Ritual for the Beginner Witch

Rituals are an important part of a Witch’s life. We use rituals to celebrate, help create change in our lives, to connect with Nature and Deities, and a variety of other purposes. Although there are many steps to take to do a ritual, it need not be a complicated, daunting task. You can make your rituals as simple or elaborate as you please; there are no rules on how a ritual has to be run, only guidelines to help those who wish to learn. Once you know a way or two to run a ritual, you can change your methods and make the rituals your own.

Below are the steps I take to perform a ritual. Feel free to edit and/or omit the parts that
do not work for you.

★ The Purpose of the Ritual

• The first step in preparing a ritual is determining the purpose.
• For this article, the purpose of the ritual will be to bless and consecrate your altar and tools.
• Feel free to use this as your template and insert the purpose you need.

★ Cleanse area of negative energies and remove clutter from your sacred space.

• You can sweep the area with a besom to remove negative energy, or
• Smudge the area with sage or incense of your choice, or
• Sprinkle salt water around the area, or
• Stand in the center of the area and visualize the negative energies bursting out away from you and dissolving.
• You can do a combination of these things if you would like

★ Cast your circle

• After cleansing the space of negative energy, take your Athame, Wand, or first two fingers and point to the ground at North.
• Move around deosil (clockwise), to the East, South, West, then back to North, visualising positive, protective energy leaving your Athame, Wand or fingertips, forming a sacred circle.
• As you form the circle, say:“I draw this sacred circle in the name of my God and Goddess. Only love shall this sacred circle come to bless.”

★ Call the Quarters

• Face North.
• Say, “Blessed Spirit of the North, Spirit of Earth, I ask you to join with me in this sacred space, blessing me and this circle with your presence and protection. Welcome, and Blessed be.
•  Face East.
• Say, “Blessed Spirit of the East, Spirit of Air, I ask you to join with me in this sacred space, blessing me and this circle with your presence and protection. Welcome, and Blessed be.”
• Face South
• Say, “Blessed Spirit of the South, Spirit of Fire, I ask you to join with me in this sacred space, blessing me and this circle with your presence and protection. Welcome, and Blessed be.”
• Face West
• Say, “Blessed Spirit of the West, Spirit of Water, I ask you to join with me in this sacred space, blessing me and this circle with your presence and protection. Welcome, and Blessed be.

★ Call the God and Goddess (Or any Deity(ies) you desire)

• Say something like, “Gracious Goddess, I open my heart, soul, and mind to you. I ask you to join with me in this sacred space to bless and consecrate my altar and tools, and to bless me with Your Love, Your presence, Your guidance, and Your protection. Welcome Mother Goddess, and Blessed be.”
• Say something like, “Gracious God, I open my heart, soul, and mind to you. I ask you to join with me in this sacred space to bless and consecrate my altar and tools, and to bless me with Your Love, Your presence, Your guidance, and Your protection. Welcome Father God, and Blessed be.”

★ Bless and Consecrate your Tools

• Light your Sage or smudging incense.
• Mix salt into your bowl of Water.
• Pass each tool through the smoke of the Sage or incense and sprinkle with the salt water.
• Say, “I bless and consecrate this (Insert Name of Tool) in the name of my Mother Goddess and Father God, and in the presence of the Powers of the Elements: Earth, Air, Fire, Water. May this (Insert Name of Tool) aid me in worshiping my Eternal Parents, celebrating the Sabbats and Esbats, and working my will in accordance with the Rede. Blessed be.”

★ Cakes and Ale

• Traditionally, food and beverage is shared among the participants of the ritual to help ground excess energy.
• You can use whatever food and beverage you would like; bread and wine, cookies and milk, etc.
• Leave an offering of food and beverage for your God and Goddess on your altar or outside.

★ Thank your God and Goddess (Or other Deities)

•  Say, “Dearest Mother Goddess, thank You for being with me and for blessing me with Your presence, love, protection, and guidance, I love you, always. Hail and farewell. Blessed be.”
• Say, “Dearest Father God, thank You for being with me and for blessing me with Your presence, love, protection, and guidance, I love you, always. Hail and farewell. Blessed be.”

★ Thank the Quarters

• Face North
• Say, “Blessed Spirit of the North, Spirit of Earth, thank you for your presence and protection in this circle. Hail and farewell. Blessed be.
• Face East
• Say, “Blessed Spirit of the East, Spirit of Air, thank you for your presence and protection in this circle. Hail and farewell. Blessed be.
• Face South
• Say, “Blessed Spirit of the South, Spirit of Fire, thank you for your presence and protection in this circle. Hail and farewell. Blessed be.”
• Face West
• Say, “Blessed Spirit of the West, Spirit of Water, thank you for your presence and protection in this circle. Hail and farewell. Blessed be.

★ Releasing the Circle

• When you are ready to release the circle, start at North, then move widdershins (counter clockwise) around the circle, visualizing the energy from the circle drawing back into your Athame, Wand, or fingertips.
• As you release the circle, say: “May the circle be open, but unbroken, May the love of the God and Goddess be ever in our hearts. Merry meet and merry part, And merry meet again.”

★ Ground

• Take a moment to ground excess energy from the ritual.
• Sit or stand. Imagine you are a tree, with roots reaching deep into the ground. Visualize any excess energy from the ritual flowing down through your roots and into the Earth where it is neutralized.
• If you wish, you can visualize calm energy traveling back up from the Earth into your roots and through the rest of your body.

Congratulations! You performed your first ritual! Don’t worry if your ritual didn’t go as planned. Once you become familiar with how you like to perform rituals, they will flow
more smoothly… Most of the time. Everybody makes mistake sometimes, and
unforeseeable distractions will happen. My first time, I forgot my lighter and bowl of
water, so I had to open the circle in the middle of my ritual to go grab those items. Then, I moved on with my ritual as planned. No biggie! Just remember to relax and do what works for you!

Love and Light and Blessed Be!

Author Bio:

My name is Emma Strawdinger and I am a Pagan Witch who was born in 1996. For most of my life, I never truly felt connected to any of the common religious or spiritual paths. I had my own set of beliefs, but I wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself. I believed in a God, but also a Goddess, Mother Nature. I researched many Native American religions to try to find one that fit my beliefs. It was not until my God and Goddess brought a very special person into my life that I discovered Paganism and the Craft. She introduced me to this amazing path by confiding in me that she was a Witch and answered every question I had. I dedicated myself at the age of 15 and it was the most amazing thing I ever did for myself.

In my mundane life, I work for Silver Lining Riding, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that gives therapeutic horseback riding lessons to children and adults of all ages with a wide variety of disabilities and special needs. I also take care of my furry four-legged babies, including a Cat, Dogs, and the family Horses.

You can connect with me on facebook, on my page Witchy Writings.