blessing the Treats, Water, and Wine
After the blessing, you may choose to have more informal sharing time in circle here. Eat, drink, and be merry! This may be your last circle together, so enjoy it. You may continue to honor one another as you eat and drink, or talk about the amazing things you have learned about one another. Keep it positive, as you are still in sacred circle, and are actively creating the future you will each walk into from this moment on. Then P1 or P2 says:
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.
The water chalice is passed from person to person with the blessing “Water shared is life shared.” The wine chalice is passed with the blessing “Wine offered is choice given and received.” Food is passed with the blessing “May all true hungers be fulfilled.”
As a group, take time to honor your bodies 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 bodies.
Ending of Ritual
All participants sit in circle once again and breathe. P1 or P2 says:
Yours is the temple. As you walk through the world, know that your body is a sacred vessel. It is consecrated to you, and to your unfolding and empowerment. As we learn to love and honor our bodies as the beautiful temples, wondrous tools, and amazing vehicles for transformation that they are, we grow closer to the divine gift of creation.
Now, as each of you breathe again, inhaling the sacred scents, you prepare to walk forward into the world. You carry sacred space everywhere you go, and all you need is to remember: your body is sacred. Your breath is sacred. Your bones and blood and sweat and tears are sacred. Your laughter is sacred, your voice is sacred, and your skin is sacred. All together, state aloud and claim this mantra:
This temple is mine.
As a group, 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]
appendix i
Recipes, Correspondences, and Other Details You Might Need to Know
Just for the heck of it, read through this appendix. There may be something here that makes it easier to understand other parts of this book!
Magickal Tools: An Overview
In the Wiccan tradition, there are four basic tools; one for each direction, element, or quarter.
East
Blade, athame, knife, sword.
South
Wand.
West
Chalice, cup, goblet.
North
A disc or dish with a pentagram (five-pointed star) painted on it, or inscribed or carved into the surface.
Many people work with their own correspondences. Some use incense to represent the east, or a candle for the south. As I stated in Part Two: The Rituals, I believe that ritual work and all kinds of magick working may be performed just as effectively without tools. But if tools work for you, work it, grrl! (See also “Tools: To Have, or Not to Have . . . That Is the Question” in Rituals I and Rituals II.)
Candle Dressing
Use a carrier oil, and add a few drops of essential oil. Choose an essential oil that will support the magick you are working. Always use pure oils, especially if you are going to be burning the oil, as with a candle.
Apply the oil to the candle, thinking of the magick you will be working as you burn it. You may create a mantra to chant while you do the dressing, or you may just think thoughts related to the desired outcome or the emotional state of the working.
Many people dress taper candles from the center to the top, then the center to the bottom. Do it that way if you wish, but what matters the most is that what you are doing feels right to you, and works for you.
Chakras: Energy in the Body
Chakra is a Sanskrit word that means “wheel,” and is a name that is used to refer to energy centers in our bodies. One may visualize these energy spots as spinning wheels of energy or colored light. There are many chakras, and they are located in slightly different spots according to the different systems. Most Western practitioners focus primarily on the seven chakras that are located in the trunk of the body.
If you are interested in working with these energy spots, I suggest that you study up on them a bit, and then investigate where they are in your body. There are millions of books out there on chakras, chakra systems, chakra work, and more. Many of these books say slightly different things, and no body is totally the same as any other. A general guideline that might hold more often than not: the seven chakras that I cover here are in the core of the body near the spine, and have openings at the front and back of the body. Here are those seven:
First Chakra
Sanskrit Name: Muladhara; Often Referred to as: Root chakra; Represents: Survival; Color: Red; Location: Perineum.
Second Chakra
Sanskrit Name: Svadhisthana; Often Referred to as: Sex chakra; Represents: Sexuality; Color: Orange; Location: Genitals.
Third Chakra
Sanskrit Name: Manipura; Often Referred to as: Power chakra; Represents: Power; Color: Yellow; Location: Somewhere between the solar plexus and the navel.
Fourth Chakra
Sanskrit Name: Anahata; Often Referred to as: Heart chakra; Represents: Love; Color: Green; Location: Sternum.
Fifth Chakra
Sanskrit Name: Vishuddha; Often Referred to as: Throat chakra; Represents: Voice; Color: Blue; Location: Throat.
Sixth Chakra
Sanskrit Name: Ajna; Often Referred to as: Third Eye chakra; Represents: Vision; Color: Lavender; Location: Above, and in triangulation to, the eyes.
Seventh Chakra
Sanskrit Name: Sahasrara; Often Referred to as: Crown chakra; Represents: Ascension; Color: Crystalline; Location: At or just above the top of the head.
Other chakras can be found throughout the body. For further reading suggestions, please see Appendix III, and look for “Chakras” under the heading for chapter 1.
Color Correspondences: A Primer
Black
Depth, entering the mystery.
Red
Sex, blood magick.
Orange
Security, wealth.
Yellow
Power, inspiration.
Green
Regeneration, growth, verdancy.
Blue
Loyalty, truth.
Purple
Vision.
White
Purity, innocence.
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br /> Mantra Building, Sigil-Style
The idea behind this form of mantra building is to create a mantra that can affect your subconscious mind without having to confront the resistance of your conscious thoughts. Sometimes it’s best to skirt the full-frontal assault. Creating a mantra that holds the intention of an affirmation, but doesn’t have the ability to attract your own self-debilitating shields, can be very effective.
1. Write your mantra, like: I love myself.
2. Cross out all letters that repeat. Include each letter that appears only once, even if it appears multiple times. In other words, drop repeats of any letter. This will leave you with: ILOVEMYSF.
3. Take these letters and rearrange them into an unrecognizable word, or set of words, like: SYF VO ELEM. Work with it until the sound and feel of the word or phrase work for you.
4. Chant this mantra in place of your original phrase.
Incenses
Making your own incense to burn over charcoal is easy. It’s also cleaner and purer than stick incense or other processed blends, and it’s loaded with your personal intention because you have created, ground, and mixed it.
I provide three incense blends here, but you may, of course, create your own blends. Magickal herbal and aromatherapy correspondence charts abound on the web. A correspondence chart, your own intuition, some supplies, and some time and patience with which to experiment are all you need to become an incense-making mad woman.
If you choose to opt for my blends, I recommend using the first blend for Rituals One through Four, switching to the second blend for Ritual Five: Coming to Our Senses, and staying with that through Ritual Seven. The third blend may be used for any guided visualization or meditation.
To store your incense blends, you can get small, glass jam jars at crafting shops or even in some grocery stores. On the label, you may include ingredients and measurements, the properties of the ingredients, your intentions, and the date.
When creating an incense blend, feel your way through it. Always work with sensing the measurements, and lend your energy to the process of creation. Visualize the energy you are charging the blend with as you grind and mix. Make sure you are using your intention to create a magickal charge that supports the properties of the mix.
Sexy Witch Page 27
