My first Ritual
Author: Shadow Fae
Date: Friday, 17 February
Date: Friday, 17 February
I was invited to my very first Wiccan ritual in December 2008. It was a Litha Mid-Summer festival. A friend of a friend invited me. Because it was someone I had never met before, I was rather dubious to go to a ritual I knew quite little about and I really had no idea what to expect. However, my curiosity won out and I decided to be brave and go.
It was a beautiful warm summers day and on this specific day, scenery was the last thing on my mind. My mind kept wondering to what I was about to do and I couldn’t help but to wonder, what the hell I was doing, going to a strange place with people I didn’t know.
All those stories you hear about the girl that ends up sacrificed started to pop up randomly. It sounded more and more like a bad start to a horror movie. I had to fight myself not to turn my car around and go home.
I found the entrance to the address I had been given, and it was a dirt road that feels like it never ended. It seemed isolated and a ‘flee and survive’ moment popped into my head again. I stopped in front of the house, it must be it as there were quite a few cars already parked and even though you could see a main road in the distance, it still felt a bit dubious. I parked my car, took a deep breath and ventured into the unknown against my better judgement.
I walked towards the gate and was warmly greeted and invited in as if I was an old friend. There were smiles and laughter and everyone seemed so at home, relaxing on the grass, chatting together and instantly all those horror thoughts seemed to just disappear as if they were never there.
We gathered together in a group at the entrance to the ritual circle, and listened as they explained to us that we should wear our masks to confuse the Fae. Looking around as everyone donned their masks, readying themselves to enter the veil between the world of men and the Fay, they started to chant. It was mesmerising, it sounded like a strange and magickal language to me. I just couldn’t seem to grasp what was being said.
Of course, I found out much later that it was just the Goddess chant (Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Khali, Inanna) that everyone was chanting. However, at the time, to someone who didn’t know those names it seemed a lot more mysterious.
I felt excited, a nervous anticipation coursed through me as we entered the circle. We stood watching and listening as the Elements and Deity were called in. At one point, we were each given a gemstone, and was instructed that no matter what, to not lose or give this stone away. We understood that if we allowed the stone to be taken, the Fae will take us away to the land of Fae. A little chuckle escaped my lips at this. Then a few members acting as Fae tried to steal, beg and coax our stones away from us and this made me giggle even more. Logic told me that obviously, nothing would really happen if I gave up that stone, I mean, that’s just silly. But as with all things, there was that “what if” little voice that whispered to me.
This day I experienced the true mystery of magick. What if everything we had ever been told wasn’t real and didn’t exist and that witches, fairies, dragons and magick was in fact real. At that moment, it felt like anything was possible.
Suddenly, I was in the midst of raising energy. Everyone was chanting and clapping, jumping and moving. The feeling was beyond anything I have ever experienced, I felt truly elated and I couldn’t resist giggling like a little girl. I felt like crying from pure ecstasy. Just then, the High Priestess shouted “Ground” and we all dropped to the grass on our hands and knees, out of breath and completely giddy.
There was this amazing feeling that filled me as the ritual was winding down to an end and as we all left circle, I felt that a connection had been made. That these people were no longer strangers. We experienced something wonderful together.
We all feasted together in small clusters on the grass, chatting. At peace under the stars and just enjoying the company of like-minded people.
From that moment on I was hooked. I still have the stone from that day. It reminds me that any stranger can become a friend and that any one moment can completely change your life, if only you are willing to take the risk.
It was a beautiful warm summers day and on this specific day, scenery was the last thing on my mind. My mind kept wondering to what I was about to do and I couldn’t help but to wonder, what the hell I was doing, going to a strange place with people I didn’t know.
All those stories you hear about the girl that ends up sacrificed started to pop up randomly. It sounded more and more like a bad start to a horror movie. I had to fight myself not to turn my car around and go home.
I found the entrance to the address I had been given, and it was a dirt road that feels like it never ended. It seemed isolated and a ‘flee and survive’ moment popped into my head again. I stopped in front of the house, it must be it as there were quite a few cars already parked and even though you could see a main road in the distance, it still felt a bit dubious. I parked my car, took a deep breath and ventured into the unknown against my better judgement.
I walked towards the gate and was warmly greeted and invited in as if I was an old friend. There were smiles and laughter and everyone seemed so at home, relaxing on the grass, chatting together and instantly all those horror thoughts seemed to just disappear as if they were never there.
We gathered together in a group at the entrance to the ritual circle, and listened as they explained to us that we should wear our masks to confuse the Fae. Looking around as everyone donned their masks, readying themselves to enter the veil between the world of men and the Fay, they started to chant. It was mesmerising, it sounded like a strange and magickal language to me. I just couldn’t seem to grasp what was being said.
Of course, I found out much later that it was just the Goddess chant (Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Khali, Inanna) that everyone was chanting. However, at the time, to someone who didn’t know those names it seemed a lot more mysterious.
I felt excited, a nervous anticipation coursed through me as we entered the circle. We stood watching and listening as the Elements and Deity were called in. At one point, we were each given a gemstone, and was instructed that no matter what, to not lose or give this stone away. We understood that if we allowed the stone to be taken, the Fae will take us away to the land of Fae. A little chuckle escaped my lips at this. Then a few members acting as Fae tried to steal, beg and coax our stones away from us and this made me giggle even more. Logic told me that obviously, nothing would really happen if I gave up that stone, I mean, that’s just silly. But as with all things, there was that “what if” little voice that whispered to me.
This day I experienced the true mystery of magick. What if everything we had ever been told wasn’t real and didn’t exist and that witches, fairies, dragons and magick was in fact real. At that moment, it felt like anything was possible.
Suddenly, I was in the midst of raising energy. Everyone was chanting and clapping, jumping and moving. The feeling was beyond anything I have ever experienced, I felt truly elated and I couldn’t resist giggling like a little girl. I felt like crying from pure ecstasy. Just then, the High Priestess shouted “Ground” and we all dropped to the grass on our hands and knees, out of breath and completely giddy.
There was this amazing feeling that filled me as the ritual was winding down to an end and as we all left circle, I felt that a connection had been made. That these people were no longer strangers. We experienced something wonderful together.
We all feasted together in small clusters on the grass, chatting. At peace under the stars and just enjoying the company of like-minded people.
From that moment on I was hooked. I still have the stone from that day. It reminds me that any stranger can become a friend and that any one moment can completely change your life, if only you are willing to take the risk.