Summer Solstice/Litha Ritual

HP: I exorcise thee, O Creature of Water, that thou cast out from thee all impurities 
and uncleanliness of the world of phantasm; in the names of Aphrodite and Apollo.

Blessings be upon this Creature of Salt; let all malignancy and hindrance be cast henceforth, 
and let all good enter herein; wherefore do I bless thee, that thou mayest aid me, in the 
names of Aphrodite and Apollo.

I conjure thee, O Circle of Power, that thou beest a meeting place of love and joy and truth; 
a shield against all wickedness and evil; a boundary between men and the realms of the Mighty Ones; 
a rampart and protection that shall preserve and contain the power that we shall raise within thee. 
Wherefore do I bless thee and consecrate thee, in the names of Aphrodite and Apollo.

Water, Incense, and Candle are taken around circle

HP: By air that is Her breath
And fire that is Her spirit
Be one with the Goddess
And one with us all 
By water that is Her blood
And earth that is Her body
Be one with the Goddess
And one with us all.

East: Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the East, ye Lords of Air; I do summon, stir, and call you 
up to witness our rites and to guard the Circle.

South: Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the South, ye Lords of Fire; I do summon, stir and call you up,
to witness our rites and to guard the Circle.

West: Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the West, ye Lords of Water, ye Lords of Death and Initiation;
I do summon, stir, and call you up, to witness our rites and to guard the Circle.

North: Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the North, ye Lords of Earth; Boreas, thou gentle guardian of
the Northern Portals; thou powerful God and gentle Goddess; I do summon, stir and call you up, 
to witness our rites and to guard the Circle.

P: We celebrate Midsummer with ancient and mystic rites. On this longest day, all nature is filled
with pulsating energy and Goddess and God passionately join. We bathe in their warmth and light. 
Now is the time for releasing past cares and banes. Now is the time to purify in the transformative 
fire of the sun. We open the door of turning and returning, the door ruled by Dag the rune of opening. 
Admitting through the door that which we need to transform ourselves. On this longest day we 
open the door that separates us from our desire. We welcome joy.


The Circle is complete

Invocation to the Goddess Aphrodite:
HPS: Come to the holy temple of the virgins
Where a pleasant grove of apple trees
Circles an altar smoking with frankincense
The roses leave shadows on the ground
And cool springs murmur through apple branches
Where shuddering leaves pour forth profound sleep.
In that meadow where horses have grown
Glossy, and all spring flowers grow wild,
The anise shoots fill the air with aroma. 
And there our queen Aphrodite pours
Celestial nectar in our gold cups,
Which she fills gracefully with sudden joy.
Goddess of the world in bloom
In wonder, we feel you beneath our feet
In the light of the moon we shiver at your caress
In the green and the growing we know your love
Now, at the height of the summer, we thank you
For the bounty of the earth.
Come into our circle, and join us
As we gather here to honour you

Invocation to the God Apollo:
HP: Apollo whose eyes are like ripening fruit,
Whose chest is suffused with brilliance from inside.
You, who gleam with power and dazzle our eyes.
From your dark centre where procreation
Bursts forth like a flare.
Here there is no heart that does not feel you.
We must change our lives.
God of the summer sun
In awe, we turn our faces to you
In the light of the day we warm to your touch
In the wild places of the Earth we sense your passion
Now, at the height of the summer, we thank you
For the renewal of the land
Come into our circle, and join us
As we gather here to honour you

P: Listen to the words of the Great Mother; she who of old was also called among man Artemis, 
Astarte, Athene, Diana, Hecate, Aphrodite, Cerridwen, Arianhod, Isis and by many other names.

HPS: Whenever you have need of anything, once in a month, and better it be when the Moon is full, 
then shall ye assemble in some secret place and adore the spirit of me, who am Queen of all witches. 
There shall ye assemble, ye who are fain to learn all sorcery, yet have not won its deepest secrets; 
to these will I teach things that are yet unknown. And ye shall be free from slavery; and as a sign 
that ye be really free, ye shall be naked in your rites; dance, sing, feast, make music and love, 
all in my praise. For mine is the ecstasy of the spirit, and mine also is joy on earth; for my law 
is love unto all beings. Keep pure your highest ideal; strive ever towards it; let naught stop you 
or turn you aside. For mine is the cup of the wine of life, and the Cauldron of Cerridwen, which is 
the Holy Grail of Immortality. I am the gracious Goddess, who gives the gift of joy unto the heart 
of man. Upon Earth, I give the knowledge of the spirit eternal; and beyond death, I give peace and 
freedom, and reunion with those who have gone before. Nor do I demand sacrifice; for behold I am the 
Mother of all living things, and my love is poured out upon the earth. I who am the white Moon among 
the stars, and the mystery of the waters, and the desire of the heart of man, call unto thy soul. 
Arise, and come unto me. For I am the soul of nature, who gives life to the universe. From me all 
things proceed, and unto me all things must return; and before my face, beloved of Gods and men, 
let thine innermost divine self be enfolded in the rapture of the infinite. Let my worship be 
within the heart that rejoiceth; for behold, all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals. 
And therefore let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honour and humility, 
mirth and reverence within you. And thou who seekest to seek for me, know thy seeking and 
yearning shall avail thee not unless thou knowest the mystery; and if that which thou seekest 
thou findest not within thee, thou will never find it without thee. For behold,
I have been with thee from the beginning; and I am that which is attained at the end of desire."

All: 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 the light.
Mysterious Water and Fire, The Earth and the wide ranging Air,
By hidden quintessence we know them, And will 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 sun is at greatest and least,
The four lesser Sabbats are summoned, Again 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 was passed down the ages, Each time between woman and man,
Each century unto the other, Ere time and ages began.
When drawn is the magical circle, By sword or athame of power,
Its compass between the two worlds lies, In the land of shades that hour.
This world has no right to know it, And the world beyond will tell naught.
The oldest of gods are invoked there, The Great Work of Magic is wrought.
For two are the mystical pillars, That stand at the gate of the shrine,
And two are the powers of nature, The forms and the forces of the divine.
The dark and the light in succession, The opposites each unto each,
Shown forth as a God and a Goddess: This did 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, They 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 Elphames's fair land shall receive us In peace at the end of our days.
And Do What Thou Wilt shall be the challenge, So be it in love that harms none,
For this is the only commandment, By magic of old, be it done!
Eight words the Witches Creed fulfil: If It Harms None, Do What Thou Will!

HP: This is the world
Our life and our home
From birth to death and birth again
The seasons turn, and we with them
Let us mark their passing and so remember
That even in the midst of strife
The struggles of the everyday, the practical
When we become too occupied
To send our minds and hearts beyond ourselves
That still, the wheel turns
Outer and inner worlds are one
And as much as we try, unknowingly
To exist apart, alone
We have a place to fill, together
In the great and unending spiral
Of life and time
Blessed be!

Consecration of Bread and Wine
HP: Goddess of abundance
Bless these gifts as you bless us all
Help us to see, and to remember
The divine in all that we share
God of the harvest
Bless these gifts as you bless us all
Help us to see, and to remember
The divine in all that we share

HP: O Goddess Queen of Night, O Horn'd One of might,
In earth and sky and sea May peace and blessing be!

O Circle of Stars, Whereof our father is but the younger brother,
Marvel beyond imagination, soul of infinite space, 
Before whom time is ashamed, the mind bewildered, 
and the understanding dark, 
Not unto thee may we attain unless thine image be love. 
Therefore by seed and stem, root and bud, 
And leaf and flower and fruit do we invoke thee, 
O Queen of Space, O Jewel of Light, Continuous one of the heavens; 
Let it be ever thus That men speak not of thee as One, but as None;
And let them not speak of thee at all, since thou art continuous. 
For thou art the point within the Circle, which we adore; 
The point of life, without which we would not be.
And in this way truly are erected the holy twin pillars; 
In beauty and strength were they erected 
To the wonder and glory of all men.

(BLESSING)
HP: Altar of mysteries manifold, 
The sacred Circle's secret point 
Thus do I sign thee as of old. 
Open for me the secret way, 
The pathway of intelligence, 
Beyond the gates of night and day, 
Beyond the bounds of time and sense.
Behold the mystery aright 
The five true points of fellowship

Lord and Lady, we do thank thee for thy presence and thy benefaction and bid thee 
“Hail and Farewell!”

East: Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the East, ye Lords of Air; we do thank you for 
attending our rites; and ere ye depart to your pleasant and lovely realms, we bid 
you Hail and farewell."

South: Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the South, ye Lords of Fire; we do thank you for 
attending our rites; and ere ye depart to your pleasant and lovely realms, we bid 
you Hail and farewell."

West: Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the West, ye Lords of Water; ye Lords of Death 
and Initiation; we do thank you for attending our rites; and ere ye depart to your 
pleasant and lovely realms, we bid you Hail and farewell.

North: Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the North, ye Lords of Earth; Boreas, thou 
gentle guardian of the Northern Portals; thou powerful God, Thou gentle Goddess; 
we do thank you for attending our rites; and ere ye depart for your pleasant and 
lovely realms, we bid you Hail and farewell.

HP: Ye Spirits that have been present this night we do thank you for attending our 
rites; your presence has been most welcome but your time here is at an end, we bid 
you hail and farewell.

HPS: The circle is open, but unbroken
Merry meet, merry part and merry meet again.


This rite is ended