Liber ab Nomen (Book of Name)^31
rite, keeping someone by the cauldron with that besom at hand is a great idea. Let your
guests know that if they dance by the cauldron, they will be cooled down by a goodly
amount of water cast by a besom holder.
Smudging is most often accomplished with sage bundles called smudge sticks, which
are commonly available from New Age, Pagan, and other shops that cater to folk who
practice Native American spirituality. However, when a rite is performed for a particular
intent, there are specific recipes for incense that can be used to increase the effectiveness
of that rite. Listed here are my two favorites for general smudging and initiation rites.Incense Recipes
General Incense (1)
2 part Frankincense
2 part Sandalwood
1 part MyrrhAn incense of choice for initiations, add enough frankincense or sandalwood oil to bind.General Incense (2)
2 parts Frankincense
2 parts Sandalwood
2 parts Copal
1 part MyrrhAnother good incense for initiations, add enough frankincense oil to bind.Offering the Challenge and the Outsider Offering
The challenge has two parts. The first part of that challenge is to the folk who are in
attendance. Although challenge sounds like an awfully scary term, it is simply that point
in ritual prior to the casting of the Circle where it is explained that once the Circle is
cast, it should not be broken. At a public rite, this might be the act of assuring folk that
they can observe or they can participate, but that they should decide which it is they are
going to do prior to the casting of the Circle. At a wedding, this might take the form
similar to asking if everyone present consents to the marriage.
In a Wiccaning, this is the act of asking everyone in attendance if they welcome the
new person to the community. The person being Wiccaned is also pledging that he is
dedicated to that community and asking if folk accept his or her dedication. In a Self-
Dedication, this is the act of pledging and affirming to oneself that Wicca is indeed the
path on which one has chosen to walk.
The outsider offering, sometimes a banishing, centers around the idea that we each
have things within us that we wish to place outside us. Greed, racism, bigotry, and badg WB Chap 0.p65 31 7/11/2003, 5:47 PM