| Rite to Heal the Women of Yugoslavia Jules Wertis When I set about writing a ritual, I tried to pattern it after some of those I particularly like. Several months later, without one word written that felt was right, I caught on to lesson 1: I had to search my own spiritual base for inspiration. One day I was watching the latest news about the war in former Yugoslavia. I was upset that the rest of the world was just sitting by and watching incredibly evil things happen. I was frustrated that there was nothing I could do—then I realized that I could indeed do something after all! I remembered that one of the reasons I was called to the Craft was that Witches used their Magick to take an active, responsible part in the world around them. That was the beginning of this ritual. At first I wanted to fix everything wrong that was happening over there. Therein came lesson 2: you can't do everything at once! So I had to decide where to focus. I narrowed it down to healing and protecting the female victims in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The Serbian army—as a matter of official policy encouraged by leaders—has been conducting mass rapes of the women of Bosnia. These rapes numbered in the thousands! This Esbat is in the framework of traditional Greek Magick (aside from one obvious part that nevertheless seemed very appropriate). We call upon Artemis and Apollo. In early history, Artemis was a very strong representative of matriarchal rule. During this time, Apollo was very devoted to His sister and their mother, Leto. He was often a guard at Artemis' temples. As the world shifted into patriarchal rule, Apollo was one of the Gods used to represent this change. He took over the Oracle of Delphi, which originally belonged to the Goddess. Artemis and Apollo each represent their respective age, and I continue the concept. Since the New Age is shifting us away from a patriarchy, I believe that Apollo and Artemis' energy is shifting to their twin aspect of equality. I took great care to reflect this in the invocations. Perhaps this is presumptuous, but I was following my instinct. I further verified that this was the correct energy to use by consulting my runestones. I also believe that it is vital to the success of this ritual to have male energy represented by calling upon a male deity. I decided against a pure Dianic ritual because I believe we cannot truly heal any of the wrongs in this world through separation. In traditional Greek magick, you always acknowledge the four Winds when summoning the watchtowers. Also, the Greek Gods are a very proud lot; therefore, the high priest and high priestess never presume to assume the God-form. The Deities may choose to channel directly through the high priest and high priestess, but, again, it is never presumed. Please keep that in mind during the invocations. Summoning the Quarters East:
Hail Eurus! Eastern Wind! Guardian of all that encompasses our freedom, optimism, intellect, and our joy of living! We ask for you to join us in our rite this evening, to feel your breath of protection so that we are safe as we work our magick, to feel your breeze upon our bodies as we celebrate the Lord of the Sun and the Lady of the Moon! Blessed Be! South:
Hail Notus! Southern Wind! Guardian of all that encompasses our courage, our healing capabilities, our ability to evolve and change, and our opposition of evil! We ask for you to join us in our rite this evening, to feel your breath of protection so that we are safe as we work our magick, to feel your breeze upon our bodies as we celebrate the Lord and Lady of the hunt! Blessed Be! West:
Hail Zephyrus! Western Wind! Guardian of all that encompasses our compassion, our happiness, our ability to forgive and to learn! We ask for you to join us in our rite this evening, to feel your breath of protection so that we are safe as we work our magick, to feel your breeze upon our bodies as we celebrate the Triple Goddess and Her consort! Blessed Be! North:
Hail Boreas! Northern Wind! Guardian of all that encompasses our sense of responsibility, our growth, our very foundation! We ask for you to join us in our rite this evening, to feel your breath of protection so that we are safe as we work our magick, to feel your breeze upon our bodies as we celebrate Mother Earth and Father Sky! Blessed Be! Invocation of Apollo High Priest:
Please hold in your mind the image of a handsome golden-haired youth. His body is athletic and perfectly proportioned. He is dressed in traditional Greek finery, is armed with a bow and arrows, and carries a lyre. I stand before You, Apollo, with my guide [name of high priest's spirit guide (optional)] beside me for this Esbat rite. And we [, name of coven or group (optional),] call upon You, Apollo Letoides, golden haired lord of light, lover of Narcissus, devoted twin brother of Artemis, to be with us tonight! Wolfish Apollo, who once walked at the heels of the Goddess. Spirit of the Pit! Apollo Lycaeus! As You guarded the Goddess then, so do we seek Your protection now! Hail Apollo! Your silken voice and deft fingers playing the lyre speak of Your mastery of and love for all music. Companion of the Muses, patron of art and beauty, we ask for You to hear us! Lord of Prophecy, as Your powers over the Oracle were born out of Delphyne, the womb of Creation, so we call upon You as the cycle continues to evolve into the Aquarian age. The time of Artemis' supreme rule ended long ago. The time of Your lordship is now evolving into the true aspect of Your twin powers, ruling and working side by side. Apollo, mighty healer, we know only You can help us heal the wounds inflicted by evil men—men who do not respect the very life force of which they are born! Hear us as we cry out for You in our outrage! Phoebus Apollo! We need Your golden radiance here! Know that we do not seek vengeance, but choose to work for equality, respect, healing, and strength! So Mote It Be! So Mote It Be! So Mote It Be! So Mote It Be! Blessed Be! Invocation of Artemis High Priestess:
Please hold in your mind the image of a young virgin. She is slim and supple, and beautiful in a severe way. She's wearing a short saffron (orange-yellow) colored hunting tunic. Her feet are shod in sandals. She is armed with a bow and arrows like Her brother's, and She is accompanied by a young doe. I stand before You, Artemis, with my guide [name of high priestess' spirit guide (optional)] beside me for this Esbat rite. And we [, name of coven or group (optional),] call upon You for this Esbat rite. Many breasted Artemis, nurturer of all living creatures that walk beneath Your glorious silver rays, join our circle! Ursa Major, ruler of the stars and the Axis Mundi, great She-Bear who announces the arriving seasons, guide of seafarers, governess of the weather, be with us tonight! Child of Leto and Zeus, we call upon You in Your threefold aspect: Maiden of the Moon, huntress of the forests, twin sister of Apollo? Hear us Lady Artemis! Mother of Arcas and every living being, healer of wounds of the soul, Artemis! Mistress of the dark of the moon, we humbly beseech Your presence amongst us because we have serious powerful magick to work! Crone Goddess! As You have always protected women against unwanted male advances throughout the centuries, as Your worshippers at Taurus and Ephesus fought off the evils of patriarchal power, we know You have only been waiting for us to join You! Oh Queen of Witches, we cry out for You now as we work to do whatever must be done to heal these atrocities that are tearing at the very soul of humanity! Know that although we call for Your strength, we do not seek vengeance, but choose to work in the name of positive magick for justice, healing, peace, and equality! So Mote It Be! So Mote It Be! So Mote It Be! Blessed Be! Guided Visualization High Priestess:
If we could all join hands. We are going to do a visualization. Everyone close your eyes. Let's start by taking three deep cleansing breaths—in through your nose and out through your mouth—building up your psychic charge. See all around you a white light. It is in an egg shape and extends three feet from your body. Breath in the light and see it transform every cell within you to the same white brilliance. Take a few minutes to scrub out any dark spots. Feel all the strains of the mundane world slip away? As your body and mind feel cleansed and you begin to become more aware of your surroundings you realize that you feel very hot sunlight upon your body. You feel warm sand beneath your feet and between your toes. The air around you is still and heavy. You look around and see the landscape around you has shifted into a desert. There is not a single cloud in the sky and you have to squint a little to cut down on the glare from the sun. As you are looking around your new surroundings, your eyes turn to the center of our circle. You notice that we are not alone. In the center of our sacred space you see a very large group of women. They look like they are of eastern European descent. They tend towards dark hair and broad faces, but overall they really don't look that different from us. You see women of all ages—even girls as young as eleven. Something disturbing emanating from them hits your sixth sense. You look more intently, trying to figure it out. You see that many of the women are desperately clutching their clothing to them. Buttons are missing from blouses. You see bruises peeking out from tears in their garments, and some have dark spots of blood running down their thighs. You turn your gaze to look into their eyes. It is there that you see much worse damage than physical injury—it is not only their bodies that have been attacked but their souls. Every woman in this group has been brutally raped! Remember that we are in our sacred space and that all is safe. You turn your gaze back upon these women, for to help them we must understand what they are feeling. You see that some of them feel ashamed. They are wondering if they should have fought to the point of being killed rather than let this happen to them. They now have to live with the stigma of being tainted—impure—for in their culture unmarried women should be virgins. They are scared that this tragedy will prevent them from ever marrying. Married women are fear their husbands will reject them. You also sense a lot of anger—anger not only at the men who abused them, but at the world community. Serbian soldiers tried to rip away their sense of identity and self-respect. The world has treated them with apathy. The politicians have used them. Many feel abandoned by everyone. That is why it is up to us. It is within us to help them. We have the power of Artemis and Apollo divine within us. Whatever feelings you have right now can be channeled into productive energy. We are going to build a shield to heal and protect these women. A permanent shield that will last after this ritual ends. There is a Buddhist chant: nam-myo-ho-renge-kyo. It's a chant people use starting out on the Buddhist path. It's the chant they use to find their inner strength—to find courage. It refers to a type of lotus flower that can only grow in deep murky mud. The deeper and darker the mud, the farther and stronger the roots can grow, and therefore the more beautiful the flower. We will start out chanting softly: nam-myo-ho-renge-kyo, nam-myo-ho-renge-kyo, nam-myo-ho-renge-kyo. Men of our circle, visualize a golden light shooting out of yourself to the center of the circle—a brilliant powerful light full of the strength of the Sun God. Women of our circle—visualize a silver ray shooting forth out of yourself to the center of the circle. This ray is a shimmering silver light full of the strength of the Moon Goddess within. The rays each of you send forth is not a passive ray gently flowing out. See it spring forth with the power of water shooting out from a hose turned up high. As each ray reaches the center, they converge and swirl into each other. A sparkling shimmering ball forms around all the women. Every cell inside this ball is either silver or gold. The women inside are bathed in this light. As the light touches each woman, you see their bruises disappear. Their physical wounds are healed! As each woman breathes in the light around them, you see a look of peace come upon each face. They have found the inner strength they will need to heal their spirits. The surface of the ball starts to change. What was a smooth surface starts to sprout spikes all over it. Each spike grows to several feet long and is also built of our silver and gold rays. There is no way to pass through these spikes without the women inside willing it to be so. There are no weak spots. It shines with great splendor and is highly visible. Any willing harm will see it as a warning. They see the danger of continuing their path. Those who ignore the warning and approach anyone inside intending malice will walk right into a spike and impale themselves. Our work is complete. Take a few minutes to ground your energy by sending it into Mother Earth. As you leave this area—see the glow of our orb in the distance. Know it is still there working our magick. Let's come back to our waking consciousness. Charging the Wine and Cakes The high priest with his athame faces the high priestess holding the chalice of wine (or milk, or apple juice, or whatever seems appropriate). High Priest (lowering athame into the chalice):
As the seed is to the soil, so the athame is to the cup. I charge this wine with strength! Blessed Be! The high priest and priestess sip the wine and then pass it on to the rest of the circle. Then the high priest holds the cakes for the high priestess. High Priestess:
I charge these cakes with hope, optimism, and more hope. Blessed Be! They then each eat one cake and pass the rest to the circle. Closing the Ritual High Priest:
Apollo, healer and guardian, we thank You for joining us! As this ritual draws to a close, Your presence here is no longer needed, but always welcome! As You leave, we remember that Your power continues to wax, aiding the women of Bosnia, and all who need your help. High Priestess:
Artemis, Queen of the Gods and Mother of woman and man, we thank You for joining us! As this ritual draws to a close, Your presence here is no longer needed, but always welcome! As You leave, we remember that Your power continues to wax, protecting and empowering the women of Bosnia and all who need your power. North:
We thank you for joining us, Boreas! As this ritual draws to a close, your presence here is no longer needed, but always welcome! Blessed Be! West:
We thank you for joining us, Zephyrus. As this ritual draws to a close, your presence here is no longer needed, but always welcome! Blessed Be! South:
Thank you for joining us, Notus. As this ritual draws to a close, your presence here is no longer needed, but always welcome! Blessed Be! East:
We thank you for joining us, Eurus. As this ritual draws to a close, your presence here is no longer needed, but always welcome! Blessed Be! High Priestess:
This rite is ended! Merry meet, and merry part, and merry meet again! | 
