Elements/Quarters

God/dess

Witch's Rune

Yet another way of invoking is the Witch's Rune. This chant is a quick way of covering all your bases: the elements/quarters and the God/dess. There are two versions, both on this page. My personal way of doing the gestures is to dance around my circle in a spiral, and stand in the center at the end with my arms raised for invoking. Do whatever feels right for you.

An invocation is a chant, spoken aloud, used to draw an outside energy or force into yourself or your ritual. It can also be done silently, thru gestures alone, or thru a combination of gestures and words. Actually, the medium doesn't matter so much as the intent.

Forces to invoke are the Quarters, the Goddess, the God, and the Elements. Rarely are there hard and fast 'rules' in Witchcraft--each person is free to do as he or she wishes. But there are guidelines one may want to follow.

For example, there are forces so powerful that invoking or summoning would be considered disrespectful. For Dragons, Watchtowers, the Ancestors, or others such as these, one would want to stir or call them. Gently. With God/dess, you're not so much invoking as you are inviting.

Another guideline is in gestures--there are specific ways of inviting and thanking ('banishing'), and two different ways for God and Goddess.

The stance remains the same: facing the apropriate direction, legs apart, steady and providing balance. The difference is in the position of the arms.

The Elements or Quarters

Stand facing either North, East, South, or West. Raise your arms above your head, palms upward, arms spread. Say the invocation or, in a gestures-only situation, visualize bringing in the energy. When finished, go to the next direction and continue.

When finished, banish/thank the elements by doing the above, but as you speak or visualize bring your arms in until they cross over your chest.

God/dess

Stand in the center of your circle. Again, leg stance is the same. For the Goddess, stand with your arms raised, palms up. Say the Charge, or visualize. To ground, bring in your arms until they cross over your chest, or bring them down until your palms are facing the ground. Ground and center.

For the God, start with your arms crossed over your chest. To ground, do the reverse of the above, or, again, bring your arms down until your palms face the ground. Ground and center.

There are infinite ways of doing things. These are just suggestions. You can write your own invocations, use the ones below, or not use any at all. It is entirely up to you.