Wiccan Rede

Bide the Wiccan law ye must, in perfect love and perfect trust;
Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill;
‘An ye harm none, do as ye will’;
Lest in self-defense it be, ever mind the rule of three;
Follow this with mind and heart;
And merry ye meet and merry ye part.

Esbat Ritual

Needs:
Everything needed to cast a Circle,
Wand, Scourge, Priestess' Athame
Priest (HP) , Priestess(HPS)

Here is the sequence of modules in a standard Esbat ritual.

Cast Circle
(Optional: rare) Declaim Ancient Call
Drawing Down the Moon
Charge
(Optional: rare) HP declaims Ancient Call
Great God Cernunnos Invocation (generally omitted if Drawing Down the Sun)
Witches' Rune (or other circle chant, eg. Ancient Call)
Cone of Power
Insert optional Circle work here (eg. Sabbat ritual)
Wine Blessing
Cake Blessing
Relax and chat; Coven business discussion, teaching, etc.
Close Circle

NOTES
A "standard" BOS usually lists its owner's standard modules so that they follow each other, and
optional pieces are probably given seperately with no written explanation of how to put things
together.

Obviously, the term "modules" is not traditional.
There are a large number of published sources for the Esbat ritual as a whole.

The Witches' Rune

Darksome night and shining moon,
Hearken to the witches' rune.
East, then south, west then north,
Here come I to call the forth.
Earth and water, air and fire,
Work ye unto my desire.
Wand and Pentacle and Sword
Hearken ye unto my word.
Cords and Censer, Scourge and Knife,
Waken all ye into life.
Powers of the Witches Blade,
Come ye as the charm is made.
Queen of Heaven, Queen of Hell,
Lend your aid unto the spell.
Horned Hunter of the Night,
Work my will by magic rite.
By all the power of land and sea,
As I do will, so mote it be.
By all the might of moon and sun,
Chant the spell and be it done.

NOTES
The original was written by Doreen Valiente, and is rather different
(verses are arranged in an ABAB rhyme scheme:

Darksome night and shining moon,
East, then south, west then north,
Hearken to the witches' rune.
Here come I to call the forth.
instead of in couplets); this is unlikely be found in its original form in a "standard" North American
Gardnerian or Alexandrian BOS. (It seems to have been changed fairly early in its history.)
See Janet and Stewart Farrar's The Witches' Way (as usual) for historical details.
See the following (and many more) for published versions:
Janet and Stewart Farrar The Witches' Way
Janet and Stewart Farrar Eight Sabbats For Witches
Stewart Farrar What Witches Do
The Grimoire of Lady Sheba

The Charge
(prose version)

HP stands to HPS's left; both face Coven.
HP:
Listen to the words of the Great Mother; she who of old was also
called among men Artemis, Astarte, Athene, Dione, Melusine,
Aphrodite, Cerridwen, Cybele, Arianrhod, Isis, Dana, Bride and
by many other names. At her altars the youth of Lacedaemon in
Sparta made due sacrifice.
HPS:
Whenever ye have need of anything, once in the month, and better
it be when the moon is full, then shall ye assemble in some secret
place and adore the spirit of me, who am Queen of all the
witcheries. There shall ye assemble, ye who are fain to learn all
sorcery, yet have not won its deepest secrets; to these will I teach
things that are yet unknown. And ye shall be free from slavery;
and as a sign that ye be really free, ye shall be naked in your rites;
and ye shall dance, sing, feast, make music and love, all in my
praise. For mine is the ecstasy of the spirit, and mine also is joy on
earth; for my law is love unto all beings. Keep pure your highest
ideal; strive ever towards it; let naught stop you or turn you aside.
For mine is the secret door which opens upon the Land of Youth,
and mine is the cup of the wine of life, and the Cauldron of
Cerridwen, which is the Holy Grail of immortality. I am the
Gracious Goddess, who gives the gift of joy unto the heart of man.
Upon earth, I give the knowledge of the spirit eternal; and beyond
death, I give peace and freedom and reunion with those who have
gone before. Nor do I demand aught in sacrifice; for behold, I am
the Mother of all living, and my love is poured out upon the earth.
HP:
Hear ye the words of the Star Goddess; she in the dust of whose
feet are the hosts of heaven, and whose body encircles the
Universe.
HPS:
I who am the beauty of the green earth, and the white Moon
among the stars, and the mystery of the waters, and the desire of
the heart of man, call unto thy soul. Arise, and come unto me. For
I am the soul of nature, who gives life to the universe. From me all
things proceed, and unto me all things must return; and before
my face, beloved of Gods and of men, let thine innermost divine
self be enfolded in the rapture of the infinite. Let my worship be
within the heart that rejoiceth; for behold, all acts of love and
pleasure are my rituals. And therefore let there be beauty and
strength, power and compassion, honour and humility, mirth and
reverence within you. And thou who thinkest to seek for me, know
thy seeking and yearning shall avail thee not unless thou knowest
the mystery; that if that which thou seekest thee findest not within
thee, thou wilt never find it without thee. For behold, I have been
with thee from the beginning; and I am that which is attained at
the end of desire.

NOTES
Lots of published sources eg. Janet and Stewart Farrar's The Witches' Way

The Charge

(verse version)

HPS:
All ye assembled in my sight,
Bow before my spirit bright.
Aphrodite, Arionrhod,
Lover of the Horned God,
Mighty Queen of Witchery and night.
Morgan, Etoine, Nisene,
Diana, Bridgid, Melusine,
Am I named of old by men.
Artemis and Cerridwen,
Hell's dark mistress, Heaven's Queen.
Ye who would ask of me a rune,
Or who would ask of me a boon,
Meet me in some secret glade,
Dance my round in greenwood shade,
By the light of the full moon.
In a place wild and lone,
Dance about mine altar stone;
Work my holy mystery.
Ye who are feign to sorcery,
I bring ye secrets yet unknown.
No more shall ye know slavery,
Who give true worship unto me.
Ye who tread my round on Sabbat night,
Come ye all naked to the rite,
In token that ye be really free.
I teach ye the mystery of rebirth,
Work ye my mysteries in mirth.
Heart joined to heart and lip to lip,
Five are the points of fellowship,
That bring ye ecstasy on earth,
For I am the circle of rebirth.
I ask no sacrifice, but do bow,
No other Law but love I know,
By naught but love may I be known.
All things living are mine own,
From me they come, to me they go.

NOTES
Lots of published sources eg. Grimoire of Lady Sheba
Originally written by Doreen Valiente for GBG. That version was somewhat different from the
one given here. See Doreen Valiente's The Rebirth of Witchcraft.

Drawing Down the Moon

Needs:
Wand, Scourge, Priestess' Athame
Priest, Priestess
Follows: Casting Circle, Witches' Rune
Next: The Charge
HPS stands in God position in N. before altar, holding scourge and athame.
Coveners are in S. facing altar.
HP kneels before HPS and salutes her with the Fivefold kiss (as he kisses her womb, she opens into
blessing position).
HP again kneels before HPS who stands in Goddess positon (right foot slightly forward). HP invokes
the Goddess, saying:
HP:
I invoke thee and call upon thee,
Mighty Mother of us all, (touch right breast)
bringer of all fruitfulness; (touch left breast)
by seed and root, (touch womb)
by stem and bud, (touch right breast)
by leaf and flower and fruit,
by life and love (touch womb)
do I invoke (raising wand)
thee to descend upon the body
of this thy servant and priestess.
Here, speak with her tongue,
touch with her hands,
kiss with her lips,
that thy servants may be fulfilled.
As he invokes, HP touches HPS gently with wand upon R. breast, L. breast, womb and upon the same
three places again.
As he finishes the invocation, he spreads his arms in adoration (still kneeling) and says:
HP:
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 adorn.
Thy foot is to my lip [kiss], my prayers upborne
Upon the rising incense smoke; then spend
Thine ancient love, O Mighty One, descend
To aid me, who without thee am forlorn.
HP stands and takes a step back. All adore in silence as HPS traces invoking Earth pentagram in air
before them with athame, saying:
HPS:
Of the Mother, darksome and divine,
Mine the scourge, and mine the kiss,
The five-point star of love and bliss -
Here I charge you, in this sign.
This completes Drawing Down the Moon. HPS and HP now face the Coven and deliver the Charge.

NOTES
l Lots of published sources eg. Janet and Stewart Farrar's The Witches' Way

The Ancient Call

May be used as a circle chant, or declaimed (generally by HP) generally either before the Great God
Cernunnos Invocation, or before the Witches' Rune.

HP raises his arms wide and says:
HP: (First three verses are sometimes dropped)
Eko, Eko, Azarak
Eko, Eko, Zamilak
Eko, Eko, Cernunnos,
Eko, Eko, Aradia
Eko, Eko, Azarak
Eko, Eko, Zamilak
Eko, Eko, Cernunnos,
Eko, Eko, Aradia
Eko, Eko, Azarak
Eko, Eko, Zamilak
Eko, Eko, Cernunnos,
Eko, Eko, Aradia
Bagabi laca bachabe
Lamac cahi achababe
Karelyos!
Lmaca lamac bachalyos
Cabahagi sabalyos
Baryolas!
Lagoz atha cabyolas
Samahac atha famyolas
Hurrahya!
HPS and coven repeat:
Hurrahya!

NOTES
Lots of published sources for this one, in several variants
Michael Harrison's The Roots of Witchcraft attempts to explain it.
Other published sources include:
The Grimoire of Lady Sheba
Janet and Stewart Farrar's Eight Sabbats for Witches

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