The Great Rite

Understanding The Rite The Great Rite IS NOT for everyone and like all rituals is can be used in positive act just as easily as it can be used to abuse. While modern attitudes about sex are puritan in many circles, within the pagan world, it is simply part of nature. But that doesn't mean it isn't used without accountability. This energy of union is part of the miracle of love between two people. It's energy is more than just physical gratification, it can become a prayer, a method of worship, honoring the GreatSpirits in the form of the God and Goddess joining to form the God Head (Spirit).   But as with ANY ritual, it can be misused as well. And all practioners MUST understand the rights they hold within a group and within any ritual. Sexual harassment is a misuse, regardless of how it's invoked. Demanding sexual favors in return for something badly needed, or desired is misuse. Demanding a coupling for an initiation when the initiant is not comfortable with the union, is misuse. The causing of pain, terror and humiliation is the act of rape and is more than a misuse, it is a spiritual sin even within the pagan world. It is the desecration of the first grail, the womb of a woman.   Sex and Magik Sex and magik have long gone hand in hand. This is nothing new and contrary to 'moral' attitudes, it's not something that's done just to get laid. Linking the sexual act with divine forces was an easy leap for early man. Not understanding the medical process of copulation and conceiving. Prehistoric tribes documented their divine rituals through cave paintings which depict this idea fairly well.   Figurines such as the 'Venus of Willendor' are perfect examples of the early reverence for fertility of a woman and her ability to give new life. This miracle of life was seen just as that, a miracle given to a woman by a deity, or the Goddess. A woman who was extremely fertile was considered to be favored by the Gods/Goddess and elevated within her tribal structure.   When early man realized it took two to create life, the pendulum slowly switched from focusing on the matriarch to the patriarch. As long as a woman could bear children, she still held great power within her tribe. When she grew older and less fertile, she often chose her successor. But her singular power shifted to be shared by with a deserving male of the tribe.   Where the fertility of a woman was seen as a blessing or as the Goddess living through the woman, the strength and ability of a man to provide for the tribe was seen as the God blessing him. This is the early concept of the Horned God seen throughout legend and myth.   A Little History From the beginnings of recorded history, we know that in Mesopotamia and Chaldea, Prostitution was a sacred profession, unlike today. Sacred Prostitution was seen as holy and practioners were providing a service of the Goddess. A man would go to the temple and with an offering, he would request service of a Priestess within. His purpose was to gain favor of the Goddess for more children back at home with his wife, or an extra bit of fertility for his fields, or herds of sheep, cattle or camels. In lying with the Priestess he might feel blessed or honored, and go home full of confidence. He might dig extra irrigation ditches for his fields, or be more encouraged to lay with his wife.   To a great extent the myths of the Greeks is to a greater or lesser extent concerned with sex. The Greek pantheons constantly sought out human partners who's conceived children became demi-gods. These myths had both a good and bad side of their tale. On one hand, divine unions were seen as gifts from the Gods and often became ritualized. They became honored experiences even if they didn't yield a child. On the other hand some tribes such as the Samothraki, involved the sacrifice of young men at one point in their history. Some Priestess would lay with a young man and to ensure she would become pregnant, she carried a very sharp, leaf-shaped knife which she used to take the life of the man she lay with. Sacrificing his life would ensure his essence was transferred to her womb.   There is even evidence of Sex and the Goddess in Biblical Times. It is held by some historians that the Hebrew God Yaweh was originally a phallic deity. In fact it is an accept historical belief that the Hebrews were not always a monotheistic society. Phallic pillars were set up for worship in many of those early Hebrew villages, along with images of the Goddess Anat or Anath. Even today, the lineage of the faith is passed through the feminine side of the family. If a Jewish woman marries outside the faith, her children can be counted as Jewish, but if a man marries outside the faith it's not straight forward.   Through many passages of the Bible we can see evidence of Goddess worship. In Judges V, the Song of Deborah is a clear example. The story of Susanna and the elders is another example. If you can find an early version of the bible, you can see the ritualistic venue. Queen Esther is another 'goddess' symbol. If read with a perspective of the Great Rite, it becomes clear that this queen was also a priestess of the Goddess. Through his reign, her husband the king had to prove his virility and therefore his right to lay with her. And don't forget the Songs of Solomon, which have been considered one of the most glorious love poems ever written.   Other Biblical considerations revolve around the use of language of the time. The use of rock or stone, didn't refer to the stability of God in ones life, but rather phallic symbology of the God. From early historical times, even up to the middle ages, 'rocks' or 'stones' often referred to the male testicles, and of course, pillars to the penis. "Of the rock that begat thee thou are unmindful" Deuteronomy 32:18. "For who is God save the Lord? And who is a rock save our God" Samuel 2:32. "To shew that the Lord is upright: he is my rock." Psalm 62:2.   During the middle ages, oaths, promises and sworn statements were made 'with a hand laid upon the sacred stone'. When taking the oath of office and loyalty, the right hand of the official was placed beneath the testicles of the king. In parts of the Middle East, this is still practiced today.   All this began to change after the fall of Rome and with the rise of Christianity. Sex began to be denied both as a source of magikal power and of pleasure between partners. Where as sex was seen as a gift from the gods, it was now a sin and to find pleasure was an influence of the Devil. By this time, women were seen as the temptress who could drag a man down into the pits of hell and the only way to keep her from having that control, she must be subservient to her husband, brother, or even her son. Her sole value became her ability to bear children which quickly became a bargain point as a bribe or a prize of war.   Items such as a Chastity belt became common place, but were deadly for the woman who wore them. After years of being forced in such contraptions, a woman would develop various diseases, including blood poisoning. During this time, a woman's life expectancy was no more than 30 years. Her entire value, power and favored desires were forgotten and tossed aside.   The Great Rite The Great Rite is probably the most well known or heard about pagan rituals. Today it is rite of sexual intercourse that pays homage to the polarity of male/female; god/goddess, priest/priestess. This polarity exists in all things in and around the universe. The Great Rite therefore expresses the physical, mental, spiritual and astral union between a man and woman as representations of the God and Goddess.   To many the Great Rite is the Hieros Gamos, The Sacred Marriage or the Holy Matrimony, which is the union of the God Head (spirit). It's the top of the spiritual trinity, whose base is the God and Goddess. This concept is nothing new and dates back to neolithic periods. Ancient kings required Hieros Gamos, which was a union with a priestess representing the Goddess, in order to rule.   Depending on the tradition, the Great rite was performed within a Magik Circle between the High Priest and Priestess. It is sometimes also performed for seasonal festivals, and especially handfastings between the newly married couple.   At times it has been used as an Initiation into a coven (such as 3rd degree initiations in the Gardnerian and Alexandrian traditions). Representing the inner marriage of the soul and spirit, ego and self. It is the gateway to becoming a whole being. In these type of initiations, the Rite is performed between the initiant and the High Priest, or High Priestess. This is done either "In token", which is symbolically using ritual tools, such as an athame inserted into a chalice. Or "in true", as a sexual act.   When the rite was performed "in true" it is typically conducted by a couple who are already intimate partners. An open portion of the rite is performed within the circle in front of the coven, and the intimate union is performed in private. Gerald Gardner had the Great Rite performed with the coven watching. He also favored ritual scourging as part of the rite, a practice which has fallen greatly out of favor. Other covens performed a portion of the ritual with everyone watching and then those forming the circle would turn their back on the couple in the center. Others had the circle members walk backwards out of the sacred space, then turn and file out clockwise leaving the couple in private but within the circle. Others still opened on section of the circle and allowed the couple to exit to their own private space, which is typically a circle that was earlier prepared by the couple.   The Rite maybe performed in many methods or formats. There are several rituals performed with the Great Rite for varying purposes, here are just a few. The Rite of Pan The Rite of the Horned God The Rite of the Moon Cup The Dance of Love The Ritual of the Hawthorn Tower The Raising of Osiris The Two of Swords The Grail of Grace The of Crystal The Calling of a Soul The House of the goddess The Adoration of the Pillar The Rite that is Left Undone   Each of these empowers the rite with the energy of the union for specific purpose, but can be for different meanings. The Rite of the Horned God honors the great hunter and provider of a Tribe for instance.   In the Rite of Pan, the male force is the hunter and the female force the prey. Through out the ritual the struggle between male and female is established, but before the rite is realized, an understanding is gained that while the male is strong on the earth/physical sphere, the female is equally strong on the above/spiritual sphere.   In the Rite of the Moon Cup, the woman is the summoner, and the man her target. She is the daughter of the Moon, her representation on earth. He is Lord of the Forest who pays homage to the Goddess (the moon) for his domain.   Further Reading This posting is ONLY an introduction into the concept behind the Great Rite and a few of the rituals which use it's energy. Further reading prior to anyone practicing this rite is required. I have purposely made this post a high level explanation and have intentionally left out how the ritual is invoked. Primarily because of the ease to misuse this rite.   For further reading, I recommend the following: Vivianne Crowley "Wicca: The Old Religion in the New Millennium" Janet and Stewart Farrar "A Witches Bible- Complete" Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki "The Tree of Ecstasy"

Sources: 1, m1, m2, m8, m10, m14, m18, m23, m24, o17, o28, o30