Jason Mankey - Witch’s Wheel of the Year: Rituals for Circles, Solitaries & Covens

Llewellyn Publications

Woodbury, Minnesota

Copyright Information

Witchs Wheel of the Year: Rituals for Circles, Solitaries & Covens 2019 by Jason Mankey.

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First e-book edition 2019

E-book ISBN: 9780738760988

Cover art by Kjersti Faret

Cover design by Kevin R. Brown

Interior illustrations by Kjersti Faret, except on pages , done by the Llewellyn Art Department

Llewellyn Publications is an imprint of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Mankey, Jason, author.

Title: Witchs wheel of the year : rituals for circles, solitaries & covens

/ Jason Mankey.

Description: First edition. | Woodbury, Minnesota : Llewellyn Publications,

2019. | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Summary: This

is a ritual-focused book on the sabbats that make up the Wiccan Wheel of

the YearProvided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2019030767 (print) | LCCN 2019030768 (ebook) | ISBN

9780738760919 (trade paperback) | ISBN 9780738760988 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Sabbat. | WiccaRituals.

Classification: LCC BF1572.S28 M27 2019 (print) | LCC BF1572.S28 (ebook)

| DDC 133.4/3dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019030767

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019030768

Llewellyn Publications does not participate in, endorse, or have any authority or responsibility concerning private business arrangements between our authors and the public.

Any Internet references contained in this work are current at publication time, but the publisher cannot guarantee that a specific reference will continue or be maintained. Please refer to the publishers website for links to current author websites.

Llewellyn Publications

Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.

2143 Wooddale Drive

Woodbury, MN 55125

www.llewellyn.com

Manufactured in the United States of America

To my Oak Court Witches,

thanks for saving my Craft.

Contents

List of

: THE MECHANICS OF RITUAL & THE WHEEL OF THE YEAR

. Why Ritual? The Power of Connection

. The Elements of Ritual: What We Do in the Circle

. The Sabbats and the Wheel of the Year: A Witchs High Holidays

. Coven Rituals: Perfect Love and Perfect Trust

. Solitary Rituals: The Witch Alone

. Circle Rituals: The Most Challenging Rites

. How to Use This Book: Do What Works Best for You

: WINTER (YULE & IMBOLC)

. Yule: The Winter Solstice

. Yule Circle Ritual: Pine Cones of Yuletide Past, Present, and Future

. Yule Coven Ritual: Cheers to You

. Yule Solitary Ritual: Grow with the Light

. Imbolc: Brigids Night

. Imbolc Circle Ritual: The Rite of the Three Brigids

. Imbolc Coven Ritual: Preparing the Temple

. Imbolc Solitary Ritual: Preparing the Way

: SPRING (OSTARA & BELTANE)

. Ostara: The Spring Equinox

. Ostara Circle Ritual: The Gifts of Eostre and the Green Man

. Ostara Coven Ritual: Eggs and the Outdoors

. Ostara Solitary Ritual: Seeds in the Earth

. Beltane: Springs Delight

. Beltane Circle Ritual: Hail the Maypole!

. Beltane Coven Ritual: A Joyous Beltane to You

. Beltane Solitary Ritual: The Magick of Joining

: SUMMER (MIDSUMMER & LAMMAS)

. Midsummer: The Summer Solstice

. Midsummer Circle Ritual: Summers Cauldron

. Midsummer Coven Ritual: Hail to the Fey and the Solar Wheel

. Midsummer Solitary Ritual: High Noon

. Lammas: The First Harvest

. Lammas Circle Ritual: The Earth Mother and the Harvest Lord

. Lammas Coven Ritual: A Meeting with Lugh

. Lammas Solitary Ritual: Protect the Home

: AUTUMN (MABON & SAMHAIN)

. Mabon: The Fall Equinox

. Mabon Circle Ritual: The Three Faces of the Harvest

. Mabon Coven Ritual: Harvest Divination

. Mabon Solitary Ritual: Welcoming Persephone to the Underworld

. Samhain: When the Veil Is Thin

. Samhain Circle Ritual: Through the Gate: A Journey to the Edge of the Summerlands

. Samhain Coven Ritual: The Dread Lord of Shadows

. Samhain Solitary Ritual: Through the Cauldron

Figures

. Wheel of the Year

. Invoking Pentagram

. The Middle of the Circle Is Your Friend

. Standard Altar Setup

. Imbolc Circle Ritual Setup

. Solar Wheel Made of Grapevine

. Lammas Circle Ritual Setup

. Mabon Circle Ritual Setup

. Samhain Circle Ritual Setup 1: Masonic Hall, Two Rooms

. Samhain Circle Ritual Setup 2: Unitarian Universalist Church, One Room

. Samhain Coven Ritual Setup

introduction

My most joyous and spiritual moments as a Witch have generally taken place during ritual. At an early Samhain ritual, I came face to face with the Goddess for the first time when our High Priestess drew down the moon. To have the Goddess of the Witches in the body of a friend and peer was life-changing. It was a moment so powerful and fundamental to my development as a Witch that just writing about it brings a smile to my face almost twenty years later, along with a desire to repeat the experience.

While many Witches today try to cultivate an air of mystery and menace about themselves, Ive always found Witchcraft to be a bright, sunny, and happy experience (even if we do most of our rituals in the light of the moon). At Yule we toast one another in my coven with alcoholic wassail while weaving magick to ensure a new year full of health and relative prosperity. At Beltane we play absurd games that make us giggle, and at Ostara we eat hot cross buns and indulge the child within.

Ritual has brought me intense spiritual satisfaction and no shortage of good times. Its also a time for work , and many of the rituals Ive been involved with over the years have been rather serious affairs. Some of them have centered on social justice issues and preserving our environment. For a Witch, ritual is a multifaceted thing, and its possible to have fun, have an intense spiritual experience, and do something super meaningful all in the space of one hour. Many of my proudest moments as a Witch have taken place inside of ritual space, usually when leading a successful rite for and with a large group. When I write or lead a ritual for my extended community, I look upon it as a service, and one Im happy to provide. Good ritual gets people involved in our local circles, covens, and groves, while a bad ritual experience might drive them away from the Craft forever. While I dont believe in proselytizing, growing my community and getting people excited about Witchcraft is important to me.