Liber ab Nomen (Book of Name)^35
beginning, middle, and end—birth, life, and death. Thus the body of the ritual, the
magickal child that it produces, is marked after the symbolic Great Rite. The symbolic
Great Rite is the conception, the body of the ritual is the growth of the magickal child
within the womb of the Circle, and the end of the ritual is the birth of the magickal
child. That magickal child is the product of the intent of the rite.Stating Intent: The first half of the body of the ritual
Although every Wiccan ritual has clear intent, many fall short of letting the guests
know what that intent is. Often, we become so concerned with using archetypes and
hidden meaning that we forget hiding meaning from our guests is not only rude, it is
counter productive to intent. Yes, it is possible to solicit the experience of a mystery
from a person by exposing them to influences that bring on that experience. If that is
the intent of the rite, by all means continue to practice in that manner. However, the
dynamics of raising group energy for a specific intent demands that those involved
understand exactly what that intent is. So telling them to chant in some dead language
they do not understand will not be effective in causing the manifestation of the magickal
child. If you doubt me, try this magickal chant taken from my Book of Shadows and see
where it gets you: ‘Ego similis nutrio asinius vomer.’
So instead of baffling guests, make the body of the ritual as clear as all other por-
tions. If you choose to use symbolism that may be missed by your guests, explain as you
go so everyone is on the same track. This is important because the power of group
ritual is lost when the group is not focused on the intent of the rite. Methods for con-
veying clear intent include techniques seemingly as mundane as speech. I remember
the first time my Roman Catholic mother saw a video tape of my leading of a Circle
maybe 800 guests in number. She cried with pride as she mumbled forth that her son
was a preacher. While acting in such a capacity might not seem overly Wiccan, speech
is certainly one of the most direct ways to convey intent. Although modern Pagans
might run away from this simple technique, it is clear that the ancients embraced such
methods as sacred.Bikeh Hozho—Male—North America
Found in many Native American tribes as the personification of speech, but most nota-
bly in the Navaho creation story where he has human form.Tirawa—Male—North America
Pawnee creator and sky god who was said to have either gifted or taught speech to
humanity.Vach (Also known as Vac)—Female—Near East
Hindu goddess whose name literally means speech. Eventually, her lore was observed
by Sarasvati where it was expanded to create a goddess of not only speech but of fertil-
ity and the wealth that often accompanies the ability to read, write, and speak elegantly.g WB Chap 0.p65 35 7/11/2003, 5:47 PM