NeoWiccan Rite of Self Dedication/Initiation
Disclaimer: Self-Initiation is meant for the practitioner and practitioner alone. It does not give anyone an entry way into initiatory traditions such as Gardnerian, Alexandrian, Blue Star, etc. Self-Initiation is a deeply personal ritual. Some traditions accept self-initiation, however, those self-initiations are designed specifically for said traditions.
Preparation: Start by ensuring physical cleanliness either by taking a bath or shower to purify yourself of the day’s energy. This rite is best performed on the New or Full Moon, though any Waxing Moon will also do. The Waning Moons should be avoided as they are associated with letting go and release.
Make an altar either in a private room, at your personal altar, or outdoors. On the altar, place a chalice of a drink of your choice that isn’t soda, a candle for the goddess, a candle for the god, a bowl of water, a dish of salt, and an athame (or kitchen knife used as a stand-in for an athame if you do not have one). Light some incense to set the mood.
The Ritual: Start by casting a circle in a way you feel most comfortable to do so.
Once you have cast your circle, take a pinch of the salt, and bless it by saying “I bless thee O Creature of Salt, as the essence of the Earth”, sprinkle it into the water and say “I bless thee, O creature of water, through union with the Earth, thou art the primordial life-giving sea”. Mix the salt into the water, and then sprinkle it onto yourself, saying “by the earth and sea, I purify me”.
You will then proceed to Invoke the Gods as follows:
Goddess invocation: I call to thee O Queen of the Night, Lady of the Silver Wheel shining bright, Whose body is the white moon above, And the Green Earth Below, Come and be with me now, and do so in love. Guide me onto the ancient path, To walk within this sacred craft. Gracious Goddess, Blessed be, Come to me, and guide me.
God Invocation: I Call to thee, O Greenwood King, The Horned God, the sun’s shining gleam. Lord of the Land, Lord of the Sky, Come to me from on high, Ancient one of the forest glade, Of the fields of wheat, Of harvested grain. He who is both life and death, I call to thee with each breath, Guide me on this ancient path, So that I may know The Witches’ Craft. Horned God of Old, Blessed be, Come to me, and guide me.
After these invocations, you will recite the Witches’ Creed, as written by Doreen Valiente, as it is a poetic telling of the essence of The Craft & it’s mysteries:
Hear Now the words of the witches, The secrets we hid in the night, When dark was our destiny's pathway, That now we bring forth into light.
Mysterious water and fire, The earth and the wide-ranging air, By hidden quintessence we know them, And will and keep silent and dare.
The birth and rebirth of all nature, The passing of winter and spring, We share with the life universal, Rejoice in the magical ring.
Four times in the year the Great Sabbat Returns, and the witches are seen At Lammas and Candlemas dancing, On May Eve and old Hallowe'en.
When day-time and night-time are equal, When the sun is at greatest and least, The four Lesser Sabbats are summoned, And Witches gather in feast.
Thirteen silver moons in a year are, Thirteen is the coven's array. Thirteen times at Esbat make merry, For each golden year and a day.
The power that was passed down the age, Each time between woman and man, Each century unto the other, Ere time and the ages began.
When drawn is the magical circle, By sword or athame of power, Its compass between two worlds lies, In land of the shades for that hour.
This world has no right then to know it, And the world of beyond will tell naught. The oldest of Gods are invoked there, The Great Work of magic is wrought.
For the two are mystical pillars, That stand at the gate of the shrine, And two are the powers of nature, The forms and the forces divine.
The dark and the light in succession, The opposites each unto each, Shown forth as a God and a Goddess: Of this our ancestors teach.
By night he's the wild wind's rider, The Horn'd One, the Lord of the Shades. By day he's the King of the Woodland, The dweller in green forest glades.
She is youthful or old as she pleases, She sails the torn clouds in her barque, The bright silver lady of midnight, The crone who weaves spells in the dark.
The master and mistress of magic, That dwell in the deeps of the mind, Immortal and ever-renewing, With power to free or to bind.
So drink the good wine to the Old Gods, And Dance and make love in their praise, Till Elphame's fair land shall receive us In peace at the end of our days.
And Do What You Will be the challenge, So be it Love that harms none, For this is the only commandment. By Magic of old, be it done!
Once you have recited the creed, you shall take the water once again and anoint yourself with it in the following places while blessing yourself in accordance with the five-fold kiss (based upon the version mentioned by Janet and Stewart Farrar)
Feet - “Blessed Be my feet that have brought me in this way” Knees - “Blessed Be my knees, which kneel at the sacred altar” Womb/Phallus - “Blessed Be my womb/phallus which gives the gift of life” Breasts/Chest - “Blessed Be my Breasts/Chest forged in both beauty and strength” Lips - “Blessed Be my lips which speak the sacred names”
After anointing yourself, bless the drink in the chalice by saying “I Bless thee, O chalice, to hold the elixir of life”, Hold the Chalice then in both hands and say the following:
I call to the Lady, and to the Lord The Goddess and God of the ancient word To grant to me the sacred gift, To open forth the sacred rift, To lift the veil from my eyes so that I may see, The ancient and sacred mysteries. The Craft of the Wise, The Way of Old, I Shall Walk proudly and bold. King and Queen of the Mysteries Bright, Take me in your fold upon this night, To guide my soul to initiation, To lift my spirit within, The Path of The Witches I shall walk, And know the blessings be within.
From this chalice I shall drink, Of the mysteries, sacred and deep, And take within me the ancient lore, By the union of the Lady and Lord. Therefore, The Great Rite I thus perform (set the chalice down and place the athame within it) And I drink of their love, the Holy Grail, The Cauldron of Rebirth which never fails! Therefore I am reborn from me, A priestess/priest/priestex of the Goddess and God, A Witch forever free!
Drink the entirety of the Chalice, visualizing a golden light coming into your body as you drink.
This concludes the ritual. Pay attention to anything that may seem like a sign - dreams, events in nature, etc.
