Wicca Self initiation ritual

Lilith Moon 24/2/04

If performed with correct intent this ritual will attune you directly to the spirituality of Wicca consciousness, without the need for coven initiation. The saying ‘only a witch can make a witch’ is now an outdated law. A witches power comes from a divine source and that source can be called upon directly for empowerment.

With the expansion of Wicca consciousness, Wicca is now a greater spiritual entity than the coven system can contain and can now be accessed directly by solitary individuals drawn to the path of Wicca as a religious framework for self and spiritual actualisation.

Before committing to this path it is important to understand that opening up to spiritual energies can begin a journey into oneself that may by difficult and at times dark. Without a coven for support at such times, the path of the solitary Wiccan can be a greater struggle than it would otherwise be with that guidance and support. However, when faced with these dark moments, in these modern times the availability of alternative means of professional psychological support is easier than it once was when Wicca began and so the path of the solitary Wiccan is as safe and valid as those that choose the coven system .

Changes will occur in your life, the transition may not be easy, out of the shadows may come things uncomfortable to face, but there will also be joy and revelations as you build on your relationship with the many faces of the Goddess and God of Wicca.

Working as a solitary you can also miss out on the energy and power of the group mind, but by choosing to continue to use the ‘ancient circle’ as your astral temple, when you work on the astral planes you can call the spiritual brother/sisterhood of Wicca to aid you and commune with them at times of celebration and the astral working of rituals through the wheel of the year.

Before performing this ritual there are some arts you need to be able to perform to a proficient level;

To know how to cleanse and prepare yourself and the space you are working in.

To relax to a deep level.

To visualise.

To focus.

To raise energy.

To ground and centre yourself.

To cast a circle.

To open your chakras

You need to be familiar with the Bagahi rune , the charge of the Goddess, The witches Rede and The witches rune. These are referred to, but it is not necessary to run through them in the meditation if you do not wish to, but know them well enough to ‘know’ they have been spoken.

You need to have done some research into the practices and beliefs of Wicca before being sure you wish to commit to this path and to know the basic uses and symbolism of the tools of the craft.

This ritual meditation is long and at times involved, based as it is, on the traditional initiation ceremony’s of Wicca. Teachings differ from tradition to tradition and, even within the same tradition, teachings will differ from coven to coven. This ritual meditation is a compilation of the various outlines of traditional initiation teachings, there are some things that have been left out due to the solitary nature of the rite, the secret handshake, the bondage, the ritual scourging (that reminds us that sometimes to learn we have to suffer and that suffering is merely transitory)... But it is essentially complete enough to be a true Initiation into the craft, with the spiritul initiation making it much more than a simple ‘dedication’. Because of its length, it is advisable to tape the ritual, leaving quite times, when appropriate, with gentle music in the background.

The ritual meditation is best performed on a full moon. To follow traditional teachings of polarity and balance, if you are female it is the God who is your initiator, if male then the meditation can be changed to the Goddess as the initiator, however, you may change this to whichever you feel most comfortable with. You must have your ‘witch name’ already chosen, although you may find the God/Goddess bestows a different one when you come to it, and you may prepare your own oath of service to the divine, to repeat during the meditation. The first degree symbol is the inverted triangle.

The energy attunement procedure within this ritual, can be utilised to attune oneself to any level of spiritual consciousness depending on the intent and the symbols used in the attunment. You will be taking the symbol and the energy within your Aura, changing its vibrationary pattern, so be very careful how you use it if you choose to adapt in for some other purpose. Although taken from another path, it is the same process as used by the High Priest/Priestess to pass power to the initiate during the ceremony, with the Priest/Priestess being the channel for the divine which passes through them into the initiate, opening them to the higher energies. Here the power is received directly from the God/Goddess. I have used the God Cernunnos and the Goddess Aradia as it was these two deities that have instructed me directly to write this ritual, if you wish to change these to ones you are more comfortable with them you may do so, but I would recommend you use other traditional Wiccan God forms.

So, if you wish to continue and initiate yourself into the Wicca, then enter the circle without fear in your heart, for there is nought to fear but fear itself and enter in perfect love and perfect trust.............

THE FIRST DEGREE INITIATION CEREMONY FOR THE

SOLITARY WICCAN.

Take a ritual bath and cleanse and prepare yourself and the environment you are working in. You may wish to burn Frankincense incense or oil, and light candles.

Cast your circle in the manner you are most comfortable with, calling the watchtowers, invoking the Goddess ect... take a few minutes to fully relax (you may lie or sit for this ritual meditation) and focus on what you are about to do, you may ask your guides and the spiritual brother/sisterhood of Wicca to join you and aid you. Make a statement of your intent;

"May the Lord and Lady hear my words, for I am a child of the God and Goddess. I ask you to grant me entry into the brother/sisterhood of Wicca for I desire to walk thy hidden paths and explore thy mysteries."

Take three slow breaths and relax deeper. Visualise yourself surrounded by a white mist........ and as the mist clears, you find yourself standing in front of a gate that lies across a lightly trod pathway and into a thickly wooded forest.........you open the gate and pass through, closing it behind you, and walk along the pathway noticing the smell of the damp earth beneath you and the touch of the soft ferns as they brush against your legs. The sun is filtering through the dark green canopy of leaves above your head warming the air and creating a softly mottled golden light upon the track................. you follow the track until you come to the edge of a small lake of cool, clear, still water. Here you pause for a moment and remove your clothes before swimming out into the middle of the lake................as you swim, you allow yourself to become totally emersed in the water and as you do you allow the water to cleanse away any negative emotions that you have been holding on to, you find that you can breath in this water so it permeates every part of your body, stay here breathing in the magical waters till you feel completely refreshed and cleansed...............When you are ready, you swim across to the opposite shore of the lake, here you lie down beneath a great and ancient tree, where you allow the warmth of the sun to dry you. You can feel the cool grass beneath your skin, and the woodyness of the surface roots of the tree pressing against your back. Slowly you feel yourself sinking into the earth, amongst the roots allowing the soil to completely envelope you.......you lie here, safe within the roots of the ancient tree, beneath the surface of the earth. The soil permeates every pore of your being and you allow all physical negativity that you may be holding on to, be absorbed into the earth..............when you feel ready, you push yourself back up to the surface, feeling lighter, you find yourself caught up by the warm and gentle wind which takes you skywards, ascending up the great tree and through its ancient branches.......... As you are taken above the tree you feel the air swirling about you, blowing away any negative thoughts that you may be holding on to, blowing through your body, carrying away its density, making you even lighter now............you begin to notice the air becoming even warmer as you are carried towards the golden globe of the Sun, soon you are enveloped in the core of its radiance. The white hot flames burn away any negative desires you may have, and your body itself becomes one with this life giving fire.................when you are ready, you move through and away from the Sun, into the darkness of the night sky, all is black and velvet around you, you are now unmanifest, lying in the womb of creation, no past, no future, only now. You are one with and at peace with the divine spirit and here you wait for a few moments, till it is time to return again and be re-born......................

The time has come, you descend down towards the earth and back down into the forest, where you find yourself in a clearing on the edge of a small circle of ancient stones....... The sun is low and the sky is streaked with colours. Around the circle, with their hands joined, are many beings of light. These are the spiritual brother/sisterhood of the Wicca waiting to welcome you as one of their own. A column of bright light marks each of the four quarters. As you stand outside the circle, the spiritual coven calls upon the Lord and Lady to join with them, they chant the Bagahi rune and the Horned God Cernunnos appears,.............. they chant the charge of the Goddess and the Goddess Aradia appears,............... the God and Goddess smile and kiss......... Cernunnos walks towards you, those in front of you let go of their hands creating a doorway in the circle, the God points to your heart with his athame and says;

"Oh thou who standeth on the threshold between the world of men and the terrible domains of the dread lords of the outer spaces, hast thou the courage to make an assay? For verily I say it were better to rush on my blade and perish, than to make an attempt with fear in thy heart."

You answer " I have two perfect words, perfect love and perfect trust"

The God answers "All who have are doubly welcome. And I give thee a third to pass thee through this dread door"

He kisses you, and you step into the circle, hands are joined behind you and the circle is complete again.............The God takes you to each of the quarters in turn, where the columns of light shift and glow, he says "take heed ye lords of the watchtowers that (witch name) is properly prepared to be a priest/priestess and witch"...................................

When you have been lead to and presented to each of the watchtowers, the God leads you to the West of the circle and the Witches rede is chanted by the coven,........................ you are then lead to the East and the God and Goddess kneel before you and kisses your feet saying ‘ In the art of magic we are taught to be humble and so we kneel to welcome thee’.........Now you make your personal oath to serve the Deities.....................the brotherhood/sisterhood of Wicca begin to dance and chant the witches rune, repeating ‘Eko Eko Azarak, Eko Eko Zamilak, Eko Eko Cerunnos, Eko Eko Aradia’ and the circle of the beings of light becomes a cone of power.....................The God places his hands on you and you feel roots growing from the base of your spine and down into the earth, connecting with the energy of the earth manifested goddess..................Visualise your crown chakra opening and a golden light flowing down from above and filling your crown chakra,..................... then picture it moving down to your brow chakra and filling it,.................... continue down each chakra till they are all filled with the golden light,............................... imagine this astral light filling your body, till you become one with this light....... Imagine, as you breath in and out, the light permeates all of you and spreads out all around you and into infinity..............Now the God draws the first degree symbol above you,........the symbol descends down through the channel of light and into your crown chakra,............ then it descends down through each chakra till it reaches your root chakra, you may imagine this as a ball of red light with the symbol in its centre............

Imagine there is a door at the base of your skull, at the back of your neck. Visualise this door being sealed, to seal in the wicca symbol, you can imagine turning a key which then melts into the door.........................You are now directly attuned to the spirit of Wicca. The God and Goddess smile and say ‘the power is now within you, you are at one with the divine’ .........The goddess move towards you and gives you the tools of a witch, explaining the purpose of each one. The Athame, the Wand, the Scourge, The Censer, the Boline, the Pentacle, the sword and the green cord of first degree initiation.....................the God again leads you to each of the quarters and says "Hear ye mighty ones of the watchtowers,..(witch name)..has been consecrated a priest of the Goddess’ ...........you feel love and joy envelope you, as the brotherhood/sisterhood of Wicca celebrate you joining with them..........the God and Goddess join hands and smiling, leave the circle and melt into the forest, the spiritual sister/brotherhood thank and release the watchtowers and they also fade away,.......... the circle is released and the brother/sisterhood follow the God/Goddess into the trees, laughing and smiling as they go........................You are now alone amongst the ancient stones, you notice the clothes you left by the lake are now laid by a pathway that leads back into the forest....you dress, and taking one last look around, knowing you can return anytime you wish to work magic, or meet with your guides, Deities, take journeys along the other pathways that lead to mysterious destinations and join with the wiccan priesthood in rituals and celebration, you can return to this place by opening the gate and following the pathway on which you are about to return....................you turn and follow the track, it soon leads you back onto the original pathway and back to the gateway, you open the gate and walk through, closing it behind you...............once again you are surrounded by a white mist, when this mist clears you find yourself fully present back in the room in which you are sitting........

The ritual meditation is now over, you can stretch and close your circle, do something grounding, drink some spring water and eat.

If you wish to copy this ritual, please ask permission before doing so.... lilith_moon@btopenworld.com

 

Here are some versions of the Bagahi rune, the charge of the Goddess, the witches rede and the witches rune. You may subsitute the witches creed for the witches rede if you so wish, and use a God/goddess charge specifically for Cernunnos/Aradia, or the God/Goddess of your choosing.Remember it is not necessary to chant these during the ritual, just to ‘know’ they have been said.

The Bagahi Rune.

Bagahi laca bachahe

Lamac cahi achabahe

Kerrelyos

Lamac lamec bachalyos

Cabahagi sabalyos

Baryolas

Lagozatha cabylolas

Samahac et famyolas

Harrahya!

 

Charge of the Goddess.

Listen to the words of the Great Mother who was of old also called among men, Artemis, Astarte, Diana, Melusine, Aphrodite, Cerridwen, Arianrhod, Bride and by many other names.

"At mine altars the youth of Lacedemon in Sparta made due sacrifice. Whenever ye have need of anything, once in a month, and better it be when the moon is full, then ye shall assemble in some secret place and adore the spirit of me, who a Queen of all Witcheries.

There shall ye assemble, ye who art fain to learn all sorcery, yet have not won it's 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. And ye shall dance, sing, feast, make music and love all in my praise.

For mine is the ecstasy of the spirit, and mine also is joy upon 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 secret door which opens upon the door of youth, and mine is the cup of 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 and my love is poured out upon the Earth.

Hear ye the words of the Star Goddess, she in the dust of whose feet are the host's of heaven, whose body encircleth the Universe.

I who am the beauty of the green Earth, and the white moon among the stars, and the mystery of the waters, and the desire of the heart of man call unto my soul: arise and come to me.

For I am the soul of nature who giveth life to the Universe. From me, all things proceed and unto me all things must return. Before my face, beloved of Gods and men, thine innermost self shall 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 for me, know thy seeking and yearning shall not avail thee unless thou knowest the mystery that is that which thou seekest thou findest not within thee, thou wilt 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 Wiccan Rede.
Bide the wiccan laws you must,

In perfect love and perfect trust:

Live you must and let to live

Fairly take and fairly give

Form the circle thrice about,

To keep unwelcome spirits out

To bind your spell will every time,

Let the spell be spake in rhyme

Soft of eye and light of touch,

Speak you little, listen much

Deosil go by the waxing moon

chanting out the witches rune.

withershins go by waneing moon

Chanting out the baleful tune

When the Lady's moon is new,

Kiss your hand to her times two

when the moon rides at her peak

Then your heart's desire seek

Heed the north winds mighty gale,

Lock the door and trim the sail

When the wind comes from the south,

Love will kiss thee on the mouth

When the wind blows from the west

Bardic words be at their best!

When the wind blows from the east,

Expect the new and set the feast,

Nine woods in the cauldron go,

Burn them fast and burn them slow

Elder be the Lady's tree,

Burn it not or cursed you'll be.

When the wheel begins to turn,

Soon the Beltane fires will burn

When the wheel hath turned a Yule

Light the log the Horned One rules

Heed you flower, bush and tree,

By the Lady blessed be

Where the rippling waters go,

Cast a stone, the truth you'll know

When ye have and hold a need,

harken not to others greed

With a fool no season spend,

Or be counted as his friend

Merry meet and merry part,

Bright the cheeks and warm the heart.

Mind the threefold law

Three times bad and three times good

When misfortune is enow

Wear the star upon thy brow

True in love you ever be

Lest thy love be false to thee

Bide the wiccan laws you must, In perfect love and perfect trust:

These words the wiccan rede fulfill; "An harm you none, do what you

will." *

 

Witches Rune.

Darksome night and shining moon,
Hearken to the Witches' rune.
East then South, West then North,
hear! Come! I call thee forth!

By all the powers of land and sea,
Be obedient unto me.
Wand and Pentacle and Sword,
Hearken ye unto my word.

Cords and Censer, Scourge and Knife,
Waken all ye into life.
Powers of the Witches' Blade,
Come ye as the charge is made.

Queen of Heaven, Queen of Hell,
Send your aid unto the spell.
Horned Hunter of the night,
Work my will by magic rite.

By all the powers of land and sea,
As I do say "So mote it be".
By all the might of Moon and Sun,
As i do will, it shall be done.

EKO EKO AZARAK,
EKO EKO ZOMELEK,

EKO EKO CERNUNNOS
EKO EKO ARADIA,