Full Moon Esbat Rite
Nuit's Veil — Dark Circle
Copyright Š Tim Hartridge 1979, updated 2010 This manual is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review, no original material may reproduced by any process without the written permission of the author. Inquiries should be addressed to Tim Hartridge: PO Box 179 Newtown 2042 Australia.
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An Introduction to
Drawing Down the Moon Or the Invocation of the Sacred Shakti at the Full Moon Esbat
Notes and order of the Rite The rite of Drawing Down the Moon is amongst the most traditional practices used by Witches. It is at once: a celebration; an act of worship or communion with the Goddess (Shakti); an experience in raising power; and finally, a ritual to release us from the confines of the rational world. This particular form of the Rite has two distinct parts, like the dual nature of the Moon. The first part is the dreamy moon energy that leads us into a serene mystical trance (our light side). While the second part uses drum, dance, fire and power raising chant in a chaotic, wild and sensuous experience of moon-powers (our dark side). Both parts of the ritual have their own quality of power and unique expression: one employing the meditative power of mantra, spells and song; while the other engages a more primal energy, in the raw enthusiasm of the nocturnal Mystery. If working indoors use a silver pantacle, painted moon discs and mirrors. Ideally use white flowers, Jasmine in the incense mix and all wines that foam.
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Notes and Order of the Rite
1
Admittance rite
2
Circle Rite
3
The Sister of Moon - the Charge
4
The Call - Draw Down Lady mantra
5
Invocation of Nuit
6
Ma Binah mantra
7
Invoking the Pentagram and the Quest
8
The Enchantment by the Priest
9
The Spell by the Priestess
10
Charging the Grail
11
Dance
12
Trance
13
Sharing in the Spirit of the Coven Closing the Circle
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The Rite ADMITTANCE AND CIRCLE CASTING An Admittance rite is usually performed as a way of entering into the spirit of the rite. It is also a way of entering into the mythic dimension of the ritual and allows each person make an individual dedication to the Esbat. A Circle is then ritually cast. All the roles should be evenly distributed so that everyone can contribute and make a personal connection to the energy or chi of the Coven and the night.
SISTER OF THE MOON – THE CHARGE If possible have one of the Coven also recite the original Goddess’ Charge in the Italian mother-tongue as a mark of respect.
Whenever ye have need of anything, once in the month, and better it be when the Moon is full, then shall ye assemble in some secret place and adore the Spirit of Her who is Queen of Witches all.
There shall ye assemble, ye who are fain to learn all sorcery, yet have not won its deepest secrets; to them will She teach things as yet unknown.
She is the beauty of the green Earth and white Moon among the Stars, and the Mystery of the Waters and the desire of the heart of Man. Call unto thy soul and come unto Her, for She is the Soul of the Nature who gives life to the Universe. From Her all things proceed and unto Her all things must return; and
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before Her face, beloved of gods and humankind, let thine innermost divine self be enfolded in the rapture of the infinite.
And thou who thinkest to seek for Her, know thy seeking and yearning shall avail thee not unless thou knowest the Mystery – that if, that which thou seekest thou findest not within thee, thou wilt never find it with-out thee. For behold, She has been with thee from the beginning, and She is that which is attained at the end of desire.
ALL – THE CALL This is a short mantra in which all the Coven help share in calling down the Moon Goddess. The Coven is usually seated around the Priestess who is to invoke the Goddess for the rite.
Draw down Lady, draw down, Draw in Lady, draw in, Come round Lady, come round, Come near Lady, come near, She is come, She is here, She is all.
PRIESTESS – INVOCATION OF NUIT The Coven is seated holding or touching hands around the Priestess. They are silent and physically create the sacred Circle with their bodies. The Priestess wears a starry veil and invokes the voice of the Goddess of the Night, Nuit. The Priestess should speak these words audibly but gently, evoking the feeling as though she were speaking tenderly into the ear of her lover.
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NUIT Invoke me under my stars! Love is the law, love under will.
But to love me is better than all things: if under the night-stars in the desert thou presently burnest mine incense before me, invoking me with a pure heart, and a Serpent flame therein, thou shalt come a little to lie in my bosom. For one kiss wilt thou then be willing to give all; but who so gives one particle of dust shall lose all in that hour.
I charge you earnestly to come before me in a single robe, and covered with a rich headdress. I love you! I yearn to you! Pale or purple, veiled or voluptuous, I who am all pleasure and purple, and drunkenness of the innermost sense, desire you. Put on the wings, and arouse the coiled splendour within you: come unto me! To me! To me! Sing the rapturous love-song unto me! Burn to me perfumes! Wear to me jewels! Drink to me, for I love you! I love you!
I am the blue-lidded daughter of Sunset; I am the naked brilliance of the voluptuous night-sky. To me! To me!
ALL - THE MA BINAH MANTRA The Coven and the Priestess again all invoke the Goddess using this Luna mantra. The mantra should be sung audibly but softly, the intention being to enter a relaxed and hypnotic trance as the words are sung over and over again. Ma, Binah, Moon, Ea, Ge. (sung repeatedly)
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PRIEST & PRIESTESS – THE QUEST The Priest stands and walks slowly marking the points of a pentagram upon the floor of the Circle with the Priestess in the centre. In this way he uses his body as a living-wand to invoke the Goddess with the divine symbol of the night-sky. The Priest then kneels to ask the Priestess-Goddess to share the Mystery.
P.
What is the hour?
Ps. It is the hour of the Moon. P.
What is this place?
Ps. It is the Temple of the Goddess. P.
Where is the Grail?
Ps. Here beneath this veil. P.
Who is the Keeper of the Grail?
Ps. I am the Keeper of the Grail. Assist me to build the altar, at which in ancient times all worshiped.
PRIEST – THE ENCHANTMENT This is the visionary dream of the Priest sung as an invocation of love to the Goddess as his lover. In clear, gentle voice his sings the invocation to Nu-Isis with his thoughts as an aside.
Isis, Isis, Isis, Shall not mine incantations bring on down and around me moon-beam spirits, in the spiralling incense of lunar perfumes, glistening in the air, in the air, in the air.
Silence! the Moon ceaseth in Her motion; breath in the air, breath in the air, breath in the air.
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By the Moon and by myself it is the hour of Initiation! Initiation, Initiation.
Deep and desirable hair and eyes and lips, deeper into Her eyes my soul is sinking; Who will shall attain, Who will shall attain, Who will shall attain, the kiss of Isis?. . Isis. . Isis. . .
PRIESTESS – THE SPELL This is the song of the Goddess expressed through the voice of her Priestess.
Infinite Space, Infinite Stars; Let the Light grow, let the Light grow. I am before Time, I am after Time, I am the moment you become. I am what I am. I am what I want to be; The Thought thought, the Thought thought. Infinite Divinity, I am Infinite Divinity; The Thought thought, the Thought thought. I will it to be.
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GRAIL BLESSING The Priest and the Priestess-Goddess blessing the wine and drink; the Coven then also share the wine with the Priestess-Goddess and exchange a kiss. Later the Grail is passed freely from one person to another, but always with a kiss.
DANCE AND TRANCE A fire is lit within the Cauldron and a circle is formed as the dancing begins. The dances are very often free flowing and may lead to ecstacy and trance. Sometimes energy raised from the dance may be directed toward magickal workings that will have been planned before hand.
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SHARING IN THE SPIRIT OF THE COVEN Once the Coven have exhausted themselves there time is spent sharing everyone’s experiences of the night. The material shared needs to be treated as the sacred experiences of the Coven. A brief reminder that enough time should be allowed to elapse (sometime weeks or months) before this material is shared in detail outside of the Circle. This is in order to adequately incubate these experiences into the Coven's psyche, as well as into the lives of the individuals it directly affects.
CLOSING THE CIRCLE The Coven closes the Circle together. Any last feelings and thoughts are finally shared before opening the Circle and parting ways.
BACKGROUND TO THE RITE and Dark Circle's – Nuit's Veil Coven The certain parts of the rite were composed in the early 1980’s by Tim Hartridge while under the spell of a powerful Lunar initiatory experience. These were particularly the Ma Binah mantra, the priest’s Enchantment and the priestess’s Spell. The music likewise which underpins the whole ritual was received via a muse of the moon. The rest of the rite derives from commonly used traditional sources. Tim has been a practicing Witch since his early teens, and became involved in coven-based Witchcraft in 1973. Dark Circle was formed 1984 as a Sydney-based group freely using a fusion of Wicca, Thelema, Shamanism and Alchemical practices. Tim was one of five founder-members. Nuit's Veil was formed in 2000 as one of the Covens of Dark Circle and continues today. www.NuitsVeil.com.au.tt
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Dark Circle Collective exploring the psychic experience
www.witchcampaustralia.org.au www.witchesworkshop.com www.nuitsveil.com.au.tt E-mail: info@witchesworkshop.com Telephone: 0416 339 706 Post: PO Box 179 Newtown NSW 2042
Dark Circle Collective exploring the psychic experience Contacts Web sites: www.witchcampaustralia.org.au www.witchesworkshop.com www.nuitsveil.com.au.tt E-mail: info@witchesworkshop.com Telephone: 0416 339 706 Post: PO Box 179 Newtown NSW 2042
Copyright Š Tim Hartridge 2000. Updated 2010 This manual is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission. Inquiries should be addressed to Tim Hartridge. Postal: PO Box 179 Newtown 2042, Australia E-mail: info@witchesworkshop.com WitchesWorkshop and Witch Camp Australia are projects created by Tim Hartridge.