The Meaning Of The Great Rite

The Great Rite: Wiccan Ritual Sex

Simply put, the great rite is the symbolic or actual representation of the insertion of the penis into the vagina. On rare occassions this is marked by the High Priestess and High Priest engagine in sex, almost always away from the view of other coveners. In traditions where the actual Great Rite is practiced, the high priestess and high priest are usually a husband and wife paring outside of the sacred circle as well.

The more common form of the rite involves the priest or person acting as priest placing the athame (ritual dagger) in the chalice. Usually this is accompanied by a ritual litany, reciting the role of the God and Goddess in Wiccan mythology and their role of completion as one being. In some traditions, this particular ceremony is used to emphasise the roles, polarities and differences between men and women. These tend to be the more hierarchical traditions. In eclectic groups, this rite is used less frequently and often has a less definitive meaning: the purpose of the rite becomes more reflective of the yin/yang principles rather than a definition of male and female roles in the universe.

This ritual, both actual and symbolic, is considered one of the most sacred acts of Wiccan tradition. Partners for it are chosen with great care, even for the symbolic rite because it is believed that the union of energies will also involve on some levels a near-karmic exchange. All sex between pagans is considered sacred, and this form of sex or sexual expression particularly sacred because it is considered the act of the God and Goddess: the ultimate of male and female creative energy coming together for that ritual.

The implications of the Great Rite and its meaning to Wicca are pretty simple: most traditions of Wicca are fertility religions, with fertility being focused on the Earth and on human creativity rather than human procreativity. Sex is considered the most sacred and most healing act to occur between two people: when two partners are in orgasm, they are in an altered state most directly associated with the creative bliss or the "big bang" of the Lord and Lady.

The energy raised by the Great Rite is usually focused on attuning the practitioners to the cycles of the Earth and raising their awareness and connection to divinity. On some occassions, this ritual is also used for healing in emergency purposes. The energy generated from this particular practice is considered extremely powerful.

This rite is considered one of the Wiccan Mysteries for several reasons. Part of that mystery comes from the mystery of sex that many of us faced in childhood and adolescence; the seat of miracles comes in the creation of life. As human beings mature and recognize their own drives for sex and understand it as apart from the breeding season, they start to realize their connections to others in more than just a physical sense. The Great Rite emphasises that connection, just as it emphasises to some that man and woman are not truly seperate from one another.

Wicca, to my knowledge, is one of the only religions that solemnizes sex as part of its liturgy and openly celebrates it as the source of creation. This honesty is part of what attracted me to the religion:the balanced attitude towards sex. Sex is a sacred act no matter whether in or outside of the circle, and because of its sanctity should be approached with honor, love and mutual consent. The Great Rite emphasises how sex is at its very best; the Lord and Lady are equal partners and equally responsible for the existence and formation of the world.

This is a solemn ritual, and a joyous one. It is in the mind of many Wiccans the way sex should be.