With the High Priest through with Banishing The Elements, the High Priestess finishes tonight’s ritual with a Circle Banishing:
Equal night and equal day
Soon the light will fade away
Equal day and equal night
This circle fades as does the light
Thus the magick we invoke
Fades anon like wisps of smoke
Until we next decide to play
Equal night and equal day
So mote it be!
“Blessed be” and “Peace be with you” are given between all in the circle.
The High Priestess Turn to the West and Says:
The High Priestess Moves to the South and faces it, saying:
Guardians of the watchtower of the south, return now to the
dying fires of Autumn’s heat soon to give way to Winter’s chill. Take with you
our blessings and thanks. Hail and farewell!
Whether or not you know it, the entire time you have followed this ritual, you have been raising energy. Everyone of us who have followed the ritual has also formed a spiritual bond with each other, only for this moment. Now when the High Priestess decides enough energy has been raised. She will clap her hands and you are to direct that energy inward.
Repeating the words:
Ripen fruit, ripen seed
Harken to my inner need
The High Priest offers the following prayer and meditation
Leaves fall,
the days grow cold.
The Goddess pulls Her mantle of the Earth around Her as You,
O Great Sun God,
sail toward the West to the lands of
Eternal Enchantment.,
wrapped in the coolness of night.
Fruits ripen,
seeds drop,
the hours of day and night are balanced.
Chill winds blow in from the North wailing laments.
In this seeming extinction of nature’s power,
O Blessed Goddess, We
know that life continues.
For spring is impossible without the second harvest,
as surely as life is impossible without death.
Blessings upon You,
O Fallen God,
as You journey into the lands of winter
and into the Goddess’ loving arms.
O Gracious Goddess of all fertility,
We have sown and reaped the fruits of our actions, good and bane.
Grant us the courage to plant seeds of joy and love in the coming year,
banishing misery and hate.
Teach us the secrets of wise existence upon this planet,
O Luminous One of the Night!
Come to us Lord of the Hunt, Sacred Herdsman, and Divine Smith. Put by your
horn, lay aside your crook, stow your hammer, and quit your forge for now.
Wipe your brow, and come find your leisure in the midst of our good company.
Have a seat, put up your feet, and pour yourself a cold draught. By the virtue of your work have you earned a rest, for well have your cared for the wild beasts and domesticated flocks. And many a time has your forge burned long into the night with you hard at work creating lightning bolts of such exquisite beauty and terrible power as we have ever beheld. Join us Great Lord, and indulge yourself to the fullest. May you know no want in our presence, for thanks to you and the Goddess, we know no want. We raise our glasses high and toast your greatness. All hail the God of the Wild Magicks.
The High Priest Steps Forward To Give The Invocation of the Goddess
Come to us Moist Mother Earth. Come to us and take your ease. You have
labored long and hard to bring forth your bounty, so that we your children may survive. Come and relax, for well have you earned your rest. Eat and drink your fill, sing, dance, and be merry, for you have done well, and there is
plenty for all. And, if it pleases you to ask for the favors of one of us as
well, may you find satisfaction there too. We shout your praises, for you are
the essence of fulfillment, love, and joy. You are the most beautiful, and
beyond measure is your grandeur and greatness. May we never forget that we are a part of your Sacred Body, and may we work to preserve it in all of its
myriad forms. All hail the Great Mother!
(I am the celebrant with the salt vessel symbolizing the element of earth)
I am your Mother. From me come the fruit and grain and animals which feed
you. I am your support, and my pull on your bodies keeps you held firmly to
me. Without me you would die. Am I not holy and worthy of praise?
I now walk deosil around the circle bowing at each corner.
(I am the celebrant with the water vessel symbolizing the element of water)
I rise from the moist crevices of the Earth, I beat on the shores of Her body,
I fall from the skies in silver sheets. Without me you would die. Am I not
holy and worthy of praise? (Celebrant asperges the circle with water)
I now walk deosil around the circle bowing at every Corner.
(I am the celebrant with the candle symbolizing the element of fire)
I live in the guarded embers of campfires and the pilot lights of stoves, I
spring from the lightning and the hands of men, I warm you and I destroy you.
Without me you would die. Am I not holy and worthy of praise?
I now walk deosil around the circle bowing at every Corner.
(I am the celebrant with the incense burner symbolizing the element of air)
I am everywhere. I fill the fleshy pouches of your lungs, I stir all things
from the smallest blade of grass to the tallest tree. I cool you with my
breezes and destroy you with my storms. Without me you would die. Am I not
holy and worthy of praise?
I now walk deosil around the circle bowing at each Corner.
Blessing, Consecration, and Procession of the Elements Now Begins
Four members of the coven who have been chosen beforehand now approach the
Priestess. Each holds one of the following: an incense burner, a candle, a vessel of water, and a vessel of salt. Each in turn approaches the Priestess, recites their piece, receives her blessing, and then processes deosil around the perimeter of the circle while stopping to bow at each of the quarters.
(If you have any of these objects that you would like to be blessed, hold them to the computer screen at this time. Repeat what the member has to say to the High Priestess)
Witches Of The Craft® 
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