Cast the circle in your normal manner.
Have everyone ground and center themselves, and bless and welcome all.
HPS: Once again we meet to turn the wheel. It is the festival of Samhain, the eighth and final spoke of the wheel. On this night, we perceive that the boundaries between the worlds are thin, less defined. The souls of either realm might look beyond the veil and glimpse the other side and perhaps pass through. Our Lord Sun has become the Lord of Shadows. The days grow shorter, the nights cooler. Divination is at it's peak of performance.
CRONE: The Cosmos tonight provides a mirror of your soul. Reflecting the cycles of your life that you create. On this night of darkness, look to the mystery of the season to release that which has been completed. Look at and acknowledge that which has come to an ending within your own life and bid it a final farewell, even though this may bring you pain, it must be done.
(invoking the watchtowers)
EAST (water)
Hail to thee Guardians of the Watchtowers of the East, the
powers of water. Crystal sea of welling souls, we call to thee from
grassy knolls. Embrace the waters of life reborn, caressing us from
night till dawn. So Mote It Be.
SOUTH (air)
Hail to thee Guardians of the Watchtowers of the South, the
powers of air. Whirling wind of dancing rites, waltz the leaves, grant
them flight. Samhain calls, the winds of change, as tonight we
celebrate the strange. So Mote It Be.
WEST (fire)
Hail to thee Guardians of the Watchtowers of the West, the
powers of fire. Cauldron of burning light, torch the fires, fill the
night. Ignite the dark, warm all hearts across the land, while amidst
the ancient stones we stand. So Mote It Be.
NORTH (earth)
Hail to thee Guardians of the Watchtowers of the North, the
powers of earth. Guard ye well the dormant seed, wrap all that lives in
restful sleep. Chant which beckons the Hunter's horn, Dark King and
White Stag both reborn. So Mote It Be.
(Light the Perfect Love and Perfect Trust candles at this time.)
(Evoke the God and Goddess)
HPS: I now do call the Eternal God, and I call him in the ancient way, as Lord of the Day, who in this season has become the Lord of the Shadows. Send they Spirit forth! Through the darkness of this night, O Lord, return from the Summerland. Pierce our Sacred Sphere with thy vibrant presence. Flow through the body of this, thy servant and Priest, and through him touch the light of God within us all. Blessed Be.
HP: (evokes into the HPS and Crone)
I call the eternal Goddess, Mother, who brings forth and nurtures life,
who is also Crone - she who cuts the cord, she of wisdom and mystery.
Be with us now, my Mother, my Love, my Lady. Thy Priestesses await you.
Fill them now, and through them touch the Goddess within us all.
Blesses Be.
(Light the God and Goddess candles)
DARK LORD:
And as does the cycle of the Moon ever begin to wax and wane and
to grow forth again, as do the seasons from one to the next flow in
smooth rhythm...so will my children know their own patterm in both
worlds. Repeat after me:
And ye shall say these words...
I will love and harm none
I will live, love, die, and live again
I will meet, remember, know and embrace love once more
For the free will of all
And with harm to none
As I do will, it is now done...So Mote It Be.
HPS: On this eve of Samhain we have come to honor those that have passed beyond the veil. The Moon must decline, darken, and die. Beyond life are the realms of shadow; the journeys unknown and the visions undreamed. For the soul seeks its own level, rests, and gains a time and a place to be reborn.
Charge your yellow candles and light them from the God and Goddess candles of the altar. You can bring them home and finish letting them burn, or you can place them in the West where the departed souls have left, and let them burn out there. Your candle is a symbol to your ancestor, or loved one, that you remember them and honor that memory.
(after this, the Crone goes to the North and prepares to be met.)
HPS: At this time of our New Year, we evaluate old habits, and old ways, and decide what to bring forth into our next year and what to leave behind. Spend a few moments in deep thought about what you need to leave behind. Since the Crone will be going down to the Underworld now, she will take with her whatever you give her to take. When you are ready, go and meet with the Crone, she is awaiting you. Bring with you those things which you need to banish from your life and leave them with her. She will transform what is negative into positive, which is the nature of magickal transformation.
When you approach the Crone, speak to her what you're giving to her, so that as you say it, so it must be.
(All approach the Crone one by one. Remind them if necessary to be silent on their return, or they can hum a chant or sing in a very low voice.)
Great Rite - done by the HPS and the Dark Lord (use whatever form you use)
(Now is a time for those who wish to, to do divinations. In our group we encourage this to be done only for ourselves, as we can divine for others at another time. Since this is Sacred Samhain Space, the divinations can be especially powerful.)
(Dismiss Watchtowers)
EAST (water)
Hail to thee Guardians of the Watchtowers of the East, the
powers of water. We thank you for joining our Samhain celebration
tonight. As ye depart to your mighty realms, we bid thee Hail and
Farewell, and harm ye none on your way. So Mote It Be.
SOUTH (air)
Hail to thee Guardians of the Watchtowers of the South, the
powers of air. We thank you for joining our Samhain celebration
tonight. As ye depart to your mighty realms, we bid thee Hail and
Farewell, and harm ye none on your way. So Mote It Be.
WEST (fire)
Hail to thee Guardians of the Watchtowers of the West, the
powers of fire. We thank you for joining our Samhain celebration
tonight. As ye depart to your mighty realms, we bid thee Hail and
Farewell, and harm ye none on your way. So Mote It Be.
NORTH (earth)
Hail to thee Guardians of the Watchtowers of the South, the
powers of earth. We thank you for joining our Samhain celebration
tonight. As ye depart to your mighty realms, we bid thee Hail and
Fareweell, and harm ye none on your way. So Mote It Be.
Open the circle, Merry Meet, Merry Part, and Merry Meet Again !
Bibliography:
"A Witch's Bible Compleate" by Janet and Stewart Farrar
"Wicca for the Solitary Practitioner" by Scott Cunningham
"Magickal Rites from the Crystal Well" by Ed Fitch
There may be a line or two referenced from other books. This ritual was written and done by our coven originally in 1993, and not all our sources were listed. If you recognize something from a source not listed, please bring it to my attention so that credit may be properly given. Thank You!