Short but
simple!! From The Real Witches' Coven by Kate West
It is a good
idea to give your Coveners plenty of time to think about this Ritual.
It centers around identifying what you have been given, whether by
others or by the Goddess and God, whether tangible or otherwise, and what
you have done, or need to do, to repay this.
In this time when advertisers and the media encourage us to focus on
what we do not have and what is bad in the world.
I find that even experienced Witches sometimes forget the simplest
but best of gifts: sunshine, health, new interests, friends, the love of
their children or pets, progress in the Craft, the fellowship of the Coven,
or even the goodwill of their High Priestess!
It is also easy to think of repaying debts as being in terms of goods
and money, rather than in terms of time and effort spent.
If granny has been there to do the babysitting them, rather then
buying a bunch of flowers, why not help her clear her garden in preparation
for winter? If your best friend
helped you through a crisis, rather than a pint in the pub why not offer to
help them bathe their dog? If
the Old Ones aided you in your magic then perhaps you can repay them by
joining a tree planting program?
You may find
that you want to give your Coveners some help in preparing for this Ritual,
perhaps during a training session.
Everyone should be encouraged to think of as many things as possible
for this Ritual, for it is a way of clearing the decks for winter.
Ideally, they should try to ensure that they repay as many of their
debts as possible in advance of the Ritual, so that the Sabbat itself is an
affirmation of what they have done, rather than leaving them with a long
list of what they have not done.
Once everyone
has arrived for the Ritual, give them each several slips of paper and get
them to write the things they have to give thanks for on one side and the
ways they have repaid these, or intend to repay these on the other side.
If that have other “debts” to repay, or other unfinished business,
such as unresolved quarrels, or old guilty feelings, they should treat these
in a similar way. They are to
take these slips of paper into the Circle with them.
In the center of the Circle have a cauldron, or other fireproof
vessel, with an unlit night light in it.
If you do not have a suitable vessel then, instead of burning the
slips of paper, they should be torn into several pieces and kept until they
can be burnt, buried or scattered safely later.
After the
Sabbat Introduction, the High Priestess steps forward and says:
She lights a
taper from the Altar candle, approaches the Cauldron and says:
She steps back. One by one each person places in the fire the slips which represent completed business. Note that uncompleted “payments” should be kept aside until they have been dealt with. The High Priestess then steps forward again and says:
Each person
now steps forward and expresses what they intend to do to honor the Goddess
and the God. This can be taking
on a new line of study in the Craft, working towards helping the land or the
people in their Circle or community, or some other task that they will
dedicate to the Goddess and the God.
Have someone make a note of each of these promises as they are made.
When everyone has finished the High Priestess says:
The Ritual now moves on to the Rite of Cakes and Ale.