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

Book I: T he Magick Circle 83
the grain for the bread that nourishes us. Thus the bread, cakes, cookies, crackers, fruit, and
other foods that we eat are of his body too.
That is why we call the food and drink that we share in Circle sacraments. They have been
consecrated and so they are sacred, or holy, filled with the divine essence. And in the rite of
communion, we are reminded that our bodies are sacred too; our lives also imbued with the
same spark of divinity. In the Church of All Worlds and many other Pagan traditions, we express
this by saying “thou art God” and “thou art Goddess” as we accept the chalice being passed
around the Circle. We drink a toast, as it were, to the Lord and Lady, both without and within.
So, after consecrating the sacraments, the priest (most commonly) takes
up the plate of bread, holds it aloft, and blesses it, saying something like:
The seed of life is roused to grow
By the passionate heat of the Sun’s desire.
Thus we’re nourished; this we know
By Earth and Sun; Rain, Wind and Fire.
At this point, if the Circle is being held outdoors, it is customary to crumple a small piece of bread
onto the ground as an offering to the Earth. An indoor ritual might have a bowl set out for this
purpose. The priest might say something like, “Mother Divine, take back what is thine.” He then
tears off another piece of bread, and offers it to his priestess, saying, “May you never hunger.”
After she does the same for him, the plate is then passed around the Circle,
with each person repeating ,“May you never hunger.”
Then the priestess (most commonly) raises and blesses the chalice
of drink, saying something like:
From the Sea we all were born,
Within the womb our souls ensnared.
Unto the Well we shall return,
Our lives, through Water, ever shared.
If the Circle is outdoors, the priestess might pour a splash onto the ground as a libation
(a poured-out liquid offering), saying: “Mother Divine, take back what is thine.” Indoors, a
bowl or even a potted plant might be set out to receive such libations. The priestess then
offers the chalice to her priest, saying, “May you never thirst!” After he does the same for
her, the chalice is then passed around the Circle, with each person repeating, “May you
never thirst!” to each other.
While the bread and drink are being passed around, you might softly sing or chant something
like:
Lord of the Sun, Lady of the Earth,
We are one with the energies of the Universe! (—Ayisha Homulka)
(If you are doing this solitary, simply eat and drink in thoughtful silence.)
NOTE: Many ritualists prefer to pass the chalice first, and then follow with the bread. But we
have learned from much experience that it is far better for the participants to pass around the
bread (or other food) first, and then to wash it down with the water or some other drink!
Hiatus/Sacred Bullshit
After the bread and drink have gone once around the Circle, comes the hiatus—the
interval that many traditions today refer to as “sacred bullshit” (first called that by the New
Reformed Order of the Golden Dawn). As Crow Dragontree says: “At this point, the group
takes their ease and chats about the ritual, their plans, and any appropriate coven business
that has not yet been discussed. If the group is not terribly conversant after ample time to
ground and settle in, the High Priest or Priestess may choose to begin a discussion with a
series of open-ended questions, such as those offered in the Sabbat descriptions.”