Banishing Ritual for Lunar Eclipse
Items Needed: Altar tools, Amethyst Wand, Black Casting Pentacle, Dragon’s Blood Ink, White Paper, Tape, Black Ribbon, White Ribbon, Black Candle, White Candle’s for Goddess and God Candles, sage, Dragon’s Blood Incense, Musical Instruments, Dark aspect elemental representations.
Notes: Circle will be cast and called in widdershins (counter-clockwise) to symbolize the act of banishment. W,S,E,N
Assign roles prior to doing ritual: Someone will be doing the circle casting, someone separate will be calling the quarters, someone separate will be calling down deity, reading the benediction. Everyone will be narrating parts of the ritual…
Beginning: Sweep circle area with besom, starting in the West and moving counter-clockwise. As you sweep say:
“As I sweep, may the besom chase away all negativity from within this circle, that it may be cleared and ready for our work!”
Light Incense and any regular altar candles (do not light the deity candles, black candle in the cauldron, or the element candles). Ring bell three times and say:
“The circle is about to be cast and I freely stand within to greet my Lady Brigid, and my Lord Cernunous!”
Light element candles starting in the West with the blue candle & say:
(W): “I call upon Light and Water at the West to illuminate and cleanse the circle.”
Light the red candle and say:
(S): “I call upon Light and Fire at the South to illuminate and cleanse the circle.”
Light the yellow candle and say:
(E): “I call upon Light and Air at the East to illuminate and cleanse the circle.”
Light the green candle and say:
(N): “I call upon Light and Earth at the North to illuminate and cleanse the circle.”
Return to the altar and raise athame in power-hand and say:
“I draw this circle in the presence of the Lady Brigid and the Lord Cernunous that They may aid and bless us in our work!”
Lower athame beginning in the West and walk widdershins (counter-clockwise) around the circle. Envision a blue light shooting from the tip of the blade to the ground. As your walking say:
"This is the boundary of the Circle, around me, through walls and floors, above me and below me as a sphere is the circle cast and consecrated to the Lady Brigid and the Lord Cernunous, that they may work with and through their children. This circle is charged by the powers of the Ancient Ones! Only love shall enter and leave!”
Return to altar and ring bell three times. Touch point of athame in the salt and say:
“Salt is life and purifying. I bless this salt to be used in this sacred circle by the power of the Goddess and the God.”
Using the tip of the athame, drop three portions of salt into water, stir three times with blade and say:
“Let the blessed salt purify this water that it may be blessed to use in this sacred circle. Through the Power of the Goddess and the God this water is cleansed.”
Sprinkle blessed water counter-clockwise around the circle and say:
“I consecrate this circle by the Lady and Lord. This circle is conjured a circle of great power that is purified and sealed so mote it be!”
Return chalice to altar. Pick up Sandalwood incense and take it counter-clockwise around the circle. As your walking say:
“With aroma of incense do I honor and make welcome our visitors and helpers, visible and invisible.”
Return incense to altar and take up anointing oil. Take finger-tip into oil and draw a symbol of a star on forehead and say:
“I (name) am consecrated in the Names of the Goddess and the God, in this their circle!”
It is now time to let the others into the circle. In order to open the circle, take the athame in your power hand and cut a doorway into the circle. When each person approaches you will ask them the following questions. If they answer correctly, allow them passage. Once everyone has entered then you will anoint them with the oil. Put the symbol of star on their brows as it is for protection.
Say the following when they’re waiting to enter:
Point blade and ask:
Q: “What do you want?”
A: “To enter the circle”
Q: “How do you enter?”
A: “In perfect love and perfect trust.”
Have them kiss the blade and allow them to enter saying:
“Enter and Merry Meet! I bid you welcome!”
After everyone has entered, close the door you created. To do this take the athame blade in the opposite direction in which you used to open it. Return the blade to the altar then take the anointing oil. Anoint the person in the order in which they entered the circle, each time saying:
“I consecrate you (name) in the names of the Goddess and the God, in this Their circle.”
Then everyone takes a place within the circle. Next, it is time for the person who will be invoking the deity to take a place at the front of the altar. Person who invokes the deity pick up the altar bell. Ring the bell three times and say:
“Tonight we gather on this lunar eclipse. I call upon Brigid goddess of Protection and light, and Cernunous, Horned One of Nature and Crossroads to descend upon this circle and guard us their children. Here may they manifest and bless us in our most darkest hour. Blessed Be!”
All:
“Blessed Be!”
Now it is time for the person selected to call the quarters to take place at the front of the altar. They take their wand and tap the ground near each cardinal candle. Once they have tapped the ground, they will raise their arm each time in an invoking stance. Then move onto the next cardinal point once each element has manifested.
Starting in the West and moving counter-clockwise:
Say:
(W): “Hail to the guardians of the Watchtowers of the West,
creatures and guardians of the element of Water,
I call upon you to attend this rite.
For as we have emotions and our hearts’ beat, we are kith and kin!
Hail and Welcome!”
All:
“Hail and Welcome!”
Say:
(S): “Hail to the guardians of the Watchtowers of the South,
creatures and guardians of the element of Fire,
I call upon you to attend this rite.
For as we have energy and drive, and consume life to live, we are kith and kin!
Hail and Welcome!”
All:
“Hail and Welcome!”
Say:
(E): “Hail to the guardians of the Watchtowers of the East,
creatures and guardians of the element of Air,
I call upon you to attend this rite.
For as we breathe and think, we are kith and kin!
Hail and Welcome!”
All:
“Hail and Welcome!”
Say:
(N): “Hail to the guardians of the Watchtowers of the North,
creatures and guardians of the element of Earth,
I call upon you to attend this rite.
For as we have bodies and strength, we are kith and kin!
Hail and Welcome!”
All:
“Hail and Welcome!”
Person calling the quarters then takes wand and draws infinity symbol around altar. Set down your wand, raise your arms in welcoming and say:
“Hail to the elements at the four quarters! Welcome Lady and Lord to this circle! We stand between the worlds with love and power all around!”
All:
“Blessed Be!!!”
The circle is now cast and the ritual will now begin. Someone who was selected to say the first part now will take up the bell, ring it three times and say:
“Tonight we gather upon this blessed lunar eclipse. And it is tonight that we gather in a very dark and negative time. For forces seen and unseen set forth upon us! We seek to banish these negative forces who wish us harm, tonight we expel these forces from our lives. The Lunar Eclipse shall bring & turn this darkness and negativity to light and make wrong become right. So we may carry on without the sorrow these forces have caused. With harm to none. Blessed Be!”
All:
“Blessed Be!!!”
It is now time for the selected person to read the benediction. This person shall read the following:
“Huntress Lady of the Moon, Dark Mother, Queen of the Stars;
Tonight you show us all that you are.
Triple-Goddess shining bright;
You show all Your Faces in this one night.
Blood of Moon, Blood of the Tomb, Blood of the Womb;
You are the One Who Transforms us through life.
Mother is fullness, giving her bounty and love.
Crone takes away blockages, fears, and limiting energy;
Handing them to the Dark Lady to scatter behind the Moon;
Diffused into space by Thy Hidden Face.
Wisdom gathers hope and inspiration from the Stars,
And turns to the Maiden, fresh in her bower.
Maiden emerges, grasping the Powers of Renewal and Creation;
And bringing forth Her shining light of Hope,
Hands all to the Mother for completion this Night.
Our arms we uplift and are bathed in new light,
As we rejoice in Her Blessings and Gift of delight.”
After the benediction is read the next person selected to narrate takes over. They light the black candle in the cauldron and say:
“This candle represents the negative forces in our lives. As it burns in our cauldron, may the cauldron transform this negativity and rebirth it as love and light. Blessed Be!”
All:
“Blessed Be!”
Then another person takes the paper and says:
“This white paper represents a once clean slate. However recently this slate has been tarnished by negativity. Tonight we bind the negativity and wipe this slate clean! Blessed Be!”
All:
“Blessed Be!”
Then the next person holds up the dragon’s blood ink and says:
“This ink the color of blood and tonight’s moon represents the stain upon us all. But tonight as this blood is bound the slate becomes clean, and the blood becomes love abound! Blessed Be!”
All:
“Blessed Be!”
Each person then takes the dragon’s blood ink and quill and writes what they wish to banish onto the paper. Use symbols or words that describe the thought. Avoid faces of people and their names! Once it is done the last person to write then folds the paper into a small packet. Then the ribboning begins. The black is used first. It is wrapped counter-clockwise. Each person gets to wrap the ribbon three times until it is wrapped fully. When wrapping the black ribbon around the paper say:
“You can no longer harm me for this black ribbon binds the harm you seek to bring upon me.”
Then once it is wrapped in black take the white ribbon and pass it around in the same manner as the black. However, it is wrapped in the opposite direction as the black. Everyone gets to wrap it three times until it is completely sealed. As your wrapping the white ribbon around the parchment say:
“I purify and heal the deeds that have been done. Negative becomes positive, love conquers all.”
Once the ribbon has been covered in white, the person last doing it takes the scotch tape and wraps it around the packet, sealing the energies inside. Once this is done say:
“With tape I bound the power created all around, so that it may manifest in an invisible way, and be non-invasive to those who have sought to bring harm our way. The tape seals all within and all without. So that it may be transformed into positive love. Blessed Be.”
Set the tape and packet back on the altar. Then everyone raise their hands in an invoking position as says:
“We send this negativity and harm to the Earth Mother safely it is bound. Through the sacred waters of rebirth, may it be reborn as love and power all around!”
Place the packet in the offering dish and take an instrument. Start dancing counter-clockwise to raise energy. Sing, dance and play as you say the following:
“Darkness becomes light,
Hate becomes love,
With love set forth to heal and banish harm as a dove.
Fly Away!”
Say this until you can say no more, when you are have released it is time to do cakes and ale.
Pick someone have them ring bell three times.
“We acknowledge our needs and offer appreciation to that which sustains us! May we ever remember the blessings of the Lady and Lord.”
Put feet together and hold chalice in left hand and athame in the right hand. Slowly lower athame into the chalice and say:
“As the Divine Male joins the Divine Female for the benefit of both, let the fruits of Their sacred Union promote life, love and joy. Let the Earth be fruitful and let Her bounty be spread throughout all lands.”
Set down athame, pour a second libation into the offering bowl. Now touch the point of the athame to the muffin in the offering dish and say:
“This food is the blessing of the Lady and the Lord given to us. As we have received, may we offer food for the body, mind, and spirit to those who seek such of us.”
Eat the muffins and finish the beverage. When finished:
“As I have enjoyed these gifts of the Goddess and the God, may I remember that without Them we would have nothing. So Mote it Be!”
It is now time to open and dismiss everything within the circle.
The person who cast the circle would be the best choice. Hold the athame in your power hand level over the altar:
“Lord and Lady, I have been blessed by Your sharing this time with us; watching and guarding us, guiding us here and in all things. We came in love and we depart in love.”
Raise athame in a salute:
“Love is the law and love is the bond. Merry did we meet, merry do we part, and merry do we meet again. Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again. The Circle is cleared so mote it be!”
Kiss the flat of the blade and set the athame on the altar.
Next it is time to dismiss the deity. Again, the person who invoked them would be the best choice. They shall say:
“Great Goddess Brigid and Mighty Horned Lord Cernunous, we thank you for being here and witnessing this rite. For aiding us and protecting us. We shall forever remain your hidden children. We keep you with us always in perfect love and perfect trust. Depart in peace and watch over us evermore. Blessed Be!”
All:
“Blessed Be!”
Now it is time to dismiss the quarters. Again, the person who called them would be the best choice. Still keeping it counterclockwise when you dismiss. When dismissing use the candle snuffer.
Say:
“Thank-you (element) for bearing witness to and attending our rite! Depart in peace, and our blessings take with you! Blessed Be!”
All:
“Blessed BE!”
All raise arms and say:
“Beings and powers of the visible and invisible, depart in peace! You aid in our work, whisper in our minds, and bless us from Otherworld. Let there ever be harmony between us. Our blessings take with you. The Circle is cleared.”
Finally, the person who cast the circle takes the athame and going in a clockwise motion envisions the blue light going back into the blade. They say while doing this:
“The Circle is open yet the Circle remains as its magical power is drawn back into us. The Circle is cleared! So Mote it Be!"
Have everyone kiss the blade and then have everyone say:
“The Ritual has ended!!!”
Everyone then lower their arms and says:
“Blessings have been given...”
Everyone then hugs themselves and says:
“And blessings have been received...”
Bring arms forward and hold hands and say:
“May the peace of the Goddess and God remain in our hearts. So Mote it Be!”
Now it is time for grounding. Once everyone has grounded and centered take the packet of paper outside and put it in a hole and together say:
“We send this negativity and harm to the Earth Mother safely it is bound. Through the sacred waters of rebirth, may it be reborn as love and power all around!”
Cover with earth and make a pentacle sealing the energies forever. Everyone say:
“BE GONE!!!!”
Eidolon Moon's Notes:
We did this on 2/20/08 for the lunar eclipse. Everyone in the group had something in our lives that was negatively affecting us and Anise decided this would be a perfect way to 'sweep' it away and give us a new start. I really liked the idea and was excited for the ritual because this was the first formal ritual I did with the Lunar Grove. It was great getting to see someone else run ritual, someone that wasn't trained by me. *laughs* I know how someone I trained would do it!
The things I listed to get rid of was general negativity and toxic relationships. Strangely enough, two days after the ritual my toxic relationship called and said that we had to talk. We certainly did and that was the end of that. So, yeah, I'd say it was effective. After ritual was over, Anise (the only one to see everything on the sheet) said that there were a lot of repeats on what should be cleared out of our lives. I took that to mean that as a group we were all on the same page and ready to move forward together.
I felt rather clumsy during the ritual because it had been a long time since I'd done a purely Wiccan ritual and I've never done anything even remotely Gardnerian. I had never seen the kissing of the blade before and I'd never done the whole challenge to enter the circle before. It was a really good learning experience for me and now that I know the routine I'm able to do it without stumbling through it.
We buried the paper with what we wanted to remove from our lives, and I understand the symbolism. However, being a double fire sign, I probably would have burned the paper and then buried the ashes. It's always interesting to see what else can be done and certainly helps to keep me from falling into a rut!
