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Internet Book of Shadows, (Various Authors), [1999], at sacred-texts.com
FULL MOON RITUAL GROUP
The Esbat takes place on the nights of the New Moon and the nights of
the Full Moon. On these nights, the Coven usually does any kind of
magical work and business they need to. It is enacted, hopefully every
Full Moon.
Set up: Place a candle in each of the four cardinal directions.Lay the
rest of the tools on the altar cloth or near it. The altar can be on
the ground, a table, a rock or a stump. The altar should be in the
center or just north of center of the Circle. Light the six candles and
the incense, start the music and begin the ritual.
THE RITUAL
Facing North, the High Priest and Priestess kneel in front of the altar
with him to her right. She puts the bowl of water on the altar, places
the point of her athame in it and says:
"I exorcise thee, O Creature of Water, that thou cast out from
thee all impurities and uncleanliness of the world of phantasm; in the
names of Cernunnos and Aradia"
She then puts down her athame and holds up the bowl of water with both
hands. The High Priest puts the bowl of salt on the altar, puts his
athame in the salt and says:
"Blessings be upon this Creature of Salt; let all malignity and
hindrance be cast forth hencefrom, and let all good enter herein;
wherefore so I bless thee,that thou mayest aid me, in the names of
Cernunnos and Aradia."
He then puts down his athame and pours the salt into the bowl of water
the High Priestess is holding. The High Priest then stands with the
rest of the Coven outside the Circle. The High Priestess then draws the
Circle with the sword, leaving a gap in the Northeast section. While
drawing the Circle, she should visualize the power flowing into the
Circle from off the end of the sword. She draws the Circle in a East to
North or deosil or clockwise direction. She says:
"I conjure thee, O Circle of Power, that thou beest a meeting
place of love and joy and truth; a shield against all wickedness and
evil; a boundary between men and the realms of the Mighty Ones; a
rampart and protection that shall preserve and contain the power that
we shall raise within thee. Wherefore do I bless thee and consecrate
thee, in the names of Cernunnos and Aradia."
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The High Priestess lays down the sword and admits the High Priest with
a kiss while spinning him deosil and whispers"Bless Be" . He then
admits a women the same way. Alternate male female male. Then the High
Priestess finishes closing the Circle with the sword. She then names
three witches to help strengthen the Circle. The first witch carries
the bowl of consecrated water from East to East going deosil,
sprinkling the perimeter as she/he goes. They then sprinkle each member
in turn. If the witch is male, he sprinkles the High Priestess last who
then sprinkles him. If female she sprinkles the High Priest last, who
then sprinkles her. The bowl is replaced on the altar. The second witch
takes the incense burner around the perimeter and the third takes one
of the altar candles. While going around the perimeter, each person
says:
"Black spirits and white,
Red spirits and grey,
Harken to the rune I say.
Four points of the Circle, weave the spell,
East, South, West, North, your tale tell.
East is for break of day,
South is white for the noontide hour,
In the West is twilight grey,
And North is black, for the place of power.
Three times round the Circle's cast.
Great ones, spirits from the past,
Witness it and guard it fast."
All the Coven pickup their athames and face the East with the High
Priest and Priestess in front, him on her right. The High Priestess
says:
"Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the East, ye Lords of Air;
I do summon, stir, and call you up to witness our rites and to
guard the
Circle."
As she speaks she draws the Invoking Pentagram of Earth in the air with
her athame:
2 7
4 5
6 1 3
The High Priest and the rest of the Coven copy her movements with their
athames. The High Priestess turns and faces the South and repeats the
summoning:
"Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the South, ye Lords of Fire;
I dosummon,stirand callyouup, towitnessour ritesandto
guard
the Circle."
She does the same pentagram and then faces West and says:
"Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the West, ye Lords of Water, ye
Lords of Death and Initiation; I do summon, stir, and call you up, to
witness our rites and to guard the Circle."
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She faces North with rest of the Coven and says:
"Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the North, ye Lords of E a r t h ;
Boreas,
thougentleguardian oftheNorthernPortals; thoupowerful
God and
gentleGoddess;we dosummon,stirandcallyou up,towitness
our
rites and to guard the Circle."
The Circle is completed and sealed. If anyone needs to leave, agate
must be made. Using the sword, draw out part of the Circle with a
widdershins or counterclockwise stroke. Immediately reseal it and then
repeat the opening and closing when the person returns.
In this part of the ritual, the Goddess becomes incarnate in the High
Priestess. The High Priestess stands in front of the altar with her
back to it. She holds the wand in her right hand the scrounge in her
left. She crosses her wrists and crosses the wand and scrounge above
them while holding them close to her breast. The High Priest stands in
front of her and says:
"Diana, queen of night
In all your beauty bright,
Shine on us here,
And with your silver beam
Unlock the gates of dream;
Rise bright and clear.
On Earth and sky and sea,
Your magic mystery
Its spell shall cast,
Wherever leaf may grow,
Wherever tide may flow,
Till all be past.
O secret queen of power,
At this enchanted hour
We ask your boon.
May fortune's favor fall
Upon true witches all,
O Lady Moon!"
The High Priest kneels before the High Priestess and gives her the Five
Fold Kiss; that is, he kisses her on both feet, both knees, womb, both
breasts, and the lips, starting with the right of each pair. He says,
as he does this:
"Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways.
Blessed be thy knees, that shall kneel at the sacred altar.
Blessed be thy womb, without which we would not be.
Blessed be thy breasts, formed in beauty.
Blessed be thy lips, that shall utter the Sacred Names."
For the kiss on the lips, they embrace, length to length, with their
feet touching each others. When he reaches the womb, she spreads her
arms wide, and the same after the kiss on the lips.The High Priest
kneels again and invokes:
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"I invoke thee and call upon thee, Mighty Mother of us a l l ,
bringer of all fruitfulness; by seed and root, by bud and stem, by leaf
and flower and fruit, by life and love do I invoke thee to descend
upon the body of this thy servant and priestess."
During this invocation he touches her with his right forefinger on her
right breast, left breast, and womb, repeats the set and finally the
right breast. Still kneeling, he spreads his arms out and down, with
the palms forward and says:
"Hail Aradia! From the Amalthean Horn
Pour forth thy store of love; I lowly bend
Before thee, I adore thee to the end,
With loving sacrifice thy shrine adore.
Thy foot is to my lip
(he kisses her right foot)
my prayer up borne
Upon the rising incense smoke; then spend
Thine ancient love, O Mighty One, descend
To aid me, who without thee am forlorn."
The High Priest stands up and steps backwards. The High Priestess draws
the Invoking Pentagram of Earth in the air with the wand and says as
the Goddess:
"Of the Mother darksome and divine
Mine the scrounge, and mine the kiss;
The five point star of love and bliss
Here I charge you in this sign."
The High Priest starts off by saying:
"Listen to the words of the Great Mother; she who of old was also
called among man Artemis, Astarte, Athene, Dione, Melusine, Aphrodite,
Cerridwen, Dana, Arianhod, Isis and by many other names."
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The High Priestess, who should be in a trance, says as the Goddess:
Whenever you have need of anything, once in a month, and better it
be when the Moon is full, then shall ye assemble in some secret place
and adore the spirit of me, who am Queen of all witches. There shall ye
assemble, ye who are fain to learn all sorcery, yet have not won
its deepest secrets; to these will I teach things that are yet
unknown. And ye shall be free from slavery; and as a sign that ye be
really free, ye shall be naked in your rites; dance, sing, feast, make
music and love, all in my praise. For mine is the ecstasy of the
spirit, and mine also is joy on earth; for my law is love unto all
beings. Keep pure your highest ideal; strive ever towards it; let
naught stop you or turn you aside. For mine is the cup of the wine of
life, and the Cauldron of Cerridwen, which is the Holy Grail of
Immortality. I am the gracious Goddess, who gives the gift of joy unto
the heart of man. Upon Earth, I give the knowledge of the spirit
eternal; and beyond death, I give peace and freedom, and reunion with
those who have gone before. Nor do I demand sacrifice; for behold I am
the Mother of all living things, and my love is poured out upon the
earth. I who am the white Moon among the stars, and the mystery of
the waters, and the desire of the heart of man, call unto thy soul.
Arise, and come unto me. For I am the soul of nature, who gives life
to the universe. From me all things proceed, and unto me all things
must return; and before my face, beloved of Gods and men, let thine
innermost divine self be enfolded in the rapture of the infinite. Let
my worship be within the heart that rejoiceth; for behold, all acts of
love and pleasure are my rituals. And therefore let there be beauty
and strength, power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and
reverence within you. And thou who seekest to seek for me, know thy
seeking and yearning shall avail thee not unless thou knowest the
mystery; and if that which thou seekest thou findest not within
thee,thou will never find it without thee. For behold, I have been
with thee from the beginning; and I am that which is attained at the
end of desire."
The High Priest faces the Priestess and says:
"We thank you Our Lady for attending our rites. We bid you
farewell
till next we call you. Blessed Be."
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The Witches' Creed should be said by the entire Coven.
"Hear now the words of the witches,
The secrets we hid in the night,
When dark was our destiny's pathway,
That now we bring forth into the light.
Mysterious Water and Fire,
The Earth and the wide ranging Air,
By hidden quintessence we know them,
And will keep silent and dare.
The birth and rebirth of all nature,
The passing of winter and spring,
We share with the life universal,
Rejoice in the magical ring.
Four times in the year the Great Sabbat
Returns, and the witches are seen
At Lammas and Candlemas dancing,
On May Eve and old Hallowe'en.
When day time and night time are equal,
When sun is at greatest and least,
The four lesser Sabbats are summoned,
Again witches gather in feast.
Thirteen silver moons in a year are,
Thirteen is the Coven's array.
Thirteen times at Esbat make merry,
For each golden year and a day.
The power was passed down the ages,
Each time between woman and man,
Each century unto the other,
Ere time and ages began.
When drawn is the magical circle,
By sword or athame of power,
It's compass between the two worlds lies,
In the land of shades that hour.
This world has no right to know it,
And the world beyond will tell naught.
The oldest of gods are invoked there,
The Great Work of Magic is wrought.
For two are the mystical pillars,
That stand at the gate of the shrine,
And two are the powers of nature,
The forms and the forces of the divine.
The dark and the light in succession,
The opposites each unto each,
Shown forth as a God and a Goddess:
This did our ancestors teach.
By night he's the wild wind's rider,
The Horn'd One, the Lord of the Shades.
By day he's the King of the Woodland,
The dweller in green forest glades.
She is youthful or old as she pleases,
She sails the torn clouds in her barque,
The bright silver lady of midnight,
The crone who weaves spells in the dark.
The master and mistress of magic,
They dwell in the deeps of the main,
Immortal and ever renewing,
With power to free or to bind.
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So drink the good wine to the Old Gods,
And dance and make love in their praise,
Till Elphames's fair land shall receive us
In peace at the end of our days.
And Do What Thou Wilt shall be the challenge,
So be it in love that harms none,
For this is the only commandment,
By magic of old, be it done!
Eight words the Witches Creed fulfill:
If It Harms None, Do What Thou Will!
The High Priest faces the Coven, raises his arms wide and says:
"Bagabi lacha bachabe
Lamac cahi achababe
Karellyos
Lamac lamac bachalyas
Cabahagy sabalyos
Baryolos
Lagaz atha cabyolas
Samahac atha famolas
Hurrahya!"
The High Priestess and the Coven repeat:
"Hurrahya!"
The High Priest and High Priestess face the altar. The High Priest
continues:
"Great God Cernunnos, return to Earth again!
Come to my call and show thy self to men.
Shepherd of Goats, upon the wild hill's way,
Lead thy lost flocks from darkness unto day.
Forgotten are the ways of sleep and night
Men seek for them, whose eyes have lost the light.
Open the door of dreams, whereby man come to thee.
Shepherd of Goats, O answer unto me!"
The High Priest and the rest of the Coven then say:
"Akhera goittiakhera beitti!"
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This invocation can be said by anyone or everyone.
"Diana of the rounded moon,
The Queen of all enchantments here,
The wind is crying through the trees,
And we invoke thee to appear.
The cares of day departed are,
The realm of might belongs to thee;
And we in love and kinship join
With all things wild and free.
As powers of magic round us move,
Now let time's self dissolve and fade.
Here in the place between the worlds
May we be one with nature made.
Thy consort is the Horn'd One,
Whose sevenfold pipes make music sweet.
Old Gods of life and love and light,
Be here as merrily we meet!
For ye the circle's round we tread,
And unto ye the wine we pour;
The sacred Old Ones of this land,
Ye we invoke by ancient lore
By magic moon and pagan spell,
By all the secrets of the night,
Dreams and desires and mystery,
Borne on the moonbeams' silver light.
Now may we hear, or may we see,
Or may we know within the heart,
A token of true magic made,
Ere from this circle we depart."
Pause and wait in silence. There may come a sound, an outward sign or
inner vision. When you feel the time is right, end the period of
silence by bowing towards the altar and saying:
"O GoddessQueen of Night,
O Horn'd One of might,
In earth and sky and sea
May peace and blessing be!"
Relax. You can also do any other magic craft at this time.
The Coven, except for the High Priestess and High Priest,arrange
themselves around the perimeter of the circle, man and woman
alternately as far as possible, facing the center.
The High Priestess and High Priest stand facing each other in the
center of the circle, she with her back to the altar, he with his back
to the South.
The High Priest kneels before the High Priestess and gives her the
Five Fold Kiss; that is, he kisses her on both feet, both knees, womb,
both breasts, and the lips, starting with the right of each pair. He
says, as he does this:
"Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways.
Blessed be thy knees, that shall kneel at the sacred altar.
Blessed be thy womb, without which we would not be.
Blessed be thy breasts, formed in beauty.
Blessed be thy lips, that shall utter the Sacred Names.
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For the kiss on the lips, they embrace, length to length, with their
feet touching each others. When he reaches the womb, she spreads her
arms wide, and the same after the kiss on the lips. The High Priestess
then lays herself down, face upwards,with her arms and legs
outstretched to form the Pentagram.
The High Priest fetches the veil and spreads it over the High
Priestess's body, covering her from breasts to knees. He then kneels
facing her, with his knees between her feet.
The High Priest calls a woman witch by name, to bring his athame
from the altar. The woman does so and stands with the athame in her
hands, about a yard to the West of the High Priestess's hips and facing
her.
The High Priest calls a male witch by name, to bring the chalice
of wine from the altar. He does so and stands with the chalice in his
hands, about a yard to the East of the High Priestess's hips and facing
her.
The High Priest delivers the invocation:
"Assist me to erect the ancient altar, at which in days past
all worshipped;
The altar of all things.
For in old time, Woman was the altar.
Thus was the altar made and placed,
And the sacred place was the point within the center of the
Circle.
As we have of old been taught that the point within the center is
the
origin of all things,
Therefore should we adore it;
Therefore whom we adore we also invoke.
O Circle of Stars,
Whereof our father is but the younger brother,
Marvel beyond imagination, soul of infinite space,
Before whom time is ashamed, the mind bewildered, and the
understanding dark,
Not unto thee may we attain unless thine image be love.
Therefore by seed and stem, root and bud,
And leaf and flower and fruit do we invoke thee,
O Queen of Space, O Jewel of Light,
Continuous on of the heavens;
Let it be ever thus
That men speak not of thee as One, but as None;
And let them not speak of thee at all, since thou art
continuous.
For thou art the point within the Circle, which we adore;
The point of life, without which we would not be.
And in this way truly are erected the holy twin pillars;
In beauty and strength were they erected
To the wonder and glory of all men."
The High Priest removes the veil from the High Priestess's body,and
hands it to the woman witch, from whom he takes his athame.
The High Priestess rises and kneels facing the High Priest,and
takes the chalice from the man witch. (Note that both of these handings
over are done without the customary ritual kiss.The High Priest
continues the invocation:
"Altar of mysteries manifold,
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The sacred Circle's secret point
Thus do I sign thee as of old,
With kisses of my lips anoint."
The High Priest kisses the High Priestess on the lips, and continues:
"Open for me the secret way,
The pathway of intelligence,
Beyond the gates of night and day,
Beyond the bounds of time and sense.
Behold the mystery aright
The five true points of fellowship...."
The High Priestess holds up the chalice, and the High Priest lowers the
point of his athame into the wine. Both use both of their hands for
this. The High Priest continues:
"All life is your own,
All fruits of the Earth
Are fruits of your womb,
Your union, your dance.
Lady and Lord,
We thank you for blessings and abundance.
Join with us, Feast with us, Enjoy with us!
Blessed Be.
Then, either the High Priestess or one of the other women draws
the Invoking Pentacle of Earth in the air above the plate with the
athame. The High Priest hands his athame to the woman witch and then
places both his hands round those of the High Priestess as she holds
the chalice. He kisses her, and she sips the wine; she kisses him, and
he sips the wine. Both of them keep their hands round the chalice while
they do this.
The High Priest then takes the chalice from the High Priestess,
and they both rise to their feet.
The High Priest hands the chalice to a woman witch with a kiss,
and she sips. She gives it to a man with a kiss.the chalice is passed
around the Coven, man to woman, with a kiss each time, until the entire
Coven has sipped the wine. the chalice can be refilled and any one can
drink from it without repeating the ritual once the chalice has gone
around once.
The woman lays down her athame and passes the cakes to the man
with a kiss, he passes them back with a kiss and they are passed around
the Coven the same way the wine was. Be sure to save some of the wine
and some cake for an offering to the Earth and the Little Folk. After
the meeting,leave the offering outside of the house if working indoors,
or behind in the woods or field,when you leave if you are working
outdoors.
The High Priestess faces East,with her athame in her hand. The High
Priest stands to her right with the rest of the Coven behind them. If
any tools have been consecrated, they should be held by the person
furthest to the back. The Maiden stands near to the front to blow out
each candle in turn. The Priestess says:
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"Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the East, ye Lords of Air;
we do thank you for attending our rites; and ere ye depart
to your pleasant and lovely realms, we bid you hail and
farewell
....Hail and farewell."
As she speaks, she draws the Banishing Pentagram of Earth in the air in
front of her thus, each time:
2 7
4 5
6 1 3
The rest of the Coven copy the Pentagram and chorus in on the second
hail and farewell. The Maiden blows out the candle and the Coven faces
the south and the High Priestess says:
"Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the South, ye Lords of Fire;
we dothankyou forattendingour rites;andere yedepartto
your
pleasant and lovely realms, we bid you hail and
farewell....Hail and
farewell."
She turns to the West and says:
"Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the West, ye Lords of Water;
ye Lords of Death and Initiation; we do thank you for attending
our
rites;and ereyedepartto yourpleasantandlovely realms,we
bid you
hail and farewell....Hail and farewell."
She turns to the North and says:
"Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the North, ye Lords of Earth;
Boreas, thou gentle guardian of the Northern Portals;
thoupowerfulGod, Thougentle Goddess;wedo thankyou for
attending
our rites; andere yedepart for yourpleasant andlovely
realms, we
bid you hail and farewell....Hail and farewell."
This ends the Circle. Bless Be.
(Via Seastrider, responsible for the typing and Ravensong for editing
into ASCII)
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