A Witches Bible - Janet Farrar, Stewar Farrar 1981

Handfasting
Birth, Marriage & Death
The Sabbats and Rites for Birth, Marriage and Death

A handfasting is a witch wedding. Stewart has explained handfasting at some length in Chapter 15 of What Witches do, so we will not repeat that explanation here. All the widely differing versions of handfasting ritual which we have come across (including the one outlined in What Witches Do) have been devised in recent years and are a mixture of bits of tradition (such as jumping the broomstick) with the devisers’ own ideas. So far as we know, no detailed and provably ancient handfasting ritual exists on paper.

So when we were asked to conduct a handfasting for two of our members a few days after their legal marriage, we decided that we too would write our own, since none of the ones we knew of quite satisfied us.

Like many other witches and occultists, we have found Dion Fortune’s unforgettable novel The Sea Priestess (Aquarian Press, London, 1957) a goldmine of material for devised rituals and have benefited from the results. So, for our friends’ handfasting, we incorporated some of the Priest of the Moon’s words to Molly in Chapter XXX of The Sea Priestess;¹ we felt they might almost have been written for the purpose. They are the four quotations below from “Golden Aphrodite cometh not as the virgin …” down to “they become the substance of the sacrament”. Our only alteration of the original has been to substitute “bride” for “priestess” at one point; this seemed a legitimate amendment for a handfasting ritual.

These passages are included here by kind permission of the Society of the Inner Light, who hold the copyright of Dion Fortune’s works. Responsibility for the context in which they have been used is, of course, entirely ours and not the Society’s; but we like to think that, if the late Miss Fortune had been able to be present, we would have had her blessing.

One other point: in the presentation of the symbols of the elements, we attribute the Wand to Air, and the Sword to Fire. (See Plate 18.) This is the tradition which we follow — but others attribute the Wand to Fire and the Sword to Air. The Wand Fire, Sword/Air attribution was a deliberate ’blind’ perpetrated by the early Golden Dawn, which has unfortunately not yet died a natural death; it seems to us contrary to the obvious nature of the tools concerned. However, many people have been brought up to believe that the ’blind’ was the genuine tradition, so that by now, for them, it feels right. They should of course amend the wording of the presentation accordingly.

The Preparation

The Circle is outlined, and the altar decorated, with flowers; but a gateway is left in the North-East of the Circle, with flowers to hand for closing it.

The broomstick is kept ready beside the altar.

The cauldron, filled with flowers, is placed by the West candle — West representing Water, the element of love.

The Ritual

The Opening Ritual is conducted normally, except that (a) the bride and groom remain outside the gateway, which is not closed yet, and (b) the Charge is not given yet.

After the “Great God Cernunnos” invocation, the High Priestess brings in the groom, and the High Priest the bride, each with a kiss. The High Priest then closes the gateway with flowers, and the High Priestess closes it ritually with the sword or athame.

The High Priestess and High Priest stand with their backs to the altar. The groom faces the High Priestess, and the bride the High Priest, in the centre of the Circle.

The High Priestess asks:

“Who comes to be joined together in the presence of the Goddess? What is thy name, O Man?”

The groom answers:

“My name is — .”

The High Priest asks:

“Who comes to be joined together in the presence of the God? What is thy name, O Woman?”

The bride answers:

“My name is — .”

The High Priestess says:

“ — and — , we greet you with joy.”

The coven circle round the bride and groom to the Witches’ Rune; then all return to their places.

The High Priestess says:

“Unity is balance, and balance is unity. Hear then, and understand.”

She picks up the wand and continues:

“The wand that I hold is the symbol of Air. Know and remember that this is the element of Life, of intelligence, of the inspiration which moves us onwards. By this wand of Air, we bring to your handfasting the power of Mind. ”

She lays down the wand. The High Priest picks up the sword and says:

“The sword that I hold is the symbol of Fire. Know and remember that this is the element of Light, of energy, of the vigour which runs through our veins. By this sword of Fire, we bring to your handfasting the power of Will. ”

He lays down the sword. The High Priestess picks up the chalice and says:

“The chalice that I hold is the symbol of Water. Know and remember, that this is the element of Love, of growth, of the fruitfulness of the Great Mother. By this chalice of Water, we bring to your handfasting the power of Desire.”

She lays down the chalice. The High Priest picks up the pentacle and says:

“The pentacle that I hold is the symbol of Earth. Know and remember, that this is the element of Law, of endurance, of the understanding which cannot be shaken. By this pentacle of Earth, we bring to your handfasting the power of the Steadfast.”

He lays down the pentacle, and continues;

“Listen to the words of the Great Mother …” etc., to introduce the Charge.

The High Priestess and the High Priest deliver the Charge, in the usual way. When it is finished, the High Priest says:

“Golden Aphrodite cometh not as the virgin, the victim, but as the Awakener, the Desirous One. As outer space she calls, and the All-Father commences the courtship. She awakeneth Him to desire, and the worlds are created. How powerful is she, golden Aphrodite, the awakener of manhood!”

The High Priestess says:

“But all these things are one thing. All the goddesses are one goddess, and we call her Isis, the All-woman, in whose nature all natural things are found; virgin and desirous by turn; giver of life and bringer-in of death. She is the cause of all creation, for she awakeneth the desire of the All-Father, and for her sake He createth. Likewise, the wise call all women Isis. ”

The High Priest says:

“In the face of every woman, let man look for the features of the Great Goddess, watching her phases through the flow and return of the tides to which his soul answereth; listening for her call. ”

The High Priestess says:

“O daughter of Isis, adore the Goddess, and in her name give the call that awakens and rejoices. So shalt thou be blessed of the Goddess, and live with the fulness of life. Let the Bride show forth the Goddess to him who loves her. Let her assume the crown of the underworld. Let her arise all glorious and golden from the sea of the primordial and call unto him to come forth, to come to her. Let her do these things in the name of the Goddess, and she shall be even as the Goddess unto him; for the Goddess will speak through her. All-powerful shall she be on the Inner, as crowned Persephone; and all-powerful on the Outer, as golden Aphrodite.² So shall she be a priestess in the eyes of the worshipper of the Goddess, who by his faith and dedication shall find the Goddess in her. For the rite of I sis is life, and that which is done as a rite shall show forth in life. By the rite is the Goddess drawn down to her worshippers; her power enters into them, and they become the substance of the sacrament.”

The High Priest says to the bride:

“Say after me: ’By seed and root, by bud and stem, by leaf and flower and fruit, by life and love, in the name of the Goddess, I, — , take thee, — , to my hand, my heart and my spirit, at the setting of the sun and the rising of the stars.³ Nor shall death part us; for in the fulness of time we shall be born again at the same time and in the same place as each other; and we shall meet, and know, and remember, and love again.’”

The bride repeats each phrase after the High Priest, taking the groom’s right hand in her own right hand as she speaks.

The High Priestess says to the groom:

“Say after me: ’By seed and root, by bud and stem …’” etc., as above.

The groom repeats each phrase after the High Priestess, retaining the bride’s right hand in his own.

If the couple wish to exchange rings, this is now done.

The High Priest says:

“Let the sun and the moon and the stars, and these our brothers and sisters, bear witness; that — and — have been joined together in the sight of the God and the Goddess. And may the God and the Goddess bless them, as we do ourselves.”

All say:

“So mote it bel!”

The High Priestess takes the broomstick and lays it down on the ground before the couple, who jump over it hand in hand. The High Priestess then picks up the broomstick and ritually sweeps the Circle clear of all evil influences.

The couple now enact the Great Rite, and it is entirely their choice whether it should be symbolic or actual. If it is actual, the High Priestess leads the coven out of the room, instead of the Maiden as is usual.

After the Great Rite, the couple consecrate the wine and cakes (or the cakes only if the Great Rite has been symbolic, in which case the wine will already have been consecrated). The proceedings then become informal.

If the feast includes a handfasting cake, tradition says that this is the one occasion when the coven’s ritual sword may be used for actual cutting.