(^34) A Wiccan Bible
Here do I invoke that I may be whole
There love into
My mind, body and soul
For thou art the gods that were
Thou art the gods that will be
And thou art the gods that are
For thou art the gods of my father and mother
Thou art the gods of my sons and my daughters
And thou art the gods of my love and my self
For thou art my father and my mother
Thou art my sons and my daughters
And thou art my love and I
The Symbolic Great Rite
The symbolic Great Rite is an affirmation that Wicca views the Creator as both Lord
and Lady. To be blunt, it is symbolic sex. The athame (masculine) is held over the chalice
(feminine) and then slowly lowered into the chalice as a symbolic act of sexual union. This
is a visual reminder that Wiccans view the creation of life as the union of man and woman
because that is how we create life. If a host and hostess are conducting the rite together, an
affirmation for their love of each other is made. Asking members of the Circle who are
themselves couples to hold hands for this portion of the rite is most applicable.
As our beloved Lord is to our beloved Lady
So is the athame to the chalice
That union being the Creator
That union being all that has been created
That union being my love and I
The Body of the Ritual
The body of the ritual is that which is being celebrated. Should this be a Wiccaning,
this might be a time when a child is given presents by the members of the Circle. Should
it be the Wiccaning of an adult, it is a time when that adult is brought to each member
of the Circle and introduced. In both cases, if the body of the ritual is a Wiccaning, it is
a time when the host and hostess of that Circle give a new name to the child.
Should the reason for the rite be a holiday, this is where the celebration of that
holiday goes. Should it be a handfasting, celebration also goes here. A handparting, the
same. Whatever the intent of the ritual, whatever the purpose, it occurs after the sym-
bolic Great Rite.
This is because although there is no insistence that a Wiccan couple have children,
Wicca is a fertility religion. Its rituals are designed around the natural life cycles of
g WB Chap 0.p65 34 7/11/2003, 5:47 PM
barré
(Barré)
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