The first step in any ritual is creating Sacred Space. Sacred Space is a cleansed and consecrated area used for ritual/magickal proposes. A sacred space can be created anywhere, if done properly.

Any spot in nature, be it forest, park, beach, desert or back yard, is naturally sacred, and therefore will not need to be cleansed. However, Sacred Space can also be created anywhere with preparation -- you can even designate yourself as sacred space (see ritual at end of lesson).

One thought to keep in mind. A ritual doesn't begin when you cast a circle; it starts when you first think about doing a ritual. The moment the intentions come to mind, the energies required to fulfill them begin to manifest. The ritual has already begun as you begin to set up. So keep your mind focused on your task at hand throughout preparation.

Sacred Space is usually created in three steps:

1. Physical cleaning;
2. Astral cleaning and
3. Erecting a Sacred Circle. .

Physical cleaning is just that. It gives you a chance to allow your physical space, body and mind to transition from the mundane to spiritual.

Clear away the dust and dirt from the mundane world of your working space so that it doesn't interfere with your magickal workings. Take a ritual bath (or shower) or let a breeze wash away negativity. Add some salt and the appropriate oil or herbs to your bath, not only to purify you but to also start setting "the mood" for the work you are about to do.

As to what oils and herbs you use, that would depend on what your goal is. Some people use herbs to cleanse and purify themselves. Others let the running water purify them and then use herbs related the ritual itself (i.e. - when planning a love ritual, you might want to take a milk bath and add some rose petals to it or use peppermint and eucalyptus for a healing bath).
Note: When using essential oils or herbs, familiarize yourself with any risks associated with usage. Just because something is "natural," it does not mean that it cannot also be dangerous to ingest or allow contact with skin, eyes or mucus membranes. This goes not only for you, but other people and creatures who might be effected - such as children and pets.

Also take this time to purify your thoughts as well. It is a good idea to do this before setting up your altar or any other ritual items in the space.

Astral cleaning is done to rid the space of negative energy and psychic "dirt." This is traditionally done with a besom, the Witch's broom used only for this purpose. The besom is usually made from birch and willow, but any broom consecrated or blessed for this purpose will be fine.

You don't actually have to touch the floor with the bristles while you sweep; this cleansing is for energy, not dust bunnies. If you don't own a besom or you feel like you need extra cleaning, bless and consecrate the space by walking deosil (clockwise) around the circle, sprinkling salt water and/or burning a purifying incense or a sage smudge stick (representing all four elements). Be sure to smudge yourself or sprinkle some salt water on yourself as well.

Some of the commonly used purification herbs include: Anise, Alkanet, Arabic Gum, Asafoetida, Avens, Basil, Bay, Benzoin, Birch, Blessed Thistle, Bloodroot, Camphor, Chamomile, Coconut, Copal, Dandelion, Elder, Euphorbia, Fennel, Hemlock, Horseradish, Hyssop, Iris, Lavender, Lemon, Lemon Verbena, Parsley, Peppermint, Rosemary, Sage, Sagebrush, Sandalwood, Sea salt , Shallot , Thistle (Holy), Thyme, Tobacco, Turmeric, Valerian root, White Sage, Yucca
Consecration: Anise, Anise Star, Clover, Frankincense, Myrrh, Pennyroyal, White Sage

Note about burning herbs or using fire in any form during a ritual: Make sure you do so in a fire-proof container big enough to contain the flames. I suggest keeping some water nearby just in case. Always be careful when dealing with fire in any form. Many a witch has a story to share that involves ritual flames gone awry.

Now your space is clean and you are ready to begin your work. Erect your altar and/or arrange your tools and props.

This is also the time for two optional activities. The Lesser Banishing Ritual and an altar devotion. Neither of these are a necessity. Some Witches do these with every ritual; others never do it. Again, the choice is yours.
The Lesser Banishing Ritual is actually a form of Hebrew High (also called Ceremonial) Magick and is associated with the Kabala. Some Witches use this as a quick form of cleansing an area and banishing all negativity.

An altar devotion usually involves the use of all four elements to cast out negativity that may be lingering on the altar. Some Witches do it with every ritual; others never do it. Because it can be a long process and is optional, I will not get into it here. But if it is something you are interested in, you can find altar devotions in many Wiccan books or online.

And lastly, but most importantly is Casting a Sacred Circle (which will be covered in Lesson 2)

Exercises:

1. Close your eyes and visualize your perfect ritual space. Where is it? What does it look like? What can you see? What do you hear? Use all your senses. What is the temperature like? Is there a breeze? This is your space - it is not limited to the rules of nature. Go wild. Either write a description of your ideal sacred space or create a picture of it.

2. The altar is the focal point to any ritual. What type of altar will you use? Do you have a permanent one or a portable one? What will you put on it and where? What if anything, do you want to add to it with time? Write a paragraph describing your ideal altar. (There is no right or wrong answer).

Casting the Sacred Circle

Casting a circle is very important. I don't know of any Witch who practices magick or holds rituals outside of one. The purpose of the circle is two fold: mainly to keep the energy you are rising in until you choose to release it and to keep all the negative (or just impish) energy out.

About the quarters and elements

Quarters, guardians, elements, etc., offer an extra layer to your circle and spell work. Once again, this is an area of great diversity for Witches as to what you do when you call a quarter.

The four elements of nature: Earth, Air, Fire and Water are the very foundations of creation and the basis of life itself. Add these elements to Spirit and you have the five points that create the pentagram. These elements are each representational to a cardinal direction, which is referred to as a quarter: East-Air, South-Fire, West-Water, North-Earth (and self-center).

Exercise 1

Take a moment and think about each direction that you studied in Lesson #4 and the element it represents. Write a paragraph on what each direction/element symbolizes to you. Let your intuition guide you on this; don't over think it. What correspondences are you drawn to? What images to the directions and elements conjure? Do you want to work with the elementals, angels or other spirits associated with them? If so which and why?

This is going to give you your base connection to each element. This will be your building block for your relationship with it. There is no right or wrong answer.

For a deeper connection to the elements, try to do a mediation for each direction/ element. Be sure to face that direction during the meditation. (This portion is not required but can be a powerful experience.)

Exercise 2

How do you (or will you) represent the quarters and elements on your altar? Write a paragraph explaining your choices.

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Calling the Quarters

The quarters correspond to the four elements and the four cardinal directions as well as the powers, spirits, energies, characteristics, elementals, totems, angels, and guardians associated with that direction.

When calling the quarters, some Witches call on the powers of the elements. Others call on elementals. Some call on angels. Some on guardians. Some have calls so long and extensive that they invite EVERYONE to the circle. That is not necessary.

When I began doing rituals, I started out with the basics: the direction and the element. As I became more involved in ritual work and I began to learn more about the quarters, I began incorporating other energies into my quarter calls. Again, do what you feel comfortable with and feel free to change it as you grow.

Before calling the quarters, you need to decide: 1 - Who are you inviting and 2- What will their job be? To protect? To guard? To join in? To aid?

Make sure your wording properly reflects what you are asking of the quarters. For example, if you are doing a Sabbat ritual, you may want to simply invite the quarters to join in celebration. However, if you were doing serious spell work during an Esbats, you might ask them to guard your sacred space or to aid you in your magickal workings.

Note: I used the word "ask" on purpose. There are a few witches who demand or summon or call forth the quarters and the Goddess and God. I much prefer to invite these spirits into my circle. Think about it; how much help would you want to offer someone who demanded your presences instead of kindly inviting you in. And after all, we are mere mortals; it probably won't be in our best interest to demand anything from the spirit realm.

Calling the quarters can be as elaborate as you want it to be. Besides deciding who you are calling upon, you can also decide whether or not you want to mark their arrival in your circle. Some people light an appropriately colored candle for each quarter as they are called. Others ring a bell three times. Some simply offer them a "hail and welcome."

Another thing to think about is how you physically call them. Do you use your athame or wand? Do you speak out loud? Do you close your eyes? Do you stand with your hands out at your side, palms up? Do you hold your hands out? Do you salute them? Again, there is no right or wrong way. Do what comes naturally. But take not of how you do it as it may give you an indication of how your direct energy.

Depending on tradition or how you feel, Quarter Calling usually begins in the East or the North and moves clockwise.

As with casting the circle, if you are unsure of where to begin, look in your books or online for some sample callings. Do you like them? How could you change them to make them your own?

Exercise 3

Write two sets of quarter calls: One for a celebration ritual and one for a working ritual. Why did you choose your wording? Which energies did you call upon and why?

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Closing the Quarters

As with everything else, what you open must also be closed. Before you finish your ritual, you must thank whomever you called upon from the quarters and then close the quarters.

Note: Again, be aware of your word choice. You want to thank the energy here, not "dismiss" it. Do not presume to be mightier than the energy around you.

The most common way to close the quarters is to walk around the circle widdershins (counter clockwise) beginning with the last quarter called and thank each representative for coming and extinguish the candle representing that quarter. Like the circle casting, you want to do the opposite for thanking the quarters that you did for inviting them. If you lit a candle at each quarter, extinguish it as you thank them. If you rang the bell on their arrival, you can also ring it on their departure.
Always be sure to offer thanks to the quarters when closing them.

Exercise 4

Write a closing to go with your quarter two calls

Exercise 5

Perform one of the quarter calls and closings you wrote. How did you do it? Did you use any props? How did you stand? Did you use tools? How did it feel? Were you comfortable?

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Parting notes: As with circle casting, don't get hung up with calling the quarters the same way every time. As you become more comfortable with this part of the ritual, you may find yourself making up calls off the top of your head. There is nothing wrong with speaking from your heart directly to the quarters or deities. It is just important that you have a good feel for the energy and symbolism of the quarters before doing so. Feel free to experiment. Eventually you will find yourself falling into a patter that works for you for calling the quarters.

Our focus this lesson is on invoking the deities into our circle and declaring our statement of purpose.

Invoking the deity/deities is a very important part of your ritual. This is where you invite the Goddess and God into your circle to watch or aid you in your Rite, where you demonstrate your willingness to open yourself to the God and Goddess.

Before you think about invoking anyone, you need to figure out what you are going to do during this ritual. This is your statement of purpose. This will dictate your choice for circle castings, quarter calls, deities etc.

Once you have a goal in mind, it is time to think about which deity/deities will work best with that goal. Do you work with just the Lady and the Lord or do you work with a particular pantheon of deities? If you work with a pantheon, which deity/deities rule over what it is you are doing in your ritual?

For instance, if you were doing a healing ritual, you may want to call on the Celtic god Bran and goddess Airmid or the Roman god Apollo. Some rituals have their deities built in. For instance, Imbolg is a ritual honoring Brigit, the goddess of light.

An important note: While you are not limited to any one pantheon in your practice, it is highly suggested that you limit yourself to one pantheon per ritual. It is not a good idea to mix and match deities within the same circle.

The basic idea behind invoking the Goddess and/or God is to invite them to come into your sacred space.

Here is an example of a basic Goddess and God call.

Goddess Mother, hear my cry.
Across the world, my spell shall fly.
To ask of thee upon this night
Please aid me in my magick Rite
Father God to thee I call
Lord of forest and oak tall.
I ask of thee upon this night,
Aid me with your magick might.

As with the quarter calls, you need to think of what it is you want the Goddess and God to do. Do you just want them to be present? Do you want their help or guidance? To you want them to aid with their power?

If you have written an invocation, make sure you have this part of your ritual memorized; it is important that you concentrate on the words you are saying, not the act of reading them.

Again, this is an area where you may eventually begin just speaking from the heart when you ask the Goddess and/or God to join you in the circle. Just remember, don't ever order a deity to do you bidding.

It is common practice to invoke the Goddess first, but again, do what feels right for you.

Exercise 1

Write two invocations for the Goddess and God: Yule is our next Sabbat. Write an invocation that could be used for that ritual. For the second ritual, write an invocation you might use if you were going to do a working circle for one of the following topics: money, love, protection, psychic ability. Include who you would call and why.

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Statement of Purpose

Now you have your deities, along with the quarters, present. The next step is to tell them why they are all here. Some Witches leave this step out. Personally, I like to state my purpose, not only to keep me focused, but also to get all the spirits and energy "on the same page."

A statement of purpose can be very simple and direct: I have asked you here tonight to help with �? Or I have invited you into my circle to join with me in the celebration of�?/FONT>

We've gotten over the bulk of the ritual work and now we are on to the fun part: magickal workings, celebrations and raising energy (which will be covered in the last lesson).

So you've cast your circle, invited everyone in, now what?

Now is the time to get to work.

If you are doing a Sabbat ritual, your ritual workings would include whatever you plan to do to mark the holiday. This might include telling the story of the turning of the Wheel of the Year, reciting a poem about the event or the deity, and/or doing a craft project or some introspective goal-setting that suits the holiday.

For example, on the Summer Solstice, one ritual might involve a pet blessing, another might involve telling the story (or acting it out) of the battle of the Holly King and the Oak King, and yet another might involve a ritual herb harvesting.

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Exercise 1

What is the next Sabbat? What would be some appropriate ritual workings to do during that time? You will find plenty of examples in books or online. List three examples and explain which one (or ones) you are drawn to and why.

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The ritual working you during an Esbat (Full Moon) ritual will be quite different. A Full Moon ritual is designed to honor the Goddess at the height of her power. Most people will incorporate a variation of Drawing Down the Moon into their ritual. This is the act of literally drawing down the Moon's energy and power into yourself.

Exercise 2

Find or write a version of Drawing Down the Moon to perform at your next Full Moon Ritual.

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The Esbat is also one of the most powerful times for spell working. This is the time to work the more complicated spells that require the extra energy of the deities and or aid of the quarters. This is the time to work your heavy duty magick.

Exercise three

Give some thought to a serious issue or magickal working you want to address during the next full moon. How can you incorporate that into your ritual? What kind of spells will you work to tackle the problem? How will you take advantage of the powerful energy of the moon?

A big part of Witchcraft is learning how to control that energy and make it change form, to direct it to work our magick or aid us in our ritual celebrations.

Being able to feel and direct energy is important. This is not something that comes easy to all, but is a skill you will acquire with time.

Exercises 1-3

What is energy? Take your hands together and rub them really fast until they get hot. Now separate them and hold them close together, palms facing each other about an inch or two apart. Do you feel that tingling? Do you feel something there, something malleable? That is energy.

You have just called your physical energy to the surface. Don't force yourself to feel it. Don 't worry if you don't feel anything. Practice a couple of times a day until you get it. And you will get it.

Once you can feel the energy in your hands, work on shaping it. Feel it change form between your hands. Slowly open the space between your hands, sending the energy from one hand to the other. Work at it until you can open your hands shoulder-width apart and send the energy back and forth. (This is where your visualization skills become helpful).

The next step in this exercise series is to try to bring that feeling of energy in your hands on command, without rubbing them together.

These exercises can take time - sometimes weeks -- to master, so don't get frustration if you don't get it immediately.

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In magick workings, you learn to draw energy on command without a second thought, whether it's pulling the energy from yourself, Earth or the Divine or raising energy in a ritual setting.

Energy can be raised for many purposes: It can be directed into your work; sent out into the universe for the good of all; sent to the deities and the spirits as an offering; sent into the earth for healing; sent into tools for power; used directly for magick and/or healing. Its uses are only limited to your imagination.

And just like its uses, the number of ways one can raise energy is also limited only to the Witches imagination. One can dance, sing, chant, drum, hum, do the spiral dance, etc.

When we talk of raising energy, we are going to create that same feeling that we did by rubbing our hands together, but on a much grander scale. This can be done alone or in a group setting. Rhythmic movement or sound is key to energy raising. You are creating energy that is vibrating and resonating around you, waiting to be directed.

Exercise 4:

Practice raising energy: I am going to give you a piece of a popular song/chat. I want to repeat it, either speaking or singing, over and over. Pay attention to the natural rhythm you are creating. Do you eventually speed up or slow down? Do you get louder or softer? Can you feel the energy growing around you?

"We all come from the Goddess and to her we shall return
Like a drop of rain, flowing to the ocean."

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Once you have raised your energy, it is time to direct it. I've listed some ways that the energy can be used earlier. It is very important that you send this energy somewhere. If you don't release it, you will end up bouncing off the walls and be left physically drained afterward (trust me on this one!).
When you are finished working with energy, it is very important to release any lingering energy and ground yourself. Otherwise, you may be bouncing off walls. Energy overload is somewhat similar to a sugar or caffeine high.
If you called then energy from the Earth, send it back. Hold your hands, palms facing the Earth and feel the energy drain from you back into the Earth. You can also direct any leftover energy into your tools. If you called the energy from within you, place your hands over your stomach and send the energy back into you. For some, simply shaking their hands gets rid of lingering energy.

Eating, especially anything carb-related, is also a great way to ground energy. That is partially why so many rituals include a small feast immediately after any magickal workings.

A Quick Review

Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached the end of the class and you are now all proficient in ritual work to write your own rituals, crafted to suit your specific needs.

Not only do you now understand how we perform the parts of a ritual, you now understand why and most importantly, you have taken the time to make each part of the ritual your own by taking steps such as learning what your energy feels and looks like when you cast a circle, who or what you will call when you open the quarters, what your personal associations with the elements are, etc.

A quick review:

Basic Ritual Outline

1. Prepare your alter for your intent
2. Purify self and space
3. Meditate to Ground & Center your focus and intent.
4. Cast a circle
5. Call the Quarters
6. Invoke the chosen deity/deities
7. Statement of purpose
8. Ritual celebration/work and raising energy
9. Offering
10. Thanks the deities
11. Close the quarters
12. Open the circle
13. Ground (if needed according to ritual) and have a Simple Feast

Never be afraid to experiment.

Try new calls, invite in a different deity, work with some additional correspondences. As long as your intent is pure, you have nothing to worry about.

Remember - "All acts of love and pleasure are my ritual." (Charge of the Goddess).