Creating Circles and Ceremonies: Rituals for All ... - reading...

Book II: Rites & Rituals 189
T he Great Rite
By Oberon
As a ritual of sex magick, the Great Rite is the hieros gamos—“sacred marriage”—of the
God and Goddess. Sex is a source of power, creative as well as procreative. This power is
rooted in polarity, a charged attraction of opposites. But that is only one of many ways that
sexual energy flows. People of similar qualities or of the same sex may also generate pleasure
and power together. The giving and receiving of sexual pleasure is an endlessly varied art.
We are born out of this act of pleasure. This miracle has been a source of awe and a
method of magick from the dawn of time. We all have in us somewhere the naïve and childlike
belief that if sex can create us, it can create anything. Out of such simple beliefs some of
the most powerful and effective magick in human experience is woven.
Our bodies are the particular piece of the Great Mother especially entrusted to us. In the
experience of that sacred trust, and especially in the Great Rite, sex becomes an act of
worship, awakening and engaging the God and Goddess in our partners. “For behold, all
acts of Love and Pleasure are My rituals” (Doreen Valiente, “The Charge of the Goddess”).
Thus, in the Church of All Worlds and the HOME Tradition, we sanction all loving and
responsible sexual relationships between informed and mutually consenting adults, whatever
their gender, number, or practice. We also advocate safe sex practices.
The following ceremony is written for a man and a woman. For same-sex couples, you
will have to make your own creative adaptations.
Preparation for a Great Rite should be well thought out, including setting aside sufficient
time. Make sure you have plenty of privacy, and turn off the ringers on all the phones. Arrange
the place for love-making: If it is your bed, then put on fresh satin sheets, set candles all around,
and select the perfect incense (rose, musk, jasmine) and your most erotic music (Ravel’s “Bolero”
is a traditional favorite, and Katlyn’s “Beneath the Veil” by Zingaia was created just for the
Great Rite). Or you might light a fire in the fireplace, and lay down cushions and a large sheepskin
in front of it. Red bulbs in the lamp sockets create an exquisitely romantic and erotic lighting.
A special meal, in which you feed each other, is a perfect prelude to a romantic evening.
Oysters are the traditional erotic delicacy, perhaps accompanied by a shared chalice of red
wine, damiana liqueur, and/or other aphrodisiac intoxicants.
When everything is ready, begin the rite with ritual bathing of each other in a warm
bubble bath with rose petals and rosewater, lit by candles and with romantic music. When
you’re done, towel each other dry, then adjourn to the bed and cast the Circle around it, with
outstretched hand, wand, or athame:
I cast this Circle to purify and sanctify this space,
To guard us and protect us,
And to safely contain the energies we will raise herein.
Aphrodite, Oshun, Hathor, Freya, Shakti, Venus…
Eros, Angus, Krishna, Shiva, Kama, Pan…
Bless us with your Courage, your Wisdom, and your Compassion
Let our hearts and minds rejoice, relax, and be open,
So that we in turn may do honor unto you,
With each of our loving touches. (—Dave Sylvia)
Light the candles and start the music. Soul gazing, dance of veils, sacred anointing and
massage—all kinds of juicy rituals could be added. Sit in a yab-yum position (he crosslegged,
her in his lap with legs around his waist), gaze lovingly into each other’s eyes, and
invoke the God and Goddess in each other:
Awaken, my Beloved,
Within this sacred vessel of thy Priest/ess.