These dances are many and varied, differing from coven to coven and allowing for considerable
invention and renovation.
The two main witch dances are the Spiral Dance, known otherwise as the Maze, Meeting Dance,
Wheel, or Round Dance; and the Chain Dance.
The first, or Meeting Dance, is related to the concept of death as symbolized by a northways
movement, widdershins, leading to the still centre, and then returning on its tracks southways. The
magister stands at the centre of the circle, beside the balefire, facing north. His arms are crossed and he
represents death. The coven, beginning at the northern periphery of the circle, makes a widdershins
spiral chain to the centre, consisting of three circuits, each member similarly turning widdershins on
his individual axis, and on reaching the still figure of the magister at the centre, one by one light the
tapers they carry in their hands. They then double back on their tracks and, spiraling clockwise, return
the way they came, again on a triple circuit. The Spiral, as well as signifying the interaction of the dark
and bright tides, is also said to represent the labyrinth, dolman, or House of Death and Initiation.
Witch symbolism refers it to the Glass Castle of the North, Caer Arrianrhod, and the Corona Borealis.
Accompanying the music of the Meeting Dance, which may be recorded or played on a variety of
instruments to be discussed later, wild cries of "EEE-OOO AAH VOH AIEE"
are often given by the members of the coven as they whirl ecstatically, usually after the words of a
chant such as one adapted from the Invocation of Hertha from Chapter 5, or if the coven be a solely
goddess-oriented variety, the following traditional one:
Queen of the Moon, Queen of the Sun,
Queen of the Heavens, Queen of the Stars,
Queen of the Waters, Queen of the Earth,
bring to us the Child of Promise!
It is the Great Mother who giveth birth to him;
It is the Lord of Life who is born again.
Darkness and tears are set aside
when the sun shall come up early!
Golden Sun of the mountains,
illumine the land, light up the world.
Illumine the seas and the rivers,
Sorrows be laid, joy to the world!
Blessed by the Great Goddess,
without beginning, without end,
everlasting in eternity!
IO EVOKE, blessed be!
However, the latter chant is used only at Halloween or Yule, as it refers specifically to the coming of
winter and the rebirth of the sun at Shamain (Hallaws) or midwinter.
The Meeting Dance often leads directly into the Chain Dance. This is traditionally led by a female
member or the high priestess herself, the magister bringing up the rear. Hence the old saying, "May the
Devil take the hindmost!" The dance is performed with the rod used as a riding-stick or hobby-horse
placed between the legs, and the lighted taper borne aloft. On stormy Sabbats the tapers were and are
still sometimes replaced by oil lamps or lanterns.
The Chain Dance itself probably celebrates the transformation of the seasons, and its device is that of
the pursuit of an animal by a predator. The season, represented by either the god or goddess, changes
shape repeatedly in an attempt to avoid capture. This magical shape-shifting theme is a very ancient
one, and it turns up in innumerable traditions - Celtic, Norse, Greek, and even creeps into the Arabian
Nights. Sometimes the male is the pursuer, other times the female.
The coven god or goddess orientation generally indicates whether the magister or the high priestess
leads the dance. The traditional style seems to be the high priestess in the lead, with the summoner
next followed by the coven and the magister bringing up the rear. The dance itself begins with a
southways circuit of the circle before leaving it through the gateway at the north. In the old days the
dance would wind all over the surrounding territory, through churchyard and barnyard, over hill and
dale.
The leader must imitate the movements of the animal he or she represents. The rest of the coven must
in turn imitate those of the predator that they are identifying with in their verse. All the powers of the
witchly imagination must be brought to bear here. You must feel yourself actually becoming the
animal!
The animals themselves differ from coven to coven, largely depending on which totems the group
possesses. The rhyme also changes accordingly, but the sense always remains the same. Here is the
Chain Dance verse designed for one set of totem animals, each pair representing one of the four
seasons:
Leader. I shall go as a wren in spring with sorrow and sighing on silent wing, and I shall go in Our
Lady's name, Aye, till I come home again!
Coven. We shall follow as falcons grey, and hunt thee cruelly as our prey, but we shall go in Our
Master's name, Aye, to fetch thee home again!
Leader. Then I shall go as a mouse in May, in fields by night, in cellars by day, and I shall go in Our
Lady's name, Aye, till I come home again!
Coven. And we shall follow as black tom cats, and chase thee through the corn and vats, but we shall
go in Our Master's name, Aye, to fetch thee home again!
Leader. Then I shall go as an autumn hare, with sorrow and sighing and mickle care, and I shall go in
Our Lady's name, Aye, till I come home again!
Coven. But we shall follow as swift grey hounds, and dog thy tracks by leaps and bounds, and we
shall go in Our Master's name, Aye, to fetch thee home again!
Leader. Then I shall go as a winter trout with sorrow and sighing and mickle doubt, and I shall go in
Our Lady's name, Aye, till I come home again!
Coven. But we shall follow as otters swift, and snare thee fast ere thou canst shift, and we shall go in
Our Master's name, Aye, to fetch thee home again!
The chant is repeated as long as necessary, and by the end of the final repetition of the last verse, the
entire coven should have reentered the circle at the north and be back at their places, with the magister
in the east, the high priestess in the west.
In medieval days, the finale of the Chain Dance usually culminated in the "marriage of heaven and
Earth," as symbolized by the ceremonial coupling of the magister and the high priestess. The entire
female membership of the coven was sometimes also mounted, sometimes being penetrated by means
of an artificial phallus wielded by the magister, or simply by the other male participants. However, in
most modern covens, the actual marriage rite seems to have been replaced generally by the cakes and
wine ceremony which , then leads into the feast. The chalice held by the high priestess is raised high
over the balefire, and Sabbat wine poured in. The magister then lowers his ceremonial rod, wand, or
Athame into the cup briefly, and then removes it. Both he and the priestess then hand it on to the
coven, who drink from it. Similarly, the Sabbat cake is presented on the paten pentacle by the
priestess, divided up by the magister with his Athame, and then distributed like wise. On handing the
chalice or pentacle to one's neighbour, the words "Blessed be" are often uttered.
The initial ceremony of the cakes and wine leads on to the actual feast, which is usually contributed to
by all the coven members, each bringing some particular delicacy. The food, far from being the eye of
newt and toe of frog variety, is the type you would expect to find at any buffet supper.
The meal itself does not have to be eaten within the circle, the only ritual proviso being that if the
company actually sit down at table, the magister be seated at the head. After the meal is concluded, the
Sabbat may continue as a regular party with dancing and singing usually of the folk rock variety being
performed by more exuberant members within the circle, often jumping hand in hand over the flames
of the balefire.
At last, when all is said and done and the party draws to a close, often approaching dawn, traditional
farewells of "Merry part" and "Blessed be" are exchanged between departing members, who after
exchanging their ritual garments for everyday clothes, hurry off into the chill morning air. The Sabbat
is over, the old gods have been reinvoked, and a new season begun.
The basic Sabbat rites should remain the same throughout the year, differing only in small details
appropriate to the season. For instance, many covens will divide the year in two and give the magister
presidency of the circle during the winter months, the Lady in those of summer.
The Midwinter Festival of Yule, Christmastide, celebrates the sun's rebirth with all the customary
decorations and festivity later borrowed by the Church Fathers, the indoor balefire or yule log,
evergreen decorations, holly and ivy tied with scarlet ribbon, and of course the Christmas Tree. Father
Christmas and Mother Holly are but two Christianized images of the Lord and Lady; the Christ child
legend is built upon that of the rebirth of the sun, the light of the world.
Candlemas (February 2) is the Feast of St. Bride or Brigid, a Celtic name for the goddess, and
corresponds to the Roman yearly inauguration of the vestal fire. It is a celebration of the waxing light,
and the high priestess, or indeed, all the coven, may each don a candle-crown for the ritual dances.
The vernal equinox, or Lady Day, again a reference to the goddess, has all the trappings of traditional
Easter. (The word "Easter" in fact is but a modernization of Bostra, the name of an Anglo-Saxon dawn
goddess cognate with the classical Eos.)
Beltane, Cetshamain, or Roodmas, as it was Christianized has as its theme the May day ceremonies
still practised throughout rural England and Europe with stave dancing and flower garlands tied with
white ribbons.
Midsummer, or St. John's Eve, marks the nearest point of the sun's approach to Earth. The Catherine
Wheel, or blazing cartwheel rolled from the summit of a hill to plunge into the cold waters of a lake or
river below, is yet another expression of the wedding of heaven and Earth.
Lugnassad, or Lammas, celebrates the coming of the harvest-tide, the decorations of corn sheaves,
berries, and fruits, while the autumnal equinox, or Michaelmas, marks its zenith with the eating of the
customary goose. Samhain, or Hallows, ends the tide of reaping and the witches' year. The winter
presided over by the Lord of Misrule begins. The festival is celebrated with the customary sword
dances, the sword here being associated with the chthonic spade and ploughshare, symbols of the God
of Death.
The Dumb Supper may be performed in honour of the beloved dead, and wine and bread be
ceremonially offered to them, the latter in the shape of a cake made in nine segments similar to the
square of Earth. Candlelit turnip or pumpkin-heads and the last remnants of harvest-fare often provide
decoration.
As always, it is a matter of personal preference as to exactly how a Sabbat is to be celebrated, always
bearing in mind your few basic fundamentals, namely, the "drawing down" of the sun and moon, the
ceremonial dances, the symbolic marriage of heaven and Earth, and the communal feast.
So there you are.
Finally, a few notes on practical Sabbat details.
invention and renovation.
The two main witch dances are the Spiral Dance, known otherwise as the Maze, Meeting Dance,
Wheel, or Round Dance; and the Chain Dance.
The first, or Meeting Dance, is related to the concept of death as symbolized by a northways
movement, widdershins, leading to the still centre, and then returning on its tracks southways. The
magister stands at the centre of the circle, beside the balefire, facing north. His arms are crossed and he
represents death. The coven, beginning at the northern periphery of the circle, makes a widdershins
spiral chain to the centre, consisting of three circuits, each member similarly turning widdershins on
his individual axis, and on reaching the still figure of the magister at the centre, one by one light the
tapers they carry in their hands. They then double back on their tracks and, spiraling clockwise, return
the way they came, again on a triple circuit. The Spiral, as well as signifying the interaction of the dark
and bright tides, is also said to represent the labyrinth, dolman, or House of Death and Initiation.
Witch symbolism refers it to the Glass Castle of the North, Caer Arrianrhod, and the Corona Borealis.
Accompanying the music of the Meeting Dance, which may be recorded or played on a variety of
instruments to be discussed later, wild cries of "EEE-OOO AAH VOH AIEE"
are often given by the members of the coven as they whirl ecstatically, usually after the words of a
chant such as one adapted from the Invocation of Hertha from Chapter 5, or if the coven be a solely
goddess-oriented variety, the following traditional one:
Queen of the Moon, Queen of the Sun,
Queen of the Heavens, Queen of the Stars,
Queen of the Waters, Queen of the Earth,
bring to us the Child of Promise!
It is the Great Mother who giveth birth to him;
It is the Lord of Life who is born again.
Darkness and tears are set aside
when the sun shall come up early!
Golden Sun of the mountains,
illumine the land, light up the world.
Illumine the seas and the rivers,
Sorrows be laid, joy to the world!
Blessed by the Great Goddess,
without beginning, without end,
everlasting in eternity!
IO EVOKE, blessed be!
However, the latter chant is used only at Halloween or Yule, as it refers specifically to the coming of
winter and the rebirth of the sun at Shamain (Hallaws) or midwinter.
The Meeting Dance often leads directly into the Chain Dance. This is traditionally led by a female
member or the high priestess herself, the magister bringing up the rear. Hence the old saying, "May the
Devil take the hindmost!" The dance is performed with the rod used as a riding-stick or hobby-horse
placed between the legs, and the lighted taper borne aloft. On stormy Sabbats the tapers were and are
still sometimes replaced by oil lamps or lanterns.
The Chain Dance itself probably celebrates the transformation of the seasons, and its device is that of
the pursuit of an animal by a predator. The season, represented by either the god or goddess, changes
shape repeatedly in an attempt to avoid capture. This magical shape-shifting theme is a very ancient
one, and it turns up in innumerable traditions - Celtic, Norse, Greek, and even creeps into the Arabian
Nights. Sometimes the male is the pursuer, other times the female.
The coven god or goddess orientation generally indicates whether the magister or the high priestess
leads the dance. The traditional style seems to be the high priestess in the lead, with the summoner
next followed by the coven and the magister bringing up the rear. The dance itself begins with a
southways circuit of the circle before leaving it through the gateway at the north. In the old days the
dance would wind all over the surrounding territory, through churchyard and barnyard, over hill and
dale.
The leader must imitate the movements of the animal he or she represents. The rest of the coven must
in turn imitate those of the predator that they are identifying with in their verse. All the powers of the
witchly imagination must be brought to bear here. You must feel yourself actually becoming the
animal!
The animals themselves differ from coven to coven, largely depending on which totems the group
possesses. The rhyme also changes accordingly, but the sense always remains the same. Here is the
Chain Dance verse designed for one set of totem animals, each pair representing one of the four
seasons:
Leader. I shall go as a wren in spring with sorrow and sighing on silent wing, and I shall go in Our
Lady's name, Aye, till I come home again!
Coven. We shall follow as falcons grey, and hunt thee cruelly as our prey, but we shall go in Our
Master's name, Aye, to fetch thee home again!
Leader. Then I shall go as a mouse in May, in fields by night, in cellars by day, and I shall go in Our
Lady's name, Aye, till I come home again!
Coven. And we shall follow as black tom cats, and chase thee through the corn and vats, but we shall
go in Our Master's name, Aye, to fetch thee home again!
Leader. Then I shall go as an autumn hare, with sorrow and sighing and mickle care, and I shall go in
Our Lady's name, Aye, till I come home again!
Coven. But we shall follow as swift grey hounds, and dog thy tracks by leaps and bounds, and we
shall go in Our Master's name, Aye, to fetch thee home again!
Leader. Then I shall go as a winter trout with sorrow and sighing and mickle doubt, and I shall go in
Our Lady's name, Aye, till I come home again!
Coven. But we shall follow as otters swift, and snare thee fast ere thou canst shift, and we shall go in
Our Master's name, Aye, to fetch thee home again!
The chant is repeated as long as necessary, and by the end of the final repetition of the last verse, the
entire coven should have reentered the circle at the north and be back at their places, with the magister
in the east, the high priestess in the west.
In medieval days, the finale of the Chain Dance usually culminated in the "marriage of heaven and
Earth," as symbolized by the ceremonial coupling of the magister and the high priestess. The entire
female membership of the coven was sometimes also mounted, sometimes being penetrated by means
of an artificial phallus wielded by the magister, or simply by the other male participants. However, in
most modern covens, the actual marriage rite seems to have been replaced generally by the cakes and
wine ceremony which , then leads into the feast. The chalice held by the high priestess is raised high
over the balefire, and Sabbat wine poured in. The magister then lowers his ceremonial rod, wand, or
Athame into the cup briefly, and then removes it. Both he and the priestess then hand it on to the
coven, who drink from it. Similarly, the Sabbat cake is presented on the paten pentacle by the
priestess, divided up by the magister with his Athame, and then distributed like wise. On handing the
chalice or pentacle to one's neighbour, the words "Blessed be" are often uttered.
The initial ceremony of the cakes and wine leads on to the actual feast, which is usually contributed to
by all the coven members, each bringing some particular delicacy. The food, far from being the eye of
newt and toe of frog variety, is the type you would expect to find at any buffet supper.
The meal itself does not have to be eaten within the circle, the only ritual proviso being that if the
company actually sit down at table, the magister be seated at the head. After the meal is concluded, the
Sabbat may continue as a regular party with dancing and singing usually of the folk rock variety being
performed by more exuberant members within the circle, often jumping hand in hand over the flames
of the balefire.
At last, when all is said and done and the party draws to a close, often approaching dawn, traditional
farewells of "Merry part" and "Blessed be" are exchanged between departing members, who after
exchanging their ritual garments for everyday clothes, hurry off into the chill morning air. The Sabbat
is over, the old gods have been reinvoked, and a new season begun.
The basic Sabbat rites should remain the same throughout the year, differing only in small details
appropriate to the season. For instance, many covens will divide the year in two and give the magister
presidency of the circle during the winter months, the Lady in those of summer.
The Midwinter Festival of Yule, Christmastide, celebrates the sun's rebirth with all the customary
decorations and festivity later borrowed by the Church Fathers, the indoor balefire or yule log,
evergreen decorations, holly and ivy tied with scarlet ribbon, and of course the Christmas Tree. Father
Christmas and Mother Holly are but two Christianized images of the Lord and Lady; the Christ child
legend is built upon that of the rebirth of the sun, the light of the world.
Candlemas (February 2) is the Feast of St. Bride or Brigid, a Celtic name for the goddess, and
corresponds to the Roman yearly inauguration of the vestal fire. It is a celebration of the waxing light,
and the high priestess, or indeed, all the coven, may each don a candle-crown for the ritual dances.
The vernal equinox, or Lady Day, again a reference to the goddess, has all the trappings of traditional
Easter. (The word "Easter" in fact is but a modernization of Bostra, the name of an Anglo-Saxon dawn
goddess cognate with the classical Eos.)
Beltane, Cetshamain, or Roodmas, as it was Christianized has as its theme the May day ceremonies
still practised throughout rural England and Europe with stave dancing and flower garlands tied with
white ribbons.
Midsummer, or St. John's Eve, marks the nearest point of the sun's approach to Earth. The Catherine
Wheel, or blazing cartwheel rolled from the summit of a hill to plunge into the cold waters of a lake or
river below, is yet another expression of the wedding of heaven and Earth.
Lugnassad, or Lammas, celebrates the coming of the harvest-tide, the decorations of corn sheaves,
berries, and fruits, while the autumnal equinox, or Michaelmas, marks its zenith with the eating of the
customary goose. Samhain, or Hallows, ends the tide of reaping and the witches' year. The winter
presided over by the Lord of Misrule begins. The festival is celebrated with the customary sword
dances, the sword here being associated with the chthonic spade and ploughshare, symbols of the God
of Death.
The Dumb Supper may be performed in honour of the beloved dead, and wine and bread be
ceremonially offered to them, the latter in the shape of a cake made in nine segments similar to the
square of Earth. Candlelit turnip or pumpkin-heads and the last remnants of harvest-fare often provide
decoration.
As always, it is a matter of personal preference as to exactly how a Sabbat is to be celebrated, always
bearing in mind your few basic fundamentals, namely, the "drawing down" of the sun and moon, the
ceremonial dances, the symbolic marriage of heaven and Earth, and the communal feast.
So there you are.
Finally, a few notes on practical Sabbat details.
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