everything we eat and drink is sacred, as it really is
Her flesh and blood we are taking into our bodies to
become our flesh and blood. We also honor the Lord
as the Sun God and the Green Man, by remembering
that His solar rays provide the energy to ripen all plants,
and He is cut down in the Fall to yield the grain for the
bread that nourishes us. That is why we call the food
and drink that we share in Circle sacraments. They
have been consecrated and so they are sacred, or
holy, filled with the Divine Spark. We are also reminded
that our bodies are sacred too; our lives also filled
with the same Divine Spark.Sacred Bullshit
After the bread and drink have gone around once,
they can continue being passed, for now comes the
time called Sacred Bullshit, first called that by the New
Reformed Order of the Golden Dawn. This is the time
for announcements and messages (but not stuff like
school, TV shows, or other mundane bullshit!). Time
and place of the next meeting may be decided, chants
and lore may be shared, and other magickal things
talked about. This part may even become a Bardic,
where each person in turn around the Circle may sing
a song, recite a poem, or tell a story or joke (see 4.III.4:
“Types of Rituals: Bardics”).Lesson 10. Ending the Ritual
Thanking the Deities
This enchanted evening we have been blessed
by the presence of beloved Spirits. They have been
our special guests, and we must now thank Them for
coming, and say goodnight. If different people invoked
Them, the same ones should now bid Them farewell,
and in reverse of the order in which they were first
called.
A farewell to the Three-Fold God, for example,
might go something like this:Blessed Lord of Light and Laughter,
Thank you for your blessings here.
We are yours forever after—
One with oak and sun and deer!
Blessed Be!
(All repeat, “Blessed Be!”)And then to the Triple Moon Goddess we might say:Lady of the Silv’ry Wheel,
Maiden, Mother, ancient Crone,
We bear within your mystic seal—
We thank you, for we are your own!
Blessed Be!If candles have been lit for Them on the central altar,
they should be put out now—either with your fingers
or a candle snuffer, rather than blowing them out.Releasing the Elements
Thanking and releasing the Elements is also done
in reverse order, starting in the North, and then to
West, South, and finally East. These releases (often
called dismissals) should also be done by the same
people who called them before. Then, one at a time,
the Quarter candles are put out. Here is a very common
model for releasing the Elements:O Guardians of the frozen North,
(wat’ry West; fiery South; windy East),
We thank you for attending our rites.
Go if you must; stay if you will.
And ere you depart to your fair and lovely realms,
We bid you hail and farewell!
(all repeat, “Hail and farewell!”)Opening the Circle
When we cast the Magick Circle at the be-
ginning of this ritual, we closed off a little bubble of
sacred space between the worlds. The last thing we
do now is burst that bubble and return this space to
the mundane world. We call this “releasing” or “open-
ing” the Circle rather than “closing” it, because we are
now opening the door to leave.
Whomever cast the Circle in the first place now
goes back to the East, where it began. Pointing your
wand or athamé at the ground, walk widdershins
around the outside of the Circle, saying something
like:Circle of magick, circle of art—
The rite is ended; now we part.
This Circle drawn between the worlds
Begone! as Time and Space unfurls...Returning once more to the East, fling your arms
wide to the outside, saying, “The rite is ended. Blessed
Be!” And all repeat, “Blessed Be!” It is customary in
many traditions for everyone to add, “Merry meet and
merry part, and merry meet again!” And now
everybody helps pick up and put away all the stuff so
the ritual area is clean. Group hugs all around, and we
bid our farewells to each other before heading home
to our own beds and magickal dreams.180 Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard
Corrected pages 3rd printing.2.p65 10 6/10/2004, 4:02 PM