Drawing Down the Moon

In this ritual the Goddess becomes incarnate in the HighPriestess. The High Priestess stands in front of the altar with her back to it. She holds the wand in her right hand and the scrounge in her left. She crosses her wrists and crosses the wand and scrounge above them while holding them close to her breast. The High Priest stands in front of her and says:

"Diana, queen of night
In all your beauty bright,
Shine on us here,
And with your silver beam
Unlock the gates of dream;
Rise bright and clear.
On Earth and sky and sea,
Your magic mystery
Its spell shall cast,
Wherever leaf may grow,
Wherever tide may flow,
Till all be past.
O secret queen of power,
At this enchanted hour
We ask your boon.
May fortune's favor fall
Upon true witches all,
O Lady Moon!"

The High Priest kneels before the High Priestess and gives herthe Five Fold Kiss; that is, he kisses her on both feet, both knees, womb, both breasts, and the lips, starting with the right of each pair. He says, as he does this:

"Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways.
Blessed be thy knees, that shall kneel at the sacred altar.
Blessed be thy womb, without which we would not be.
Blessed be thy breasts, formed in beauty.
Blessed be thy lips, that shall utter the Sacred Names."

For the kiss on the lips, they embrace, length to length, with their feet touching each others. When he reaches the womb, she spreads her arms wide, and the same after the kiss on the lips.The High Priest kneels again and invokes:

"I invoke thee and call upon thee, Mighty Mother of us all,
bringer of all fruitfulness; by seed and root,
by bud and stem, by leaf and flower and fruit,
by life and love do I invoke thee to descend upon the body of this,
thy servant and priestess."

During this invocation he touches her with his right forefinger on her right breast, left breast, and womb, repeats the set and finally the right breast. Still kneeling, he spreads his arms out and down, with the palms forward and says:

"Hail Aradia! From the Amalthean Horn
Pour forth thy store of love; I lowly bend
Before thee, I adore thee to the end,
With loving sacrifice thy shrine adore.
Thy foot is to my lip
(he kisses her right foot)
my prayer up borne
Upon the rising incense smoke; then spend
Thine ancient love, O Mighty One, descend
To aid me, who without thee am forlorn."

The High Priest stands up and steps backwards. The HighPriestess draws the Invoking Pentagram of Earth in the air with the wand and says:

"Of the Mother darksome and divine
Mine the scrounge, and mine the kiss;
The five point star of love and bliss
Here I charge you in this sign."

The High Priestess should be in a trance now. This is a good time to do the Charge or the Witches' Creed.

When the Charge or Creed is finished, the Goddess must be dismissed. It is bad magical practice not to do so.

The High Priest faces the Priestess and says:

"We thank you Our Lady for attending our rites. We bid you farewell till
next we call you. Blessed Be."

Farrar, Janet and Stewart; "Eight Sabbats For Witches"; Robert Hale 1983 and dismissal added by Seastrider. Distributed over various BBS systems via Ravensong.


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