Traditional Second Degree Initiation

Everything is set up as for a normal Circle, with the following additional items also in readiness: A blindfold; three lengths of red cord- one of nine feet, and two of four feet and six inches; anointing oil; a new white unlit candle; a small hand bell; items of jewelry including a necklace on the altar, a veil, and a crown.

As the Legend of the Descent of the Goddess is to be enacted and not merely read, these items of jewelry are for the people enacting the deities. Most are for the woman enacting the Goddess; if the ritual is skyclad, they should obviously be such things as bracelets, rings, and earrings, and not pin brooches! The crown is for the man enacting the Lord of the Underworld, however, and can be as simple as a circlet of wire if nothing better is available.

The blindfold should be of some opaque material, as for the first degree; but the veil should be gauzy and becoming, and preferably in one of the Goddess colors of blue, green or silver.

The opening ritual proceeds as usual, up to the end of the 'Great God' invocation, with the Initiate taking their normal place in the coven. At the end of the Lord’s invocation, the Initiate stands in the centre of the Circle and is bound and blindfolded by witches of the opposite sex, exactly as done originally for the first-degree initiation.

The Initiator leads the Initiate to the cardinal points in turn and says:

The Initiator leads them back to the center of the Circle and faces them towards the altar. They and the coven now link hands and circle round them three times.

The witches who bound the Initiate now completes the binding by unwinding the loose ends of his knee and ankle cords and tying his knees together and his ankles together. They then help him to kneel facing the altar. The Initiator says:

The Postulant replies:

The Initiator says:

The Initiator fetches the scourge from the altar, while their Partner rings the bell three times and says "Three". The Initiator gives the Initiate three light strokes with the scourge.

The Partner says “Seven” (but does not ring the bell again). The Initiator gives the Initiate seven light strokes with the scourge.

The Partner says “Nine”. The Initiator gives the Initiate nine light strokes with the scourge.

The Partner says “Twenty-one”. The Initiator gives the Initiate twenty-one light strokes with the scourge. They then hand the scourge to their Partner (who returns it and the bell to the altar) and says:

The Initiate replies:

Each member of the coven then in turn then gives the Initiate a light smack or push, asking:

The Initiate replies each time with:

When the Initiator decides this has continued long enough, they signal the coven to stop, and the Coveners resume their places. The Initiator then says:

The Initiate repeats each phrase after them.

The Initiator then kneels beside the Initiate and places their left hand under the initiate’s knee and their right hand on the initiate’s head, in order to form the Magic Link. The Initiator says:

Keeping their hands in the Magic Link position, they concentrate for as long as the Initiator feels necessary on willing all their power into the Initiate. After this, they stand and the witches who bound the Initiate come forward and untie their knees and ankles and help them to rise.

The Partner brings forward the chalice of wine and the anointing oil. The Initiator moistens their fingertip with the oil and says:

The Initiator then touches the Initiate with the oil just above their pubic hair, on their right breast, on their left hip, on their right hip, on their left breast and just above the pubic hair again, completing the inverted pentagram of the Second Degree.

They moisten their fingertips with wine again, and say:

The initiator then touches them in the same places with the wine. They then say:

The Initiator then kisses them in the same places- finishing with:

The witches who bound the Initiate now come forward and remove the blindfold and the remaining cord. The ritual is interrupted for each member of the coven to congratulate the Initiate, kissing them or shaking hands as appropriate.

When this is done, the ritual continues with the presentation and using of the working tools. As each tool is named, the Initiator takes it from the altar and hands it to the Initiate with a kiss. Another witch of the same sex as the Initiator stands by, and as each tool is finished with, the Initiator takes it from the Initiate with a kiss and replaces it on the altar.

To begin, the Initiator says:

The Initiate takes the sword and re-casts the Circle, but without speaking.

The Initiate takes the athame and again re-casts the Circle without speaking.

The Initiate takes the white-hilted knife and picks up the new white, unlit candle from the altar. They then use the knife to inscribe a pentagram on the candle, which they replace on the altar afterwards.

The Initiate takes the wand and waves it to the four cardinal points in turn.

Initiate and Initiator together consecrate wine in the Cup.

The Initiate takes the pentacle and shows it to the four cardinal points in turn.

The Initiate takes the censer and carries it round the perimeter of the Circle.

The Initiate takes the cords and, with the help of the Partner, binds the Initiator in the same way as they were themself bound. Initiate and Partner then help the Initiator to kneel facing the altar.

The witch who is standing by hands the scourge to the Initiate with a kiss. The Partner says “nine”, and the Initiate gives the Initiator nine light strokes with the scourge.

The Partner says “twenty-one” (but does not ring the bell again). The Initiate gives the Initiator twenty-one light strokes with the scourge.

The Partner says “twenty-seven”. The Initiate gives the Initiator twenty-seven light strokes with the scourge.

The Partner says “sixty-three”. The Initiate gives the Initiator sixty-three light strokes with the scourge.

The Initiator then says:

The Initiate, with the help of the Partner, assists the Initiator to rise and unbinds them- at which point the Initiator now leads the Initiate to each of the cardinal points in turn, saying:

The coven now prepares for the Legend of the Descent of the Goddess. The Initiator names a Narrator to read the Legend, if they are not going to read it themself. If the Legend is also going to be enacted, they will name actors for the Goddess, the Lord of the Underworld, and the Guardian of the Portals. It is usual for the Initiate to act as either the Goddess or the Lord of the Underworld, according to sex, and for either the Initiator or the Initiate's working partner (if there is one) to act as the other. In strict mythological tradition, the Guardian should also be male, but this is not essential.