Drawing down the Moon (ritual)
Encyclopedia
Drawing down the Moon is a ritual central to many contemporary Wicca
n traditions. During the ritual, a coven
's High Priestess
enters a trance
and requests that the Goddess
or Triple Goddess, symbolized by the moon
, enter her body
and speak through her. The High Priestess may be aided by the High Priest
, who invokes the spirit of the Goddess.
During her trance, the High Priestess speaks and acts as the Goddess.
. The solitary will stand in the Goddess Pose (both arms held high, palms up, body and arms forming a 'Y') and recite a charge, or chant.
The name most likely comes from a depiction of two women and the moon on an ancient Greek
vase
, believed to date from the second century BCE.
In classical times, ancient Thessalian
witches were believed to control the moon, according to the tract
: "If I command the moon, it will come down; and if I wish to withhold the day, night will linger over my head; and again, if I wish to embark on the sea, I need no ship, and if I wish to fly through the air, I am free from my weight."
Though a number of Wiccan traditions may practice a variation of the ritual, the modern form likely originated in Gardnerian Wicca
, and is considered a central element of Gardnerian and Alexandrian
Wiccan ceremonies. During the modern rite, the High Priestess may recite the Charge of the Goddess
, a poem written by Doreen Valiente
, High Priestess in the Gardnerian tradition.
Mel D. Faber, criticised for lack of field research and not overcoming the general Freudian bias against religious practice explains the ritual in psychoanalytical terms of attempting to re-unite with the protective-mother
fantasy.
— Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America Today
—originally published in 1979. Adler writes:
"... in this ritual, one of the most serious and beautiful in the modern Craft, the priest invokes into the priestess (or, depending on your point of view, she evokes from within herself) the Goddess or Triple Goddess, symbolized by the phases of the moon. She is known by a thousand names, and among them were those I had used as a child. In some Craft rituals the priestess goes into a trance and speaks; in other traditions the ritual is a more formal dramatic dialogue, often of intense beauty, in which, again, the priestess speaks, taking the role of the Goddess. In both instances, the priestess functions as the Goddess incarnate, within the circle."
Wicca
Wicca , is a modern Pagan religious movement. Developing in England in the first half of the 20th century, Wicca was popularised in the 1950s and early 1960s by a Wiccan High Priest named Gerald Gardner, who at the time called it the "witch cult" and "witchcraft," and its adherents "the Wica."...
n traditions. During the ritual, a coven
Coven
A coven or covan is a name used to describe a gathering of witches or in some cases vampires. Due to the word's association with witches, a gathering of Wiccans, followers of the witchcraft-based neopagan religion of Wicca, is also described as a coven....
's High Priestess
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
enters a trance
Trance
Trance denotes a variety of processes, ecstasy, techniques, modalities and states of mind, awareness and consciousness. Trance states may occur involuntarily and unbidden.The term trance may be associated with meditation, magic, flow, and prayer...
and requests that the Goddess
Goddess
A goddess is a female deity. In some cultures goddesses are associated with Earth, motherhood, love, and the household. In other cultures, goddesses also rule over war, death, and destruction as well as healing....
or Triple Goddess, symbolized by the moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
, enter her body
Spiritual possession
Spirit possession is a paranormal or supernatural event in which it is said that spirits, gods, demons, animas, extraterrestrials, or other disincarnate or extraterrestrial entities take control of a human body, resulting in noticeable changes in health and behaviour...
and speak through her. The High Priestess may be aided by the High Priest
Wicca
Wicca , is a modern Pagan religious movement. Developing in England in the first half of the 20th century, Wicca was popularised in the 1950s and early 1960s by a Wiccan High Priest named Gerald Gardner, who at the time called it the "witch cult" and "witchcraft," and its adherents "the Wica."...
, who invokes the spirit of the Goddess.
During her trance, the High Priestess speaks and acts as the Goddess.
The ritual through history
In contemporary traditions, some solitary Wiccans also perform the ritual, usually within a circle and performed under the light of a full MoonFull Moon
Full moon is a lunar phase.Full Moon may also refer to:- Literature :* Full Moon , a novel by P. G. Wodehouse* Full Moon o Sagashite or Full Moon, a manga* Full Moon Press, an American small-press publisher...
. The solitary will stand in the Goddess Pose (both arms held high, palms up, body and arms forming a 'Y') and recite a charge, or chant.
The name most likely comes from a depiction of two women and the moon on an ancient Greek
Art in Ancient Greece
The arts of ancient Greece have exercised an enormous influence on the culture of many countries all over the world, particularly in the areas of sculpture and architecture. In the West, the art of the Roman Empire was largely derived from Greek models...
vase
Vase
The vase is an open container, often used to hold cut flowers. It can be made from a number of materials including ceramics and glass. The vase is often decorated and thus used to extend the beauty of its contents....
, believed to date from the second century BCE.
In classical times, ancient Thessalian
Thessaly
Thessaly is a traditional geographical region and an administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thessaly was known as Aeolia, and appears thus in Homer's Odyssey....
witches were believed to control the moon, according to the tract
Tract (literature)
A tract is a literary work, and in current usage, usually religious in nature. The notion of what constitutes a tract has changed over time. By the early part of the 21st century, these meant small pamphlets used for religious and political purposes, though far more often the former. They are...
: "If I command the moon, it will come down; and if I wish to withhold the day, night will linger over my head; and again, if I wish to embark on the sea, I need no ship, and if I wish to fly through the air, I am free from my weight."
Though a number of Wiccan traditions may practice a variation of the ritual, the modern form likely originated in Gardnerian Wicca
Gardnerian Wicca
Gardnerian Wicca, or Gardnerian Witchcraft, is a mystery cult tradition or denomination in the neopagan religion of Wicca, whose members can trace initiatory descent from Gerald Gardner. The tradition is itself named after Gardner , a British civil servant and scholar of magic...
, and is considered a central element of Gardnerian and Alexandrian
Alexandrian Wicca
Alexandrian Wicca is a tradition of the Neopagan religion of Wicca, founded by Alex Sanders who, with his wife Maxine Sanders, established the tradition in the United Kingdom in the 1960s...
Wiccan ceremonies. During the modern rite, the High Priestess may recite the Charge of the Goddess
Charge of the Goddess
The Charge of the Goddess is a traditional inspirational text sometimes used in the neopagan religion of Wicca. Several versions exist, though they all have the same basic premise, that of a set of instructions given by a Great Goddess to her worshippers...
, a poem written by Doreen Valiente
Doreen Valiente
Doreen Edith Dominy Valiente , who also went under the craft name Ameth, was an influential English Wiccan who was involved in a number of different early traditions, including Gardnerianism, Cochrane's Craft and the Coven of Atho...
, High Priestess in the Gardnerian tradition.
Mel D. Faber, criticised for lack of field research and not overcoming the general Freudian bias against religious practice explains the ritual in psychoanalytical terms of attempting to re-unite with the protective-mother
Mother
A mother, mum, mom, momma, or mama is a woman who has raised a child, given birth to a child, and/or supplied the ovum that grew into a child. Because of the complexity and differences of a mother's social, cultural, and religious definitions and roles, it is challenging to specify a universally...
fantasy.
The ritual in print
"Drawing Down the Moon" is also the title of a book by National Public Radio reporter, Margot AdlerMargot Adler
Margot Adler is an author, journalist, lecturer, Wiccan priestess and radio journalist and correspondent for National Public Radio .- Early life :Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Adler grew up mostly in New York City...
— Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America Today
Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America Today
Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America Today is a sociological study of contemporary Paganism in the United States written by the American sociologist, Wiccan and journalist Margot Adler...
—originally published in 1979. Adler writes:
"... in this ritual, one of the most serious and beautiful in the modern Craft, the priest invokes into the priestess (or, depending on your point of view, she evokes from within herself) the Goddess or Triple Goddess, symbolized by the phases of the moon. She is known by a thousand names, and among them were those I had used as a child. In some Craft rituals the priestess goes into a trance and speaks; in other traditions the ritual is a more formal dramatic dialogue, often of intense beauty, in which, again, the priestess speaks, taking the role of the Goddess. In both instances, the priestess functions as the Goddess incarnate, within the circle."
Further reading
- Magical Rites From the Crystal Well, Fitch, Ed and Janine Renee, Llewellyn Publications, 1984, ISBN 0875422306
- The Spiral Dance, 20th Anniversary Edition, Starhawk, HarperSanFransisco, 1999, ISBN 0062516329
External links
- Drawing Down the Moon from GardnerianGardnerian WiccaGardnerian Wicca, or Gardnerian Witchcraft, is a mystery cult tradition or denomination in the neopagan religion of Wicca, whose members can trace initiatory descent from Gerald Gardner. The tradition is itself named after Gardner , a British civil servant and scholar of magic...
Book of ShadowsBook of ShadowsA Book of Shadows is a book containing religious texts and instructions for magical rituals found within the Neopagan religion of Wicca. Originating within the Gardnerian tradition of the Craft, the first Book of Shadows was created by the pioneering Wiccan Gerald Gardner sometime in the late 1940s...