Charlotte's first Samhain Ritual...page 439
( "He" has taken the place of the male character's name in this sample because . . . spoilers! )
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“All right, here is what will happen. Before anything else, I must have a ritual bath. I usually do that with some burning candles and my lavender oil and soap. My altar will be on the floor with three candles on it. I will be barefoot and only wearing my shift. I think it would be best for you to sit back under the window. From there you’ll be able to see and hear, but I should not be distracted.” He nodded. “First I will create a circle of energy around the altar and myself. You will see me ground myself to the Earth and then draw energy from the Earth into my body and out of my fingertips as I cast the circle. The circle represents several things—mostly the space between this world and the spiritual world. Within the circle exists both worlds, and neither.” I looked at him; there was a look of concentration on his face. “The circle is bordered by the four elements, which, as you know, are represented in the four cardinal directions. These elements are the forces of nature and creation, each having its own energies and strengths. In my mind, I’m standing within a bubble. Once the circle is created, I call the quarters, or the elements. I will do this one element at a time by drawing a pentagram with my fingers and visualizing it becoming that element. You will hear me welcome the powers of the elements to my circle.” I paused again and looked at him.
“Please go on.” “Right, now you might think things look a little crazy. I will light the white candle and raise my arms up like this while I invite the Goddess to join me in the circle. Then I will light the red candle and do the same for the God. Once I feel their presence, I will say a blessing, something like ‘Great God and Goddess, welcome here this night to my sacred Samhain circle that I have built with love. It is a place where I work my will between the human world and the spirit world. So mote it be.’ This will fix the circle between the two worlds. Next, I will light the candle in the jack-o-lantern, which is sitting in the West beside a picture of my mother, and say, ‘Friends, loved ones, and Wiccans past, it is Samhain and the veil between our worlds is thin. Please join me and celebrate.’ Then I will pick up the last candle, the white one used to call my mother, and I will anoint it with oil as I speak to her. When I’m finished speaking, I will light this candle. Then, I will sit down in front of the altar and relax, let myself commune with my mother’s spirit while I think about her and remember. I don’t actually know if I will be able to reach her since she hasn’t been born yet, but I hope to reach her spirit.” He left me on my own for the evening to bathe and relax my mind before the ritual. I put on my shift and robe and stuck my head into the kitchen, where I knew he was waiting patiently for me. He smiled and followed me into my room, where I led him to a chair under the window and sat him down with a kiss. I lay my broom across the doorway and I was ready to begin. When I had finished, I took up the circle, moving around the edge counter-clockwise, before sitting back down in front of my altar to ground, to rid myself of all excess Earth energy. That done, I blew out my mother’s candle and stood up. I knew he was watching me, waiting. I didn’t turn around right away; he sat quietly allowing me my time. When I turned to him, I wondered what I would see in his face. Would he be shocked, surprised, upset, turned off? He stood up out of his chair and walked toward me with his arms wide open. “How do you feel?” “I feel fabulous, at peace. How do you feel?” “Thankful that you have let me into your life.” He wrapped his arms around me and we stood there for a few moments. By now, it was probably 12:30 in the morning and I could feel a yawn coming on. We were just crawling into bed when there was a knock on the inside door. “Charlie, it’s me.” “Gracie’s at the door. Don’t get comfortable yet,” I whispered. “Be right there, Gracie.” I threw on my robe and opened the door. “What’s the matter. Are you all right?” He walked over to the table and re-lit the candle so we could see each other. Her eyes were wide and wild as she stood inside my room in her robe and slippers. She came in and sat down. “I just had the strangest dream. I awoke wi’ a start and had to come tell ye.” “Come on over here and sit down. You look pretty shaken up. Can I get you a drink of some sort?” “Truth be told, I'd love a wee dram.“ He shot me a quick glance, curious, then he took out three cups and the bottle I had in the cupboard. He looked at me as he poured out the glasses. She took a sip and looked at me. The look in her eye made me take a sip as well. “OK, Gracie. Let’s have it.” “Well, I was asleep and I heard yer voice callin’, Charlie. Ye called a few times before I awoke. I was still asleep, mind, but in me dream, I awoke. I got up out of me bed and started to walk toward yer voice in the dark. I called to ye, ‘Charlotte, is that you?’ Still, all I could hear was yer voice. Then it started to feel as though I was walkin’ through a tunnel or into a cave, somethin’ like that.” She stopped and took a sip and a deep breath. “As I got closer to yer voice, I realized why I felt so confused. Ye weren’t calling ‘Gracie,’ ye were calling ‘Mum.’” Excerpt From Sky Watcher: A Shadow in Time, book 1 of The Sky Watcher Series . |
