Course Four: Rites 169
- Ritual objects and tools are invested with power
and should be treated with respect. A person’s tools
and musical instruments are private and should not
be touched without permission—especially any-
thing wrapped, sheathed, or boxed. - Once the Circle is cast, enter or exit only at
great need. If you must enter or exit the Circle,
please cut yourself a door or have one of the ritual
officers do so.
One of the priestess’s or priest’s jobs may be to chan-
nel the Goddess and/or God in the Circle. Help them:
- Watch them, listen to them, follow them.
- Empower them and the ritual by your participa-
tion. Feed your energy and visualizations through
them into the Circle. - Put objections aside and save criticism until later. If
you cannot go along with something, leave the Circle.
We are all sisters and brothers in the Circle, but we
may work in different ways. Be sensitive to different
needs and styles during a ritual. Respect the differ-
ences between all magickal selves and include them,
for they are all needed to complete the Circle.Lesson 6: Types of Rituals
The Working is the core, heart, and purpose of a
magick ritual. There are many types of workings that
may be done—indeed, this phase of the ritual may be
as varied as your own purposes and imagination may
conceive. Here is a brief explanation of a few basic
types of ritual workings.Worship/Celebration
Worship and celebration are perfectly good pur-
poses for a ritual. This basically means throwing a
party and inviting the Gods to attend! Such a rite
should include lots of drumming, singing, dancing,
music, feasting, and general merrymaking. Most of
the great Seasonal Sabbats are of this nature (see 4.VI:
“The Wheel of the Year”). Remember, when you in-
vite the Gods to attend your Circle, Their first response
is going to be: “This had better be good!”
One of our favorite such rites is a Convocation
of the Gods, wherein everyone comes prepared to
aspect (take on the persona of) their favorite Divin-
ity, with appropriate costumes, masks, and associated
accoutrements. It is important to remember, however,
that if you invite the gods to attend a really good party,
They will most likely show up! Be prepared!
Anodea says: “When you take on a deity role in
a ritual, it’s of the utmost importance that you know/
become that deity. You must have ample resources
and time available to immerse yourself in that energy.
I suggest you build and dedicate an altar to the deity
and that every day you devote some time getting to
know that persona.”Shielding/Protection
Shielding and protection may be done for an in-
dividual, a group, or a place. Such rites involve throw-
ing up a protective field around the target that will
repel unwanted energies. Shielding is done by taking
the basic barrier of the Circle itself and strengthening
it into an impenetrable shell, reflectively mirrored on
the outside. Use visualization as well as actual hand-
held round mirrors as you circle around the person or
place to be protected, holding your hands up as if
against an invisible wall.Healing/Transformation
Healing may be done for someone actually
present in the Circle, or for someone far away who is
known to one or more of the participants, who can
link with him or her and relay the energy. A common
method is for the person(s) to be healed (or their sur-
rogates) to sit or lie in the center of the Circle while
everyone else directs healing energy into them through
their hands, which may be laid on the person’s body,
particularly over any specific areas that may need
healing. Then everyone breathes together, deeper and
faster, making sounds with each breath, until finally
reaching a crescendo, simultaneously pumping out the
combined chi of the group into the center person(s)
with the release of the last total exhalation.
Another method involves the person to be healed
remaining linked in the Circle, with everyone hold-
ing hands and facing to their right. A current is cre-
ated and built by each person in a wave snapping their
head around to catch the eyes of the person on their
left and blowing out with a “whoosh!” while simulta-
neously squeezing the hand of that person. At the same
time, that person inhales the breath, and then repeats
these actions towards their left. After a few times
around the Circle, this wave can gather tremendous
power. When the one to be healed feels it is strong
enough, all they have to do is break their link with the
next person on their left, thereby collecting the full
force of the energy wave without passing it on.
Transformation rituals can use these same tech-
niques imbedded in a more complex psychodrama.Web Weaving
Web Weaving is a particularly delightful type of
magickal working, the purpose of which is to create
magickal links among previously dissociated elements
of the physical or spiritual world. Here’s a typical
example of such rituals as I have participated in:
A ball of twine is passed around the Circle, and
each person takes his own “measure” by stretching a
length of twine from middle fingertip to middle fin-
gertip of his outstretched hands, then cutting off that
piece. Then, while everyone holds one end of their
measure, the free ends are gathered together and tied
into a knot in the center, along with the end of the- Rites.p65 169 1/15/2004, 9:08 AM