The Five Stages of Spellcasting: Stage Five Moving to a Conclusion
Staging 5: Moving to a conclusion – grounding or internalizing the power
If you would like to incorporate cakes and ale into a spell or ritual, this would be the point at which you would first take the cakes on the dish. When you are working alone, this is a lovely part of a spell or ritual to help to connect you with the love all round you.
Raise the cakes on their plate (one for you and one for the birds if working alone) skywards away from the altar.
Then lower them to waist height in front of you, saying:
“May the abundance of the Mother and the bountifulness of the Father bless and nourish, sustain and protect me/you/us all my/your/our days.”
You can, if more than one person is present, choose one to hold the dish and another to bless the cakes by making either a pentagram or a cross over the dish as the words are spoken. You can, of course, do this alone with your power hand.
Put the plate in the center of the altar.
Now take the chalice or goblet in your receptive hand and your wand in your power hand and gently lower the tip of the wand so it almost touches the surface of the wine or juice. Say:
“As male to female, god to goddess, so in this wine/juice is joined power and love, strength and compassion, striving and acceptance.”
Return it to the center of the altar.
If more than one person is present, one can bless the cakes and another can bless the wine. The same people are usually chosen to carry out the blessings, but you may prefer to share the duties. Often the wand is held by a female and the cup by a male for the crossing of energies, but two women or men can carry out the ceremony.
You should then take the cakes, scatter a few crumbs on the ground (or in a dish indoors) and say:
“I return the gift to the earth mother in thanks for blessings received. Blessings be.”
After the ceremony feed the rest of this cake to the birds.
At this point if there were two people involved, you can offer each other a cake and then pass them round to anyone else present. Each person can say:
“Blessed be.”
Or add a blessing before eating.
You should then return the plate to the altar and take the wine, pouring a little on the ground and thanking mother earth again for her blessings. (Pour this offering into a dish if indoors and you can put the crumbs and liquid outside after the ceremony.)
Now drink or offer the drink to the other person who blessed the chalice. He or she will take a sip and offer it to you and to the other person who carried out the blessings, saying:
“Blessings be.”
If others are present, pass the cup round so each can take a sip, saying:
“Blessings be.”
And perhaps adding a blessing before passing it on.
Witches Of The Craft® 