Everyday Witch Book of Rituals: All You Need for a Magickal Year

Introduction

Why We Do Rituals

Human beings have been performing rituals for as long as we have recorded history, and probably longer than that. We are drawn to ceremony like we are drawn to the warmth of the bonfire, and for many of the same reasons. Ceremony represents civilization and lifts us out of the mundane and into the sublime. It alters our state of mind, opens our hearts, and helps us connect with the divine both inside of us and out in the universe.

Ritual is like a stairway to the stars, allowing us to touch the untouchable, see the unseen, and harness our own energy to create positive change in the world. It offers us limitless possibilities and can be done in a thousand different ways, depending on our own inclinations and needs. Ritual is a way to send our voices out into the void, amplifying them so that the gods can hear us—and, with any luck, respond to our prayers.

Our ancestors performed rituals to ask the gods to keep them safe, provide food, calm the weather, and send them companionship. We do rituals today for much the same reasons; protection, prosperity, and love spells are three of the most popular types of spells. But as modern Witches, we also do ritual to connect us with our spiritual path in a culture where we often have to create our own community or practice alone.

As Witches, most of us observe the lunar cycle and follow the Wheel of the Year. So we have rites for new moons and full moons and the eight sabbats. We also use ceremonies to mark important life passages such as handfastings (weddings), Wiccanings (child blessings), cronings and elderings, and more.

And, of course, we use rituals to help us achieve our goals, whether these are as pragmatic as finding a new job or as esoteric as finding inner peace. As Witches, we believe in magick and in our own ability to influence the path of the universe around us. Manifested in sacred space set aside from the rest of the world, rituals are the concrete representation of those beliefs.

You can, of course, simply stand in the woods (or in the middle of your living room) and ask for what you want. So why do we use rituals instead?

There are a few reasons. For one, doing formal rituals (or even informal ones) helps to focus our energy so our work is more effective. If your desire is strong enough, you might well achieve what you want by just speaking it out loud. But for many of us, having a series of actions we perform over and over helps us to set the mood, focus our will, and direct our intent—and the result is much more powerful than words alone. The tools we use during ritual can boost our power, too, in much the same way.

Additionally, ritual can help us to achieve the proper mindset by setting up subliminal cues that tell our brains we’re in sacred space doing magick now. Even small things, like the smell of a sage smudge stick or the lighting of candles, can help guide our consciousness to another, higher level. The more often you repeat these actions, the easier it is for your mind to recognize these cues and slip into the altered reality that is magick in action.

When we are practicing magick with others, ritual helps us to come together as a unified whole, taking a number of separate minds and melding them together so they might become greater than the sum of their parts. It helps us to work together in ways that are laid out ahead of time so everyone knows his or her role and what to do. (For instance, during most rituals, you walk deosil, or clockwise; everyone knows that or is told ahead of time, so the magickal work flows smoothly.)

Ritual creates patterns we are comfortable with; the more you do it, the easier it becomes. It also helps us connect not only with each other but with the Witches who walked this path before us. They may not have used all the same words or performed their rites in exactly the same way, but the use of ritual has been passed down through the ages, and it brings us a feeling of continuity to know that we are following in the footsteps of those who came before.

More than all these things, however, ritual is intensely personal. No two people perform ritual in exactly the same way or come away from it with exactly the same experience. For some, ritual is intensely spiritual, lifting them far above the mundane world. For others, it grounds them in a manner that nothing else can. Maybe it even does both, for such is the power of ritual.

But no matter how you do it or what you get out of it, ritual is an effective and deeply rewarding part of the practice of magick. Within the pages of this book, you will find virtually everything you need for a year of ritual: full moons and new moons, sabbats and celebrations. The rituals are set out to be simple and easy to use, whether as a solitary or as a group. And all the rituals can be altered to suit your needs, your desires, and your form of magickal practice.

Because most of all, ritual is what you want it to be. It is meant to help each of us become the best Witch we are capable of being and aid us in achieving our goals as we walk the path of the everyday Witch.

A Note

The rituals in this book aren’t designed for any particular level of practice; they are suitable for the most inexperienced beginner or the Witch who has been chanting the Goddess’s many names under the full moon for years. It is true, however, that in order to make them all-purpose, I have kept them reasonably simple. There is nothing wrong with simple; I tend to prefer a simple ritual myself. But when you have been casting spells for a while, sometimes you want a little something extra.

If you want to add a different twist to your magickal practice or put an additional element of challenge or depth to the ritual, all the new moon and full moon rituals have optional suggestions (added by Miss Bossy Paws herself, Magic the Cat) for taking the ritual to the next level. Feel free to pick and choose the ones that appeal most to you or feel most right for what you are trying to achieve.

But don’t tell Magic I said so. She thinks you’re going to do them all.

The Beauty and Spirit of Ritual

If you look at rituals written in a book, they don’t seem like much. Black print on white paper is cold and impersonal. It isn’t until you actually perform them that they come to life, as solid as the earth you stand on—your breath the air, your spirit the light and the passion that ignites them and makes them live.

What makes a ritual special is the power of belief. The spirit of the one who performs it, whether in a living room in the city or a forest glen, in the middle of the darkest night or under the glow of a full moon—this is what makes a ritual blossom and sparkle.

In other words … you.

The truth is, rituals are just words. But words have power, as we all know. Think of the inspirational speeches of people like Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Lincoln. Just words—until they are spoken by people who believed strongly and felt with all their hearts. Poets and playwrights and prophets have all used words to move us and challenge us and make us think.

That is the true power of ritual. It taps into our hearts, our minds, our souls, and helps us to create positive change in the universe. Through our will, our focus, and our belief, we can become the change we desire.

The rituals in this book are powerful tools, but they require more than just candles and incense to bring them to their full power; they require you. What you get out of a ritual depends very much on what you put into it. So take the time to allow yourself to sink into the meditations, beat the drum, and listen to the beating heart of the world beneath your feet. Let the beauty of words move you to tears or laughter (or both), and let the magick blossom in your heart.

Remember that, in the end, ritual is about spirit and beauty and our own personal power. As you speak the words written on these pages, you transform them … and that is magick, indeed.

Basic Ritual Elements

Rituals can vary from the extremely simple—lighting a candle and saying a spell—to the incredibly complicated. Ceremonial magicians, for instance, may use rituals that contain hours’ worth of ornate setup, speech in a foreign language, complex symbolism, and carefully choreographed movements. So is one better than the other? Not at all. The best ritual is the one that works for you, and many Witches will use a variety of approaches, depending on the importance and difficulty of achieving their goals.

For instance, if I am doing basic prosperity work (before a craft show or an author appearance, for instance), I will probably use the same spell I have been casting for years (which can be found in my first book, Circle, Coven & Grove), light a green candle etched with runes and anointed with homemade oils, and call it good.

On the other hand, if I am doing magick for something special and important, or if the ritual is laying the groundwork for magickal intentions I intend to continue on with throughout the year, I will go through a lot more effort: cast a formal circle, call the quarters, invoke the God and Goddess, use a lot more tools, and likely write a special new spell for the occasion.

It all depends on the circumstances and on the inclinations of the one doing the ritual. As I said before, ritual is highly personal. However, many rituals follow the same basic steps and use the same basic tools, so it makes sense to go over them before we move on to the rituals themselves. Just keep in mind that you are welcome (encouraged, even) to alter any of the rituals in this book to better suit you, your needs at the moment, or the circumstances of your practice.

These elements will be discussed in more detail in each ritual, but here are the basics:

Cleanse and purify the ritual space (and yourself if necessary) using sage, salt, and water

Cast the circle

Call the quarters

Invoke the God and/or Goddess (depending on the ritual, you may call on one or both)

Perform the main ritual

Cakes and ale

Pass the speaking stick (if practicing with a group)

Thank the God and/or Goddess

Dismiss the quarters

Open the circle

Hey! She left out the part about giving the cat a treat!

(Or dog, if you have one of those for some reason.)

This is a VERY important part of all rituals.

Common Tools and Supplies

These are some of the tools and supplies that most Witches are likely to use during rituals. Keep in mind that not all of them are needed for every rite, and there are often substitutes for the items you don’t happen to have on hand.

Athame: A Witch’s knife used for directing energy or pointing (never cutting). The athame usually has a double-sided blade and can be small or large; made out of wood, metal, or bone; and varies from extremely simple to ornately decorated. It symbolizes the masculine and the God.

Wand: A wand serves the same purpose as an athame (pointing and directing energy) and is usually made out of wood but can also be metal or bone. The simplest wand is the branch from a fallen tree (preferably something magickal like apple, oak, or willow), but wands may also be carved with runes or decorated with feathers, gemstones, or anything else that symbolizes your witchy power. Also represents the masculine.

Broom: Also known as a besom, the broom has often been used as a symbol of the Witch. They are not, alas, actually used to fly on; instead, their purpose is to sweep negative energy away from the circle. Never use the same broom you clean the house with for your magickal work; buy or make one to reserve especially for this ritual task.

Cauldron: Usually made of metal (cast iron is the most common since it stands up well to heat, although copper and other metals are also used), these can be small enough to put on top of the altar or large enough to hang over a roaring fire. Cauldrons symbolize the feminine and the womb of the Goddess, and are used as containers to mix herbs or incense, burn sage, or contain fire that is used during a ritual. (Always be extra careful when using fire during ritual, especially if anyone taking part is wearing long, flowing garb!)

Chalice: A cup or goblet that is usually used to hold wine or juice during the cakes and ale portion of the ritual. The chalice represents the feminine and the Goddess.

Pentacle: The most commonly used symbol of Witchcraft, the pentacle is a five-pointed star in the center of a circle. Its five points stand for the five elements: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit, and the circle symbolizes unity or the universe that encompasses them all. The pentacle is often worn as a silver necklace.

Candles: One of the least expensive and most readily available of magickal supplies, almost all Witches use candles from time to time unless circumstances make it difficult (living in a dorm, for instance, where open flames may be forbidden). Candles are often used in specific colors to represent various elements or energies, although what those colors might be can vary from Witch to Witch. I’ll include my suggestions for candle color use in the rituals here, but feel free to substitute any other hues you prefer. I generally use the following for quarter candles: green (north/Earth), yellow (east/Air), blue (west/Water), and red (south/Fire). For the God, I use gold or cream, and for the Goddess, either silver or white.

Drums or Any Other Instrument for Making Music: Music is often a part of ritual. It can evoke a mood (like using a tape of ocean sounds or Native American flute to create a meditative state) or help to build or channel energy. Pagans have used drumming during ritual for thousands of years and across hundreds of cultures, and modern Witches have adopted that practice too. If you don’t have a drum, you can use a rattle, beat two stones together, clap, or chant. Drums are especially powerful when used in a group, and it takes no particular skill to play them (although some folks are much better than others).

Bell: A bell is a useful tool for drawing the attention of the gods or the spirits during ritual or emphasizing a particular part of the ritual.

Book of Shadows and/or a Spellbook: A Witch’s Book of Shadows usually contains all her spells and rituals, as well as anything else important to the practice of her Craft, including recipes, a dream journal, or any bits of knowledge learned through experience or handed down from other Witches. Some Witches prefer to write their own, and others are more comfortable using spells that someone else has written. Either way, it is generally a good idea to have the spell you are going to be using written down, along with any details of the ritual that you may not remember easily.

Sage: Sage is a wonderful herb for clearing and cleansing the circle (if you are casting one) and also the energy of anyone taking part in the ritual. The most common form used is a sage wand or bundle, but it also comes as an incense or an essential oil. I start almost every ritual I do—whether by myself or with my coven, Blue Moon Circle—by smudging myself and the area around me with a sage smudge stick. After years of practice, just the smell of the burning sage is enough to transport me to sacred space. (If you haven’t used sage before, you should probably be aware that it bears a strong resemblance to the odor of burning marijuana. Really!)

Herbs: In addition to sage, there are many different herbs that are used as a part of ritual. Like the candle colors, opinions vary on which herb is associated with a particular element or energy. Again, feel free to substitute your own favorites for the ones I suggest. Herbs may be used in a variety of forms, including dried, fresh, incense, and essential oils (never use perfume oils, since these are made from an artificial base and you want the energy you will get from the actual plant).

Gemstones: Like herbs, gemstones are used for the energy they lend to the ritual. Since they come out of the ground, stones are considered a potent tool, containing the essence of the natural world. Different stones are associated with different elements and energies. For a complete list, try checking out one of the reference books listed at the back of this book. Otherwise, I will suggest particular gemstones for any ritual in which I use them.

Salt: Sea salt is the best for magickal use, although plain old table salt will do in a pinch. Salt is often used for cleansing and purification, sometimes combined with water in a small dish.

Incense: Incense can be burned instead of sage or used to represent the herb or herbs you wish to use. If practicing magick with others, especially indoors, make sure that no one is allergic to the smoke. I like to use incenses made from essential oils; not only do they have more of the natural plant energies, they are much less likely to bother sensitive individuals. Incense made from artificial scents can cause problems for some folks and don’t have the magickal essence of the plant/herb they are representing.

Magickal Oils: You can use herbs or essential oils to create your own magickal oils that are blessed and consecrated for a specific use (prosperity, for instance, or protection) or buy them already made.

Speaking Stick: This can be any object (including a simple stick or a wand or staff) that is passed around the circle at the end of a group ritual. Each person gets a turn to speak and be heard without interruption or judgment.

Scrying Mirror: A scrying mirror is a black mirror used for scrying, or looking for answers to important questions.

Tarot Cards and Runes: These divination tools, like the scrying mirror above, are useful when a ritual involves the search for a particular answer or direction to take. You can make your own or buy one of the many beautiful sets available at Pagan or New Age shops or online.

Various Small Bowls or Plates: For holding herbs, salt, water, and other spell ingredients, as well as a plate for your cakes. If possible, use items that are dedicated for magickal use, although that isn’t strictly necessary.

You may also need such things as slips of paper, pens, and specific items pertaining to each ritual. There will be a list at the start of each one so you can gather your supplies ahead of time.

Don’t forget to include your familiar, if you have one. All that great animal energy can help you connect to nature; so