Dark & New Moon: Combined Ritual

Lady Amhranai
http://home.talkcity.com/gaiaway/lady_amhranai
http://home.talkcity.com/gaiaway/coven_of_ancients

This ritual is meant to be done on the crux between the Dark and New Moons (see any farmers or witches almanac to find out when. I suggest the "Witches Calendar"). Many people would never think to put the two together. They have been combined here because we can both rid ourselves of negatives (the dark moon) and bring in the new (the new moon) all at one time. Some people like to keep them separate, but you may find time where this is very useful.Please remember that this is only a sample ritual, and that each one really needs to be personalized in order to develop your spirituality and further yourself down your own chosen path! It is also a solitary ritual and would have to be altered for coven use.

Create the magick circle. Quietly and sombrely trace the circle widdershins (counter clockwise, as opposed to deosil, this is a time of banishing) sprinkling some salt throughout the boundaries of your sacred space. Some like to circle this three times.

Stand directly in the center of the ritual space. Calm yourself and do a little deep breathing. When you are ready, proceed to the North and begin calling the elements to join you.

Facing the North, hold your arms straight down to the earth and say,

"Great Guardians of the North, holder of the element of earth, join me here in this circle for the observance of the crux of the dark to the new moon. Be the keeper of this, the first quarter of my circle on this night! I welcome you with open arms, and open mind, and an open heart. I thank you! Welcome and Blessed Be."

Slowly make your way to the West. Facing West, embrace yourself with your arms warmly and say,

"Great Guardians of the West, holder of the element of water, join me here in this circle for the observance of the crux of the dark to the new moon. Be the keeper of this, the second quarter of my circle on this night! I welcome you with open arms, and open mind, and an open heart. I thank you! Welcome and Blessed Be."

Again slowly make your way to the South. Facing South, raise your arms straight out to either side of you and say,

"Great Guardians of the South, holder of the element of fire, join me here in this circle for the observance of the crux of the dark to the new moon. Be the keeper of this, the third quarter of my circle on this night! I welcome you with open arms, and open mind, and an open heart. I thank you! Welcome and Blessed Be."

Finally, slowly make your way to the East. Facing East, raise your arms straight above you and say,

"Great Guardians of the East, holder of the element of air, join me here in this circle for the observance of the crux of the dark to the new moon. Be the keeper of this, the final quarter of my circle on this night! I welcome you with open arms, and open mind, and an open heart. I thank you! Welcome and Blessed Be."

Stand directly in the center of the circle, arms raised high above your head, and say,

"Holy Keepers of Balance, holders of spirit, the point between all elements, join me here in this circle for the observance of the crux of the dark to the new moon. This is very much your time, where the lunar month is perfectly balanced between cycles. Teach me your mystical ways on this very holy night, and help me to further know my own spirituality, and the mysticism which surrounds me. Welcome and Blessed Be."

At your altar, facing any direction and using a comfortable position, call upon the gods to join you.

"Holy God, father of our existence, I call upon you this night. This is the time you are making the very important transition from Sage, to Sun King! A transition needed to guide the world through each cylce of life. Show me your gifts so that I may fully learn from them. Teach me more about myself, by teaching me more about you. I thank you for your prescence this holy night, and I ask you to stay as I observe this holy lunar festival. I greet you with open arms, an open mind, and an open heart. Welcome and Blessed be."

Take a minute to calm/think before you go on. Take a second to feel the prescence of the God. When you are ready, call the Goddess, saying,

"Great Goddess, mother of all, I call upon you this night. This is the time you are making the very important transition from Crone to Maiden! A transition needed to guide the world through each cylce of life. Teach me more about myself, by teaching me more about you. I thank you for your prescence on this very holy night and I ask you to stay, so that we may celebrate this, your holy festival. I greet you with open arms, an open mind, and an open heart. Welcome and Blessed Be."

When you are ready (take a minute) sit in the center of the circle. Contempate the things in your life you wish to rid yourself of. Really concentrate about whether you should rid yourself of those things, and if perhaps there are other, more pressing concerns to rid yourself of. Focus on this deeply and draw a mental image of it. From this point you can either draw this image, and burn it, offering it to the gods to use and disperse among the universe, or some other action to help yourself be rid of this. Often a physical action, representing a wanted result, makes the result that much easier to achieve. It is called sympathetic Magick.

This is the time of introspection, and of learning from both the Crone and the Maiden. Gather your thoughts, calm yourself into a near meditative state. Standing in front of your altar, slowly light a black and a white candle and say,

"Great Hecate, holy Innana be here with me now. Grant me your wisdom, and teach me your holiest of secrets, saved only for the dedicated. Show me your true will, and reveal to me your many faces. Show me the time of balance between dark and light, life and death. Please teach to me the secrets of the great balance between the cycles, and grant me the wisdom of your very being"

Extinguish all other candles from the circle, let alone the two candles. Holding your arms above you, first allow Hecate's prescence to enter into your body slowly. DON'T rush this in any way! Feel her wisdom, feel the experience of death for renewal. Live the end of the cycle through her. Slowly, and quietly at first begin to chant,

"Great Hecate, show me your being, grant me the way"

Next allow Innana's prescence to enter into your body slowly. Feel her playfulness and the life she brings. Feel through her the transition into life.Slowly, and quietly at first begin to chant,

"Great Innana, show me your being, grant me the way"

until it builds up. Build it up until you are ready (by this point you should feel dazed!) but remember not to over do it. When you are done, fall to the ground, place your hands there and allow the excess energy to run freely into the ground. Take some time, this is very important!

Take some time to focus on what you would like to begin in your life. Visualize it, work spellcrafting for it, etc. Be sure that what you want is also what you need. Be sure to thank the Gods when asking for anything. This is also a great time to dedicate yourself to some new path, or new venture.

Use this time to dance, sing, chant, and most of all play! This is a youthful exuberant time, use it to remind yourself of who and what you are. Learn to see the world around you as a child does. This is a great time for clay and crafts, instruments and drumming (and alone it can really be a blast). There is a story of one women, who every new moon, threw off her clothes and danced the circle skyclad, nearly in a frenzy. This was an important time, she said, to get in touch with her youthful, maiden, innocent side. To learn to love her body again. (She was 73! If we could all learn like that!)

Remember to celebrate and take some time to commune with the Gods. When you are done, meditate on what you have experienced and learned. Allow the Crone and Maiden to guide you through this meditation.

When you are ready, come out of the meditative state (take as long as you need). Slowly raise yourself (you will be tired!), and light a few illuminating candles. Extinguish the black and white candles, saying,

"Hecate and Innana, I thank you for the wisdom you have bestowed, and am forever grateful for your teachings. I hope to walk down this path with you again! Blessed Be."

Place your focus on your cakes and ale (substitutes are almost always required here, bread and juice or mild (for the moon) are excellent replacements). Taking the cakes in your right hand, say aloud,

"I bless this food, fruit of the earth, body of the goddess. Great God and Goddess, holy Guardians of the quarters, I ask you to partake in this feasting with me, on this night. Blessed be."

Eat some of the food, eat what you need. Leave some to later put outside for the animals (what we take from the earth, we must try to give back again). Take up the ale/wine in your right hand an say,

"I bless this drink, holy nectar of the earth, life blood of existence. Great God and Goddess, holy Guardians of the quarters, I ask you to partake in this feasting with me, on this night. Blessed be."

Drink some of the liquid, saving some for later. While you drink it, imagine the pure cleansing energy of it flowing into you. Take some time to truly appreciate your experience on this night. When you are ready take some time to personally thank and bid farewell to the elements, starting with North and ending with East. If you notice we begin by using acts of the dark moon, and end with acts of the new, and it can be quite confusing to close and open the circle in the same direction! After this is finished, thank and bid farewell to the God and Goddess, remembering that without them, you would not be here.

Slowly open the circle again. You have finished the ritual, and might want to take some "down time" recording what you can remember of the meditation, as well as any other feelings or teachings you gained from this night. Above all, RELAX!