The Great Rite
- Understanding The Rite
- The Great Rite IS NOT for everyone and like all rituals it
can be used as 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 the union between partners 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, and
in honoring the Great Spirits in the form of the God and Goddess
joining to form the God Head (Spirit).
- In addition, the Great Rite is not always a physical act.
While it may have started out that way in ancient cultures, societies
and understandings evolve. So too do spiritual rites and ceremonies.
Whither conducted as a physical act, or a symbolic act, the Great
Rite can be a very beautiful and powerful event when conducted
with the utmost respect and reverence.
- But as with ANY ritual, it can
be misused as well. And all practitioners MUST understand the
rights they hold within a group and within any ritual. Sexual
harassment is a misuse of power, regardless of how it's invoked.
Demanding sexual favors in return for something badly needed,
or desired is abuse and criminal, both in a spiritual sense as
well as a physical accountability. Demanding a coupling for an
initiation when the initiant is not comfortable with the union,
is intimidation and rape. The causing of pain, terror and humiliation
is a criminal act and is more than a misuse of power, it is a
spiritual sin even within the pagan world. It is the desecration
of the first grail, the womb of a woman and a disrespect to the
spiritual path of any religion.
- In ancient times, the GreatRite dealt with the union of the
Goddess to the God to win favor or blessings from the Divine
Universe. It was a ritual of survival that promoted fertility
of fields, flocks and family.
- Today the Great Rite deals with the essence of feminine and
masculine energy as it relates to the God and Goddess. The idea
is that in order to establish true Divinity within oneself, you
need to accept and join your two natures together. We are all
part masculine and part feminine within our being. Only when
we learn to accept the nature of both can we discover the true
- 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 humans. Not understanding the medical
process of copulation and conceiving. Prehistoric tribes documented
their divine rituals through cave paintings which depict this
idea fairly well.
- These early paintings, carvings and 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, typically a Goddess. A woman who was extremely fertile
was considered to be favored by the God/Goddess and elevated
within her tribal structure. Some cultures viewed such a woman
as the embodiment of the tribal Goddess who granted favor over
the tribe. If this great Mother was fertile and brought new life
to the tribe, that favor was also granted to the growing, harvest
and hunting seasons of the tribe as well. In ancient times, all
these events were strongly linked and each affected the other.
- When early humans 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
as 'Mother Goddess' shifted and was soon to be shared with a
deserving male of the tribe.
- In these ancient times, 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 food and housing for
the tribe was seen as the God blessing or working through the
physical hunter. Some suggest this is the early concept of the
Horned God seen throughout legend and myth.
- It is clear however, that the Goddess and Mother of the tribe
was just as important as the God and the Hunter. Without both,
the tribe will suffer and die. There cannot be abundance and
sustenance for the whole society without the work of both the
Goddess and God to provide fertility of the fields, the herds
and even the tribe itself. From this early concept of survival,
the reverence of ritual celebration and the union of male and
female was born.
- 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 practitioners
were providing a service of the Goddess to the cultures of their
society. 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.
- The myths of the Greeks, to a greater or lesser extent are
concerned with sex and the union of Deities with the lowly humans
they rule over. The Greek pantheons constantly sought out human
partners who's conceived children often became revered 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, but still gained abundance in the fields
- 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 accepted 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 so 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 venues and importance of women such as Queen Esther
who 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. This
is a very clear connection between the earliest Great Rite rituals
and the bible. 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. In
this case God's rock provided mankind with a son, the Lord Jesus.
- The bible also provides one of the biggest examples of the
reverence between the Divine and human coupling through the conception
of Jesus. Early variations of the bible come right out and say
"God lay with Mary and she conceived a son". That translation
has changed over the years thanks to the French and the first
use of the term "immaculate conception" (meaning without
sin or blemish) in 1497.
- 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 becoming a sin and
to find pleasure in the act of sexual copulation, was to accept
the 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 bargaining point as a bride or as a prize of war.
- Items such as a Chastity belt became common place, but were
deadly for the women 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. She was property and
her only value was the ability to provide a male heir to her
husband and his family line. What a sad turn of events that diminished
both the value of women and the sanctity of the physical pleasure
and spiritual connection of the sexual union.
- The Great Rite - Physical vs. Symbolic
- The Great Rite is probably the
most well known or heard about pagan rituals. Today it is a rite
of sexual intercourse that pays homage to the polarity of male/female;
god/goddess, priest/priestess. The rite can be performed "in-true"
form, meaning the actual physical act of intercourse. Or "in-token"
form, meaning a symbolic act of the union between God and Goddess.
- This polarity exists in all things in and around the universe.
The Great Rite therefore expresses the physical, mental, spiritual
aspects of the Divine through the astral union between a man
and woman as representations of the God and Goddess. Ok..say
what? In other words, the energy created between a man and woman
during the physical act of intercourse is an expression of spiritual
energy from the God and Goddess.
- To many the Great Rite is the Hieros Gamos, The Sacred
Marriage or the Holy Matrimony, which results in the creation
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. The King represented the God, the
priestess the Goddess and through their Union his reign was both
approved and blessed by the Divine Spirit. From this perspective
it takes both the God and the Goddess to create the greater Divine
Spirit and attain favor of that Spirit.
- 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", which
is the physical sexual act.
- When the rite is performed as a celebration of the season,
it is often conducted "in true" form by a couple who
are already intimate partners. The public display of the union
varies between traditions. For instance, a portion of the rite
maybe performed within the ritual circle in front of the coven,
and the intimate union is performed in private.
- Gerald Gardner established an open and public display of
the Great Rite with the coven watching. The Coven members would
form the circle edges and the couple would copulate in the center.
He also favored ritual scourging as part of the rite, a practice
which has fallen greatly out of favor.
- Other covens perform 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 Covens instruct the circle
members to walk backwards out of the sacred ritual space, then
turn and file out clockwise leaving the couple in private. And
still other groups form a closed circle, and then open a doorway
allowing the couple to exit the ritual circle and enter their
own private space, which is typically a circle that was earlier
prepared by the couple.
- Because of the puritanical influence over sexual encounters,
many modern groups practice the Great Rite "In-Token".
What's important about any ritual is the energy it pulls in and
creates. There's no denying that many people are uncomfortable
with the physical display of sexual unions. Making everyone feel
at ease creates a calm peaceful energy for the spiritual gathering.
So In-Token rituals are becoming more popular. The main point
to the Great Rite is the creation of energy between the male(physical
being) and female(spiritual being) to form the whole(the Divine
Creation). That can be just as easily done through symbolic means
as it can through a physical act.
- There are several items that can be used to represent the
Goddess in these forms of the Great Rite. A ritual cup is the
most common, but a ritual bowl, a cauldron or even a fire bowl
can be used. The corresponding item to represent the God can
be a ritual athame, a wand, a sword or a staff. I have seen a
carved tree (about 3ft in length) used as the God, and a fire
bowl as the Goddess. The log was placed in the bowl and set on
fire to represent the union. The gathering than danced by the
light of the fire, honoring the spirit that moved within and
through everyone present.
- There are many variations that can be conducted for this
ritual. There is no single or right way.
- The Great Rite - The Ritual
- 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
- 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.
- The Dance of Love is often a ritual performed by a committed
couple in private. The idea is to generate Divine energy for
a specific purpose, such as to favor the couple with fertility
or abundance of their individual family. In this ritual, the
couple spends time in meditation prior to their union to connect
with the Divine Universe. This act raises their energy to a higher
level of reverence to distinguish this moment as something more
special and important than other acts of love making. This also
helps empower the partners to express their energy as the representations
of the God and Goddess during physical contact. All of which
culminates in the creation of energy for their specified intent,
and it's release into the ethereal world for manifestation.
- The Great Rite - Straight or Gay
- The concept of straight or gay is not an issue in Pagan communities
in general. Same sex encounters are common in nature and being
that humans are part of nature, it is seen as a common practice
there as well. The Great Rite is not about the 'physical' aspects
of a man and woman, but rather their expression of energy as
the God and Goddess. This can be easily accomplished between
same sex couples just as it can be expressed through heterosexual
- Feminine energy is not something that only women have. Men
have too. By the same token, masculine energy is not specific
to men. Women have it too. The Great Rite can be expressed through
same sex couples simply by choosing which side of the polarity
coin (masculine vs. feminine) is going to be represented by which
- 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
- Janet and Stewart Farrar "A Witches Bible- Complete"
- Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki "The Tree of Ecstasy"
- Sources: 1, m1,
- Created: 05.07.2002 Updated: 05.18.2011