The Wiccan Pentagram Ritual
by Paul HumeThe following text was an addendum to some Wiccan friends of mine
written in 1986. It followed a fairly standard instruction in the
Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, with which they were not
familiar. We were feeling out some linking techniques leading to a
proposed joint ritual involving several Wiccans and two ceremonial
qabalists (one Thelemite - ie. myself, and another). While events
conspired to torpedo this project, some interesting ideas came along
on both sides. The goal was a set of brief rituals meaningful to
both traditions which we could practice individually, thus building
up a group current prior to the date of the proposed rite (Samhain of
that year). Herewith my notes on "The Wiccan Pentagram" ritual which
evolved during this project. My primary source of God Forms was Paul
Huson's MASTERING WITCHCRAFT which was my main source of information
on Wicca at the time (I've done considerable study elsewhere since).
NON-SOLAR SYMBOLISM
A ritual can be modified in many ways, to refit it for a different
set of symbols, for example. I have taken the liberty of doing some
research into alternate symbols for the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram
since I know that you work a lunar-feminine current (Wicca) whereas I
use more solar-masculine symbols in my current (Thelemite). The
Qabalistic Cross This might be used as is, though you could use the
English if you don't feel that the Hebrew is relevant. I am sure you
recognize the words as being similar to the end of the Lord's Prayer
in the King James Version: 'Unto thee, the Kingdom and the Power and
the Glory, forever! Amen.' I would point out that this formula was
around a long time before Christ, much less the translators of the
Standard Revised Version of the Bible. If you dislike such a
specifically Christian form, it may be replaced with the words KETHER
(KEH-THER), MALKUTH, GEBURAH, GEDULAH (or Crown, Kingdom, Power,
Mercy), the spheres of occult energy that you are invoking with the
Q-Cross. The mental images remain the same. You could even avoid
these Hebrew symbols entirely, using Names and formulae more suitable
to raising the cone of power, which is what you are doing here in
Wiccan terms. See the 'Wiccan Cross,' below.
The principle is:
1) Invoke strongly the presence of the Supreme Creative
Principle as you conceive it (or in your case, Her) to be.
Your Name for the Goddess as Creatrix would be most suitable.
2) Draw down power from this Godhead and projectit through
your body into the Earth. Invoke strongly the Supreme symbol of
Creation in your Tradition: maybe the God - as Son of the
Goddess and Lord of the Trees, and as John Barleycorn, the ever- born
and dying One.
3) Establish on your right side the Active Principle -Yang -
the Projective Energy of the Universe. A God image, I should
think.
4) Establish on your left side thePassive Principle -Yin - the
Receiving Energy of the Universe. A Goddess force I feel.
5) Strongly visualize yourself at the center of these axes
between the Infinities. This centers you at the middle of the
Sacred Space to be created - the still point at the center of the
universe.
The Pentagrams
Again,the pentagram should be used. This symbol is universal
to many, many systems of magick, including Wicca, as you know. The
five-pointed star has supreme power over the Elements: Spirit, Fire,
Water, Air, and Earth. It drives off negative influences and
attracts positive ones. It is an essential part of the rite and
there is no symbol that can take its place as effectively.
The Names
I prefer using the Hebrew God-Names as is. In this connection
they express formulae that govern the Elements and are no more
religious than E=MC squared. However, there are equivalent Wiccan
God-Names, which I describe in the next section, as substitutes for
the Archangels. The use of the same Names to activate the stars and
to invoke the Elemental force is quite in keeping with the Wiccan
tradition, which does not use the same hierarchical system of
God-Name, Archangel, Angel, Ruler, Spirit, etc. that Qabalism does.
The Archangelic Invocation
Instead of the Hebrew Archangels I described, you could use
Wiccan Deities to invoke the 'pure' form of the Elements.
AIR-EAST: The Air image in Wicca seems to be masculine and
relates to Herne, the Black Man, the messenger of the Gods, or
the Sky Gods: Odin, or Lug as the rising Sun God. The God can be
imagined as riding through the night sky, at the head of the Wild
Hunt, or rising above the branches of the world-ash. Instead of the
Sword given to Raphael, the God might carry a staff, or spear, or
wand, which is attributed to Air in most Wiccan traditions.
FIRE-SOUTH: The Fire image is definitely masculine and relates
to the Horned God: Cernunnos, Lucifer, call Him what you will.
He stands in the hot light of the noonday sun, radiating fiery
energy. He would bear an Athame or sword, which is the weapon o f
Fire in most Wiccan styles.
WATER-WEST: The Water image is the Maiden, the mistress of the
Moon and the Tides: Aradia, Artemis, Venus rising from the
waves. Her image is lit by the silver light of the moon, upon a
tranquil reach of water or the foaming sea. She might hold the
chalice, symbol of water (alternatively, the cauldron might be
envisioned).
EARTH-NORTH: The Goddess in Her aspect as Earth Mother is here:
Hertha, Habondia, Demeter. She stands beneath the golden,
life-giving sun surrounded by the fruits of the Earth. Before her,
a platter flows with good things of the Earth, for the
disk/shield/platter is the pentacle, magick instrument of Earth.
These are only bare sketches of the magickal images that a witch
might use to replace the Qabalistic images of the traditional
pentagram ritual. I offer them for what they are worth.
A few points to note:
1) the phases of the sun used in the Archangelic images
(East:Dawn; South:Noon; West:Sunset; North:Midnight) are not the
same, nor are they as important to Wicca. Instead, the poles of day
and night are established: Night for the East-West axis and Day for
the North-South axis.
2) the male-female poles are established with the masculine
images (Herne and Cernunnos) attributed to the active Elements (Air
and Fire) and the feminine images (Aradia and Habondia) to the
passive Elements (Water and Earth). Note that one figure of each
gender stands in light, and one in darkness. This male-
female/positive-negative/active-passive polarity is central to
virtually all systems of magick, eg. the yin/yang symbol in oriental
systems. I may be betraying solar-phallic tendencies by these
assignments, and you may want to use different attributions: The
Maiden can be Air and the Mother switch to Water, with the Hunter
moving into Earth, for example. Heck, the dual God Forms should
perhaps be invoked in each quarter. eg. Venus/Adonis imagery in East
or South, Hertha/Herne in West, etc.
The Star Of David
The last lineof the Invocation refers to a 'six-rayed star'and
the mental work calls for imagining a Star of David. This is not a
specifically Jewish symbol in this context. The six-pointed star, or
hexagram, is the Qabalistic symbol par excellence of initiation and
spiritual illumination. The upward-pointing triangle represents the
aspiration of the magician to the Gods, and the downward-pointing
triangle represents the divine power, flowing down to the world.
These meet at the moment of magick and the interlaced triangles
forming the hexagram symbolize the power of this meeting. Should you
prefer not to use the Star of David, you can replace the mental image
with any symbol showing the meeting of your soul and the power of the
Goddess. This can even be a private symbol, one that is meaningful
only to you. Alternatively, you can just envision the sphere of
white light from the Q-Cross, as a symbol of divine power. Replace
the words about the 'six-rayed star' with some descriptive form: 'the
seal of the Goddess,' or 'the sign of my Awakening,' or simply 'the
light Divine.'