Ritual is a highly important, spiritual time for a Wiccan. In Circle, we stand face-to-face with the Old Gods and the multitudinous spirits that can greatly aid our growth. It is a time of deep reverence and adoration, but it is also a time of mirth and indescribable joy. Through ritual, we reach beyond ourselves and our limitations, and discover the Goddess and God that reside within each of us. We stand in the shadow of the Ancient Ones, whose wisdom becomes our own.
To be effective, ritual must contain elements that are performed in the same manner each time. This allows the conscious mind to be lulled to sleep by the conformity of the movements and speech, and permits the subconscious to “come out and play.” The subconscious can be likened to a small child, albeit an immensely powerful one. Thus rituals run the middle road between repetitive conformity and innovative entertainment. To reach the child, we must negate the conscious mind; but we don’t want to “bore” our child either. This is one prime reason for the multifarious employment of symbols in ritual, as the subconscious child never tires of playing with symbols.
Spiral Winds celebrates eight solar festivals, called Sabbats, and thirteen lunar rituals, called Esbats. The Sabbats and Esbats together constitute a yearly progression, or Year Wheel, to denote the cyclic nature of the Universe and all in it.
The Esbats usually fall on the full of the moon, and are dedicated to magickal workings. Spiral Winds practices magick only in accord with the Wiccan Rede, and these workings are designed with intents ranging from attunement with the cycles and healing work, to wisdom acquisition and empowerment (defined as power from within, rather than power over). Esbats are almost always closed to new students and guests, as this is the most spiritual and holy time for a Wiccan, a time for close communion with his or her Goddess and God.
The cycle of eight Sabbats are divided into minor Sabbats (those falling on the equinoxes and solstices), and the four major Sabbats, called cross-quarter days because they fall between the minor Sabbats on the Wheel. These are primarily times of celebration and rejoicing in the Mystery of life, and may include rituals of attunement to the cycles of the Wheel, personal empowerment, mirthful reverence, and drama plays designed to re-enact Coven mythos or to demonstrate a Mystery.
Each ritual begins with the casting of the Magickal Circle. Wiccans do not have "churches" as many today would define the word. Our church is Nature; we feel closest to Divinity amidst an ancient grove of trees, or next to the pounding surf. The magickal Circle is the temporary temple we erect within which we conduct our magick. Standing within the bounds of our Circle, we are "between the worlds" of form and Spirit, in a time that is not a time and a place that is not a place. The Circle is created exclusively by our Will, and although non-physical, it is very solid to our perception. Here, all time is Now, and all polarity resolves itself into the mystical Third Principle.
After erecting the Circle, we invite the elements to attend our rite. We believe in the existence of the five alchemical elements, air, fire, water, earth and spirit; not as scientific classifications of physical structure, but as numinous principles underlying manifestation. We then invite our Lady and Lord to attend the ritual as well. We never compel Deity nor elements to attend, but rather invite Them with love and respect. After the Circle has been so erected and consecrated, we then perform any magickal workings, drama plays, or other ritual components called for by our specific rite.
At the conclusion of our rite, we perform the "Cakes and Wine" ceremony, which is superficially akin to Catholic communion but bears extensive differences in symbology and meaning. The Wiccan "Great Rite," as it is called, predates the Catholic ceremony by several centuries and is a celebration of Life and the polarity underlying manifestation. The symbology behind this ceremony is far too extensive to delve into in depth within these pages.
The last act in Wiccan ritual is to thank the Lady and Lord, as well as the elements for Their aid in the rite, and to "take down" the circle that we have cast.