Stand
in the ritual area. Still
your thoughts. Breathe
deeply for half a minute or so until composed and calm.
Turn your mind to our Deities.
Face North. Lift
both hands to waist height, palms down.
Press your fingers together, creating two solid, flat planes.
Sense solidity, foundation, fertility.
Invoke the powers of Terra through the gesture.
Moments Later, turn toward the East.
Raise your hands a foot higher, your palms facing away from you
(no longer parallel with the ground), and elbows slightly bent.
Spread your fingers and hold this position, sensing movement and
communication. Invoke the
forces of Air through the gesture.
Face South. Lift
your hands fully above your head. Keeping
the elbows straight, grasp your fingers into tight fists.
Feel force, power, creation and destruction.
Invoke the forces of Fire through the gesture.
Turn to the West. Lower
your hands a foot or so. Bend
the elbows, turn your palms upward and cup them, pressing the thumbs
against the forefingers. Sense
fluidity, the ocean, liquidity. Invoke
the forces of Water through the gesture.
Face North again. Throw
your head back and raise both hands to the sky, palms up, fingers
spread. Drink in the
essence of The One, the unknowable, unapproachable ultimate source of
all. Sense the mysteries within the universe.
Lower your projective hand (your writing hand) but keep your
receptive hand high. Pressing
the third, forth and fifth fingers against the palm, lift the forefinger
and thumb to create a rough crescent shape.
Sense the reality of the Goddess.
Sense Her love, Her fertility, Her compassion.
Sense the powers of the Moon in the gesture; the force of the
eternal seas - the presence of the Goddess.
Lower your receptive hand; lift your projective hand.
Bend down the middle and forth fingers toward the palm, and trap
them with the thumb. Lift
the forefinger and little finger up to the sky, creating a horned image.
Sense the reality of the God.
Sense the power of the Sun in the gesture; the untamed energies
of the woodlands - the presence of the God.
Lower your projective hand.
Lay down flat. Spread
your legs and arms until you've created the pattern of a pentagram.
Sense the powers of the elements running through you; merging and
coalescing into your being. Sense
them as emanations from The One, the Goddess and God.
Meditate. Commune.
Communicate.
When finished, simply stand up.
Your rite of gestures is over.