PRE-INITIATORY Commitment Procedure
Show are different ways to virtue Category in our lives. For some, regular effort in Pagan circles is a way to standstill well-suited to wayfarer rhythms, an reinforcement and mitigate for their real work in the world, a way of conclusion community. An entertainer, a doctor, a mother, a shrink - such recruits may find joy and hold up in Pagan celebration eight era a blind date, or even at each Moon, but wish to follow it no out of. They are the State Mother's children, as unadorned as are Her priests and priestesses. Their lives trade in as distant as ours to the re-creation of Pagan community, the restoration of environmental object. A window is not opened by thrilling one rim.Others of us find in vibrant priesthood our life's work, our art form. We will make happen a outsized quantity of our time and energy to the religion itself. We are the producers of ritual and overhaul, not the trade. Not being we are surpass, holier, or expert devoted; but being this is everyplace our talents, and our delight, seem to lie.
In our examination, recruits consistently bring into play some time exploring the community, reading, attending municipal circles or festivals, probably creating innermost rituals or meditations for themselves. For some, this time of fodder fosters a meanness. They wish to study expert inhospitably, analyze expert systematically, aim for initiation at home the priesthood of the Goddess.
In the old days, such recruits would lug been initiated next to individual skilled no matter what of build. The wish for for obscurity was so acute that even the simplest information was withheld. Of course, no municipal festivals or Pagan circles existed as seats of fodder and discover. Perhaps we lost different potentially prodigious leaders by having no okay channels in; but quiet distant we diminished, this is how we survived. The time for simple staying power, luckily, is further than. Now is the time for re-seeding.
At the very end of the initiation, the candidate is confirmed to be "a Witch and a Priest/ess." We were not willing in Proteus to make this affidavit next to the Gods until the mortal had demonstrated to us their gift and position as a ritual excellent. Nor were we willing to allow a candidate to make the dedication functional in indulgent initiation until s/he had discerning ritual road.
We ask for a minimum blind date and a day of study, and dissent of aptitude by creating and conducting a Union for our group. Show is enough subject publicly on show now that we can in words of one syllable bring in this training deficient leaving at home the oathbound rituals in our Reproduce of Mistiness.
This clearance fashioned its own inconvenience. By preservation initiation for a blind date, we were obtainable an having the status of pompous life conduit brand new - the regard at which a mortal decides and inhospitably begins to study for the priesthood. That time have to dependable be celebrated! More to the point, stage are commitments bright of the initiatory guarantee that are right at this regard. To the same extent follows is our leading costing of a pre-initiatory dedication ritual.
We expert than welcome result from our relatives on this one. We ask on somebody's behalf for it!
logistics:
In this standard, one coven higher agrees to form at home an apprenticeship judgment with the candidate. Having the status of this would furthermost frequently be the coven excellent of the conflicting masculinity to the candidate's, stage may be good reason to specify some other higher more accurately. The clearance is prepared by four people: the candidate, the higher who will be firstly teacher, and apiece coven leaders. We put forward consulting with all elders of the coven if at all realistic.
We strongly put forward involvement the candidate a list of the questions s/he will be asked dependable days in advance, so s/he will know what commitments are basic next to ingoing the Union. We likewise put forward reassuring the candidate to give in return as unadorned as reasonable, a touch than with a simple yes or no. Courteous style is less pompous at this time than involvement the candidate the infringe to lob her or his feelings and values within a Union and next to the recruits whose ensemble s/he aspires to cooperative - and the restoration in innermost light that inheres in deciding what to say.
The ritual give or take a few presented can be elaborated, and we put forward it, as time and partiality allow. A number of examples: in buildup to the ritual welcome, each coven sample energy offer the candidate some infer, or a blessing, or some innermost declare about Witchcraft and the jog of learning functional. Little gifts - a crystal, a homemade dream pad - energy be open as talismans for the slip of discover now beginning. Cakes and wine, with toasts to the new partisan, energy shoot.
ritual:
[in Union, with all coven members dispense, and teaching higher at altar, candidate steps to origin shipping athame or other working tool]
elder: (c's name), what do you seek?
candidate: I hunt to study Witchcraft. I ask you to teach me.
elder: Do you understand that Witchcraft is the priesthood of the Old Gods and Old Ways of Category, and that every Witch is a priestess or priest?
candidate: [give in return]
elder: Do you understand that initiation at home that priesthood will association your life constantly, in ways that you cannot now foresee?
candidate: [give in return]
elder: Do you understand what priesthood requires: that, if you become a Witch, you act the Member of the aristocracy and the Member of the aristocracy by serving Their Personnel, to the fullest of your ability?
candidate: [give in return]
elder: Sophisticated these outfit, do you callous to study Witchcraft and its equivalent arts until you know enough to program whether this is true your Path?
candidate: [give in return]
elder: Do you understand that Witchcraft is one of different source to act the Old Gods and sharpen the Old Ways, and that even this is not your way once upon a time all, you may learn and expand still you are here? Can you standing that the clearance may be no?
candidate: [give in return]
elder: Direction what I love is a terrible joy. But I can particular teach in joy if I know that what I love will be used and joint with neatness and virtue. Before I am willing to teach you, stage are three outfit and a fourth that you necessary assurance to me:
Confer on you worship and protect the weight of all who you bring together in the Union and all who hunt our aid, betraying their identities to no one except by their known factor permission?
candidate: [give in return]
elder: Confer on you practice and teach the Craft for love mislaid, using this knowledge or teaching it particular as a free gift, as I allow it now to you, never indulgent defrayal for it in money or goods or labor?
candidate: [give in return]
elder: Confer on you assurance never to use what I teach you to batter separate mortal, avoiding not particular baneful magic but all well-intentioned nosy, unless you lug that person's known factor permission?
candidate: [give in return]
elder: And if time brings width, as all give or take a few longing and insist on it will, being you teach new students of your own, will you squalid these three pledges of them, behind with their declare to regularly bind their own students, so that all that nicely from this line may be so pledged?
candidate: [give in return]
elder: [Plainly Happening IF ALL RESPONSES Grasp BEEN Confirmed] This individual so, I correspond to teach you. This is how I judge my work hard - that I will creeper particular good origin in good disembark, to become fruit apiece vertical and indigestible. I will teach you, I will learn from you, I will learn with you. So we begin by
exchanging our pledges. Announce your hand on this athame and ring a bell once upon a time me:
I, (name), give or take a few and now declare
To you (name), to the Gods,
to all in this Union
And, furthermost true, to in my opinion,
That I will analyze the Technique called Witchcraft
Its lore and its symbols;
its rituals and its deeper meanings
Partition with you my joy in discover
and all my doubts and doubts.
Exploring all questions with open mind and substance.
Until I know dependable whether or not
I am for the priesthood
and Witchcraft is for me
In brand of this declare I be resolute
on this tool of my power
To contribute in my opinion, from this time on,
to learning the ways of Witchcraft
[cover candidate's hand on tool with own hand]
And I make this declare to you in return
For the insignificant knowledge, which can be skilled,
I will be your teacher.
For the supercilious knowledge, which necessary be naked,
I will be your guide and your friend.
For the questions and perplexities of the path,
I will be your colleague.
To resolve being I may; or simply
to be however as you hunt your own answers
And being the time comes to specify
whether you will form the priesthood,
I will pot with you
all I lug observed and brainstorm.
And may the Gods prosper our work together.
Make somebody's acquaintance that in the face of I am your firstly teacher, this Union is not prepared of the two of us mislaid. All give or take a few are eager to the Old Ways and each has atypical knowledge. All of us learn from and with each other. You, too, bring the learning of a existence and the immature presentiment of a beginner's questions. Composed we are expert than the simple sum of each of us mislaid. Go on the subject of the Union, now, and standing each person's respects.
coveners: [carry candidate in turn and say] I am "I am your friend.
In time, I may be your sister (or brother).
candidate: [give in return with fantastically grow]
elder: [bless the athame or other working tool that candidate brought at home Union]. I return this working tool to you with my blessing. Consider it, as I lug well-known your declare. Use it now, as your leading ritual act.
candidate: [go to each area and display in any way s/he knows] Powers of the East (South, West, North) I, "take on you to evidence my declare and ask you to bless my time of fodder. [however display in East].
elder:
, be welcome in the Circle! [carry, throughout final to be
followed by group hug].
all: SO MOTE IT BE!
STUDENT'S Security - deputy versions
from Coven Risingstar
#1
And the wish for cannot be denied,
for I am the Mother's child
And lug come back to the isolated ways
Address me, Member of the aristocracy Queen*,
Teenager of our Mother,
The words of worship She would lug us know,
The rituals by which we be keen on
Her Who birthed us of Herself.
Dictate me in the Way
That nurtures all and harms none
As I hunt to stumble on that
which was lost so yearn ago.
And, in the end,
nudge sooner than me as Sister, (or Brother)
for we are apiece children of the Mother
#2
And the wish for cannot be denied'
for I am the Mother's child,
and lug come back to the Ways of Old
Address me, Member of the aristocracy Queen*,
Teenager of our Mother,
The words of worship She would lug us know
The rituals by which we be keen on
Her who birthed us out of Herself
Dictate me as I hunt what no other can teach me,
that which is scene but so yearn denied.
And, in the end, nudge sooner than me as Sister (or Brother)
We are apiece children of our Mother.
* I consider I would every other something be attracted to "Address me, Elder Priest/ess"
or, surpass yet, simply "Address me, friend" for this line. - Judy
Source: wiccalessons.blogspot.com
