Cerridwen Greenleaf - The Witchs Guide to Ritual: Spells, Incantations and Inspired Ideas for an Enchanted Life

The Witchs Guide to Ritual

Also by Cerridwen Greenleaf

Moon Spell Magic for Love: Charms, Invocations, Passion Potions, and Rituals for Romance

Moon Spell Magic: Invocations, Incantations & Lunar Lore for a Happy Life

Dark Moon Magic: Supernatural Spells, Charms, and Rituals for Health, Wealth, and Happiness

The Magic of Crystals & Gems: Unlocking the Supernatural Power of Stones

The Magic Oracle Book: Ask Any Question and Discover Your Fate

The Practical Witchs Spell Book: For Love, Happiness, and Success

5-Minute Magic for Modern Wiccans: Rapid Rituals, Efficient Enchantments, and Swift Spells

The Witchs Guide to Ritual

Spells, Incantations, and Inspired Ideas for an Enchanted Life

Cerridwen Greenleaf

Coral Gables

Copyright 2020 Cerridwen Greenleaf

The Witchs Guide to Ritual: Spells, Incantations, and Inspired Ideas for an Enchanted Life

Published by Mango Publishing, a division of Mango Media Inc.

Cover and Layout Design: Jermaine Lau

Mango is an active supporter of authors rights to free speech and artistic expression in their books. The purpose of copyright is to encourage authors to produce exceptional works that enrich our culture and our open society. Uploading or distributing photos, scans or any content from this book without prior permission is theft of the authors intellectual property. Please honor the authors work as you would your own. Thank you in advance for respecting our authors rights.

For permission requests, please contact the publisher at:

Mango Publishing Group
2850 Douglas Road, 2nd Floor
Coral Gables, FL 33134 USA

For special orders, quantity sales, course adoptions and corporate sales, please email the publisher at or +1.800.509.4887.

The Witch's Guide to Ritual: Spells, Incantations, and Inspired Ideas for an Enchanted Life

Library of Congress Cataloging
ISBN: 9781642501704

BISAC: OCC028000BODY, MIND & SPIRIT / Magick Studies

LCCN: 2019948630

Formerly published as Rituals for Myth and Meaning by Mango Publishing, an imprint of Mango Media, Inc.

Printed in the United States of America

The information in this book is meant to supplement, not replace, proper Wiccan and/or botanical training. Like any practice that requires equipment, skill, and ingredients from nature, this practice poses some inherent risk. The author and publisher advise readers to take full responsibility for their safety. Do not take risks beyond your level of experience, aptitude, training, and comfort level.

Table of Contents

The Essential Tool Kit: Everything You Need for Rites
and Rituals

The Faces of the God and Goddess: Mythology for
Modern Times

Rituals for the Road: Making Your Own Talismans,
Amulets, Charms

By Arin Murphy-Hiscock

People hunger for ritual. As children, we create complex rituals of play and interaction. As adolescents, we engage in awkward social rituals to test and define our identities. As adults, we pass certain milestones such as marriage, first house, and first child, yet these traditional milestones reflect only a small portion of the moments we feel ought to be marked in some fashion

In the twenty-first century, many people feel spiritually adrift as the world moves ever faster. Important events seem to go by, unnoticed and unremarked. You can, however, mark these events when you create your own rituals. You can celebrate the successes, mourn the losses, and shout out the accomplishments. You can design a ritual for family, a community, or just yourself.

Ritual provides a sense of connection and a sense of comfort. It strips away the barriers we raise to shield ourselves in everyday life. Performing a ritual with someone dear to you for the first time is an incredibly moving experience, as I discovered years ago when my husband and I came together to do ritual instead of each of us practicing alone. I recently learned the lesson again when my mother asked us to perform a waxing moon ritual in her backyard when we visited. It was her first nontraditional ritual experience with others, and it was an honor to be there with her as she allowed the beauty and simplicity of the ritual to touch her.

A large part of ritual through the ages has revolved around lowering the defensive barriers we raise and reaching out to one another and to something greater than ourselves. Whether you choose to call that something greater than ourselves God, Goddess, Spirit, Cosmic Light, or the Universe, uniting with that something greater than the sum of its parts is an essential element of ritual. Ritual strengthens our own identity, purifies our energies, and brings us into harmony with the energies flowing through our lives.

As a priestess, I facilitate ritual for others. As a teacher, I teach them how to create their own rituals, lead others in rituals they create, and fully experience them. People who attend my workshops are surprised to learn that when they light a candle in gratitude or supplication to a higher power, they are in fact performing a ritual. Rituals may be complex and dramatic, or they may be as simple as floating a single blossom on the surface of a bowl of water. What matters is your intention as you perform your action. Being aware of your intentions and the meaning behind your practice brings a deeper meaning to your actions. This is what creates ritual it is a way to discover the self, to discover the world around you.

Crafting and performing rituals creates the opportunity to restore balance and harmony in your life. Performing ritual also gives you a method of self-expression and a safety valve for blowing off emotional steam. Designing ritual is a wonderfully creative experience that offers everyone the opportunity to try something different. It is important to remember that rituals are fluid and flexible; this book isnt one of those books that will tell you what you must or must not do every time you set up a ritual. A personal ritual benefits us the most when it adapts to our current needs. There are times for traditional ritual as well, but the rituals in this book are designed to supplement them, not supplant them.

This book was created for intermediate practitioners. This means certain things have been assumed: that you have read an introductory book on rituals before or have at least some experience with ritual. Cerridwen doesn't spend a lot of time going over the basics. Instead, she emphasizes rites and rituals from several cultures, offers templates to get your mind going, and provides information to help you design your own rituals. Youll discover that by drawing certain things togethera feather, a candle, a floweryou can create an atmosphere that enhances your mood. Play with color on the altar and in your ritual clothing. Research deities from various mythologies and discover their spheres of influence. Ask for the help of Mother Nature or the spirits of the four elements. The examples in this book provide you with wonderful ideas to experiment with and to serve as a starting point for your own explorations.

These practices are meant to be accessible to people of all faiths and paths who seek to enrich their spiritual practices and add meaning to their lives. You hold in your hands a treasure trove of information gathered from ceremonies throughout history and from all over the world. Let this information inspire you and excite you. Let your imagination take flight. Trust your intuition, go with your instincts, and listen to your heart. By following these three simple guidelines, you will be able to craft beautiful, and more important, meaningful rituals to enrich your life, provide comfort, and maintain harmony and balance in your life.