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THE GREAT RITE (SYMBOLIC)
Preparation: the chalice should be filled with wine. A veil of at
least a yard square is needed preferably of a Goddess color such as blue,
green, silver, or white.
The Coven, except for the High Priestess and High Priest,arrange
themselves around the perimeter of the circle, man and woman alternately as
far as possible, facing the center.
The High Priestess and High Priest stand facing each other in the
center of the circle, she with her back to the altar, he with his back to
the South.
The High Priest kneels before the High Priestess and gives her the
Five Fold Kiss; that is, he kisses her on both feet,both knees, womb, both
breasts, and the lips, starting with the right of each pair. he says, as he
does this:
"Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways.
Blessed be thy knees, that shall kneel at the sacred altar.
Blessed be thy womb, without which we would not be.
Blessed be thy breasts, formed in beauty.
Blessed be thy lips, that shall utter the Sacred Names."
Forthekisson thelips,they embrace,lengthtolength,with their
feet touching each others. When he reaches the womb, she spreads her arms
wide, and the same after the kiss on the lips.
TheHighPriestess thenlays herselfdown,face upwards,with her
arms and legs outstretched to form the Pentagram.
The High Priest fetches the veil and spreads it over the High
Priestess's body, covering her from breasts to knees. He then kneels facing
her, with his knees between her feet.
TheHigh Priestcalls a womanwitch byname, tobring his athame
from the altar. The woman does so and stands with the athame in her hands,
about a yard to the West of the High Priestess's hips and facing her.
TheHigh Priestcalls amalewitch byname,to bringthe chaliceof
wine from the altar. He does so and stands with the chalice in his hands,
about a yard to the East of the High Priestess's hips and facing her.
657
The High Priest delivers the invocation:
"Assist me to erect the ancient altar, at which in days past all
worshipped;
The altar of all things.
For in old time, Woman was the altar.
Thus was the altar made and placed,
And the sacred place was the point within the center of
the Circle.
Aswehave ofold beentaught thatthe pointwithin thecenter is
the origin of all things,
Therefore should we adore it;
Therefore whom we adore we also invoke.
O Circle of Stars,
Whereof our father is but the younger brother,
Marvel beyond imagination, soul of infinite space,
Before whom time is ashamed, the mind bewildered, and the
understanding dark,
Not unto thee may we attain unless thine image be love.
Therefore by seed and stem, root and bud,
And leaf and flower and fruit do we invoke thee,
O Queen of Space, O Jewel of Light,
Continuous on of the heavens;
Let it be ever thus
That men speak not of thee as One, but as None;
And let them not speak of thee at all, since thou art continuous.
For thou art the point within the Circle, which we adore;
The point of life, without which we would not be.
And in this way truly are erected the holy twin pillars;
In beauty and strength were they erected
To the wonder and glory of all men."
TheHigh Priestremoves theveil fromthe HighPriestess's body,
and hands it to the woman witch, from whom he takes his athame.
TheHigh Priestess risesand kneels facingthe High Priest,and
takes the chalice from the man witch. (Note that both of these
handings-over are done without the customary ritual kiss.The High Priest
continues the invocation:
"Altar of mysteries manifold,
The sacred Circle's secret point
Thus do I sign thee as of old,
With kisses of my lips anoint."
The High Priest kisses the High Priestess on the lips, and
continues:
"Open for me the secret way,
The pathway of intelligence,
Beyond the gates of night and day,
Beyond the bounds of time and sense.
Behold the mystery aright
The five true points of fellowship...."
658
TheHigh Priestessholdsupthe chalice,andtheHigh Priestlowers
the point of his athame into the wine. Both use both of their hands for
this. The High Priest continues:
"Here where Lance and Grail unite,
And feet, and knees, and breast, and lip."
TheHigh Priesthandshis athametothe womanwitchand thenplaces
both his hands round those of the High Priestess as she holds the chalice.
He kisses her, and she sips the wine; she kisses him, and he sips the wine.
Both of them keep their hands around the chalice while they do this.
TheHighPriest thentakesthechalice fromtheHighPriestess, and
they both rise to their feet.
TheHigh Priesthands thechaliceto awoman witchwitha kiss,and
she sips. She gives it to a man with a kiss. The chalice is passed around
the Coven, man to woman, with a kiss each time, until the entire Coven has
sipped the wine. The chalice can be refilled and any one can drink from it
without repeating the ritual once the chalice has gone around once.
To consecratethe cakes,the woman picksup her athame,and the
man, kneeling before her, holds up the dish. the woman draws the Invoking
Pentacle of Earth in the air above the plate while the man says:
"O Queen most secret, bless this food into our bodies;
bestowing health, wealth, strength, joy and peace,
and that fulfillment of love that is perfect happiness."
The womanlaysdown herathameand passesthe cakestothe manwith
a kiss, he passes them back with a kiss and they are passed around the
Coven the same way the wine was. Be sure to save some of the wine and some
cake for an offering to the Earth and the Little Folk. After the
meeting,leave the offering outside of the house if working indoors, or
behind in the woods or field, when you leave if you are working outdoors.
Farrar, Janet and Stewart; "Eight Sabbats For Witches"; Robert Hale 1983
(Transcribed onto computer file by Seastrider)
THE GREAT RITE ACTUAL
Preparation: the chalice should be filled with wine. A veil of at
least a yard square is needed preferably of a Goddess color such as blue,
green, silver, or white.
The Coven, except for the High Priestess and High Priest,arrange
themselves around the perimeter of the circle, man and woman alternately as
far as possible, facing the center.
The High Priestess and High Priest stand facing each other in the
center of the circle, she with her back to the altar, he with his back to
the South.
The High Priest kneels before the High Priestess and gives her the
Five Fold Kiss; that is, he kisses her on both feet,both knees, womb, both
breasts, and the lips, starting with the right of each pair. he says, as he
does this:
659
"Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways.
Blessed be thy knees, that shall kneel at the sacred altar.
Blessed be thy womb, without which we would not be.
Blessed be thy breasts, formed in beauty.
Blessed be thy lips, that shall utter the Sacred Names."
For the kiss on the lips, they embrace, length-to-length,with their
feet touching each others. When he reaches the womb, she spreads her arms
wide, and the same after the kiss on the lips.
The High Priestess then lays herself down, face upwards,with her arms
and legs outstretched to form the Pentagram.
The High Priest fetches the veil and spreads it over the High
Priestess's body, covering her from breasts to knees. He then kneels facing
her, with his knees between her feet.
The High Priest delivers the invocation:
"Assist me to erect the ancient altar, at which in days past all
worshipped;
The altar of all things.
For in old time, Woman was the altar.
Thus was the altar made and placed,
And the sacred place was the point within the center of the Circle.
As we have of old been taughtthat the point within the center is the
origin of all things,
Therefore should we adore it;
Therefore whom we adore we also invoke.
O Circle of Stars,
Whereof our father is but the younger brother,
Marvel beyond imagination, soul of infinite space,
Before whom time is ashamed, the mind bewildered, and the
understanding dark,
Not unto thee may we attain unless thine image be love.
Therefore by seed and stem, root and bud,
And leaf and flower and fruit do we invoke thee,
O Queen of Space, O Jewel of Light,
Continuous on of the heavens;
Let it be ever thus
That men speak not of thee as One, but as None;
And let them not speak of thee at all, since thou art continuous.
For thou art the point within the Circle, which we adore;
The point of life, without which we would not be.
And in this way truly are erected the holy twin pillars;
In beauty and strength were they erected
To the wonder and glory of all men."
The Maiden fetches her athame from the altar and ritually opens a gate
way in the Circle. The Coven file through and leave the room. The Maiden is
the last one through and reseals the Circle. The High Priest removes the
veil from the High Priestess's body.
660
The High Priestess rises and kneels facing the High Priest. The High
Priest continues the invocation:
"Altar of mysteries manifold,
The sacred Circle's secret point
Thus do I sign thee as of old,
With kisses of my lips anoint."
The High Priest kisses the High Priestess on the lips, and continues:
"Open for me the secret way,
The pathway of intelligence,
Beyond the gates of night and day,
Beyond the bounds of time and sense.
Behold the mystery aright
The five true points of fellowship...."
"Here where Lance and Grail unite,
And feet, and knees, and breast, and lip."
The High Priest and High Priestess now have intercourse.This is a
private matter between them and none of the Coven can question them about
it. When they are done, one of them ritually opens the Circle and calls the
rest of the Coven. When they are back in the Circle, it is again sealed.
The wine is now consecrated.
A male witch kneels in front of the altar before a female witch. He
holds up a chalice of wine and she holds her athame point down and lowers
the athame into the wine. The man says:
"As the athame is to the male, so the cup is to the female;
and conjoined, they become one in truth."
The woman lays down her athame on the altar and kisses the man who
remains kneeling and she accepts the chalice from him. She sips the wine,
kisses him again and he sips, rises, and gives it to another woman with a
kiss. The chalice is passed around the Coven, man to woman, with a kiss
each time, until the entire Coven has sipped the wine. The chalice can be
refilled and any one can drink from it without repeating the ritual once
the chalice has gone around once.
To consecrate the cakes, the woman picks up her athame,and the man,
kneeling before her, holds up the dish. The woman draws the Invoking
Pentacle of Earth in the air above the plate while the man says:
"O Queen most secret, bless this food into our bodies;
bestowing health, wealth, strength, joy and peace, and that
fulfillment of love that is perfect happiness."
The woman lays down her athame and passes the cakes to the man with a
kiss, he passes them back with a kiss and they are passed around the Coven
the same way the wine was. Be sure to save some of the wine and some cake
for an offering to the Earth and the Little Folk. After the meeting,leave
the offering outside of the house if working indoors, or behind in the
woods or field, when you leave if you are working outdoors.
Farrar, Janet and Stewart; "Eight Sabbats For Witches"; Robert Hale 1983
Transcribed to computer file by Seastrider.
661
Next: Heal The Earth (a meditation)