Category: Fertility Spells

Spell For Thursday – EGG WISH SPELL FOR FERTILITY

(YOU CAN COPY AND PASTE ANY SPELLS POSTED TO A DOCUMENT TO PRINT AND/OR SAVE ON YOUR COMPUTER)

[Fertility spells are good for other things besides having a baby. I have tweaked them to use for a project to be fruitful. I even used one for WOTC to be give birth to my way of doing this website when I took it over in 2019 as well as other websites I have designed for other people.]

EGG WISH SPELL FOR FERTILITY

“On an egg whose shell is brown or pink,

Sign these signs in grass-green ink.
[a simple sun, a male symbol, an encircled equilateral cross, a female sign,
then an upside-down 5-pointed star]
Bury it deep in an earth-filled pot,
Let this stand where the sun is hot;
Sow on its surface seeds of grass,
Water them well while nine weeks pass
Gather the crop, bind it with thread
Let it hang always above your bed

Spell – 1 Way to Bless and Indoor Container or Outdoor Garden

I wrote and used this spell for my growing house plants Aloe, Apotheose, and 7 different herbal seeds I put into a mini greenhouse to germinate on April 6th and already started seeing tiny seedlings on April 9th. Today I saw my house plants starting to take root in their bigger containers.

(YOU CAN COPY AND PASTE ANY SPELLS POSTED TO A DOCUMENT TO PRINT AND/OR SAVE ON YOUR COMPUTER. Please feel free to tweak this spell so it will work best for you and whatever you are growing.)

Any Type of Garden Blessing Chant

What You Need:

Your voice

Possibly your wand or staff if the garden covers a lot of ground.

Chanting Spell

Chat in multiples of 3 as many as you feel the need to repeat it.

Flora, I dedicate these seeds or plants to you,

Fauna, I dedicate these seeds or plants to you,

Help me bring them to life

To use them in ways that will not cause anyone strife,

I will give them Air to breathe,

I will give them Water to grow,

I will give them Earth to take root in,

I will ask Ra to use his Fire to give them warmth and light,

As my plants grow,

I will tend them well,

In return I will ask them for pieces to help my health and magick grow,

I promise you I will always tend them well.

Spell for Today – Egg Wish Spell for Fertility – Printable

Flashback 2022 – Imbolc

(I know to be a real flashback the post should be from a previous year, but I want to make sure when I look up posts from Llewellyn’s Witches’ Datebook that I do not repeat something I have already posted.)

Imbolg Sachet of Light

Also called Candlemas, Imbolg (or Imbolc) is the sabbat of “gestation,” seeing as the earth is readying for her renewal of spring. Because of this, as well as due to the ancient Celtic associations with the goddess Brigid, Imbolg is widely considered a festival of the divine feminine.

To harness the light of life and renewal that is also awakening in ourselves, gather a number of seeds from a verity of plants. This mixture can contain anything from sunflower seeds to wildflower seeds, or even a variety of plants you intend to plant later in the spring. Place these inside a sachet bag along with a battery powered light, such as an artificial tea light. Bury it within the mixture of seeds.

With all the lights in the room turned off, turn your focus to the glowing to the glowing sachet and envision all the wonderful things you intend to manifest this year. Deeply focus: visualize smile, chant words of power, and make the sachet an illuminating personalize spell. What do you do with the sachet and seeds is totally up to your Witchy intuition!

Raven Digitals Llewellyn’s Witches’ Datebook 2022 Page 43

Spell for Today – Venus Spell – Printable

An Invaluable Herbal Grimoire Reference Guide

By Graphia, The Wordsmith Witch

Image credit: ©️Dana Freeman

No matter what your spiritual path looks like, every Witch can benefit from possessing a thorough, comprehensive Herbal Grimoire. Many practitioners include such contents as a guide for the magical correspondences of different herbs, a list of various herbal substitutions for spellcrafting, and last, but not least – a reference section that lists commonly found baneful herbs and their toxicity levels.

Photo by Skitterphoto on Pexels.com
Photo by Julia Filirovska on Pexels.com

This herb correspondence chart is the culmination of years of research. We hope this reference guide will help you to understand the magical properties of herbs, roots, flowers, barks and resins. It is our goal to provide others with accurate sources of information to enrich their lives and their Craft. What are some ways you can implement the information in the following guide into your own practice?  Click on the link below to view the chart.

Herbal Grimoire

Spell for Today – Printable

Spell for Today – Fertility

EGG WISH SPELL FOR FERTILITY

“On an egg whose shell is brown or pink,
Sign these signs in grass-green ink.
[a simple sun, a male symbol, an encircled equilateral cross, a female sign,
then an upside-down 5-pointed star]
Bury it deep in an earth-filled pot,
Let this stand where the sun is hot;
Sow on its surface seeds of grass,
Water them well while nine weeks pass
Gather the crop, bind it with thread
Let it hang always above your bed

 

SACHET FOR THE EXPECTANT WITCH

To be used in the bath or as a dream pillow to soothe away the discomforts of pregnancy.

1/2 tablespoon lemon balm 1 teaspoon lemon verbena 3 tablespoons lavender
2 tablespoons rose petals 1 teaspoon mugwort 7 drops of pure jasmine oil

Mix together all of the ingredients in your cauldron or a wooden bowl.

Cut a three-inch square piece of light blue cloth (a natural fiber always works best). Place some of the herbal mixture in the center and tie up the loose ends with some matching yarn. While doing this, visualize the discomforts being soothed away. When you’re ready, either toss it into a warm bath or hide it in the batting of your favorite pillow (or, if you want it to stay your favorite pillow for very long, put it in your pillowcase) and you’ve got a special dream pillow. Pleasant dreams!

Printable Egg Wish Spell for Fertility

Candle Magick for Helping Plants grow

This spell is from the Coven Life Beltane gathering. Should be performed in a sacred circle or a sacred space for the most energy to empower the candles.

On your altar set a green candle on your right and a yellow candle on your left.

Using your pointer fingers place one on each candle on each candle you say,

“I empower these candles with love and light,

to keep my plants healthy from blight.

They will bless my gardens from sunrise to sunrise,

My harvest from, my plants will be my prize.

With your finger from your power hand (the hand you write with) on the green candle you say, “Morrigan I ask you to infuse this candle with your power and energy to help my plants be bountiful and prosper.”

With your finger from your power hand (the hand you write with) on the yellow candle you say, “Green Man I ask you to infuse this candle with your power and energy to help my plants be bountiful and prosper.”

These are my words, This is my will, so mote it be.

Repeat spell three times over both candles except the last line that is in green. That line is only said at the end of the spell.

You will have excess energy left, make sure to ground it to Mother Earth to help her and all living things on her to heal. If you have any questions about the spell please write to me ladybeltane@aol.com BEFORE starting the spell. Thank you

Copyright 2014 Lady Beltane

Monday’s Spells (Printable)

The Witches Magick for Monday, September 3rd – Fertility Spell

Happy Labor Day!!!

The Witches Magick for Monday, September 3rd – Fertility Spell

A couple wishing to conceive a child should come together when the woman is in the fertile part of her cycle. Coordinating this with any of the other timings will improve the potential for success. Decorate the area for your spell in green and yellow. Set up an altar with the image of a pregnant woman in a central position to represent the Mother Goddess. Also place a seedling from any hardy plant nearby. Make sure both participants are well rested, healthy and calm before beginning.

 

Next sit in front of the altar and light a candle together to symbolize your shared hope. Dedicate a moment of prayer to your household God/dess, then begin breathing in unison, and extending your senses to each other. Chant quietly in unison, “Fertility, grow in me.” Allow this phrase to get louder as passion grows. Let nature take her course.

 

Finally, the couple should take the seedling somewhere to grow in rich soil that won’t be disturbed so the magic can likewise root. This spell can be repeated anytime you’re trying to conceive. It also may be used to smooth the course of adoptions by making the appropriate changes in the verbal component. In this case the sexual union extends loving energy to find the right child.

 

This spell can also be applied to unproductive areas of your life to encourage progress.

Egg Spell for Fertility

Egg Spell for Fertility

What You’ll Need:
An egg
8 vanilla beans
A place to bury the egg


Instructions:
Using a natural food colouring, draw the letters “RIPE” on your egg. Bury the egg along with the vanilla beans in the yard. If you don’t have access to any place for this, use a large flower pot. Every night, water the ground where you planted the egg, until you are pregnant.


When to do this spell: This spell is best performed during the waxing moon phase (when the moon is getting bigger in the sky), and preferably on a Monday.

Author: Terri Paajanen

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The Essential Series: Essential Pregnancy and Fertility

For all women out there interested in tidbits the natural world has to offer on pregnancy, fertility, and helping with conception especially at a later age, here is a detailed account chock full of good info to read on a real-life woman’s attempt and how she became pregnant in very quick time.

By using specific blends of essential oils, doing yoga stretches, and eating a healthy diet, women (and men – it doesn’t hurt for them to join in on this) can increase their fertility and virility by a lot, naturally.

Read on for the whole story!

~~~

HOW I GOT PREGNANT IN 1 CYCLE (…..AT THE AGE OF 34)

by Ashlee at The CrunchyMoose.com

DISCLOSURE: Please note these statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This is for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease. I am not a doctor. I am simply sharing my experiences.

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My husband and I were beyond shocked to find out that we were pregnant already. I mean, I’m 34 1/2 and the internet & doctors act like that’s ancient. They said “at that age,” it could take up to 2 years. And while I didn’t think it would take that long, I didn’t think it would take a matter of weeks. So here’s how it happened.
First I need to give a disclaimer. My husband (Ryan) and I have never tried to get pregnant before now. As far as we know, we didn’t have any fertility issues. However, we are still SHOCKED that it happened so fast. I got pregnant in just 1 cycle. Especially since I was 34 and 1/2 when it happened. Not that 34 is old, but a woman’s chances of getting pregnant start declining quickly at 35.

Ryan & I agreed a long time ago that we were going to have 2 kids. We didn’t really discuss it much because we agreed and we knew it would happen when it should happen. Then we got married.

Two months later, I injured my back. The next 3 years were full of hospitals and surgeries. We were ready for baby #1 but I was not strong enough or healthy enough to carry a pregnancy. So we chose adoption. The adoption process was a little over a year and a half, which relatively speaking for adoptions, was quick. But at the time it felt like an eternity. Lots of disappointments and lots of sleepless nights. Now I know it was all because we were waiting on our perfect match, our son Morrison!

So after 3 years of surgeries and almost 2 years of the adoption process, we were tired. My plan was to still have 2 kids and they would be 2 years apart. Ryan’s plans had changed. He decided we were done.

When Morrison turned 1, I started suggesting (or….ummmmmmm……nagging) that it was time for baby #2. I was much healthier, stronger, and felt able to carry a pregnancy. For over a year, Ryan didn’t change his mind. Then one day he did!

The night Ryan told me he was ready, it was past my fertile time of my cycle. I had my period about a week later and then I was pregnant that month. A woman in her 30s has about a 15% chance of getting pregnant in a single cycle (source). And by doing these things, I was in that 15% chance in the first month trying.

ESSENTIAL OILS
When Ryan came home and said he was ready, I ran straight to the computer and ordered & rush shipped just about every essential oil listed in the fertility section of my Essential Oils Pocket Reference ( <<<—- Yep that’s the book I send to your for free when you sign up as a wholesale member with a premium starter kit with Young Living!). Young Living oils are the only oils I ever use and especially when I’m dealing with something as sensitive as my reproductive system. And I’m sure not going to gamble planning a family using adulterated essential oils that, well, just don’t work as well.

According the the Essential Oils Pocket Reference, essential oils and products for fertility in women are:

  • Clary Sage
  • Ylang Ylang
  • Sage
  • Anise Seed
  • Fennel
  • Yarrow
  • Geranium
  • Dragon Time – (blend of fennel, clary sage, marjoram, lavender, yarrow, jasmine)
  • Acceptance – (blend of almond oil, coriander, geranium, bergamot, frankincense, sandalwood, blue tansy, neroli, ylang ylang)
  • Mister – (blend of sesame seed oil, sage, fennel, lavender, myrtle, yarrow, peppermint)
  • SclarEssence – (blend of coriander, ylang ylang, bergamot, jasmine, geranium)
  • Lady Sclareol – (blend of coriander, geranium, vetiver, orange, clary sage, bergamot, ylang ylang, sandalwood, Spanish sage, jasmine, Idaho tansy)
  • EndoFlex – (blend of sesame seed oil, spearmint, sage, geranium, myrtle, German chamomile, nutmeg)
  • Progessence Plus- (“This is the first-ever PURE progesterone serum to enter the market. It supports balanced hormone levels. Pure, USP-grade, super-micornized progesterone from wild yam infused into pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils, creating a smooth, revitalizing serum that is easily absorbed into the skin.”* Blended with copaiba, sacred frankincense, cedarwood, bergamot, peppermint, rosewood, clove, coconut oil, vitamin E.)
  • Prenolone Plus Body Cream – (“This cream is a broad-spectrum hormone supplement that helps boost insufficient levels of estrogen and progesterone in both men and women.”* Blended with ylang ylang, clary sage, geranium, bergamot, fennel, sage, and yarrow.)

Believe me, once you do get pregnant, you’ll need those 11 oils to help you with a healthy pregnancy to combat everything from morning sickness to stretch marks.

Pregnancy Routine

I did this routine twice a day:

I rubbed Prenolone Plus Body Cream on my lower back and abdomen (about 1/2 – 1 teaspoon total, a small amount).
I put a roller ball on my Progessence Plus bottle. I rolled it on my neck (front and back) and on the Vita Flex points on my feet. I followed a U-shape. I started at my big toe, rolled up to my ankle along the outside of my foot, across my ankle bone, then along the outside of my foot to my little toe (see video below).
I used 1-2 essential oils topically and I varied which ones I used. I used whichever oils from the above list that “spoke” to me. I used Dragon Time during my period (some women prefer to use this the week before their period). The oils I used most were sage, ylang ylang, geranium, EndoFlex, and Lady Sclareol. I would fill my palm with carrier oil and then add 3-4 drops of essential oil (usually just 1 oil or blend, but sometimes would mix 2 oils together). I would rub that on my lower abdomen, lower back, and neck. I would also dab a little oil (neat) where I wear perfume on my neck and wrists (I like Lady Sclareol for that. It’s my all time favorite smelling blend.)

YOGA STRETCHES
I did these stretches twice a day – in the morning when I woke up and before bed. I held each stretch for 10 deep breaths. The routine takes about 15-20 minutes.

I am not a yogi. I am not flexible. I don’t work out much beyond gentle stretches and walking. These are easy, gentle stretches that anyone can do!

Cobra Pose (If you are able to straighten your arms and arch your back more, go for it! Given my back history, my arch was about as deep as the picture below.)

 

Cobbler’s Pose (heels together)

 

Lotus Pose (ankles crossed)

 

Supported Bridge Pose

 

Legs on the Wall Pose

 

Crescent Lunge (10 breaths each leg)

 

Cat / Cow Stretch (arch and release your back)

 

Side Stretch (10 breaths each side)

 

Child’s Pose

 

Pigeon Pose (10 breaths each side; My hip flexors are not as flexible as I would like. I placed a small pillow under the hip of the bent leg to level my hips.)

 

DETOX
About 5 months before becoming pregnant, I did a thorough whole body detox. I did not do this in anticipation of getting pregnant, but I’m sooooo glad I did it! I have no doubt that resetting my body and giving myself a clean slate to start with was very influential to becoming pregnant so quickly. I highly recommend a good detox program before trying to conceive.

 

NUTRITION
Nutrition, of course, is also important. I eat a whole food diet and follow the Weston A. Price diet laid out in The Nourishing Traditions book. Grass-fed & pasture raised meats, raw milk, fermented foods, eggs, lots of good fats, and of course fruits & vegetables. Some food I try to eat every day (preconception and during pregnancy):

Eggs from my local farm (I like boiled eggs and keep a bowl of them ready to go in my fridge for a snack.)
Avocados
A smoothie made with homemade kefir, greens like spinach or kale, gelatin, nuts, and fruit of choice
Fermented cod liver oil (I like the cinnamon flavor. Fermented cod liver oil is full of vitamin A, D, DHA, and EPA.)
Liver pills (Gram for gram, liver is the most nutritious part of the animal. Get them from grass-fed cows. Lots of vitamin A, B, folate, and iron.)
Homemade bone broth
Probiotics (I drink homemade kefir and kombucha regularly, which has probiotics in it. So normally, I don’t take a probiotic supplement unless I didn’t have any probiotic rich foods or drinks that day. But while trying to conceive and while pregnant, I added a probiotic supplement daily in addition to my fermented foods.)

~~~

Beats going through expensive fertility treatments and the cost of IVF, doesn’t it?

For the original article and full-picture explanations, check out Eupterra Foundation’s page.

To check out more healthy tidbits and essential oils for living, check out Eupterra’s Essential Series.

For more information on women’s health, look for Eupterra’s “Women’s Health” category of

Friday & The Perfect Corresponding Spell – The Apples/Strawberries and Roses Fertility Spell

Witchy CommentsFriday & The Perfect Corresponding Spell

For many, Friday is the last work day of the week. It’s considered the fifth day of the work week and, also, the “cut loose” day. By Friday night, people are out having a party. That makes Friday the perfect day for lust, banish, fast-grant, and find spells . This day is so powerful (energy wise). That’s why whatever you do on this day will, usually, have a strong effect. If you want things out of your life, the darkness and power, associated with this day, bring the energy you need for that. If you need strong, immediate results, this is your day, as well.

 

The Apples/Strawberries and Roses Fertility Spell

Thinking about increasing your family or perhaps starting one? Call on the goddesses Aphrodite, Freya, or Frigga for a little assistance. These ladies can help you achieve your goal of a successful pregnancy and a safe delivery.

For this spell, you will need two ripe apples, one for you to snack on and the other for your partner. If you do not care for apples, then try strawberries. Strawberries are sacred to Freya, and let’s face it—ripe, fresh, deeply red strawberries are a sexy food. (If you choose to go with strawberries, then adjust the spell’s opening line accordingly.) You will also need a fresh red rose in a vase to symbolize your love for each other. If you choose, you may add a few rose pink candles to this spell for some atmosphere. How about scattering some fresh rose petals on the sheets? Listen to some music, break out the sexy lingerie, open up a little sparkling apple cider … and have a little fun. You know what sets a romantic mood for the two of you, so follow your instincts. For best results, work this fertility spell on a Friday during a waxing moon. You may say this charm together, silently or aloud:

Symbols of the Goddess, apples/berries and a rose of red
We call for fruitfulness to follow us now to bed
A rose pink candle for love and to increase our fertility
We call on Aphrodite, Freya, and Frigga to hear our plea
Love and pleasure are their rituals, this much is true
Goddesses, bless us with a child, make us parents soon.

Afterwards, allow the candles to go out on their own. Keep the rose in the vase until it starts to fade, then return to faded flower to nature by adding it to a compost pile or the recyclable yard waste. Gather up any rose petals from the sheets and let them dry out, then store them away and save them for other spells. (Goddess knows you have just imbued them with a lot of energy and magick).

 

Book of Witchery – Spells, Charms & Correspondences For Every Day of the Week
Ellen Dugan

 

Magick Sachet for the Expectant Witch

MAGICK SACHET FOR THE EXPECTANT WITCH

To be used in the bath or as a dream pillow to soothe away the discomforts of pregnancy.

1/2 tablespoon lemon balm
1 teaspoon lemon verbena
3 tablespoons lavender
2 tablespoons rose petals
7 drops of pure jasmine oil

Mix together all of the ingredients in your cauldron or a wooden bowl. Cut a three-inch square piece of light blue cloth (a natural fiber always works best). Place some of the herbal mixture in the center and tie up the loose ends with some matching yarn. While doing this, visualize the discomforts being soothed away.
When you’re ready, either toss it into a warm bath or hide it in the batting of your favorite pillow (or, if you want it to stay your favorite pillow for very long, put it in your pillowcase)and you’ve got a special dream pillow. Pleasant dreams!

Powerful Fertility Spell

POWERFUL FERTILITY SPELL

Patchouli oil
Sandalwood incense
2 pine cones
3 wheat heads
Green Candle
Green marker and paper

Rub the oil on the candle and anoint yourself around the womb area with a drop of oil. Light the candle and incense and place the pine cones and wheat into a cauldron or container. Visualize your magickal goal and use the marker to draw yourself on the right hand side of the paper as you are now – draw yourself as you want to be on the left side (flat belly – pregnant belly will do just fine) visualize your goal while drawing – when you feel you’ve visualized enough tear the paper in half and fold the left side with your goal drawn on it into a small square and place it in your pocket then light the other paper in the candle flame and place it in the cauldron to burn.
Chant or pray for your goal to be realized as you watch the paper burn. Bury the contents of the cauldron in your yard – preferable a garden – leave an offering of a small crumb of cake on a crystal plate for any good spirits or fairies who might happen by. Stay positive so you don’t attract the attention of any jealous or bad fairies!

 

Keep the paper with your goal drawn on it with you at all times until your wish is granted then you can place it in a safe place for luck.

Egg Wish Spell for Fertility

EGG WISH SPELL FOR FERTILITY

“On an egg whose shell is brown or pink,
Sign these signs in grass-green ink.
[a simple sun, a male symbol, an encircled equilateral cross, a female sign,
then an upside-down 5-pointed star]
Bury it deep in an earth-filled pot,
Let this stand where the sun is hot;
Sow on its surface seeds of grass,
Water them well while nine weeks pass
Gather the crop, bind it with thread
Let it hang always above your bed

The Witches Magick for the 20th Day of the Hare Moon – Until You Love Me Spell

Please Children Do Not follow my footsteps!UNTIL YOU LOVE ME SPELL

 
The purpose of this spell is to apply magical persistence in a love relationship that you know deep in your heart that you really, truly want and need.’
Use vanilla-scented oil, a warm bath, and a white tea candle. After dark, draw a warm bath and put nine drops of the vanilla oil in the water. Light the candle and safely place it where you can easily see it while bathing. Focus your awareness on your beloved’s face in your mind’s eye (you can use a photograph if you prefer). Say slowly with meaning as if you are speaking to the one you love:

 

My beloved [say his or her full name]
I will keep turning my mind toward you
By the powers of Goddess, God, earth,
air, light, and sea
I’m going to keep on wanting you
[repeat his or her name]
I’m going to keep on dreaming of you
my love
Until you want me the way I hunger
for you
Until you hold me in your arms
and show me you care
Until you share your loving ways
with me, until you dare
Lover [say his or her name] until I get
through to you,
I will keep turning my mind toward you
I’m going to keep on loving you
Until you understand my point of view
Until you love me and I completely
love you
That’s what I’m going to do [say his or
her name]
Come on now let me love you and love
me, too
May our love together be blessed and
oh so sweet
Blessed be sweet love! Blessed be!

When you are done bathing, towel off and anoint yourself with the vanilla-scented oil at the wrists, ankles, knees, and back of the neck. Allow the tea candle to safely burn down. As you drift to sleep, repeat to yourself:

I’m going to keep dreaming of you,
my sweet love.

In the morning, write everything you recall from your dreams into your journal.

 

 

Wiccan Spell A Night: Spells, Charms, And Potions For The Whole Year
Sirona Knight

Information on The Great Rite



The Great Rite

Understanding The Rite
The Great Rite IS NOT for everyone and like all rituals it can be used as positive act just as easily as it can be used to abuse. While modern attitudes about sex are puritan in many circles, within the pagan world, it is simply part of nature. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t used without accountability. This energy of the union between partners is part of the miracle of love between two people. It’s energy is more than just physical gratification, it can become a prayer, a method of worship, and in honoring the Great Spirits in the form of the God and Goddess joining to form the God Head (Spirit).
 
In addition, the Great Rite is not always a physical act. While it may have started out that way in ancient cultures, societies and understandings evolve. So too do spiritual rites and ceremonies. Whither conducted as a physical act, or a symbolic act, the Great Rite can be a very beautiful and powerful event when conducted with the utmost respect and reverence.
 
But as with ANY ritual, it can be misused as well. And all practitioners MUST understand the rights they hold within a group and within any ritual. Sexual harassment is a misuse of power, regardless of how it’s invoked. Demanding sexual favors in return for something badly needed, or desired is abuse and criminal, both in a spiritual sense as well as a physical accountability. Demanding a coupling for an initiation when the initiant is not comfortable with the union, is intimidation and rape. The causing of pain, terror and humiliation is a criminal act and is more than a misuse of power, it is a spiritual sin even within the pagan world. It is the desecration of the first grail, the womb of a woman and a disrespect to the spiritual path of any religion.
 
In ancient times, the GreatRite dealt with the union of the Goddess to the God to win favor or blessings from the Divine Universe. It was a ritual of survival that promoted fertility of fields, flocks and family.
 
Today the Great Rite deals with the essence of feminine and masculine energy as it relates to the God and Goddess. The idea is that in order to establish true Divinity within oneself, you need to accept and join your two natures together. We are all part masculine and part feminine within our being. Only when we learn to accept the nature of both can we discover the true divinity within.
 
Sex and Magik
Sex and magik have long gone hand in hand. This is nothing new and contrary to ‘moral’ attitudes, it’s not something that’s done just to get laid. Linking the sexual act with divine forces was an easy leap for early humans. Not understanding the medical process of copulation and conceiving. Prehistoric tribes documented their divine rituals through cave paintings which depict this idea fairly well.
 
These early paintings, carvings and figurines such as the ‘Venus of Willendor’ are perfect examples of the early reverence for fertility of a woman and her ability to give new life. This miracle of life was seen just as that, a miracle given to a woman by a deity, typically a Goddess. A woman who was extremely fertile was considered to be favored by the God/Goddess and elevated within her tribal structure. Some cultures viewed such a woman as the embodiment of the tribal Goddess who granted favor over the tribe. If this great Mother was fertile and brought new life to the tribe, that favor was also granted to the growing, harvest and hunting seasons of the tribe as well. In ancient times, all these events were strongly linked and each affected the other.
 
When early humans realized it took two to create life, the pendulum slowly switched from focusing on the matriarch to the patriarch. As long as a woman could bear children, she still held great power within her tribe. When she grew older and less fertile, she often chose her successor. But her singular power as ‘Mother Goddess’ shifted and was soon to be shared with a deserving male of the tribe.
 
In these ancient times, the fertility of a woman was seen as a blessing or as the Goddess living through the woman. The strength and ability of a man to provide food and housing for the tribe was seen as the God blessing or working through the physical hunter. Some suggest this is the early concept of the Horned God seen throughout legend and myth.
 
It is clear however, that the Goddess and Mother of the tribe was just as important as the God and the Hunter. Without both, the tribe will suffer and die. There cannot be abundance and sustenance for the whole society without the work of both the Goddess and God to provide fertility of the fields, the herds and even the tribe itself. From this early concept of survival, the reverence of ritual celebration and the union of male and female was born.
 
A Little History
From the beginnings of recorded history, we know that in Mesopotamia and Chaldea, Prostitution was a sacred profession, unlike today. Sacred Prostitution was seen as holy and practitioners were providing a service of the Goddess to the cultures of their society. A man would go to the temple and with an offering, he would request service of a Priestess within. His purpose was to gain favor of the Goddess for more children back at home with his wife, or an extra bit of fertility for his fields, or herds of sheep, cattle or camels. In lying with the Priestess he might feel blessed or honored, and go home full of confidence. He might dig extra irrigation ditches for his fields, or be more encouraged to lay with his wife.
 
The myths of the Greeks, to a greater or lesser extent are concerned with sex and the union of Deities with the lowly humans they rule over. The Greek pantheons constantly sought out human partners who’s conceived children often became revered demi-gods. These myths had both a good and bad side of their tale. On one hand, divine unions were seen as gifts from the Gods and often became ritualized. They became honored experiences even if they didn’t yield a child, but still gained abundance in the fields or herds.
 
On the other hand some tribes such as the Samothraki, involved the sacrifice of young men at one point in their history. Some Priestess would lay with a young man and to ensure she would become pregnant, she carried a very sharp, leaf-shaped knife which she used to take the life of the man she lay with. Sacrificing his life would ensure his essence was transferred to her womb.
 
There is even evidence of Sex and the Goddess in Biblical Times. It is held by some historians that the Hebrew God Yaweh was originally a phallic deity. In fact it is an accepted historical belief that the Hebrews were not always a monotheistic society. Phallic pillars were set up for worship in many of those early Hebrew villages, along with images of the Goddess Anat or Anath. Even today, the lineage of the faith is passed through the feminine side of the family. If a Jewish woman marries outside the faith, her children can be counted as Jewish, but if a man marries outside the faith it’s not so straight forward.
 
Through many passages of the Bible we can see evidence of Goddess worship. In Judges V, the Song of Deborah is a clear example. The story of Susanna and the elders is another example. If you can find an early version of the bible, you can see the ritualistic venues and importance of women such as Queen Esther who is another ‘goddess’ symbol. If read with a perspective of the Great Rite, it becomes clear that this queen was also a priestess of the Goddess. Through his reign, her husband the king had to prove his virility and therefore his right to lay with her. This is a very clear connection between the earliest Great Rite rituals and the bible. And don’t forget the Songs of Solomon, which have been considered one of the most glorious love poems ever written.
 
Other Biblical considerations revolve around the use of language of the time. The use of rock or stone, didn’t refer to the stability of God in ones life, but rather phallic symbology of the God. From early historical times, even up to the middle ages, ‘rocks’ or ‘stones’ often referred to the male testicles, and of course, pillars to the penis. “Of the rock that begat thee thou are unmindful” Deuteronomy 32:18. “For who is God save the Lord? And who is a rock save our God” Samuel 2:32. In this case God’s rock provided mankind with a son, the Lord Jesus.
 
The bible also provides one of the biggest examples of the reverence between the Divine and human coupling through the conception of Jesus. Early variations of the bible come right out and say “God lay with Mary and she conceived a son”. That translation has changed over the years thanks to the French and the first use of the term “immaculate conception” (meaning without sin or blemish) in 1497.
 
During the middle ages, oaths, promises and sworn statements were made ‘with a hand laid upon the sacred stone’. When taking the oath of office and loyalty, the right hand of the official was placed beneath the testicles of the king. In parts of the Middle East, this is still practiced today.
 
All this began to change after the fall of Rome and with the rise of Christianity. Sex began to be denied both as a source of magikal power and of pleasure between partners. Where as sex was seen as a gift from the gods, it was now becoming a sin and to find pleasure in the act of sexual copulation, was to accept the influence of the Devil. By this time, women were seen as the temptress who could drag a man down into the pits of hell and the only way to keep her from having that control, she must be subservient to her husband, brother, or even her son. Her sole value became her ability to bear children which quickly became a bargaining point as a bride or as a prize of war.
 
Items such as a Chastity belt became common place, but were deadly for the women who wore them. After years of being forced in such contraptions, a woman would develop various diseases, including blood poisoning. During this time, a woman’s life expectancy was no more than 30 years. Her entire value, power and favored desires were forgotten and tossed aside. She was property and her only value was the ability to provide a male heir to her husband and his family line. What a sad turn of events that diminished both the value of women and the sanctity of the physical pleasure and spiritual connection of the sexual union.
 
The Great Rite – Physical vs. Symbolic
The Great Rite is probably the most well known or heard about pagan rituals. Today it is a rite of sexual intercourse that pays homage to the polarity of male/female; god/goddess, priest/priestess. The rite can be performed “in-true” form, meaning the actual physical act of intercourse. Or “in-token” form, meaning a symbolic act of the union between God and Goddess.
 
This polarity exists in all things in and around the universe. The Great Rite therefore expresses the physical, mental, spiritual aspects of the Divine through the astral union between a man and woman as representations of the God and Goddess. Ok..say what? In other words, the energy created between a man and woman during the physical act of intercourse is an expression of spiritual energy from the God and Goddess.
 
To many the Great Rite is the Hieros Gamos, The Sacred Marriage or the Holy Matrimony, which results in the creation of the God Head (spirit). It’s the top of the spiritual trinity, whose base is the God and Goddess. This concept is nothing new and dates back to neolithic periods. Ancient kings required Hieros Gamos, which was a union with a priestess representing the Goddess, in order to rule. The King represented the God, the priestess the Goddess and through their Union his reign was both approved and blessed by the Divine Spirit. From this perspective it takes both the God and the Goddess to create the greater Divine Spirit and attain favor of that Spirit.
 
Depending on the tradition, the Great Rite was performed within a Magik Circle between the High Priest and Priestess. It is sometimes also performed for seasonal festivals, and especially handfastings between the newly married couple.
 
At times it has been used as an Initiation into a coven (such as 3rd degree initiations in the Gardnerian and Alexandrian traditions). Representing the inner marriage of the soul and spirit, ego and self. It is the gateway to becoming a whole being. In these type of initiations, the Rite is performed between the initiant and the High Priest, or High Priestess. This is done either “In token”, which is symbolically using ritual tools, such as an athame inserted into a chalice. Or “in true”, which is the physical sexual act.
 
When the rite is performed as a celebration of the season, it is often conducted “in true” form by a couple who are already intimate partners. The public display of the union varies between traditions. For instance, a portion of the rite maybe performed within the ritual circle in front of the coven, and the intimate union is performed in private.
 
Gerald Gardner established an open and public display of the Great Rite with the coven watching. The Coven members would form the circle edges and the couple would copulate in the center. He also favored ritual scourging as part of the rite, a practice which has fallen greatly out of favor.
 
Other covens perform a portion of the ritual with everyone watching and then those forming the circle would turn their back on the couple in the center. Others Covens instruct the circle members to walk backwards out of the sacred ritual space, then turn and file out clockwise leaving the couple in private. And still other groups form a closed circle, and then open a doorway allowing the couple to exit the ritual circle and enter their own private space, which is typically a circle that was earlier prepared by the couple.
 
Because of the puritanical influence over sexual encounters, many modern groups practice the Great Rite “In-Token”. What’s important about any ritual is the energy it pulls in and creates. There’s no denying that many people are uncomfortable with the physical display of sexual unions. Making everyone feel at ease creates a calm peaceful energy for the spiritual gathering. So In-Token rituals are becoming more popular. The main point to the Great Rite is the creation of energy between the male(physical being) and female(spiritual being) to form the whole(the Divine Creation). That can be just as easily done through symbolic means as it can through a physical act.
 
There are several items that can be used to represent the Goddess in these forms of the Great Rite. A ritual cup is the most common, but a ritual bowl, a cauldron or even a fire bowl can be used. The corresponding item to represent the God can be a ritual athame, a wand, a sword or a staff. I have seen a carved tree (about 3ft in length) used as the God, and a fire bowl as the Goddess. The log was placed in the bowl and set on fire to represent the union. The gathering than danced by the light of the fire, honoring the spirit that moved within and through everyone present.
 
There are many variations that can be conducted for this ritual. There is no single or right way.
 
The Great Rite – The Ritual
The Rite maybe performed in many methods or formats. There are several rituals performed with the Great Rite for varying purposes, here are just a few.

  • The Rite of Pan
  • The Rite of the Horned God
  • The Rite of the Moon Cup
  • The Dance of Love
  • The Ritual of the Hawthorn Tower
  • The Raising of Osiris
  • The Two of Swords
  • The Grail of Grace
  • The of Crystal
  • The Calling of a Soul
  • The House of the goddess
  • The Adoration of the Pillar
  • The Rite that is Left Undone
 
Each of these empowers the rite with the energy of the union for specific purpose, but can be for different meanings. The Rite of the Horned God honors the great hunter and provider of a Tribe for instance.
 
In the Rite of Pan, the male force is the hunter and the female force the prey. Through out the ritual the struggle between male and female is established, but before the rite is realized, an understanding is gained that while the male is strong on the earth/physical sphere, the female is equally strong on the above/spiritual sphere.
 
In the Rite of the Moon Cup, the woman is the summoner, and the man her target. She is the daughter of the Moon, her representation on earth. He is Lord of the Forest who pays homage to the Goddess (the moon) for his domain.
 
The Dance of Love is often a ritual performed by a committed couple in private. The idea is to generate Divine energy for a specific purpose, such as to favor the couple with fertility or abundance of their individual family. In this ritual, the couple spends time in meditation prior to their union to connect with the Divine Universe. This act raises their energy to a higher level of reverence to distinguish this moment as something more special and important than other acts of love making. This also helps empower the partners to express their energy as the representations of the God and Goddess during physical contact. All of which culminates in the creation of energy for their specified intent, and it’s release into the ethereal world for manifestation.
 
 
The Great Rite – Straight or Gay
The concept of straight or gay is not an issue in Pagan communities in general. Same sex encounters are common in nature and being that humans are part of nature, it is seen as a common practice there as well. The Great Rite is not about the ‘physical’ aspects of a man and woman, but rather their expression of energy as the God and Goddess. This can be easily accomplished between same sex couples just as it can be expressed through heterosexual couples.
 
Feminine energy is not something that only women have. Men have too. By the same token, masculine energy is not specific to men. Women have it too. The Great Rite can be expressed through same sex couples simply by choosing which side of the polarity coin (masculine vs. feminine) is going to be represented by which partner.
 
Further Reading
This posting is ONLY an introduction into the concept behind the Great Rite and a few of the rituals which use it’s energy. Further reading prior to anyone practicing this rite is required. I have purposely made this post a high level explanation and have intentionally left out how the ritual is invoked. Primarily because of the ease to misuse this rite.
 
For further reading, I recommend the following:

  • Vivianne Crowley “Wicca: The Old Religion in the New Millennium”
  • Janet and Stewart Farrar “A Witches Bible- Complete”
  • Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki “The Tree of Ecstasy”