Wicca: Book of Spells and Witchcraft for Beginners. The Guide of Shadows for Wiccans, Solitary Witches, and Other Practitioners of Magic Rituals - Arin Chamberlains 2018

Major Sabbat Rituals
Rites & Ceremonies

The Samhain Ritual

This time of the year is for ridding yourself of weaknesses. For this ritual, coven members are required to attend with a page of all the bad habits or weaknesses that they would like to rid themselves of written on it.

Have the Circle decorated with flowers, and with autumnal berries and fruit like pumpkins, or even pine-cones and branches. The Altar should be decorated with flowers and it is important for the Altar cloth or at least the candles on the Altar to be orange in color. Have the Horned Helmet resting on the Altar as well. Stand a caldron containing fire material.

Perform the Erecting of the Temple. Thereafter, follow with either the New Moon or Full Moon rite, whichever is appropriate. Have the bell rung three times by a coven member who is designated as the ’Summoner’.

The Summoner then states, “Haste! Haste! No time to wait! We’re off to the Sabbat, so don’t be late!”

The Priest or Priestess then says, “To the Sabbat!”

All coven members follow suit and state, “To the Sabbat!”

The Priest and Priestess then lead the entire coven clockwise around the Circle, dancing or walking as per individual preference. Carrying small instruments like tambourines or drums for a beat is appropriate. The coven may circle around the Circle any number of times they wish. At any point, the Priest or Priestess should start singing a hymn worshipping the gods, like repetitive chanting or a song of praise or even a chant in melody. As the procession progresses, all coven members may join in the song. If it is preferred, what may also be done is that the members may circle the Altar a specified number of times and then simply halt to sing and dance in place.

The Priest then states, “Now is a time of change. Now do we leave the light and enter the darkness. Yet we do so gladly, for we know it to be but the turning of the mighty Wheel of the Year.”

The Priestess then states: “At this time of the year the gates between the worlds are open. We call upon our ancestors, our loved ones, to pass through and join with us at this time. We invite them to delight in celebration with those they love.”

Thereafter, the enactment of a seasonal motif is performed. The enactment may vary considerably and it may be founded on local practices or beliefs. Some examples include the death of an old ruler and the crowning of the new, or life-death-new life, or even of the turning wheel of the year. The enactment is performed in the form of a play, a dance or even as a mime. After the performance, the bell is rung seven times. One of the coven members then says:

“We are at the crack of time, for this day belongs neither to the old year nor to the new. And as there is no distinction between the years, so is there no distinction between the worlds. Those we have known and loved, in ages past, are free to return to us here in this meeting place. Reach out, each and every one of you, in your own way, and feel the presence of one you have known and thought lost. From this reuniting gather strength. Know, all of you, that there is no end and no beginning. All is a continuous turning, a spiralling dance that goes and returns, yet moves ever on. In that turning, Samhain is the sacred festival marking the end of the summer and the beginning of winter: a time to celebrate; a journey down the tunnel of darkness that bears the light of our Lady at its end.”

The Priestess then states: “The Old Year ends.”

All coven members then say, “The New Year Begins”

The Priest/Priestess says, “The Wheel turns”

All coven members say, “And turns again.”

The Priest or Priestess says, “Farwell to our Lady”

All coven members say, “Welcome to Our Lord.”

The Priest or Priestess says, “Goddess-Summer draws to a close.”

All coven members then say, “God-Winter sets his foot upon the path.”

The Priest or Priestess says, “Hail and farewell!”

The coven members all repeat, “Hail and farewell!”

The Priest and Priestess then proceed to lead the coven members around the Circle in dance. This may either be accompanied or followed by chanting or singing. The Priestess then takes the Horned Helmet up and then stands with it before the Altar.

The Priestess says:

Gracious Goddess, we thank thee for the joys of summer.

We thank thee for all thy bounty;

The fruits, the crops, the harvest.

Return again as the Wheel turns

And be with us once more.

Even as our Lord accepts the mantle,

Walk with him through the darkness,

To come again into the light.

The Priest then stands to face the Priestess, who is holding the Helmet high over the Priest’s head. A coven member stands with the cauldron and the fire set up for lighting. The Priestess says:

“Here do I display the symbol of our Lord:

He who rules Death and that which comes after;

The Dweller in the Darkness;

The Husband/Brother of the light.

May he guard us and guide us in all that we do,

Within and without this Circle.

With our Lady at his side, may he lead us through hardship

And bring us, with hope, into the light.”

The Priestess then places the Horned Helmet on the head of the Priest. As she places it, a coven member lights the cauldron fire.

The coven member says, “Now is our Lord among us. Speak, for we are your children.”

The Priest says:

“Behold, I am he who is at the beginning

and at the end of time.

I am in the heat of the sun and the coolness of the breeze.

The spark of life is within me, as is the darkness of death.

For I am he who is Gatekeeper at the end of time.

Lord-dweller in seas,

You hear the thunder of my hooves upon the shore

And see the fleck of foam as I pass by.

My strength is such that I might lift the world itself to touch the stars.

Yet gentle am I, ever, as the lover.

I am He whom all must face at the appointed hour,

Yet am I not to be feared, for I am brother, lover, son.

Death is but the beginning of Life,

And I am he who turns the key.”

The Priestess now salutes the Priest. One at a time, coven members move around, placing an offering on the altar or before it if they please. They embrace or kiss the Priest and then return to their positions. As the burning cauldron is passed around, each throws into the fire the paper which they kept with their bad habits or weaknesses. The Priest meditates for a moment on the position that is his for the half-year to come. The Priest then takes the Helmet off his head and replaces it on the side of the Altar. The bell is rung three times.

Now follows the ceremony of Cakes and Ale, then the Clearing of the Temple. Games, fun and entertainment may continue around the Altar if so preferred. The entire evening’s festivities end with a feast, commonly a potluck with an assortment of dishes from all the coven members.

The Beltane Ritual

For this ritual, the very outer edge of the sacred Circle may be decorated with flowers if desired, as well as the Altar. In this ritual, the altar cloth and the candles on the altar should be dark green in color. Place a crown beside the altar. The crown may be a silver tiara type of crown, encrusted with crescents or something similar, or it may be a simple crown of flowers.

Stand a cauldron with fire material in the north quarter of the Circle. In the east quarter of the Circle will be a Maypole, for which the Circle may be drawn even larger in order to accommodate.

Erecting of the Temple is performed to begin with, followed by the New Moon or Full Moon rite as appropriate. The bell is rung three times by the coven member designated as ’Summoner’.

The Summoner then states, “Haste! Haste! No time to wait! We’re off to the Sabbat, so don’t be late!”

The Priest or Priestess then says, “To the Sabbat!”

All coven members follow suit and state, “To the Sabbat!”

The coven members move clockwise around the Circle, with the Priest and Priestess in the lead, dancing or walking as per individual preferences. Again, small instruments for a beat are appropriate, like the tambourine or drums. The members may circle around the Circle as many times as they wish before finally coming still, halting song and dance.

The Priest then says, “The Lord has reached the end of his journey.”

The Priestess states, “The Lady sets her foot upon the path.”

Then a seasonal motif enactment is performed, like the start of one of the animal breeding seasons, the Goddess’ triumphant return from the world between lives, or even a dance around the Maypole. The bell is then rung seven times.

A Coven member states:

“The gates swing back and forth and all may freely pass through.

Our Lord has reached the ending of his journey,

To find the Lady awaiting him, with warmth and comfort.

This is a time for joy and a time for sharing.

The richness of the soil accepts the seed;

And now is the time that seeds should be spilled.

Togetherness brings joy and abundance fills the earth.

Let us celebrate the planting of abundance;

The turning of the Wheel;

The season of the Lady.

Let us say farewell to the darkness

And cry greetings to the Light.

Lord and Lady become Lady and Lord

As the Wheel turns and we move ever on.”

The Priest then says, “The Wheel turns.”

All coven members say, “Without ceasing.”

The Priestess says, “The Wheel turns”

All members say, “And turns again.”

The Priest then states, “Farewell to our Lord,”

All members of the coven say, “Welcome to the Lady.”

The Priestess says, “God-Winter ends his reign.”

All coven members say, “As Goddess-Summer turns to face the light.”

The Priestess says, “Hail and Farewell!”

All coven members repeat, “Hail and Farewell!”

The Priest and the Priestess proceed to lead coven members in a dance around the Circle that leads towards the Maypole. Each member of the coven is to take a ribbon and to dance around the Maypole with the ribbon, intertwining the ribbons as they dance around it. This dancing and intertwining is continued until all of the ribbons are tied and it symbolizes the union of male and female — that is, the joining of everything together. It is appropriate to chant or to sing while dancing and suitable songs may be found in Gardenarian books.

Here is a version of Rudyard Kipling poem, by Gerald Gardener:

Oh, do not tell the priests of our Art

For they would call it sin.

But we shall be in the woods all night

A-conjuring Summer in.

And we bring you good news, by word of mouth,

For women, cattle and corn;

Now is the sun come up from the south,

With oak and ash and thorn.”

The Priest and the Priestess go back to their positions at the Altar. The Priestess bows her head and crosses her breasts with her arms. The Priest then takes the crown from the Altar and holds it over the Priestess’ head. He states:

“Our Lord, with the lady at his side,

Has brought us through the Darkness to the Light.

It was a long journey that was not too easy.

Yet did the Gods show strength

And, through them, did we all grow and prosper.

Now may they both continue.

Now may the Lady, with her Lord at her side,

Move on down the path,

Spreading the Light and driving out the Darkness.”

The Priestess stands with her legs astride and her arms outstretched skywards. The Priest then lowers the crown onto the Priestess’ head. As he crowns the Priestess, a coven member lights the fire in the cauldron.

The coven member says, “Now is our Lady among us. Speak, Lady, for we are your children.”

The Priestess then drops her arms and spreads them wide open to the members of the coven. She says:

“I am she who turns the Wheel,

Bringing new life into the world

And beckoning those who pass along the way.

In the coolness of the breeze you hear my sighs;

My heart is in the rushing of the wind.

When you thirst, let my tears fall upon you as gentle rain;

When you tire, pause to rest upon the earth that is my breast.

Warmth and comfort do I give thee

And ask for nothing in return

Save that you love all things even as yourself.

Know that Love is the spark of Life.

It is always there; always with you if you see it.

Yet you do not seek afar, for love is the inner spark;

The light that burns without flicker;

The amber glow within.

Love is the beginning and the end of all things…

And I am Love.”

The Priest and Priestess kiss. One at a time, each member of the coven is to move around the Circle to kiss the Priestess and also to lay offerings at the Altar. When all members have gone back to their positions, the Priest and the Priestess hold hands and proceed to lead the coven into dance around the Circle either in singles or in couples. As the members approach the cauldron of fire, they are to hop over it. After a number of times, they stop. The bell is rung three times.

Thereafter, the Clearing of the Temple is performed and there is time then for entertainment, fun or games as desired, and this may take place around the Altar as well if it is preferred. The evening ends with a feast.

The Imbolc Ritual

The Imbolc Ritual is actually a fire festival, celebrating a feast of lights. For this ritual, there is also a cauldron containing materials required for making a fire. The cauldron is placed in the north quarter and lying beside it is a broomstick — referred to as a ’besom’. The ritual marks the mid-point of the dark half of the year, otherwise understood as the halfway point through God’s predominance. It is largely a festival celebrating the goddess. Beside the altar a ’crown of light’ is placed, which is actually a circlet of candles. During this ritual, the altar cloth and altar candles are to be brown in color.

The erecting of the Temple is done. This ritual may then be followed by the appropriate rites — Full Moon or New Moon as suitable. The bell is rung three times by a coven member who is designated as the Summoner.

The summoner says, “Haste! Haste! No time to wait! We’re off to the Sabbat, so don’t be late!”

The Priest or Priestess then says, “To the Sabbat!”

All members of the coven then say “To the Sabbat!”

With the priest and priestess in the lead, the coven moves clockwise around the sacred Circle either dancing or walking, as preferred. Everyone goes around as many times as desired. The Priest or Priestess starts a hymn for the Gods to join in. Eventually, all stop dancing and singing or walking.

The coven member then says, “Now has our Lord reached the zenith of his journey.”

The Second Covener says, “Now does he turn to face the Lady.”

The Priest then says, “Though apart they are one.”

The Priestess says, “They are both the shadow and the light”

After this, an enactment of a seasonal motif is performed, like the midpoint in the sun’s winter journey, or the running of the priests of the Lupercalia, the Roman festival, or sweeping out the old and beginning the new. The bell is rung seven times.

A member of the coven then states,

“Our Lord now has reached mid-journey. Ahead he sees the light of our Lady,

And the start of Life anew, after this period of rest.

This was the first festival of the Keltic year.

This is the time when spring lambs are born

And ewes come into milk.

Spring itself is scented in the distance.

And thoughts are on the Goddess as much as on the God.

Burn, now, the evergreens — the ivy, mistletoe and holly;

The rosemary and the bay.

Clear out the old, that the new may enter in.

The priestess or priest then says, “Light to dark.”

All coven members say, ’Darkness to light.”

The Priestess or Priest says, “Darkness to light”

Again the coven members say, “Darkness to light.”

The Priest or the Priestess says, “Farewell Lady, welcome Lord.”

All members of the coven say, “Farewell Lord and welcome Lady.”

The Priestess or the Priest says, “All hail!”

All members of the coven say, “Farewell!”

The Priest or Priestess says, “Farewell!”

All members of the coven then say, “All hail!”

The Priest, as well as the Priestess, leads the whole coven in a dance around the Circle. This performance may be either followed by or accompanied by singing or chanting. The Priestess then stands in front of the altar, having her arms crossed over her breast. The priest kneels in front of her and kisses her feet. The Priest then takes the crown, then stands up to place it on the Priestess’ head. The Priest then dances clockwise around the Circle three times. As the Priest passes over the cauldron in the second circuit, the cauldron contents are lit by a coven member. Now, when the Priest comes to the burning cauldron on his third circuit around the Circle, he is to jump over the cauldron. The Priest stops in front of the Priestess. The Priest uses an altar candle to light the candles on the circlet around the Priestess’ head. The Priestess now opens her arms wide and positions herself with her legs wide and arms raised skywards.

The Priest then says, “All hail, Our Lady of Light!”

All coven members then say, “All hail, Our Lady of Light!”

The coven member then says, “Welcome, thrice welcome, Triple Goddess of Life.”

The covener says, “Mother of the Sun, we welcome thee.”

The other covener says, “Goddess of Fire, we invite thee in.”

The Priest and the Priestess now move around to the cauldron. The coven member hands the besom to the Priestess. The Priestess passes the besom to the Priest, kissing him. The Priest goes clockwise around the Circle, sweeping out all that is not needed. When the Priest returns to the north, he

Returns the besom to the Priestess and kisses her. The Priestess then gives the besom to the coven member, kissing him. The covener sweeps around the Circle and this is repeated with all members of the coven. Once all have had a turn to sweep, the Priest and the priestess again assume their positions at the altar. The bell is rung three times.

Now follows the Cakes and Ale ceremony, the Clearing of the temple and any fun, games, or entertainment as desired. The evening is concluded with a feast.

The Lughnasadh Ritual

The altar and the Circle are decorated with summer flowers. The altar cloth and altar candles are to be yellow in color.

The Erecting of the Temple ritual is performed, followed by the suitable New Moon or Full Moon rite. The bell is rung three times by the coven member designated as Summoner.

The summoner says, “Haste! Haste! No time to wait! We’re off to the Sabbat so don’t be late!”

The Priest or Priestess then says “To the Sabbat!”

All members say, “To the Sabbat!”

The Priest and Priestess lead the coven around the Circle in a clockwise motion, either dancing or walking as per preference. All may circle as many times as desired. The Priest or the Priestess starts singing a hymn to the gods and then all members join. They all finally halt from dancing or walking and singing.

The coven member says, “The powers of life and death are held by the gods.”

Another coven member says, “Great is the power of the Mighty Ones.”

The covener says, “God is old yet young.”

The covener says, “And the power is his.”

After this follows an enactment of any seasonal motif preferred, like the death and rebirth of one of the gods, or the thinning of plants towards a better crop harvest, or the killing of older gods by younger gods. The bell is then rung seven times.

The coven member says, “In the midst of our Lady’s rule do we remember her brother/lover/husband. Great is his power through his union with the Goddess. And through his death and rebirth, as the younger son, Is the harvest assured and the power passed on, To grow and spread wide to all he loves. Remember the Lord, yet in him ever see the Lady. Praise the Lady and, through her, the Lord.

The Priests says, “Blessed be the Lady of the Circle.”

All members of the coven then say, “And blessed be her Lord.”

The Priestess says, “May the surplus be drawn from the land.”

All members then say, “That the body may be filled with strength.”

The Priest says, “Power to the Lord.”

All members of the coven then say, “And power to the Lady.”

The Priestess says, “Let the old wane.”

All members say, “That the young may wax anew.”

The Priest says, “Ever turns the Wheel.”

All members say, “Ever onward.”

The Priest and the Priestess lead the members of the coven in a dance around the Circle. This dance may be accompanied by a chant or a song if desired.

All sit, except for a male covener and the Priest. The Priest then dances around, clockwise, all between the members that are seated and the line of the Circle.

The male coven member also dances, dancing around counter-clockwise and towards the altar, inwards of the Circle. Each time the male member and the Priest pass each other, they clap hands over the members’ heads. Seated coven members may engage by clapping a beat for the Priest and the male coven member to dance to, even shouting out “Lugh” whenever the male covener and the Priest’s hands strike.

This circling and striking goes on for twelve circuits of the Circle. At the twelfth strike, the Priest drops himself to the ground and the male covener jumps over the seated members to run around the Circle once, clockwise this time, along the path of the Priest. When he returns to the Priest, he helps the Priest to his feet and the two embrace. All seated members cheer and get back onto their feet.

The Priest says:

“Lady and Lord, we thank thee,

For all that has been raised from the soil.

May it grow in strength from now until harvest.

We thank thee for this promise of fruits to come.

Let the power of our Lord

Be in each and every one of us

At this time and throughout the year.”

All members then say, “So mote it be.”

The bell is rung three times and then follows the ceremony of Cakes and Ale, then the Clearing of the Temple. Thereafter there may be entertainment, fun, and games and a feast to conclude the evening.