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

Minor Sabbat Rituals
Rites & Ceremonies

The Spring Equinox Ritual

It is quite fitting to decorate the altar with wild spring flowers either on it or beside it. If desired, coven members may even decorate their hair with spring flowers. Lay the Priapic wand on the altar, with a bowl filled with soil and any type of large seed. Place a sheet of parchment on the altar or under the altar as well as a writing tool or a pen. The altar cloth and altar candles are to be light green in color.

Perform the Erecting of the Temple. Ring the bell three times.

The Priest now says, “Blessed be all within this Circle.”

The Priestess then says, “Merry meet we at this Springtime Rite.”

All members of the coven say, “Merry meet.”

The Priest then says, “Brothers and Sisters, hear my words. Awake and greet the Spring. Lord! Lady! Hear us, for we are here. We are here to celebrate with you and for you.”

The Priestess says, “Welcome, welcome beauteous Spring! Welcome the time for birth. Welcome the time for planting seeds.”

The Priest and Priestess lead all the coven members to dance clockwise around the Circle. While they all dance the coven members then bend down, dropping their flowers on the outline of the Circle, continuing in this manner until the entire Circle is decorated. If desired, all may sing while they dance. Once everyone stops, the bell is rung three times.

The Priestess says, “Springtime is seedtime. Now is the time for each of us to plant that which he or she wishes to come to flower.”

A coven member then says, “Springtime is for hopes and desires; for new ideas; for balance and inspiration.”

Priest or Priestess then says, “Let us now meditate on that which we wish to bring forth. Let us consider our hopes and opportunities and direct our energies to one, or more, things we would start upon the road of life.”

All members of the coven sit and meditate in a comfortable position of their choice. During the meditation, it is required to concentrate on the ’seed’ of an idea that you wish to ’plant’, which may grow into opportunity. It may be a seed of a quality, like Perseverance or Patience, or it may be a seed of opportunity to do something or create something. The seed will require tending, nurturing and attention to develop and ’blossom’.

After sufficient time elapses, the bell is rung. The Priest or Priestess takes the pen and the parchment and writes on the top, a condensed form of his/her ’seed’. Thereafter, the parchment is passed around the Circle for all coven members to add their ’seeds’. Once returned to the Priest or Priestess who first wrote, he or she then lights the corner of the parchment on an altar candle flame, holding the parchment such that the entire parchment burns to ashes and that the ashes fall into the bowl with the soil and seed. As this is done, the Priest or Priestess says,

“Lord and Lady, receive these our seeds.

Let them germinate in our minds and our hearts.

Let them prosper and grow to maturity,

For we will care for them and encourage them in your name.”

The Priestess takes her athame and uses the tip of it to mix the ashes into the soil in the bowl, then makes an indentation in the centre and lays down the athame. The Priest now takes the Priapic Wand, holding it over his head and proceeds to dance three times around the Circle. For the first circuit around the Circle, the Priest dances slowly, for the second faster and for the third and last, very fast. The Priest then returns to the Priestess and holds out the Priapic Wand vertically in front of him.

The Priestess says, “By the power of the raised Wand doth the Seed find the furrow. Blessings be upon this handsome Wand.”

The Priestess then kisses the tip of the Wand.

The Priestess says, “All honor to it. May it be ever thus.”

The Priest then lays the Wand down and takes the seed from the altar. The Priest holds the seed for a moment between his palms, directing all the energy he can muster into it. The seed is then passed around to all coven members in the Circle until it is passed back to the Priest. The Priestess then takes the bowl from the altar and raises it high.

The Priestess then states, “Of old would we celebrate by together planting the seed, one with another. Here do we symbolize that act, in veneration of our Lady and our Lord.”

The Priestess faces the Priest and brings down the bowl to hold between her breasts.

The priest then says, “These rites of Spring belong to us all; To us and to the Gods. This is a time of joy and a time for planting.”

The Priest then places the seed in the hollow space and then closes it.

The Priest ends the ritual by saying, “This seed do I place in the womb of the Earth, that it may become a part of that Earth, A part of Life and a part of us.”

The Priest and Priestess kiss and replace the bowl on the altar.

The bell is rung three times. Now follows the Cakes and Ale ceremony. The evening may be concluded by a feast.

The Summer Solstice Ritual

For this ritual, the altar cloth and the altar candles are to be white in color. The Circle can be decorated with flowers, fruits and whatever else is summery. A cauldron with water and an aspergillum in it stands in the south quarter of the Circle. There should be an extra-large candle on the altar and the Priest’s Horned Helmet.

Perform the Erecting of the Temple. Ring the bell three times.

A coven member says, “Cease all sorrows!”

Another member says, “Cease all strife!”

Another says, “This day is for living.”

Another adds, “For living this life.”

The Priest places the Horned Helmet atop his head and moves in front of the altar. He lights n extra candle, lighting it from the altar candle and raising it in his right hand, high. The coven members raise both their hands and say out: “Hail, Lord! Hail the Sun God! Hail the Light!”

The Priestess moves to stand by the cauldron, the Priest remains in the centre of the Circle. All members join hands and dance clockwise. The Priestess sprinkles the members with cauldron water as they pass. All members and the Priest and Priestess sing together,

“Comes the Lord of Greenwood, Greenwood,

Comes the Lord of Greenwood, Greenwood,

To court the Lady Fair.

In the heat of their passion, passion,

The grain shall rise again.

Comes the Lord of Greenwood, Greenwood

Comes the lord of Greenwood, Greenwood

Comes the Lord of Greenwood, Greenwood

To court the Lady Fair.”

After the song is sung, the bell is to be rung seven times.

The Priest returns the lit candle to the altar and dances slowly clockwise around the Circle twelve times. He says the following as he does this, with the members of the coven repeating after him:

Priest: “I am He who is the Lord and the Light.”

All: “You are He who is the Lord and the Light.”

Priest: “I am he who is the Sun.”

All: “You are He who is the Sun.”

Priest: “Let your love shine as does my radiance.”

All: “We let our love shine as does your radiance.”

Priest: “Let your love spread throughout the world, as does my light.”

All: “We let our love spread throughout the world, as does your light.”

Priest: “Together with the sun we must also know rain.”

All: “Together with the sun we must also know rain.”

Priest: “So together with joy we must also know pain.”

All: “So together with joy we must also know pain.”

Priest: “I am the Life and I am the Hope.’

All: “You are the Life and you are the Hope.”

Priest: “I am the Death and the Life anew.”

All: “You are the Death and the Life anew.”

Priest: “Without me there can be nothing”

All: “Without you there can be nothing.”

Priest: “With me, you can have all that you desire.”

All: “With you, we can have all that we desire.”

Priest: “I am He who is the Sun.”

All: “You are He who is the Sun”.

Priest: “I am He who is the Lord and the Light”

All: “You are He who is the Lord and the Light.”

Priest: “As I give light and life to you, so is it meet that you should give to others. Let us all share all that we have with those who have nothing.”

The priest returns to the altar and assumes the God positions. The Priestess leads the coven members to bow before the priest and lay offerings at his feet.

The Priest says, “Now may you know the true joy of giving. So be it.”

All members of the coven say, “So be it.”

The Priest of Priestess says,

“We Wiccans give thanks to the Mighty Ones

For the richness and goodness of life.

As there must be rain with the sun,

To make all things good,

So must we suffer pain with our joy,

To know all things.

Our love is ever with the Gods,

For though we know not their thoughts,

Yet we do know their hearts —

That all is for our good.

Mighty Ones, bless us now.

Keep us faithful in thy service.

We thank you for the crops;

For life; for love; for joy.

We thank you for that spark

That brings us together — and to you.

Help us to live with Love

And with Trust between us.

Help us to feel the joy of loving you

And of loving another.”

All members of the coven then say, ’So be it!”

The bell is rung three times. Now follows Cakes and Ale ceremony, Clearing the Temple, fun games and entertainment and then a feast to conclude the night.

The Autumnal Equinox Ritual

For this ritual, the altar cloth and the altar candles are to be red in color. Decorate the Circle if desired, with autumnal fruits and branches, pine cones or corn sheaves etc. Place a bowl of fruit on the altar, with offerings around the altar.

The Priest or Priestess says, “Now do we enjoy the fruits of our labors.”

A coven member says, “Now do we celebrate the harvest.”

A Coven member says, “As we sowed in the spring, now do we reap.”

The Priest or Priestess says, “Now let us pay our dues and enjoy our just rewards.”

The bell is rung three times. All present join hands and slowly move clockwise around the Circle. Simple skipping is suitable if preferred. This is done three times. As they move, the Priest or Priestess says:

“Here is the balance of Day and Night.

At no point does time stand still.

Ever does the wheel turn and turn again:

Children are born and grow, age advances.

Death will come to visit as surely as the sun doth rise.

Since Death is inevitable, greet him as a friend.

Remember, he it is who opens the door

That leads forward into life.

Life unto death and death unto life:

Balance and harmony; ever moving on.”

Once the circling is over, the Priest moves the bowl of fruit around the Circle for each member to take one. At the giving, an embrace and a kiss are exchanged and the member says, “I give thanks to the gods for this sign of a joyful harvest.”

The Priest ends the ritual by giving fruit to the Priestess, who in turn gives the last to the Priest. The bell is rung seven times. All members sit and enjoy fruit and socialize.

The bell is rung three times and all present stand up.

The Priest says, “Although the season of plenty draws to a close, yet are the Gods ever with us. Our Lord watches over us, as does his Lady.”

The Priestess says, “To the good seasons that have already passed.”

All members say, “The Lord and Lady give blessings.”

The Priest then says, “To the beauty of Autumn and to those friends we treasure.”

All members say, “The Lord and Lady give blessings.”

The coven member says, “Peace, joy and love to the world.”

Then all say, “To that do we give our blessings”

The Priest says, “How is the ground?”

All say, “Well cared for.”

The Priest asks, “How are the crops?”

All answer, “Beautiful and plentiful.”

A covener asks, “What are our lives?”

All answer, “The harvest of the gods.”

The priest or Priestess then says, “While we enjoy the fruits of our labours, the harvest of our lives, let us never forget those who are not so fortunate.”

A coven member says, “We offer, here, a portion of our fortunes to go where it may be needed.”

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

The Priest or Priestess says, “Then may the Lord and the Lady bless these offerings, bless the givers and bless those who will receive.”

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

The Winter Solstice Ritual

The altar cloth, as well as the altar candles for this ritual, is to be purple in color. If desired, the Circle and the altar may be decorated with mistletoe, holly, ivy etc. In the south is a cauldron filled with fire materials. The Horned Helmet of the Priest’s is laid beside the altar. A short taper candle lies on the altar for each coven member. The bell is rung three times.

The Priest sits or kneels in the middle of the Circle.

The coven member says, “Blessed are the Gods who turn the mighty wheel.”

The covener says, “Welcome, thrice welcome, to Yule; the turning point of winter is upon us.”

The covener says, “Here is an end to the solar year.”

The covener says, “But here, too, is a new beginning.”

The Priestess says, “Brothers, Sisters, Friends. Let us show our love by sending forth our power and our strength to he who is the Sun God. At this turning of the year’s tide, let us join our energies with his, that he may be reborn to ascend once more unto his rightful place.”

The coveners and the Priestess join hands and move clockwise around the Circle, while chanting the following:

“Turn, turn, turn the wheel.