Magic(k) and Rituals
"Many Wiccans practice Magick. They use ceremonies, or Rituals, to call upon, and honor, The God and The Goddess. It is during these Rituals that prayers, requests, and thanks are offered up to the gods and goddesses. There are many types of Rituals that can be done, all suited to fit the need at the time. Magick is used as a Tool to focus and balance energies, and should always be used with the Wiccan Rede in mind. Most Wiccans will make up their own Rituals, using the tools they feel most comfortable with; and, they usually are very careful to have their references and Book of Shadows available to help them during their Rituals."
--Catala SilverMoon
Magic, sometimes spelled with the "k" to show that it is different from sleight-of-hand, is most often used by Wiccans in rituals. As Catala has said so well, rituals are ceremonies to thank the God and Goddess for blessings and to connect with the God and the Goddess. In the ritual circle, healings may be performed, blessings asked for, and thanks given for all that is good.
What is the "ritual circle"? you ask. That is referring to the magic circle, a circle made to keep nasty beasties out of the ritual while magic is going on. It is a circle of protection. It marks the boundary of the space being used for the ritual. It is cast by taking an appropriate tool and walking the perimeter of the circle, invoking the elements as the caster goes. The circle is cast in a clockwise, or deosil, direction, and is banished at the end of the ritual by walking counterclockwise, or widdershins, and dismissing the elements.
In a ritual, the center of your circle will usually be your altar. The altar is basically a table or other flat surface with objects on it to represent the God and Goddess and other sacred things. For instance, you may want to put something to represent the elements on it. There are some tools that are usually put on the altar. For instance, the athame.
Altars are normally set up to face either East or North, much as the circle is often cast beginning in those directions. On the altar, you may want to have it laid out like this:
The Right Side:
- a yellow, gold, or orange candle to represent the God
- your athame
- a bowl of salt
The Left Side:
- a green, white, red, or black (white, red, and black represent the seperate aspects of the Triple Goddess--Maiden, Mother, and Crone) candle to represent the Goddess
- your cauldron or chalice
- a bowl of water
In the Center:
- a white candle to represent the One, the Infinite, the All possibly a mirror to represent the Divine Source, the beginning of creation
Now, that is a simple altar setup, but an effective one. Keep in mind that you don't have to use it--it's just a suggestion. If you want to get fancier, then you can put objects that represent the elements on your altar, or special things that you consider sacred. I keep a small piece of black petrified wood on my altar--I call it a Morrigan-stone. I also have pieces of sea glass, a smallish crystal ball, a small statue of a wolf, and a lovely picture of the Goddess by Susan Seddon-Boulet. These are things I added to personalize my altar. For you, pick what feels right. This is, after all, your altar!
Something often found in connection with altars is an altar pentacle, a pentacle made of any material (though plastic, completely man-made, is not preferred for anything in Wicca and the Craft), often of wood or clay, and placed on the altar. In many altar setups, this is the focal point.
The ritual will usually start by casting the circle, followed by an invocation to the God/dess(es) that you want present at your ritual. The God/dess(es) can be from any pantheon. From there on, the ritual content will depend entirely on what type of ritual it is and what your magical affiliations are. A Full Moon rite, for instance, will be completely different from a Solstice celebration. At the end, the Go/dess(es) are thanked for attending and and the circle is dismissed.
Spells are mainly done in ritual, in most Wiccan paths, under the guidance of the Divine. Sorry, no spells for turning your ex into a toad; that violates the Rede (and anyways, no one's ever been able to do that yet). Spells can be done for wealth, or to bring love in general into your life. Not a specific person. Spells for healing can also be done, as well as things that are a little out of the ordinary: spells to find bargains on prices, to get help for something, to lose weight (though you won't lose weight unless you, personally, do something to help yourself; the spell is a catalyst, not an instant cure)...in general, everything. Also, you don't need to worry about Eye of Newt and suchlike; this isn't biology class! Modern Witches use things like herbs (no, not that kind of herb! It isn't recommended to go into the circle under the influence, anyways!), crystals, thread, and sacred symbols. NO BLOOD!! No no no no no! Forget what you may have read of Gerina Dunwich, you do not use blood in your rituals! First off: the issue of needles. Use of needles can cause blood-transmitted diseases. Secondly: do you think the Lady will really be pleased to have Her child in direct disobediance of Her rules? Harm none!
(And no offense to Ms. Dunwich, but where is the ordinary person gonna come up with a dead dove that died naturally to take blood from, anyways? "Excuse me, sir, do you have some blood from a dove that died a natural death for me to use in spellcasting?" That's a free trip to the insane asylum...)
