Astral Projection (Part 1)

Both last year and this year, a seminar lasting one day was held in the town I live in (Split, Croatia) on the topic of astral projection. The lecturer came here from Serbia in order to hold it and usually travels all over the world to share his knowledge with people eager to achieve astral projection and, in doing so, find out new things about themselves. We got on pretty well and when we were having a coffee together one day, I asked him if I could write a post summarizing his technique of achieving astral projection and I was lucky enough to receive his blessings. 

Therefore, what I will be writing here is simply what he taught me. :)

In a previous post entitled "Can Science Confirm Occult Beliefs?", I mentioned astral projection a few times and also talked about the possibility of alternative realities. In this post, I will try to pay a bit more attention to precisely this.

What Is Astral Projection?

Many people will compare astral projection to lucid dreaming, but there are a few main differences. Lucid dreams usually happen in between 3 and 5 a.m. and we usually enter them unintentionally. We can only control them for a short while during which we are aware that we are dreaming but, after this period passes, we continue to be unaware that we are dreaming. Either this, or we wake up. Astral projection is, in contrast, intentional i.e. we enter it willingly (and always using a settled method), but it does achieve a similar effect to lucid dreaming.

The reason why many people doubt the ability to achieve astral projection is because it would be proof of a reality outside of the physical one we know, and this is incomprehensible to a lot of people. But I don't expect you to just take my word for this, so I would like to tell you a bit about the whole chemical side of this process.

What Happens in Our Brain While We Are Asleep?

Graphs of sympathetic nerve activity while we are awake and asleep

Two hormones are important in this whole story: serotonin (the "hormone of happiness" which we excrete while we are awake) and melatonin (which we excrete when we are sleepy/asleep and which enables visions and astral projection). I will say a bit more about them soon enough, but I would first like to say something about the way in which our nerves function while we sleep. Take notice of our brain activity on the attached graphs. When we are awake, our brain is in the beta (β) frequency. As we slowly start to fall asleep (stages 2, 3 and 4), our brain is less and less active. We would expect our brain activity to be at its lowest in the REM phase of sleep (Rapid Eye Movement phase, the deepest phase of sleep), but the exact opposite happens! Our brain then goes into the alpha (α) frequency and our brain activity goes sky high and the frequencies grow stronger with it.

Brain activity during normal sleep (left)
and during the REM phase (right)

But why is our brain activity higher during the REM phase? It is because we excrete the most melatonin during this period and, as I have said, melatonin is the "sleeping hormone".

More on the REM Phase

Most people think that we go through only one REM phase every night, but there are actually several of them. That is to say, when we fall asleep, we don't dream at all during the first hour and a half because our body is still busy excreting melatonin which will, in larger quantities, later enable us to enter these REM phases. 

If you have a look at the two graphs above (and I am sorry about the bad quality of the second graph), you will notice the distance between these REM phases during one night's sleep, which normally lasts about eight hours. I recommend you look at the first graph while I explain this, although the second can serve as a good comparison at the end. So, in the first graph, you can see that the REM phase is actually the closest to the "awake" phase and that stages 1, 2, 3 and 4 indicate sleep. Our first REM phase (of four) happens after we have been asleep for about an hour and a half and lasts only for about 5-7 minutes. Each REM phase after this one lasts a bit longer because of the rise of melatonin. The second REM phase will thus last twice as long as the first one, the third slightly longer than this and the fourth (and usually the last) will last for about 30 minutes (and often longer). This is why this last REM phase should be used to achieve astral projection. Remember that it usually happens after about 6-7 hours of sleep.

In order for there to be a larger chance of the astral projection succeeding, it is recommended that the period of this last REM phase coincides with the sunrise because sunlight (or basically any light) causes the production of serotonin which causes us to wake up. Now this is where the actual chemistry happens. That is, the melatonin, which your brain is full of by the last REM phase, causes you to be sleepy, but the serotonin is contradicting it and trying to wake you up (serotonin starts being excreted as soon as light falls on your eyelids). If we wake up during this period, we are usually drunk with sleep, distraught, confused etc. By using the right combination of these two neurotransmitters in the right time, we can enable ourselves to realize when we are dreaming i.e. achieve that "awake while sleeping" stage.

I hope that I succeeded in explaining how all this functions, and now, I would like to give you a few suggestions which you could take into consideration before going to sleep.

Before You Go to Sleep...

1. Be tired! (when you go to sleep tired, you usually fall asleep faster and everything follows the timetable shown in above graphs, but if you go to sleep rested then it may take you up to an hour to fall asleep and then the whole plan goes to waste because you wake up when you aren't supposed to)
2. Make sure the room is dark or put on a sleeping mask (remember that light causes the production of serotonin which wakes you up, and you don't want that to happen in the wrong time)
3. Don't eat or drink about an hour before you go to bed (physical needs such as needing to empty your bladder are stronger than sleep and they will wake you up, and your goal is to have an uninterrupted sleep so the REM phases will go as planned)
4. Don't do any work before going to sleep (by "work", I mean rituals, meditations and such. The best you can do is go to sleep naturally and relaxed and not think about astral projection. Oh, and don't try any conscious methods of entering the astral plane because all of this uses up your energy and concentration)
5. Set your alarm at 6 hours and 15-20 minutes after you go to bed (6 fours for the actual sleeping and the 15-20 minutes for the time it will take you to fall asleep...or however much time it takes you to fall asleep usually)

Methods of Achieving Astral Projection

Astral Projection can be achieved directly (which I will be talking about here) or indirectly (as in the example of lucid dreams which are achieved by mixing up dreams and reality by, for example, asking ourselves "Is this a dream?" throughout the whole day in order to make ourselves ask that same question when we are asleep). But this isn't important now. My topic will be two direct techniques of achieving astral projection.

The First Method

Let us say that you go to bed at midnight. You have to sleep up to about 6-7 o'clock in the morning (I usually set my alarm closer to six so that I am back in bed by 7) depending on how long it takes you to fall asleep. You should set your alarm to 6.15 a.m. (so if you fell asleep at midnight, that would be 6 hours of sleep and the 15 minutes it took you to fall asleep). Once your alarm goes off, you should get out of bed quickly (you don't have to jump out of bed, but don't continue to lay there dozing). Start by doing everything you would normally do when you get up; wash your face, go on your computer...do anything as long as it keeps you entertained and awakens you. The only thing you shouldn't do is eat or drink and I recommend you empty your bladder so that doesn't interrupt you later. Be awake like that for about 15-30 minutes (you can experiment with this in time since some people need more and some less time to wake up completely, but the best think to do is go to sleep once you feel that sweet need to curl back up under the sheets). This is the time when your brain is resetting itself (it reacts as if a new day is beginning and starts to excrete serotonin). What you have to do after this is fool your brain and go back to bed. When you do this, the serotonin, which has just begun to be produced, will have to fight against the melatonin which there is still plenty of since you woke up when its quantity was at its highest (basically, in stead of being in your last REM phase, you are awake). This imbalance of neurotransmitters confuses the brain and it doesn't know which "reality" to turn on anymore (the "awake" reality, or the "sleep" reality). But, when you go back to bed after those 15-30 minutes of being awake, you are actually continuing right where you left off (on the last REM phase). Therefore, you will go straight to dream mode in stead of waiting those 90 minutes for the first REM phase to occur.

You will now fall asleep again and when you wake up naturally (i.e. without any alarms), you have to stay as still as possible; don't open your eyes or move your limbs etc. not depending on what position you woke up in. By doing this, you will fool your brain into thinking that you are still asleep since, after all, you aren't moving. Stay still like this for a while and you will feel like a light shudder is going through you, or you will feel a slight feeling of pins and needles or even like a bass is in your ears. You must not give up now because this is the time when your brain will try to check if you really are asleep or awake; something will suddenly start to itch and will irritate you (do not scratch yourself!), you will hear strange sounds or someone calling your name (don't move of open your eyes...this is just your brain trying to make you react to something and thus confirm that you are awake). You will often hear about the shadow phenomenon (shadowy figures appearing and causing paranoia). I repeat, these are all tricks of your brain which is fighting against your astral body going out. Your brain wants to keep your astral body inside you by all means and wake you up in order to achieve this since it is scared and finds this to be a strange and new experience. This period is called the vibration period (marked by a blue arrow in the diagram above). This is the time when your astral body struggles to get out of your physical body and you brain is in between frequencies (this will help you to reach astral projection).

This vibration period doesn't mean that you have entered the astral plain, though, but you are very close. The only thing left to do is separate the astral body from the physical body and there you have it! This is done by visualizing (imagining) spinning backwards, and the stronger the better. Basically any sort of spinning should do the trick, but turning backwards has proven the best method for most people. This spinning will enhance the vibrations you are going through. But the vibrations have to become practically unbearable! And even when they become unbearable, hang on a bit longer!!! If you're having trouble increasing the vibrations, you can try imagining your hands (or rather your forearms) vibrating up and down (in the beginning, imagine lifting them only slightly from your bed and slowly, but start going faster and faster and imagine lifting them higher and higher in time). This will strengthen the vibrations and, when you are ready, imagine yourself suddenly rolling onto your side! This turn mustn't be the usual turn you do when getting out of bed; in stead, try to "escape" to your side. By doing this so suddenly, you will already be in the astral plane before your brain has had the chance to get what has just happened. :)

You will feel as if you have fallen to the ground, the vibrations will suddenly stop and you (or rather your astral body) will be in the astral plane!

You can try this method in the afternoon at about 2-4 o'clock after you have just woken up from your afternoon nap. Again, wake up naturally, don't open your eyes or move and just wait for the vibrations to start. But, if you plan to do this in the afternoon, it's best if you wake up an hour earlier that morning so you can be as tired as possible by the afternoon. This way, you will fall directly into a REM phase (i.e. the astral plane) when you go to sleep.

The Second Method

This method is very similar to the first one. You will also have to sleep for about 6 hours, be awake for 15-30 minutes but in stead of going back to bed at this point, you will just go lay down in your bed. Stay still but do not fall asleep! You can lie down in any pose in which you normally can't fall asleep or make it harder for yourself to fall asleep by staying in a less natural pose (e.g. by putting your hand above your head). Stay focused on not falling asleep because this can be quite hard to achieve. You will reach the vibration stage soon enough and, when it does, just follow the steps explained in the first method (imagine spinning backwards, vibrating your hands to achieve stronger vibrations and to achieve astral projection, imagine yourself suddenly turning onto your side).

This method is a bit harder to succeed in, but nobody can stop you from trying it out.

NOTES:

• If you don't enter the vibration phase after 20 minutes of trying, you probably won't enter them that time.
• If you don't achieve astral projection after 5 minutes of being in the vibration stage then you probably won't achieve it that night.
• It is necessary to experiment with the time spans that work with you best, but once you find out what they are, then stick to them. If you are among those who sleep less (i.e. less than 8 hours a night), the ideal time to wake up (the time not including the time it takes you to fall asleep) would be earlier than what is stated in these methods. For example, I sleep 6-7 hours per night so I turn my alarm on at 5 a.m.
• Never try to achieve astral projection two nights in a row (it is necessary to rest in between).
• When imagining spinning backwards, do not give up! Spin energetically, decisefully, aggressively and suddenly and you should be able to achieve astral projection with no difficulty at all.

In my next post, I will write about what to do once you are in the astral plane. :) Lately, many practitioners and lecturers have been mentioning similar techniques, but the real importance of astral projection is what you do in the astral plane and how to move about it. Actually, this technique was developed by people from various countries who didn't even know each other and then discovered that they all have the same methods regardless of each other. This gave them the self-confidence they needed and proved that this wasn't just a personal phenomenon as they may have believed up to that point. It was a universal phenomenon which has a lot to do with the human brain, or possibly much more than just that.

I will talk more about this later since there is just too much material to stuff into one post. I hope that two more posts will be enough to explain everything. :) 

Until then, I wish you all the best of luck with your attempts! :D Yours,

Witch's Cat

Astralna projekcija (1. dio)

Prošle i ove godine se u Splitu održao jedan jednodnevni seminar na temu astralne projekcije. Voditelj seminara je došao iz Srbije kako bi ga mogao održati, a inače putuje s kontinenta na kontinent kako bi podijelio svoja saznanja s ljudima koji žele postići astralnu projekciju i kroz to saznati neke nove stvari o sebi. Jako smo se brzo svi sprijateljili pa ga sam tako tijekom jedne kave pitala je li mogu napisati post o njegovim tehnikama postizanja astralne projekcije i on mi je dao svoj blagoslov.

Dakle, ovo što vama donosim je ono što je on meni govorio :) 

U jednom prošlom postu po imenu "Može li znanost potvrditi okultna vjerovanja?" spomenula astralnu projekciju u nekoliko navrata i bavila se temom alternativnih stvarnosti, a u ovom ću se postu pokušati malo detaljnije posvetiti upravo tome.

Što je astralna projekcija?

Mnogi će usporediti astralnu projekciju s lucidnim snovima, no postoji jedna važna razlika. Lucidan san se najčešće događa u periodu između 3 i 5 sati ujutro. U njega se uđe nesvjesno, neko kratko vrijeme možemo kontrolirati svoj san i tada smo svjesni onoga što se događa u njemu, ali se potom nastavlja nesvjesno sanjanje, ili pak dođe do buđenja. Astralna projekcija koju mi promatramo nije spontana nego namjerna. Dakle, u nju se uđe s namjerom (i uvijek po ustaljenoj metodi), ali postiže sličan efekt.

Razlog zbog kojeg mnogi ljudi sumnjaju u mogućnost astralne projekcije je zbog toga što bi ona bila dokaz postojanja nečega van fizičkog tijela, a to je mnogima nepojmljivo. Svakako, kako ne bi ispalo da vi ovo čitate i vjerujete mi samo na riječ, iznijela bih i kemijsku stranu ovog procesa.

Što se događa u mozgu dok spavamo?

Grafovi simpatičke živčane aktivnost tijekom budnosti i sna

U ovoj su priči važna dva hormona: serotonin (hormon sreće koji se luči dok smo budni) i melatonin (koji se luči dok smo pospani/dok spavamo i koji omogućava vizije i astral). O njima ću još nešto reći uskoro, ali bih se htjela i osvrnuti na način na koji naši živci funkcioniraju dok spavamo. Primijetite na priloženim grafovima tijek moždane aktivnosti. Kada smo budni, naš mozak je u takozvanoj beta (β) frekvenciji. Kako pomalo padamo u stanje spavanja (stadiji 2, 3 i 4), aktivnost mozga se smanjuje. Očekivali bismo da će nam moždana aktivnost biti najmanja kada smo u REM fazi (eng. Rapid Eye Movement, najdublje stanje sna), ali se događa upravo suprotno! Upravo je u ovoj fazi mozak u alfa (α) frekvenciji i moždana je aktivnost veća, a frekvencije jače.

Moždana aktivnost tijekom običnog
sna (lijevo) i REM faze (desno)

No, zbog čega je naša moždana aktivnost veća tijekom REM faze? Upravo zbog toga što se u ovoj fazi  luči najviše melatonina, za kojeg smo rekli da je "hormon spavanja".

Nešto više o REMu

Većina ljudi misli da postoji samo jedna REM faza dok spavamo, no zapravo ih postoji više. Naime, kada zapadnemo u san, prvih sat i pol uopće ne sanjamo jer se tada tek nakuplja melatonin koji omogući nakon nekog vremena ulazak u prvu REM fazu. 

Ako pogledate dva grafa poviše (ispričavam se na nešto lošijoj kvaliteti drugog grafa), uočit ćete razmak ovih REM faza unutar jedne noći spavanja koja obično traje osam sati. Preporučujem da pratite prvi graf dok ovo budem objašnjavala, makar će i drugi graf poslužiti za usporedbu stadija. Dakle, na tom prvom grafu vidite da je REM faza zapravo najbliža stanju budnosti (eng. awake) a stadiji 1, 2, 3 i 4 su vrijeme spavanja. Naša prva REM faza (od sveukupno četiri) dolazi nakon otprilike sat i pol spavanja i traje samo 5-7 minuta. Svaka se REM faza nakon toga produljuje zbog sve većeg i većeg izlučivanja melatonina. Tako će druga REM faza trajati duplo duže od prve, treća nešto duže od druge, a četvrta (i uglavnom posljednja) trajati oko 30 minuta (a često i više). Upravo se ovu zadnju REM fazu treba iskoristiti za ulazak u astral. Zapamtite da se ona događa nakon 6-7 sati spavanja.

Kako bi bila što veća šansa da astral uspije, preporuča se da se vrijeme tog posljednjeg astrala poklapa s vremenom izlaska sunca jer svjetlo potiče lučenje serotonina što uzrokuje buđenje. Ovdje se događa prava kemija. Naime, melatonin, koji se sada nalazi u ogromnim količinama u vašem mozgu tijekom zadnje REM faze, uzrokuje vašu pospanost, a protivi mu se serotonin koji vas pokušava buditi (a on se luči kada svjetlost padne na vaše očne kapke). Ako se i probudimo u ovom periodu, često znamo biti opijeni snom, izbezumljeni, zbunjeni itd. Spojem ovih dvaju neurotransmitera i njihovim pravilnim omjerom se postiže shvaćanje da ste u snu tj. neka vrsta budnosti u snu.

Nadam se da sam pojasnila malo kako ovo sve funkcionira, a sada bih vama dala nekoliko savjeta koje valja primijeniti prije nego odete spavati.

Prije nego što odete spavati...

1. Budite umorni! (kada odete leći umorni onda obično odmah zaspete i sve se odvija kao što je prikazano na grafikonima poviše, a ako odete spavati odmorni onda vam treba ponekad i do sat vremena da zaspete pa cijela shema pada u vodu jer se probudite tada kada ne treba)
2. Zamračite sobu/stavite masku na oči (sjetite se da svjetlo poboljšava stvaranje serotonina koji vas razbuđuje, a ne želite da se to dogodi kada to vama ne odgovara)
3. Nemojte piti ni jesti cca. sat vremena prije spavanja (fiziološke potrebe poput mokrenja su jače od sna i buditi će vas, a vama je cilj imati neprekinuti san kako se ne bi prekinuo tijek REM faza)
4. Nemojte raditi nikakve radove prije spavanja (pod "radovi" mislim na rituale, meditacije i slično. Najbolje je ići spavati što prirodnije i opuštenije i ne misliti pritom previše o astralnoj projekciji niti pokušavati ikoje svjesne metode ulaska u astral jer to sve zahtijeva koncentraciju)
5. Navijte budilicu za 6,15-20 minuta (6 sati za spavanje i 15-20 minuta ili koliko vam je već potrebno da zaspete)

Metode postizanja astralne projekcije

Astralna projekcija se može postići direktno (čime ću se ovdje baviti) ili indirektno (kao što je primjer kod lucidnih snova koji se postižu miješanjem stvarnosti na način se propitujemo cijeli dan što je san, a što stvarnost pa se isto to pitanje postavi i dok spavamo). Ovo sada nije toliko važno koliko dvije direktne metode koje ću iznijeti ovdje.

Prva metoda

Računajući da ste išli spavati oko ponoć, spavate do 6-7 sati ujutro (ja sam se budila oko 6 tako da se vratim spavati prije 7) ovisno o tome koliko vam je još trebalo da zaspete. Vjerojatno se budite onda oko 6,15 sati ujutro (dakle ako ste legli u ponoć to je 6 sati spavanja plus onih 15 minuta što vam je trebalo da zaspete). Sada se trebate što prije dignuti iz kreveta (ne iskakati, ali nemojte ostati drijemati). Započnite dan kako biste ga inače započeli; umijte se, otiđite malo na računalo...što god, samo da vas zabavi i razbudi. Nemojte samo jesti ni piti, a preporučujem da se i pomokrite kako vas ne bi ništa ometalo kasnije. Budite tako budni otprilike 15 minuta do pola sata (eksperimentirat ćete s ovim vremenom kasnije....nekima je potrebno duže, a nekima kraće da e razbude, ali je najbolje ići spavati kada osjetite onu jaku potrebu za slatkim snom). U ovom periodu se vaš mozak zapravo resetira (reagira kao da počinje novi dan i počinje lučiti serotonin). Vi nakon ovoga zavarate mozak i vratite se spavati. Tada će se serotonin koji se taman počeo lučiti boriti s melatoninom kojeg još ima prilično pošto ste se probudili u vrijeme kada je njega zapravo bilo najviše (na mjesto zadnje REM faze ste vi zapravo budni). Ovaj disbalans neurotransmitera zbunjuje mozak i on ne zna koju da "stvarnost" uključi (onu dnevnu stvarnost ili stvarnost snova). No, kada se vratite spavati nakon tih 15-30 minuta budnosti, vi zapravo nastavljate tamo gdje ste stali (na zadnjoj REM fazi). Dakle, ravno padate u san i ne čekate onih 90 minuta koliko inače treba da dođe do ove REM faze. 

Sada ćete zaspati opet i kada se prirodno probudite (dakle bez navijanja alarma) trebate ostati što mirniji (ne otvarati oči, ne pomicati udove itd. bez obzira u kojem ste se položaju probudili). Na ovaj način ćete zavarati mozak da i dalje spavate pošto se ne mičete. Nastavite tako ležati nepomično neko vrijeme i osjetit ćete kao da vas prolaze trnci ili kao da vam bubnja u ušima. Nemojte posustati jer će u ovom periodu vaš mozak pokušati na sve moguće načine provjeriti jeste li budni; nešto će vas svrbiti pa će vam to smetati (nemojte se posvrbiti!), čuti ćete neobične zvukove ili nekoga kako vas zove (nemojte se micati ni otvarati oči...ovo vas samo mozak pokušava zavarati ne biste li se pomaknuli i time potvrdili da ste budni). Često ćete čuti i za fenomen silueta (da vam se ukazuju nekakvi sjenoviti oblici koji vam stvaraju paranoju). Ponavljam, ovo su sve samo trikovi mozga koji se bori protiv izlaza astralnog tijela. On ga želi zadržati pod svaku cijenu i probuditi vas jer je to njemu neobično i zastrašujuće iskustvo. Ovo vrijeme se zove stadij vibracija (označen plavom strelicom poviše). Tada se vaše astralno tijelo bori s fizičkim i vaš mozak mijenja frekvencije što će vam pomoći da uđete u astral. 

Ovaj stadij vibracija ne znači da ste već ušli u astral, ali ste jako blizu. Potrebno je još samo astralno tijelo odvojiti od fizičkog i eto ga! Ovo se radi tako da se vizualizira (zamišlja) vrtenje unatrag i to što snažnije. Zapravo može funkcionirati bilo kakvo vrtenje, ali se ovo do sada pokazao najbolji način za većinu ljudi. Ovo će vam pojačavati stanje vibracije. No vibracije trebaju postati skoro neizdržive. A i kad vam postanu neizdržive još malo nastavite!!! Ako vam slabo ide pojačavanje vibracija, možete pokušati zamišljati kako titrate rukama (podlakticama zapravo) gore dolje (u početku zamišljate kako ih malo samo odvajate od kreveta, a s vremenom sve više i više i sve brže i brže). Ovo će sve ojačati vibracija, a kada ste spremni, zamislite se kako se naglo okrećete na bok! Ovaj okretaj ne smije biti onaj klasični okretaj kao da si idete dignuti iz kreveta već pokušajte "pobjeći" na bok. Na taj način ste vi već u astralu dok mozak shvati što se dogodilo. :)

Tada ćete imati dojam da ste pali na tlo i vibracije će naglo prestati i vi tj. vaše astralno tijelo) će biti u astralu!

Ovu metodu možete pokušati raditi i popodne oko 14-16h kad se probudite iz popodnevnog drijemanja. Isto se probudite prirodno, ne otvorite oči i ne mičete se i samo čekate vibracije. No ako to planirate raditi, najbolje je da se probudite sat vremena ranije to jutro kako biste bili što umorniji do popodneva. Na ovaj način ćete zapasti odmah u REM fazu (tj. u astral) kada odete spavati popodne

Druga metoda

Ova je metoda jako slična prvoj. Isto ćete spavati otprilike 6 sati, biti budni 15-30 minuta, ali nakon ovoga se nećete vratiti spavati nego ćete samo leći u krevet. Ostanite nepomični, ali nemojte zaspati! Možete leći u neki položaj u kojemu inače ne možete zaspati ili sebi otežati da zaspete tako da stanete u neki malo neprirodniji položaj (npr. da stavite jednu ruku iza glave). Fokusirajte se na to da ne zaspete jer zna bit dosta teško. Pomalo će vam opet doći stadij vibracija i radite isto što sam i poviše navela (dakle zamislite vrtenje unatrag, treperenje rukama za pojačati vibracije i za ući u astral se zamislite kako se okrećete na bok).

Ova je metoda dosta teža, ali vam nitko ne brani da je probate.

NAPOMENE:

• Ako ne uđete u stanje vibracija nakon 20 minuta, vjerojatno nećete ni ući.
• Ako ne uđete u astralnu projekciju nakon 5 minuta što ste u stanju vibracija, vjerojatno isto nećete u nju ući.
• Potrebno je eksperimentirati s vremenskim periodom koji vama najviše odgovara, ali kada otkrijete onda se toga držite. Nekima koji spavaju manje (dakle koji ne spavaju inače 8 sati) će idealno vrijeme za buđenje (ono od 15ak minuta) biti ranije (ja, na primjer, spavam oko 6-7 sati inače pa se budim oko 5).
• Nikada nemojte pokušati dva dana za redom ući u astral (uvijek je potrebno odmoriti se u međuvremenu).
• Kada zamišljate vrtenje unatrag, nemojte odustati! Vrtite se naglo, jako, agresivno i trebali biste uspjeti u prvih par minuta ući u astral.

U sljedećem postu ću napisati kako dalje postupati kada uđete u astral. :) U posljednje vrijeme puno praktičara i predavača spominje sličnu tehniku, ali ono što je bit ulaska u astral je ono što radite na astralnom planu te tehnike kojima se krećete po njemu. Zapravo, ovu tehniku su u proteklih par godina razvili ljudi koji se čak međusobno nisu ni znali a onda zapravo vidjeli da neovisno jedni o drugima imaju potpuno isti način ulaska u astral. Ovo im je dalo samopouzdanje i potvrdilo da to nije osobni fenomen kako su možda mislili do tada, već da je to univerzalni fenomen koji se tiče ljudskog mozga, ili možda nečeg mnogo višeg. 

Dalje ću pisati o ovome u sljedećem postu pošto je to previše materijala za strpati na jedno mjesto. Vjerojatno će biti dovoljno još dva posta za sve lijepo objasniti. :)

Do tada vam želim sreće u vašim pokušajima! :D

Vaša Witch's Cat

Esbats

Since the full moon appears every month, I thought it would be nice to write about something that is so normal to us but often take for granted precisely because of this. This is my way of drawing your attention to this important "character" in Wicca who is celebrated in a ritual we call the Esbat. People often forget about the little things in life and I am no exception. I often find myself forgetting to prepare for a Sabbat/Esbat ritual in time because of profane obligations and then end up doing everything in a hurry in order to get it all ready in time. 

The word "Esbat" itself (read /'ezbəθ/) is a name for the celebration of the full moon even though this terms is beginning to be used more and more often for basically any coven gathering. Etymologically, this word comes from the French phrase s'esbattre, which means "to have fun". The term itself is quite new (it is thought to have been introduced by Margaret Murray) and it is often used in a formal context. You will often hear the term "circle" being used in stead because it is a slightly less formal name for this celebration. While the word "circle" can refer to any coven gathering (and is a more appropriate term than the word "Esbat" in this context), an Esbat, in a narrower sense, refers only to the celebrations of the full moon. 

Namely, in addition to the eight Sabbats, there are also twelve to thirteen full moons per year which are celebrated. Even though we usually think of a full moon celebration, in modern times, the Esbat has become an appropriate name for any coven gathering be it for a full moon or not. Some people will use this term even for celebrations of the new moon (which is also known among Pagans as the dark moon). If you are a Solitary, then you can practice whatever you want and when you want since you don't depend on anyone else whereas working in a coven restricts you in this sense. For any celebration to work in a coven, the members have to be in sync, be able to understand each other and know how other members work. It is important for all of them to be in harmony! It is for this reason that regular meetings are recommended so that this bond doesn't break, but rather restore itself, or even better, strengthen! Think of a coven as a band; the more often a band has practices, the more synchronous they will be. A coven can be connected to a band on many levels but mainly because both of them produce magickal effects of their own kind :)

Why during the full moon?

Artemis/Diana,
the Greco-Roman
 goddess of hunting,
birth, the moon etc. and
the protector of young
girls. Notice the crown
of the moon on her head

This is a very logical question that you may be asking yourself at this moment. Why not meet on any other night of the month or one a specific day of the week? This has simply become a tradition now, but just like any every other tradition, this one also has its roots.

The first reason why the full moon was chosen was because of its connection to the Goddess and her symbols. You are familiar with the fact that the moon is the symbol of the Goddess and that the sun symbolizes the God. The moon is a symbol of female energy which has its phases just like every woman passes through her phases in regard to the menstrual cycle. It is also connected to water (the way it affects the tides) and water is again connected to emotions which fall under the category of "womanlike". The moon is at its energetic peak when it is full, when it shines the brightest. Have you ever taken a walk and stared at the full moon? Maybe you felt its power and protection in those moments. If you haven't, then you should try it :) this can be a ritual by itself. Try to meditate while looking at the moon or think up an exercise of your own. But undoubtedly, this energy is the reason why magickal works are most often done during a full moon or at least as close to it as possible (note: it's better to do a ritual before a full moon than after i.e. during the waxing moon when the energy is rising).

Chang'e, the Chinese
goddess of the moon

The second reason is of a practical nature. In the past (and especially during the Burning Times) when Witches had to gather in some secret place, they usually did this in the shelter of the night and its darkness, which is logical if you don't want to be seen, right? And if they had to search for other people and their way to the meeting place, they needed some light to guide them. Remember that there were no electric lights or street lamps back then, so they took advantage of the full moon as the brightest source of light they had. The moon led them and lit their path! Now just try to imagine yourself walking through a cornfield with the full moon shining just above you. You may feel lonely and afraid in the dark but as soon as you see at least a spark of light, you feel much safer. This is what it's like for most people. Light is what gives us security and there is no better consolation in the night than the full moon!

What is done on an Esbat?

The Esbat can basically look however you want it to look. Even though celebrations of any kind are done on the Sabbats, no one can really stop you from celebrating on the Esbats. You can celebrate an accomplishment, the future, the past or simply something that makes you happy! Then again, you don't even have to celebrate at all. You can decide to ask for something and try to energize that wish through magickal works. A lot of people will do some divination work on the Esbats because of the amount of energy that is present. You can also use this large quantity of energy for consecration, initiations, self-initiations, healing and much more. And if you are working in a group, these gatherings can be used for teaching, sharing experiences, arranging something or discussing certain problems and dilemmas.

I already mentioned that the word "Esbat" comes from a French word which means "to have fun", but these meetings primarily serve the religious purpose of celebrating the gods and giving thanks for what we have and also an opportunity for asking for something that we would like to have/do, or even better - something that we actually need (we do have to be careful what we wish for, after all). Though, we cannot leave out the celebration part. Even though a celebration of the gods should be a festivity on its own, people often sing, dance and play various instruments to get the mood up even more. Some will even choose to play games in the circle, which is a great way for coven members to strengthen their relationships and learn some new customs.

The Esbat Ritual 

This ritual begins and ends just like any other. It begins with the Opening Ritual and the Great Rite and then ends with the Closing Ritual. In these links, you can see that I mention the traditional order in which the Sabbat/Esbat ritual is performed, but I came to the conclusion that it would be nice to elaborate a bit more on this :)

I won't give examples of invocations and greetings because I will leave that to you. As I have said about a hundred times up to now, the ritual is more personal when you write it yourself. I tend to improvise my Esbat rituals because I believe that improvised words come from the heart and because you can be more relaxed (you don't have to look at papers/books all the time and be worried if you got something wrong).

So, as you can see, according to the classical ritual form, things go in this order:

1. Preparing the ritual space and altar
2. Cleansing the water with salt
3. Opening the circle
4. Marking the circle with your athamé and the Elements as well as visualizing its protection
5. Invoking the Elements
6. Invoking the Goddess and God (Drawing down the Moon, the Fivefold Kiss, the Charge of the Goddess, the God invocation) and the Great Rite
7. Dancing the Witches' Rune
8. The Sabbat/Esbat Ritual
9. Cakes and wine (if you didn't already eat and drink during the Great Rite)
10. Thanking the Goddess and God
11. Dismissing the Elements
12. Visualizing the decreasing protection of the circle
13. Closing the circle with your athamé

This celebration marks the center point of the ritual, the part towards which all the energy is directed. The Witches' Rune is there to get the energy up as much as possible before any work that will follow in the Sabbat and/or Esbat ritual.

I usually choose to drink milk during my Esbat ritual because of its connection to mother's milk and therefore with fertility and the Goddess. My quarter candles are always silver since silver and white are the colors of the full moon.

So, after you have done the above steps, you are ready to do the actual Esbat ritual. This is the right time to show gratitude for what you have and express any wishes. You can talk to yourself, out loud or even write what you want to say on a piece of paper and burn it (some believe that your message is than carried to the gods with the smoke that floats to the heavens, but others will choose to do this only when they want to get rid of something bad). By the way, if you wish for something, don't expect a miracle. For example, if you want a new TV, first really think about whether you really need it or not. If you really don't, then consider it to be a luxury. Be aware of your wishes and your reasons for having them and don't forget to think rationally. Your old TV won't suddenly turn into a fifty-inch TV with an LCD screen. It is more likely that you will get a new business opportunity which will enable you to earn more and afford this kind of TV. All you have to do is know how to make the best out of a situation.

After you have meditated on your wishes and given thanks, it is time for the cakes and wine. If you have done the Great Rite, both should already be consecrated but no necessarily consumed. In case you prefer to eat after you have finished the Sabbat/Esbat ritual like me, then you should first consecrate the drinks and food with your athamé or wand while saying appropriate words of blessing (don't be afraid to make them up yourselves). Before consuming anything, don't forget to give a toast to the gods :) after all, they are present in this whole story! Leave a bit of food and drink aside in the libation dish so you can later empty its contents on the earth from which all of your food and drink came from in the first place.

While you eat and drink, you can think about any magickal work or divination that may follow. I can't say much here because it really does all depend on you. I will write separate posts about magick and divination techniques, but until then, keep in mind that this part isn't obligatory. If you have nothing to ask for, feel free to rest a bit longer and then simply start closing the circle. :)

What to do on a new moon?

When the moon isn't visible at all in the sky, then it is called a new moon or perhaps even better as a dark moon if you are using Pagan terminology. This is the ideal time of the month to get rid of things that you don't need. Simply throw physical things away, write something down that you want to get rid of (not a physical object but rather some sort of illness, bad habit etc.) and burn this paper as a part of your Esbat ritual (remember that Esbats nowadays include new moon rituals). Magick that includes getting rid of something, solving certain things etc. is done at this time. Decide for yourselves what you want to achieve (do you want to gain something or remove it?) and see which moon phase is more appropriate for doing this. Also, the same rule applies as to the full moon ritual. It is better to do the ritual slightly before the full moon or on the night of a full moon and if you want to do a new moon ritual then it's best to do it before the new moon (i.e. during the waning moon) or ideally on the night of a new moon. Simple :)

Of course, you mustn't forget that the new moon is energetically the same as the full moon. Change the invocation slightly and pay attention to the words you use. Adapt the ritual to the darkness that prevails in nature at that time. Also, be aware that day always follows night and so this new moon will pass, and with it the darkness. In its place the full moon will come and light our paths.

I wish you the best of luck with your Esbat ritual :) in case you don't have anything special to celebrate, I sincerely hope that many wonderful things will happen and give you something to celebrate and to smile about :D

Yours truly,

Witch's Cat

The Closing Ritual

We have finally come to the last post in the cycle of ritual form :) The first post dealt with the Opening ritual and the issues of casting the circle, invoking the Elements along with the Goddess and God. The next post was dedicated a bit more to the invocation of the gods as well as the role of sexuality in Wicca. This post will round off the whole cycle.

In the first post, I told you how you can open the circle and explained what comes after it. In this post, I will start where I stopped there and that is at the cakes and wine rite. After you have eaten and drank and in doing so, regained some of your energy, it is time to celebrate the Sabbat/Esbat, say thanks to the Goddess and God for being there with you and dismiss the Elements. I will explain all these steps in greater detail soon enough.

What I find interesting is that some people prefer to consecrate their food and drink during the Great Rite (or in any other fitting way), but don't consume it until after the Sabbat/Esbat ritual because this is supposed to ground you after spiritual activity (what better way to ground yourself than to consume something that has directly come from the ground itself). I think that this decision should be left to the individual/group to make :) I have tried both ways (eating before and after the Sabbat ritual) and both suite me just fine, though I usually eat after everything is done because it really gives me the opportunity to rest a bit before closing the circle.

It is traditional to leave a bit of food and drink as a libation (a sort of "sacrifice"). It should be clear by now that there are no real sacrifices in Wicca of animals, virgins and so on, but rather symbolic ones such as a cookie, a piece of bread, a sip of wine etc. What is left of the drink is usually poured onto the ground after the circle has been closed (i.e. at the end of everything) just as the remaining food is ground and returned back to the earth.

This leads us to the main topic of this post. Before actually closing the circle, it is recommended that you removed everything that is situated in that part of the circle to which you will be directing your energy. Why? Well, you will see that the Closing Ritual includes doing a reversed pentagram i.e. the banishing pentagram. Some believe that the consecration of a certain object can be "removed" if you do this pentagram facing that object (or "on the object"), since the opposite of this pentagram (the invoking pentagram) is used for consecrating objects. It's up to you if you will practice this or not. This is but one of the many dilemmas that appear in ritual work, so expect to com across many more. Like I said, it's up to you to decide which ones you will practice. You can try something out and see if it works for you and if it doesn't, then simple do it the other way :)

In coven work, you will again have a High Priest (HP) and a High Priestess (HPs). If you are working alone, you will take on the role of both of them and if you are working with one or more people, then make sure you agree on the assignment of roles :)

• the HPs stands facing the east, the HP stands to her right and the coven behind them (all holding their athamés)
• one person stands behind them all with the consecrated objects (if you are working along, then simply move the objects somewhere where they won't get in the way and where you think they are safest, if you even decide to do this step)
• the HPs says:

"Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the East, ye Lords of Air; we do thank you for attending our rites; and ere ye depart to your pleasant and lovely realms, we bid you hail and farewell...Hal and farewell."

• while the HPs speaks, she does the banishing pentagram or Earth which you can see here
• she then kisses her athamé and holds it on her heart for a few seconds (as you would hug and kiss a good friend when parting)
• the coven repeats all the gestures she does and only repeats the words "Hail and farewell" when they are spoken
• someone from the coven then steps out to blow out the east candle (this person will blow out the rest of the candles after each farewell, but if you are working alone, then I'm afraid you will have to juggle the obligations. I usually walk around the circle to a quarter, bid it farewell in an appropriate manner, blow out the candle and then walk to the next quarter clockwise. This is how I have manage to avoid drawing any banishing pentagrams towards consecrated objects because I do the actual "banishing" on the very edge of the circle where there are no objects to be "unconsecrated").
• this procedure (quarter - farewell - banishing pentagram - repeating after the HPs - blowing out the quarter candle) is repeated for the three other quarters, only changing the beginning of the revocation (the opposite of invocation):

"Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the South, ye Lords of Fire..."

"Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the West, ye Lords of Water..."

"Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the North, ye Lords of Earth..."

By the time you have finished this, all the candles in the circle should be extinguished except for the altar candle(s) which should be left to burn (party because this is a nice symbol, but also because it is practical to have some source of light until you turn on the electric lights as not to trip on anything when exiting the circle).

There are a few things I would like to note.

The first is in regard to what I have already mentioned. Before beginning the ritual, decide whether you are going to put aside the consecrated objects or not. Also, please decide beforehand if you are going to eat before or after the Sabbat/Esbat ritual.

Secondly, don't forget to bid farewell to the Goddess and God after your Sabbat/Esbat ritual. I'm guessing you wouldn't just let a guest out without saying goodbye or by kicking them out on the street (if you are friends with them, of course). You would probably be polite and say something along the line of "see you soon", right? Try to view the deities and other entities you work with in that way. They are your visitors and friends which I believe you want to see again. So don't just say "bye". Try to express that you really would like to see them again. In order to achieve this, I usually say the famous Wiccan line "Merry meet, Merry part and Merry meet again" which I believe to fully express the happiness with which you should be filled after a nice drink and talk with a friend of yours. In saying this, you also express the want to meet again soon and therefore eliminate any need for long good-byes. I believe it is because of this that the Closing ritual is much shorter than the Opening ritual.

There is, of course, one more dilemma. How to extinguish a candle? I assume it will come natural to blow it out. Some people may say that this act represents the domination of Air over Fire and that this is wrong since all the Elements should be equal inside the circle. If you decide to extinguish the flame by licking your fingers and "pinching" the wick, this may again represent the domination of Water over Fire. Most will say that the best way to extinguish a flame is by reducing/stopping airflow since this is the most neutral way and also the most practical since there is less smoke in the air. I also prefer this way. It is enough to cover the candle with some sort of glass/cup if you don't have a candle snuffer (which you can see on the picture to the right) and that's it. The snuffer can be made from various materials and comes in many shapes and sizes and what's most important, it's practical!

The last thing I would like to mention is that there is also the option of continuing the Closing ritual even after the snuffing out of the candles by repeating the Opening ritual backwards. This is entirely up to you. If you decide to do this, then you would begin by visualizing the decreasing protection of the circle after you have snuffed out the candles. Theoretically, now would be the time for marking the circle with the Elements (salt, incense etc.) but this part is omitted because this would mean invoking them again, which is not your goal since you just said goodbye to them. Therefore, we go straight to the closing of the circle with the athamé. Some think that this also has to be done "backwards", i.e. if you opened the circle deosil/clockwise, then you would have to close it widdershins/counterclockwise. This is also a very popular debate topic. While this may be completely logical to some, others will say that this is the equivalent of drawing a banishing pentagram towards consecrated objects or rather that this action "unconsecrates" everything in the circle. Like with the previous problem, this is up to you as well :) I prefer to do everything deosil and always begin in the east. This gives a certain rhythm to the ritual and when it comes time to bid farewell to the Elements, you realize that each Element has stayed in the circle equally long (you welcome Air in the east first and also say goodbye to it first in the Closing Ritual).

Let us revise. The Closing Ritual follows the Opening Ritual, the Great Rite and the Sabbat/Esbat ritual. The Closing Ritual consists of:

1. Cakes and wine (if you haven't already had them during the Great Rite)
2. Bidding farewell to the Elements and drawing banishing pentagrams (staring in the East)
3. Extinguishing the quarter candles in the process
4. Repeating steps 2 and 3 for the other Elements (going deosil)

-----you can finish the ritual here-----

5. Bidding farewell to the Goddess and God (if you decide to finish with step 4 then say goodbye to them before dismissing the Elements...this is what I would recommend)
6. Visualizing the decreasing protection of the circle
7. Closing the circle with your athamé
8. Extinguishing the altar candle(s) (only after everyone has left the circle and the electric lights have been turned on)

And voilà! Those are the basics of ritual form.

But no worries, I will manage to find other topics with which to entertain you :)

I hope that this short cycle of posts will help you in your works and in understanding what you are doing and why because this is key! You shouldn't do something just because it says so in a book or on some silly blog (hehe), but because you feel that it is the right way to do something and because you feel comfortable doing it that way. Find a reason why you don't like something (be it a spiritual, historical or any other reason). Tradition is slowly fading away because people (and Wicca) are readjusting themselves to modern times. I don't think it is a sin to evolve, so why not try out some new ideas?

Think about what I wrote here! :)

Merry meet, Merry part and Merry meet again! :D

Witch's Cat

The Great Rite and Sexuality in Wicca

Venus from Willendorf,
cca. 23000 BC

Since this is quite a delicate topic, I will try to explain as clearly as I can what it is really about so that no one gets the wrong impression :)

I would like to begin by explaining what the Great Rite actually is. This is a part of a ritual by which we SYMBOCALLY (in a METAPHORICAL way) depict sexual intercourse. It is a very powerful and intense rite since it calls upon the masculine and feminine energies and binds them on a spiritual level. An example of this ritual will be given to you later in the post, but I will first discuss the role of sexuality in Wicca.

You are familiar with the fact that Wicca is often defined as a fertility religion. This is because it celebrates fertility; it celebrates nature. And what is nature other than pure fertility? Everywhere we look in nature, we see life, we see plants growing thanks to the unification of the Elements (the water in the earth, the earth itself in which the plants grow, the Sun's warmth and the air from which they take oxygen and carbon dioxide which they need to survive), we see the animals in Spring making new life, and when we mature, sexuality becomes a normal part of our lives as well. Without sexuality, there would be no life and according to this, if we celebrate life, we also celebrate fertility. Remember how the Pagans of the past celebrated this fertility! They not only celebrated the fertility of their fellow man and other living beings around them, but also the fertility of the land without which our world would be turned upside down!

The Birth of Christ, Buvina's doors,
cathedral in Split (my home town),
1214 AD

We can trace fertility monuments all the way back to the Stone Age. A very well-known example would be the Venus of Willendorf with her oversized breasts that are full of milk, just ready to feed her children and her wide child-bearing hips. To all you feminists out there, I ask of you not to take this as an insult :) Take is a mere observation of contemporary view of women. They were worshiped as mothers back then; they were birth-givers and almost god-like in their own way.

Mihail Chemiakin, Cybele,
1943

Of course, this fertility cult didn't exist only in the Stone Age. It was present in all historical periods, including the Middle Ages when the fertility of the Virgin Mary was celebrated as well as other figures such as Petrarch's Laura and a number of love goddesses. We can see the remains of this fertility cult in modern art, design and even the numerous advertisements which harass us day in and day out with pictures of beautiful women in hopes of selling a specific product. The former ideal of women with large hips and hung breasts has been substituted for slender women with small waists, firm breasts, big lips etc.

Fertility and sexuality don't have to be bad things. Modern society has twisted them into something shameful and perverse, but a long time ago, they were looked upon with pride and were celebrated. They weren't taboos but topics which people could openly discuss. Of course, they have always been one of the most private parts of a person's life, but they weren't always something that we had to be ashamed of. 

Botticelli, the Birth of Venus, 1486

I would like to mention another delicate topic and that's ritual sex. I ask you not to close your browser instantly. Read what I have to say and then close it if you like. There have always been stories about ritual sex being necessary, that it turned into orgies which produced unlawful children which were later sacrificed etc. These stories were made up in the Middle Ages and this was a time when a lot of stuff was said about Witches and very little of what was said was correct (if anything at all). Ritual sex really does exist; this I cannot deny. But I can say that, in Wicca, nobody can tell you that you HAVE to do anything, especially not have sex with someone. Sex is sacred, it produces life. It should be celebrated but I think that in order for it to be properly celebrated, it has to be with a person you love and that loves you back. In this case, we aren't only talking about two bodies becoming one, but also two souls...and this is pure magic. What replaces the actual act of sex in Wicca is the Great Rite, which you can read just a few paragraphs below :) 

As I continue writing, I will add a comment here and there in order to better explain all of this blabbing of mine :)

What is the Great Rite?

An advertisement for Dior's
perfume J'adore

The Great Rite can be defined as that part of the ritual which celebrates fertility and with which energy is raised inside the circle. It is performed in order to send off energy into all levels. There is a saying in Wicca that goes like this: "As above, so below." If we perceive the God and Goddess ("above") as symbols of love, then the High Priest and High Priestess ("below") who enact the Great Rite should symbolize their love. More accurately, their love is attempted to be brought into the circle during the rite itself.

What isn't the Great Rite?

This question is definitely worth asking so we don't come to any misunderstandings. The Great Rite isn't an orgy, it isn't vulgar in any way and it isn't anything shameful. It isn't a celebration of the Devil (which is impossible since Witches do not even acknowledge the existence of a Devil, who is a Christian concept). It definitely isn't a way to sexually abuse individuals. The Great Rite is in no way connected to Black Masses of which you can hear on the television and read about in papers (these are merely parodies of the Christian Mass and I cannot see why any Pagan religion would want to harm anyone, make fun of anything or make parodies of anything sacred since it also has its own sacred practices). I ask you to immediately remove any associations that you may have of Paganism and the Black Mass (or Satanism in general). If anything else needs to be cleared up, feel free to e-mail me, leave a comment or contact me in any way. I realize that this can be a hard question for some people and possible even harder to read for others but I feel that they have to be said.

How is it enacted?

There are two ways of enacting the Great Rite. In both occasions, it is done by the High Priest and High Priestess, although in the metaphorical situation, it can be done by any two coven members, but I will return to this later. Before you start jumping to any conclusion, I ask that you at least finish reading this heading and then decide whether or not you want to continue reading.

The first way in which it is enacted is metaphorical and I will later explain this method. What is it a metaphor for? Well, simply put, sexual intercourse.

The other way is literal. To explain, the High Priest and High Priestess physically make love, BUT always and only if there is love involved. Most often they are a couple (married or not) and have been for some time and it is just luck/fate/coincidence that brought them together not only as a couple, but also as coven leaders. I have never heard of a High Priest and Priestess in Wicca doing the Great Right this way and not being in a romantic relationship. Therefore, nobody will force you to do this or expect this from you! Also, the Great Rite is almost never enacted this way (I assume because it is quite rare that a coven is actually lead by a married couple/boyfriend & girlfriend, but also because everyone appreciates their sexual privacy). Even if it is done this way, the coven leaves the room until the High Priest and High Priestess invite them back in. In this way, a certain amount of privacy is guaranteed, since the act of making love is still sacred (not only from a religious point of view, but also from a lover's point of view) and deserves respect.

In the book entitled A Witches' Bible by Janet and Stewart Farrar, I found a wonderful comparison of these two methods: "...the "actual" Great Rite is sex magic, while the symbolic Great Rite is the magic of gender."

Believe me when I say that this was quite hard for me to write since this kind of writing usually gets very bad criticism and bad reactions. I sincerely hope that you will continue reading this post and see for yourselves that this rite really isn't harmful or vulgar in any way. Nothing in Wicca is made to cause harm. It's enough to only remember the main rule of Wicca: harm none.

Enacting the Great Rite

This is usually done on the Sabbats since they are the energetic high points of the year. Usually, the ritual is lead by the High Priest and Priestess, but they can decide to let another couple (or simply two other coven members) lead it instead of them.

I repeat, we are not dealing with the actual act here, but a representation of it, a symbol of the sex act, as you will see soon enough.

Other than the usual ritual tools (which you can read about in this post), you may need a veil about 1m² in size. The preferred colors are blue, green, silver or white (the colors of the Goddess). The chalice is usually filled with wine, but I think you can drink anything you like and see fit for this Sabbat :) I personally don't like wine, so I usually drink some kind of juice or milk, depending on the occasion.

I will explain how the Great Rite is enacted inside a coven, and if you are working alone, you can simply ignore everything the coven says and does and take on the role of the High Priest and/or High Priestess. You can leave certain tools that are held in this ritual on the altar for practical reasons if you see that you cannot hold everything. A bit of logic will help you adapt the rest of the ritual :)

The Great Rite is enacted just after the invocation of the Goddess and God, or rather after the whole Opening ritual. I will take it that it is lead by the High Priest and Priestess, so for practical reasons, I will write HP for the High Priest and HPs for the High Priestess.

• the coven stands on the edge of the circle facing inwards (ideally, they are ordered man-woman-man-woman etc.)
• the HP and HPs stand in the middle of the circle. She stands with her back towards the altar (her back is towards the North) and the HP stands facing her (with his back towards the South)
• the HP gives the HPs the Fivefold Kiss (you can read it in the link just above which will lead you to the Opening ritual)
• the HPs lies down on the floor in a relaxed position (face upwards) with outstretched arms and legs and her head towards the altar. Her belly button i.e. womb should be in the middle of the circle thus emphasizing the importance of female fertility
• the HP takes the veil and covers the HPs from the neck downwards (as much as it can cover).
• the HP kneels between the HPs' feet facing her
• the HP calls on a woman from the coven to bring him the athamé from the altar, and on a man to bring the chalice (if you are working alone, all of this will be on the altar already and you don't have to lie down because this would be very impractical)
• the HP does the invocation (all of this time, the HPs is lying down and relaxing):

"Assist me to erect this ancient altar, at which in days past all worshiped;The great altar of all things.For in old time, Woman was the altar.Thus was the altar made and placed,And the sacred place was the point within the center of the Circle.As we have of old been taught that the point within the center is the origin of all things,Therefore should we adore it;Therefore whom we adore we also invoke.O Circle of Stars,Whereof our father is but the younger brother,Marvel beyond imagination, soul of infinite space,Before whom time is ashamed, the mind bewildered, and the understanding dark,Not unto thee may we attain unless thine image be love.Therefore by seed and root, and stem and bud,And leaf and flower and fruit do we invoke thee,O Queen of Space, O Jewel of Light,Continuous one of the heavens;Let it be ever thusThat men speak not of thee as One, but as None;And let them not speak of thee at all, since thou art continuous.For thou art the point within the Circle, which we adore;The point of life, without which we would not be.And in this way truly are erected the holy twin pillars,In beauty and in strength were they erectedTo the wonder and glory of all men."

The Great Rite, photo from the book
A Witches' Bible by Janet and Stewart
Farrar

The part with the twin pillars is probably unclear, so let me explain it. These two mythological pillars were thought to have stood at the entrance of the holiest part of King Solomon's temple. They were identical in appearance but in one thing. One pillar was called Boaz (severity, strength) and was colored black, while the other one, which was colored white, was called Jachin (mildness, beauty). In the Great Rite, they symbolize women's legs and I think that you can make your own connections to fertility from here :)

• the HP removes the veil from the HPs
• the HPs kneels facing the HP and takes the chalice from the man that brought it there while the HP takes the athamé from the woman
• the HP continues the invocation:

"Altar of mysteries manifold,The sacred Circle's secret point -Thus do I sign thee as of old,With kisses of my lips anoint."

•  the HP kisses the HPs (traditionally, this is done on the lips but of course you don't have to do this if you don't feel comfortable, that is if you are doing it with someone else). If you are working by yourself, then I recommend you kiss your athamé or find another suitable replacement. You can remove this step entirely from your ritual, though I wouldn't recommend it since a kiss is a very important symbol of love and fertility
• the HP continues:

"Open for me the secret way,The pathway of intelligence,Beyond the gates of night and day,Beyond the bounds of time and sense.Behold the mystery aright -The five true points of fellowshipHere where the Lance and Grail unite,
And feet, and knees, and breast, and lip."

•  Just before the part "Here where the Lance and Grail unite", the HP lifts up the athamé and the HPs the chalice. The HP then immerses the athamé into the wine (or whatever liquid is in the chalice). Pay special attention to this part of the ritual because this is precisely the part that replaces the actual act of sex in the way that the athamé symbolizes the male sexual organ and the chalice the female sexual organ
• the HP hands the athamé over to the woman who brought it to him and puts both of his hands on the Priestess' hands which are on the chalice
• He kisses her and she takes a sip of the wine
• She kisses him and then he takes a sip of the wine (they both keep their hands on the chalice)
• the HP takes the chalice from the HPs and both rise to their feet
• the HP hands the chalice over to a female member of the coven with a kiss. After she takes a sip, she hands it over with a kiss to a male member and so on until every member has had a sip (if you are working alone, it is more than clear that there will be no passing around or kissing going on, and even if you are working in a coven, a kiss on the cheek is enough)
• the HP and HPs now consecrate the food which they then hand over to each coven member

Josephine Wall, Nature's Embrace

You will notice that this ritual simply continues the Opening ritual i.e. it immediately follows it. 

In my next post, I will write about the Closing ritual which naturally follows the Opening Ritual and the Great Rite. This will be the final post of this "cycle" on the subject of ritual form.

The aim of this post was to explain the role of sexuality in Wicca and I hope I succeeded in doing so. This rite can really be very powerful if it is done properly. After the invocation of the Goddess and the God, it helps raise the energy in the circle to its peak because this energy will be needed for any Sabbat/Esbat ritual or magical works that will follow. For a moment, just remember that feeling you get when you see someone you have a crush on. Remember that feeling of being in love and how your heart flutters...well this ritual should make you feel like this. This type of love simply cannot be vulgar  If your love is true, it will be pure and beautiful. Love is in itself almost godlike and it is up to you to completely raise it to that level.

I hope that I won't get too harsh reviews of this post. ;)

Blessings,

Witch's Cat