The in-circle activities of meditation, journeying, and divination require a watchful eye to ensure everyone has a positive experience. Most important of all, remember to release any entities called, bid farewell to the deity invoked, and close any doors that have been opened.
A variety of traditions, solitary practices, and newcomers to the Craft can be accommodated in ritual with a generic script. The deities can be named or simply called the Goddess and the God or the Lady and the Lord. I vary the deity names to correspond to the season, such as with Maia and the Greenman at Beltane and the Crone and the Hunter at Samhain. With covens and family or solitary practice, the deities addressed may always be the same ones, but by using different names and representations in open circles, the attendees are able to see a variety of aspects of the Divine.
The script for Sabbats and Esbats should vary sufficiently for regular guests to distinguish what it is that makes one ritual different from another. Be flexible and work with the season or lunar phase, thinking about the significance of each ritual and how best to bring that across to a group that may include newcomers with rudimentary knowledge. I try to incorporate the meanings of my actions as much as possible, and even take into the account the impact of the lunar phase during a Sabbat.
Cakes and Ale
During the Simple Feast (Cakes and Ale/Wine) part of the ritual, I include a blessing of a basket of food and pitcher of beverage to be passed around to the participants. If outdoors, the libation goes directly onto the ground in front of the altar table; if indoors, a libation bowl serves this purpose, and it is later emptied onto the ground outside. It only makes sense to exclude alcoholic beverages when working with a diverse group. There is no way of knowing who is a recovering alcoholic or who has allergies, and alcohol is not suitable for children or pregnant women, so I feel that even having wine as an option is not in the best interests of all the attendees. I stick with antioxidant beverages such as blueberry or cranberry juice, and there are so many cranberry blends that one can be selected to fit the ritual—apple for Mabon, blackberry for Lughnassadh, white cranberry grape for Imbolc, and so on.
The other part of the feast is the food, and again there are allergies and food restrictions to consider. I always tell people the ingredients of food items—such as nuts, seeds, wheat, egg, raisins, gluten, and so on. Still, I will tell participants that if they cannot eat the food, they can take it home for a personal altar or shrine, use it as an offering, or add it to a protective, seasonal charm bag.
The easiest way to handle distribution of the feast is to give a stack of little paper cups to people at different points in the circle and let them take their own and pass the rest. Take back the remaining clean cups and collect the used ones after the feast by restacking and setting aside. Passing a basket with cookies or cut up bread or cake will go quickly. You can let people pass the basket or take it around the circle yourself. I like to take the beverage around in a pitcher and pour a small amount in each cup—the point of the feast is ritual, not a meal. If there is leftover food or drink, I let people have seconds or take any extra bread home. Most people will start to pass along the stacked used cups, but you can also ask them to do so if you are ready to move on in the ritual. It is easy to discretely set the used cups on the floor/ground by the altar until the ritual is ended and cleanup begins.
Announcements can be made during the ritual meal, letting people know when and where the next ritual will take place, or what activities and events are coming up that relate to the community. This is also a good time to indicate where a container for donations is located so they can help defray the expense of the ritual. Some of the costs involved may include beverages, bread, cups, flowers, altar decorations, candles, incense, handouts such as song sheets, and a token of the ritual for people to take with them for their homes.
If a buffet follows the ritual, people should be notified ahead of time by way of flyers, website postings, etc., that they need to bring something to share. The presenter still needs to ensure there is some food and beverage available, along with plates, cups, and utensils, lest the shared buffet consist of a dozen boxes of chocolate chip cookies and one veggie tray.
Open circles offer an excellent opportunity to educate those who are new to the Craft while reminding the experienced of the special meaning of the ritual. Remember that these rituals may be the only Sabbats or Esbats some people ever attend, so strive to keep it enjoyable, educational, meaningful, succinct, and engaging.
Ann Moura was raised in a family oral tradition of Green Witchcraft and has subsequently presented public rituals and taught about her Craft in workshops and seminars.
Illustrator: Tim Foley
Necklace Numerology
Donald Tyson
Sometimes you may want a charm that does not look like a charm, so that you can wear it in plain sight all the time without having to sidestep questions about it. As you probably know, you cannot talk about the purpose for which a charm is made, or you will destroy the working of the charm. Hiding a charm in plain sight can be accomplished through something I call necklace numerology.
The
