If you are a solo practitioner, you don’t have to follow these coven base rituals, but feel free to modify these to suit yourself in your own solo practice. If you are new to celebrating these holidays, try and integrate something each year into your existing celebrations. Also, if other members of your family are practising another religion, sometimes adding some level of symbol to your home, can make you feel like you are practising paganism without flaunting it in people’s faces, yet you can still feel Pagan.
Tools:
- pentacle or wheel symbol – The Symbol of the Wheel may be a plain disc, or an eight spoked wheel, or the pentacle. Alex and Maxine Sanders used a circular mirror with a broad frame, also circular, decorated as a twelve- pointed star.
- candles (or fire of some type)
- wand
- scourge
- cakes & wine
Preparation:
A Symbol of the Wheel is on the altar, flanked with burning candles, or with fire in some form – torches, or small tripods with fire in their cups.
In the centre of the Circle is either a cauldron full of inflammable material, or (out of doors) a bonfire ready to be lit.
HPS casts the Circle.
HPS then stands in the West, and the HP in the East, both with carrying wands.
HPS:
“We kindle this fire today
In the presence of the Holy Ones,
Without malice, without jealousy, without envy, Without fear of aught beneath the Sun
But the High Gods.
Thee we invoke, O Light of Life;
Be thou a bright flame before us,
Be thou a guiding star above us,
Be thou a smooth path beneath us;
Kindle thou within our hearts
A flame of love for our neighbours,
To out foes, to our friends, to our kindred all, To all men on the broad earth;
O merciful Son of Cerridwen,
From the lowliest thing that liveth,
To the Name which is highest of all.”
HPS then draws invoking pentagram before the HP and then hands the Wand to him, together with the scourge.
The Maiden strikes a light and hands it to the High Priest, who lights the cauldron or bonfire. He (carrying a wand) and the High Priestess (carrying a sistrum) lead the dance, with the rest following in couples. Each couple must leap over the fire. The last couple over the fire before it goes out must be well purified. The man must then give a fivefold kiss to each of the women, as the woman to the men, or any other penalty the HPS shall decide.
Cakes and wine shall follow.