By Land, Sky & Sea (17 page)

In her righteous anger at the gods of Olympos for their unforgivable deed, Demeter withdrew her power and vitality from the earth, and the first winter arrived. The crops failed, and there was no harvest to be had for the people of the earth, so they in turn withdrew supplication to the gods. The gods of Olympos were unused to the distress and discontent of their worshippers, and inwardly many of the deities were concerned whether the lack of sacrifices would deplete their own immortal power. The gods pleaded with Zeus to send Hermes to the underworld to bargain with Hades and to have Persephone returned to the bright world above—and to Demeter.

Hermes, in his role as psychopomp (deliverer of souls), was one of the few beings who could traverse the worlds, and thus he gained entry into Hades’ realm. There he spoke in haste with Hades, who agreed it was proper that Persephone be returned to Demeter and the world above. However, before Persephone ascended, Hades gave her six pomegranate seeds, representing the six months of the year in which the waning forces would reign on the earth. He spoke his eternal love to the trim-ankled goddess, and because she had been witness to the mercy and kindness of this ill-regarded god, she knew in her heart that the flame of love had been kindled, and she could not leave Hades forever. She ate the seeds in knowledge that she would see her husband once more and that she would forever be a queen.

The goddess ascended, and so the daughter and the mother embraced, and life returned in a flourish to the lands. The spring returned and with it the warmth, light, and vitality that is abundance, fertility, and growth. Persephone was now both the goddess of the springtide as well as the awesome queen of the dead. She had become more than she had ever dreamed, and she was happy.

The Ritual of Descent:
Becoming the Circle of Rebirth

This ritual is designed as an initiatory rite that aims to facilitate the journey of the descent into the underworld. It is a highly transformative rite that should not be undertaken lightly. As with anything, I write rituals for the greater Pagan community in awareness of the multiplicity of traditions and ceremonial inclinations, so please observe each step, or instruction, as a guideline only, and feel free to embellish, delete, and change completely at will.

I will draw upon the mythos of the Crescent-Crowned Goddess to whom the WildWood Tradition gives honour; however, please use a mythos or story from a culture or deity which you are greatly inspired by or devoted to (see above for a few myths/stories relating to those who descend). This ritual blends British Traditional Witchcraft, Stregheria, and WildWood as its basis for inspiration, theme, and direction. You will also notice that this ritual does not follow the land, sky, and sea model I have developed for the affirming/celebratory ritual for each realm at the end of each part of this book. However, the three realms are definitely present in the informing cosmology of this ritual of descent. This ritual was also inspired by a WildWood priestess, Ratna Devi, who wove the banishing/empowerment exercise through the elements into a new moon ritual she designed for our inner court. It is to my beloved inner court of the Coven of the WildWood—Awen, Arione, Helona, Ratna Devi, Rowan, Luna, Meriel, Serica, and Saule—that I dedicate this ritual, and to our lady of the moon, the Crescent-Crowned Goddess.

For this ritual, human aid is very welcome; it is up to you to decide whether you feel best conducting the ritual in complete solitude or with the help of a close Pagan friend.
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Also, for a ritual of this magnitude (in terms of the facilitation of an initiatory experience), it is a wise idea to fast for the entire day leading to the ritual, which should begin as the sun starts to set. Wake just after sunrise and begin the fast.
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You will need:

• Censer (charcoal disc with a mixed incense of cypress, frankincense, myrrh, and wormwood)—to be placed
  in the air quadrant
  
• White taper candle—to be placed in the fire quadrant
  
• Chalice (filled with spring/rain/sea water)—to be placed in the water quadrant
  
• Pentacle/flowers—to be placed in the earth quadrant
  
• Crown/ivy wreath—to be placed in the centre for spirit
  
• Staff/sword—to be placed in the centre for spirit
  
• Black translucent veil (some sight is needed)
  
• Clairvoyant-clarifying eyewash (see page 92)
  
• One single flower (appropriate to both you and the deity)
  
• Hand-held mirror
  

Prepare and lay out the ritual space before the ritual begins. Just as indicated above, place each tool in the appropriate quadrant (or centre) of the circle, ensuring there is enough space for you to comfortably reside within; a diameter of 4–5 metres should work well. From here on, I will be describing the ritual directions as if another Pagan or magickal friend is assisting you in your ceremony. If you are conducting the ritual in solitude, simply adjust the directions to suit your circumstance.

As the sun begins to set, stand at the eastern point of the circle (outside) and face the west. Ground and centre as you watch the sun dip beneath the horizon, and at the moment the last rays of the day disappear, have your friend silently drape the black veil over your head so that your face is covered and vision obscured. Stand at the boundary of the eastern point of the circle, open your arms in the traditional (Wiccan) Goddess/Isis pose, and say:

I surrender to the all-encompassing darkness. I begin the descent. I call upon the blessed Lady of Moon and Magick to guide me on this path into the underworld. May the silver-led sea bless me as I journey into shadow.

Kneel and bow your head as you cross your arms in the traditional (Wiccan) God pose, and say:

I surrender to the gate of death. I am descending. I call upon the dread Lord of Death and Decay to receive me into the underworld. May the broad land bless me as I journey into shadow.

By this time, darkness should have fallen, and there is no light. Remain kneeling while your friend casts the circle and forms the space in whichever way suits your tastes and inclinations. The elements should be formally addressed here, too. As this is happening, keep silent and open to the experience that is to be found at the heart of the circle of rebirth. If you like, have your friend chant these words while casting the circle (to affirm and clarify the intent and purpose of the whole ritual):

Circle of rebirth, I conjure thee

By all that is, so blessed be

To be a space between the worlds

To bring forth spirit to unfurl.

A door, or gateway, must now be cut at the northeastern point of the circle, and you are to be admitted—once again in complete and resounding silence. Your friend may now either leave the area entirely or remain quietly outside of the circle as an observer of the rite as it unfolds. However, ensure that your assistant will be close by, as they will need to be present to help complete and seal the ritual. For now, you will be alone within the circle to meet with the dark and to be transformed and reborn.

Kneel in the centre of the circle facing the west, and once again call forth to the king of the dead:

Lord of the underworld, you are the consoler of our beloved dead who have passed and who by your grace find rest in your realms. In earnest and deep conviction, I call upon you. I call you as witness and guardian of my descent. I call unto you, for you made the first Witch, and I am a son/daughter of the spirit of the Witch. In my descent, I seek initiation once more. I seek rebirth into the ways of old and into deeper knowledge and understanding of self, and through reflection of self, wisdom of the great mystery that is the cosmos. Blessed be.

Turn to the east and kneel before the censer. Focus on a quality or trait you associate with air that you find binds you from liberation of self. Through the agent of air, let go of this quality, and in return cense yourself with the fragrant smoke as you invite in all benevolence and blessings of the spirit of air. In a deosil manner, repeat the same process with each element until you reach the centre—spirit.

To represent spirit in the centre are the crown/wreath and the staff/sword. The staff/sword should be laid down flat, with the hilt at the east and the tip of the blade at the west, running through the centre of the crown/wreath (also laid flat), which should be sitting in the centre of the circle.

Sit or kneel before these symbols of spirit and employ one of the trance techniques given in this book (or one of your own) to enter into an altered state of consciousness, which will help propel you into the realm of Death. Come fully face to face with the lord of the underworld himself, and by the rapture of his presence become entirely enfolded into his infinity. Understand the eternity of cycles and that there is always rebirth. It is said that at the climax of the Greater Eleusinian Mysteries
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in ancient Greece, the hierophant held up an ear of corn/grain and all gathered beheld the mysteries of life and death in one succinct moment of divine revelation. This too was the symbol Persephone showed to me as a farewell after I had physically visited the ancient temple grounds of Eleusis in modern-day Greece.

In the cold embrace of Death, allow yourself to die; to break apart; to dissolve into nothingness. Let the fear melt away, and become at peace with the fate that will befall us all. Let the scythe of the pale dark lord reap you, but keep eternal faith in the reality and divine truth of rebirth. Be safe in the knowledge that nothing ever truly dies; it can only transform. These truths are even enshrined in the halls of fundamental science: Newton stated that energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only change form. We are all energy.

In whichever way the initiation comes, receive it. This is your time to be. Take in the moment of eternity, and let it destroy, scatter, conjure, soothe, heal, and rebirth you. When you feel that the intensity of the experience is receding, stand, and let the veil fall. Face up towards the heavens and stretch your arms and hands upward as if to praise the All-Eternal, the Divine, and say:

I am all that there is, all that there was, and all that ever will be. By the blessings and peace of our lord of death and decay, and by the luminous guiding truth of our lady of moon and magick, am I born anew as their holy child. I am balanced by the four elements of life, and thus I have been charged by the fifth—the spirit. May the angel-lit campfires of the sky light my way and inspire me as I journey forever into eternity. Blessed be!

Using the clairvoyant-clarifying eyewash, acknowledge your divine birthright to see clearly always. Place the crown/wreath upon your head, and take up the staff/sword and affirm to yourself that you are divine and wholly within your rights to exist and to do so in happiness, peace, and wisdom.

Farewell the deities and the elements, and unravel the circle as is your way. Clap your hands together loudly three times to signal for your friend to return (make sure your friend is aware of the claps as a signal to return prior to the ritual). Your assistant will return to you with a flower in hand as a gift and a token of your rebirth into life. They will also hold a mirror facing towards you so that you are able to see, in clarity, your face and the soul that dwells beyond the eyes that see. Receive the flower with deep gratitude and keep it in water on your altar as a memory of your own descent.

Blessed be.

Initiation

If I were to come forth from the womb and speak clearly the words of wisdom and truth, would I be believed? If I were to rise with the sun at the dawn of the new day and whisper the secrets of the worlds, would I be heeded? If I were to raise the storms and bind you to my will, would I be stronger for it? If I were to promise you the glory of these gifts, would I be respected as a mighty being?

If an initiate desires any of the above, then it is quite apparent that they have only superficially crossed the threshold into the mysteries—or, rather, not done so at all. A true initiate
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is interested only in walking the path of the initiate—the never-ending journey of conscious service to the All-Self, which manifests in myriad expressions of life. Of course, the vastness (and the honest simplicity) of the implications of such a life cannot be surmised on paper or through verbal conversation alone. As those of the mysteries are apt to say, “The mysteries can only be experienced.”

Initiation means, quite simply, “to begin.” To initiate is to establish something new with blazing purpose and clear intent. To be initiated is to be born again—to have one’s eyes opened to greater understanding and intimacy with the “thatness that is.” In my tradition, a dedicant (a member of the inner court) can formally begin priest/ess training (towards their initiation) after six months of dedication. Priest/ess training generally takes six months of weekly intensives, though it never truly stops. When the priesthood (myself included) discuss the meaning of “initiation” and what it is to be initiated with Witches in priest/ess training, we make sure that it is plainly and beautifully communicated that initiation is forever; we “begin” again and again eternally. Learning never stops, and thus initiation is a forever journey. The amount of times I have felt truly initiated are numerous, and not all of them happened within a ritual/circle context.