The Wiccans Way
Gothika@TheWiccansWay.com
These Sabbat rituals I got from the book, Wicca: A Guide For The Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham. The rituals you can take and use as your own or you can adept them, or you can create your own rituals.
Yule
The altar is decorated with evergreens such as pine, rosemary, bay, juniper and cedar. The same can be arranged to mark the Circle. Dried leaves can also be placed on the altar.
The cauldron, resting on the altar on a heat-proof surface (or placed before it, if too large), should have a red candle can be placed within it. At outdoor rites, position a fire within the cauldron to be lit during ritual.
Arrange the altar, light the candles and incense, and cast the Circle.
Recite the Blessing Chant or your own words
Invoke the Goddess and God
Stand before the cauldron and look within it.
Saying these or similar words:
I sorrow not, though the world is wrapped in sleep.
I sorrow not, though the icy winds blast.
I sorrow not, though the snow falls hard and deep.
I sorrow not; this too shall soon be past.
Light the cauldron (or candle), using long matches or a candle.
As flames bound up say:
I light this fire in Your honor, Mother Goddess.
You have created life from death; warmth from cold;
The Sun lives once again; the time of light is
Waxing. Welcome, ever-returning God of the Sun!
Hail Mother of All!
Circle the altar and cauldron slowly, clockwise, watching the flames.
Say the following chant for some time:
The wheel turns; the power burns.
Meditate on the Sun, on hidden energies lying dormant in winter, not only in the Earth but within ourselves. Think of birth not as the start of life but as its continuance. Welcome the return of the God.
After a time coming to a close and stand once again before the altar and the flaming cauldron.
Say:
Great God of the Sun,
I welcome Your return.
May You shine brightly upon the Goddess;
May You shine brigthy upon the Earth,
Scattering seeds and fertilizing the land.
All blessings upon You,
Reborn One of the Sun!
Works of magic, if necessary, may follow.
The circle is released.
Scott Cunningham, Wicca A Guide For The Solitary Practitioner, (Llewellyn Publications, 1992) p. 127
Imbolc
A symbol of the season, snowflake, a white flower, or some snow in a container can be placed on the altar. An orange candle rubbed with musk, cinnamon, frankincense or rosemary oil, unlit, should also be there, Snow can be melted and used for the water during the circle casting.
Arrange the altar, light the candles and censer, and cast the Circle.
Recite the Blessing Chant or your own words.
Invoke the Goddess and God.
Say such words as the following:
This is the time of the feast of torches,
When every lamp blazes and shines
To welcome the rebirth of the God.
I celebrate the Goddess,
I celebrate the God;
All the Earth celebrates
Beneath its mantle of sleep.
Light the orange candle from the red candle on the altar (or at the Southern point of the circle). Gradually walk the circle clockwise, holding the candle before you.
Say these or similar words:
All the land is wrapped in winter.
The air is chilled and
Frost envelopes the Earth.
But Lord of the Sun,
Horned One of animals and wild places,
Unseen you have been reborn
Of the gracious Mother Goddess,
Lady of all fertility,
Hail Great God!
Hail and welcome!
Stop before the altar, holding the candle in the air. Look at its flame. Visualize your life growing with creativity, with renewed energy and strength.
If you need to look into the future or the past, now is the time.
Works of magic, if necessary may follow.
The circle is released.
Scott Cunningham, Wicca A Guide For The Solitary Practitioner, (Llewellyn Publications, 1992) p. 130
Ostara
Flowers should be arranged on the altar, placed around the circle, and scattered on the ground. The cauldron can be filled with spring water and flowers, or buds and blossoms as well. A small potted plant should be placed on the altar.
Arrange the altar, light the candles and incense, and cast the Circle.
Recite the Blessing Chant or your own words.
Invoke the Goddess and God in whatever words please you.
Stand before the altar and look at the plant as you say:
O Great Goddess, you have freed yourself from the icy prison of winter.
Now is the greening, when the fragrance of flowers drifts on the breeze.
This is the beginning.
Life renews itself by Your magic, Earth Goddess.
The God stretches and raises eager in His youth, and bursting with the promise of summer.
Touch the plant. Connect with It’s energizes and, through it all, nature. Travel inside its leaves and stems through your visualization. From the center of your consciousness out through your arm and fingers and into the plant itself. Explore its inner nature; sense the amazing processes of life at work within it.
After a time, still touching the plant, say:
I walk the earth in friendship, not in dominance.
Mother Goddess and Father God, instill within me
Through this plant a warmth for all living things.
Teach me to revere the Earth and all its treasures.
May I never forget.
Meditate on the changing of the seasons. Feel the excitement of energies around you in the Earth.
Works of magic, if necessary, may follow.
The circle is released.
Scott Cunningham, Wicca A Guide For The Solitary Practitioner, (Llewellyn Publications, 1992) p. 132
Lughnasadh
Place on the alter bundle of wheat, barley or oats, fruit and breads, possibly a loaf shaped in the figure of the Sun to represent the God. Corn dollies, are symbolic of the Goddess, can be present there as well.
Arrange the altar, light the candles and censer and cast the circle.
Recite the Blessing Chant
Invoke the Goddess and God
Stand before the altar, holding the bundle of grain in the air, saying these or similar words:
Now is the time of the First Harvest,
When the bounties of nature give of themselves
So that we may survive.
O God of the ripening fields, Lord of the Grain,
Grant me the understanding of sacrifice as you
Prepare to deliver yourself under the sickle of the
Goddess and journey to the lands of eternal summer.
O Goddess of the Dark Moon,
Teach me the secrets of rebirth
As the Sun loses its strength and the nights grow cold.
Rub the tips of the wheat with your fingers so the grains fall on the altar. Lift a piece of fruit and bite it, savoring its flavor, and say:
I partake of the first harvest, mixing its energies
With mine that I may continues my quest for the starry
Wisdom of perfection.
O Lady of the Moon and Lord of the Sun,
Gracious ones before Whom the stars halt their courses,
I offer my thanks for the continuing fertility of the Earth.
May the nodding grain loose its seeds to be buried in
The Mother’s breast, ensuring rebirth in the warmth
Of the coming Spring.
Consume the rest of the fruit.
Work of magic, if necessary, may follow.
The circle is released.
Scott Cunningham, Wicca A Guide For The Solitary Practitioner, (Llewellyn Publications, 1992) p. 138
Samhain
You'll need:
1 white votive candle several black votive candles decorative candles decorations dark colored
table settings Food
Prepare the area that you'll be using
You can use black and orange candles, pumpkins and other traditional Halloween items if you wish. Prepare a table for the Feast of the Dead. It should be covered with a black table cloth and set with black dishes, black paper plates will work. However, any dark color will do. Place a chair at the head of the table to represent the spirit. Set the spirit's place with a plate. On the plate place a white votive candle. Set places for each of the dead that you hope will join you. Place black votive candles on their plates. Plates for the living are empty waiting for the food to be served.
Preparing the food
Feast can be very simple including bread, fruit, nuts, and juice or wine. However, you can make them more elaborate if you would like. If you've invited guests, make it a feast potluck.
Are you ready to began?
Light the decorative candles and turn out the lights.
Cast the circle and call the quarters
Next invite the deities Thank them for their help during the past year and ask that they continue to help in the coming year.
Feast of the Dead Light the candles on the plates of the dead and the spirit and serve the food to the living guests. Sit at your table and eat the food you have brought to it. Feel the presence of those who have joined you. Allow them to speak to you. Take as long as you wish at the table, listening to those you have invited and speaking to them. When the feast is over, thank your spirit guests for coming, bid them farewell, extinguish the candles on the plates, and leave the table.
If you want to banish bad habits or addiction this is a perfect time. Write a list of things from the last year that you want to banish like anything you do not want to carry over to the New Year. Then Light a black candle and burn the list, asking the Goddess and God to help you get rid of these and all negative things in your life. Now you should speak to the deities about those things you want to bring into your life in the New Year.
When you're done, thank and dismiss the Deities and the guardians.
And open the circle.
Litha
Before the rite, create a small cloth pouch filled with herbs such as lavender, chamomile, St. John’s wort, vervain, or any of the Midsummer herbs. Spiritually pour all your troubles, problems, pains, sorrows and illnesses, into this pouch as you create it. Tie it shut with a red string. Place it on the altar for use during the rite. The cauldron should be there nearby. Even if you use candles to mark the quarters, the red candle in a holder should also be on the altar. For outdoor rituals, light a small fire and drop the pouch into it.
Arrange the altar, lights the candles and censer and cast the circle.
Recite the Blessing Chant
Invoke the Goddess and God
Stand before the altar and say, with wand raised:
I celebrate the noon of summer with mystic rites.
O great Goddess and God,
All nature vibrates with your energies
And the Earth is bathed with warmth and life.
Now is the time of forgetting past cares and banes;
Now is the time for purification.
O fiery Sun,
Burn away the unuseful,
The hurtful,
The bane,
In your omnipotent power,
Purify me!
Purify me!
Purify me!
Lay the wand on the altar. Pick up the herbal pouch and light it in the red candle on the altar (or, if outdoors, in the ritual fire). When it’s burning, drop it into the cauldron and say:
I banish you by the powers of the Goddess and God!
I banish you by the powers of the Sun, Moon and Stars!
I banish you by the powers of the Earth, Air, Fire and Water!
Pause, watching the emotions burning into nothingness.
Then say:
O Gracious Goddess, O Gracious God,
On this night of Midsummer magic
I pray that you charge my life with
Wonder and joy. Help me in attuning with
The energies adrift on the enchanted night air.
I give thanks.
Reflect on the purification you have undergone. Feel the powers of nature flowing though you, cleansing you with divine energy.
Works of magic, if necessary, may follow.
The circle is released.
Scott Cunningham, Wicca A Guide For The Solitary Practitioner, (Llewellyn Publications, 1992) p. 136
Mabon
Decorate the altar with acorns, oak sprigs, pine and cypress cones, ears of corn, wheat stalks and other fruits and nuts. Also place there a small rustic basket filled with dried leaves of various colors and kinds.
Arrange the altar, light the candles and censer, and cast the Circle.
Recite the Blessing Chant
Invoke the Goddess and God
Stand before the altar, holding up the basket of leaves, and slowly scatter them so that they fall to the ground within the circle. Say such words a these:
Leaves fall,
the days grow cold.
The Goddess pulls her mantle of earth around Her
as You, O Great Sun God, sail toward the West
to the lands of eternal enchantment,
wrapped in the coolness of night.
Fruits ripen,
seeds drop,
the hours of day and night are balanced.
chill winds blow in from the North wailing laments.
In this seeming extinction of nature's power, O Blessed
Goddess, I know that life continues.
For spring is impossible without the second harvest,
as surely as life is impossible without death.
Blessings upon you, O Fallen God, as you journey into
the lands of winter and into the Goddess' loving arms.
Place the basket down and say:
O Gracious Goddess of all fertility, I have sown and
reaped the fruits of my actions, good and bane.
Grant me the courage to plant seeds of joy and love in
the coming year, banishing misery and hate. Teach me the secrets
of wise existence upon this planet,
O luminous one the night!
Works of magick, if necessary, may follow.
Celebrate the Simple Feast
The circle is released.
Scott Cunningham, Wicca A Guide For The Solitary Practitioner, (Llewellyn Publications, 1992) p. 140
Beltane
If possible, celebrate Beltane in a forest or near a living tree. If this is impossible, bring a small tree within the circle, preferably potted; it can be of any type.
create a small token or charm in honor of the wedding of the Goddess and God to hang in the tree. You can make several if you would like. Theses tokens can be bags filled with fragrant flowers, strings of beads, carvings, flower garland, etc.
Arrange the altar, light candles and censer, and cast the Circle.
Recite the Blessing Chant
Invoke the Goddess and God
Stand before the altar and say, with wand upraised:
O Mother Goddess, Queen of the night and of the Earth;
O Father God, King of the day and of the forests,
I celebrate Your union as nature rejoices in a riotous
blaze of color and life. Accept my gift, Mother Goddess
and Father God, in honor of Your union.
Place the token on the tree.
From Your mating shall spring forth life anew;
a profusion of living creatures shall cover the lands,
and the winds will blow pure and sweet.
O Ancient Ones, I celebrate with You!
Works of magick, if necessary may follow
Celebrate the Simple Feast
The Circle is released.
Scott Cunningham, Wicca A Guide For The Solitary Practitioner, (Llewellyn Publications, 1992) p. 134
Yule
The altar is decorated with evergreens such as pine, rosemary, bay, juniper and cedar. The same can be arranged to mark the Circle. Dried leaves can also be placed on the altar.
The cauldron, resting on the altar on a heat-proof surface (or placed before it, if too large), should have a red candle can be placed within it. At outdoor rites, position a fire within the cauldron to be lit during ritual.
Arrange the altar, light the candles and incense, and cast the Circle.
Recite the Blessing Chant or your own words
Invoke the Goddess and God
Stand before the cauldron and look within it.
Saying these or similar words:
I sorrow not, though the world is wrapped in sleep.
I sorrow not, though the icy winds blast.
I sorrow not, though the snow falls hard and deep.
I sorrow not; this too shall soon be past.
Light the cauldron (or candle), using long matches or a candle.
As flames bound up say:
I light this fire in Your honor, Mother Goddess.
You have created life from death; warmth from cold;
The Sun lives once again; the time of light is
Waxing. Welcome, ever-returning God of the Sun!
Hail Mother of All!
Circle the altar and cauldron slowly, clockwise, watching the flames.
Say the following chant for some time:
The wheel turns; the power burns.
Meditate on the Sun, on hidden energies lying dormant in winter, not only in the Earth but within ourselves. Think of birth not as the start of life but as its continuance. Welcome the return of the God.
After a time coming to a close and stand once again before the altar and the flaming cauldron.
Say:
Great God of the Sun,
I welcome Your return.
May You shine brightly upon the Goddess;
May You shine brigthy upon the Earth,
Scattering seeds and fertilizing the land.
All blessings upon You,
Reborn One of the Sun!
Works of magic, if necessary, may follow.
The circle is released.
Scott Cunningham, Wicca A Guide For The Solitary Practitioner, (Llewellyn Publications, 1992) p. 127
Imbolc
A symbol of the season, snowflake, a white flower, or some snow in a container can be placed on the altar. An orange candle rubbed with musk, cinnamon, frankincense or rosemary oil, unlit, should also be there, Snow can be melted and used for the water during the circle casting.
Arrange the altar, light the candles and censer, and cast the Circle.
Recite the Blessing Chant or your own words.
Invoke the Goddess and God.
Say such words as the following:
This is the time of the feast of torches,
When every lamp blazes and shines
To welcome the rebirth of the God.
I celebrate the Goddess,
I celebrate the God;
All the Earth celebrates
Beneath its mantle of sleep.
Light the orange candle from the red candle on the altar (or at the Southern point of the circle). Gradually walk the circle clockwise, holding the candle before you.
Say these or similar words:
All the land is wrapped in winter.
The air is chilled and
Frost envelopes the Earth.
But Lord of the Sun,
Horned One of animals and wild places,
Unseen you have been reborn
Of the gracious Mother Goddess,
Lady of all fertility,
Hail Great God!
Hail and welcome!
Stop before the altar, holding the candle in the air. Look at its flame. Visualize your life growing with creativity, with renewed energy and strength.
If you need to look into the future or the past, now is the time.
Works of magic, if necessary may follow.
The circle is released.
Scott Cunningham, Wicca A Guide For The Solitary Practitioner, (Llewellyn Publications, 1992) p. 130
Ostara
Flowers should be arranged on the altar, placed around the circle, and scattered on the ground. The cauldron can be filled with spring water and flowers, or buds and blossoms as well. A small potted plant should be placed on the altar.
Arrange the altar, light the candles and incense, and cast the Circle.
Recite the Blessing Chant or your own words.
Invoke the Goddess and God in whatever words please you.
Stand before the altar and look at the plant as you say:
O Great Goddess, you have freed yourself from the icy prison of winter.
Now is the greening, when the fragrance of flowers drifts on the breeze.
This is the beginning.
Life renews itself by Your magic, Earth Goddess.
The God stretches and raises eager in His youth, and bursting with the promise of summer.
Touch the plant. Connect with It’s energizes and, through it all, nature. Travel inside its leaves and stems through your visualization. From the center of your consciousness out through your arm and fingers and into the plant itself. Explore its inner nature; sense the amazing processes of life at work within it.
After a time, still touching the plant, say:
I walk the earth in friendship, not in dominance.
Mother Goddess and Father God, instill within me
Through this plant a warmth for all living things.
Teach me to revere the Earth and all its treasures.
May I never forget.
Meditate on the changing of the seasons. Feel the excitement of energies around you in the Earth.
Works of magic, if necessary, may follow.
The circle is released.
Scott Cunningham, Wicca A Guide For The Solitary Practitioner, (Llewellyn Publications, 1992) p. 132
Lughnasadh
Place on the alter bundle of wheat, barley or oats, fruit and breads, possibly a loaf shaped in the figure of the Sun to represent the God. Corn dollies, are symbolic of the Goddess, can be present there as well.
Arrange the altar, light the candles and censer and cast the circle.
Recite the Blessing Chant
Invoke the Goddess and God
Stand before the altar, holding the bundle of grain in the air, saying these or similar words:
Now is the time of the First Harvest,
When the bounties of nature give of themselves
So that we may survive.
O God of the ripening fields, Lord of the Grain,
Grant me the understanding of sacrifice as you
Prepare to deliver yourself under the sickle of the
Goddess and journey to the lands of eternal summer.
O Goddess of the Dark Moon,
Teach me the secrets of rebirth
As the Sun loses its strength and the nights grow cold.
Rub the tips of the wheat with your fingers so the grains fall on the altar. Lift a piece of fruit and bite it, savoring its flavor, and say:
I partake of the first harvest, mixing its energies
With mine that I may continues my quest for the starry
Wisdom of perfection.
O Lady of the Moon and Lord of the Sun,
Gracious ones before Whom the stars halt their courses,
I offer my thanks for the continuing fertility of the Earth.
May the nodding grain loose its seeds to be buried in
The Mother’s breast, ensuring rebirth in the warmth
Of the coming Spring.
Consume the rest of the fruit.
Work of magic, if necessary, may follow.
The circle is released.
Scott Cunningham, Wicca A Guide For The Solitary Practitioner, (Llewellyn Publications, 1992) p. 138
Samhain
You'll need:
1 white votive candle several black votive candles decorative candles decorations dark colored
table settings Food
Prepare the area that you'll be using
You can use black and orange candles, pumpkins and other traditional Halloween items if you wish. Prepare a table for the Feast of the Dead. It should be covered with a black table cloth and set with black dishes, black paper plates will work. However, any dark color will do. Place a chair at the head of the table to represent the spirit. Set the spirit's place with a plate. On the plate place a white votive candle. Set places for each of the dead that you hope will join you. Place black votive candles on their plates. Plates for the living are empty waiting for the food to be served.
Preparing the food
Feast can be very simple including bread, fruit, nuts, and juice or wine. However, you can make them more elaborate if you would like. If you've invited guests, make it a feast potluck.
Are you ready to began?
Light the decorative candles and turn out the lights.
Cast the circle and call the quarters
Next invite the deities Thank them for their help during the past year and ask that they continue to help in the coming year.
Feast of the Dead Light the candles on the plates of the dead and the spirit and serve the food to the living guests. Sit at your table and eat the food you have brought to it. Feel the presence of those who have joined you. Allow them to speak to you. Take as long as you wish at the table, listening to those you have invited and speaking to them. When the feast is over, thank your spirit guests for coming, bid them farewell, extinguish the candles on the plates, and leave the table.
If you want to banish bad habits or addiction this is a perfect time. Write a list of things from the last year that you want to banish like anything you do not want to carry over to the New Year. Then Light a black candle and burn the list, asking the Goddess and God to help you get rid of these and all negative things in your life. Now you should speak to the deities about those things you want to bring into your life in the New Year.
When you're done, thank and dismiss the Deities and the guardians.
And open the circle.
Litha
Before the rite, create a small cloth pouch filled with herbs such as lavender, chamomile, St. John’s wort, vervain, or any of the Midsummer herbs. Spiritually pour all your troubles, problems, pains, sorrows and illnesses, into this pouch as you create it. Tie it shut with a red string. Place it on the altar for use during the rite. The cauldron should be there nearby. Even if you use candles to mark the quarters, the red candle in a holder should also be on the altar. For outdoor rituals, light a small fire and drop the pouch into it.
Arrange the altar, lights the candles and censer and cast the circle.
Recite the Blessing Chant
Invoke the Goddess and God
Stand before the altar and say, with wand raised:
I celebrate the noon of summer with mystic rites.
O great Goddess and God,
All nature vibrates with your energies
And the Earth is bathed with warmth and life.
Now is the time of forgetting past cares and banes;
Now is the time for purification.
O fiery Sun,
Burn away the unuseful,
The hurtful,
The bane,
In your omnipotent power,
Purify me!
Purify me!
Purify me!
Lay the wand on the altar. Pick up the herbal pouch and light it in the red candle on the altar (or, if outdoors, in the ritual fire). When it’s burning, drop it into the cauldron and say:
I banish you by the powers of the Goddess and God!
I banish you by the powers of the Sun, Moon and Stars!
I banish you by the powers of the Earth, Air, Fire and Water!
Pause, watching the emotions burning into nothingness.
Then say:
O Gracious Goddess, O Gracious God,
On this night of Midsummer magic
I pray that you charge my life with
Wonder and joy. Help me in attuning with
The energies adrift on the enchanted night air.
I give thanks.
Reflect on the purification you have undergone. Feel the powers of nature flowing though you, cleansing you with divine energy.
Works of magic, if necessary, may follow.
The circle is released.
Scott Cunningham, Wicca A Guide For The Solitary Practitioner, (Llewellyn Publications, 1992) p. 136
Mabon
Decorate the altar with acorns, oak sprigs, pine and cypress cones, ears of corn, wheat stalks and other fruits and nuts. Also place there a small rustic basket filled with dried leaves of various colors and kinds.
Arrange the altar, light the candles and censer, and cast the Circle.
Recite the Blessing Chant
Invoke the Goddess and God
Stand before the altar, holding up the basket of leaves, and slowly scatter them so that they fall to the ground within the circle. Say such words a these:
Leaves fall,
the days grow cold.
The Goddess pulls her mantle of earth around Her
as You, O Great Sun God, sail toward the West
to the lands of eternal enchantment,
wrapped in the coolness of night.
Fruits ripen,
seeds drop,
the hours of day and night are balanced.
chill winds blow in from the North wailing laments.
In this seeming extinction of nature's power, O Blessed
Goddess, I know that life continues.
For spring is impossible without the second harvest,
as surely as life is impossible without death.
Blessings upon you, O Fallen God, as you journey into
the lands of winter and into the Goddess' loving arms.
Place the basket down and say:
O Gracious Goddess of all fertility, I have sown and
reaped the fruits of my actions, good and bane.
Grant me the courage to plant seeds of joy and love in
the coming year, banishing misery and hate. Teach me the secrets
of wise existence upon this planet,
O luminous one the night!
Works of magick, if necessary, may follow.
Celebrate the Simple Feast
The circle is released.
Scott Cunningham, Wicca A Guide For The Solitary Practitioner, (Llewellyn Publications, 1992) p. 140
Beltane
If possible, celebrate Beltane in a forest or near a living tree. If this is impossible, bring a small tree within the circle, preferably potted; it can be of any type.
create a small token or charm in honor of the wedding of the Goddess and God to hang in the tree. You can make several if you would like. Theses tokens can be bags filled with fragrant flowers, strings of beads, carvings, flower garland, etc.
Arrange the altar, light candles and censer, and cast the Circle.
Recite the Blessing Chant
Invoke the Goddess and God
Stand before the altar and say, with wand upraised:
O Mother Goddess, Queen of the night and of the Earth;
O Father God, King of the day and of the forests,
I celebrate Your union as nature rejoices in a riotous
blaze of color and life. Accept my gift, Mother Goddess
and Father God, in honor of Your union.
Place the token on the tree.
From Your mating shall spring forth life anew;
a profusion of living creatures shall cover the lands,
and the winds will blow pure and sweet.
O Ancient Ones, I celebrate with You!
Works of magick, if necessary may follow
Celebrate the Simple Feast
The Circle is released.
Scott Cunningham, Wicca A Guide For The Solitary Practitioner, (Llewellyn Publications, 1992) p. 134
