Seventh Key: Game
Sabbatic Process: Play of the Board
Chakra: Crown
Alchemy: Coagulation
Planet: Saturn
Astrological Aspect: Semi-Sextile
Witchdom Teaching: Witch Crown
Incense: Myrrh, Mullein, or Cypress
Sacramental Medicine: Horsetail, Mullein, Rowan Berry Tea or Tincture
Invocation:
By the Golden Chain,
And the Silver Hooks,
I see the flow of Power, Love and Wisdom,
Not found in the pages of any book.
I seek initiation into the Timeless Tradition
Of the Nameless Art,
The Unnamed Order
Of the Perfected Heart.
Teach me the Ways of Power.
Teach me the Ways of the Wise.
Teach me the Ways of Love.
And the Secrets of Those Who Never Die
In Service to the Lady
In the Service to the Lord
Flow with lightning through my blood
Flow through me the sacred cord.
Join me to you and join you to me.
Join me to the Three In One
And to the One in Three Forever More.
So mote it be.
Ritual
- On the evening of April 30, cleanse and prepare yourself and your space.
- Prepare your sacramental drink in your ritual cup if desired.
- Light your candle for the sabbat.
- Ignite any incense if desired.
- Enter into a trance state using whatever method you prefer such as countdown, breath work, or music.
- Recite the opening to the Sabbat of our Mighty Dead:
By Stone and Stang and Cauldron Well
By the darkest of Earths
By the deepest of Hells
By the light of the Watcher Stars
Who shine through the night
By Law and by Love
By Life and by Light
By the truths found between the Horns
By the Child who is never born
By the Skull and Crown
By the Root and Cord
By the Web of the Lady
By the Song of the Lord
We call you to come and be with us still
By the Sovereignty of the Stone
The Compassion of the Cup
The Sword of Truth
And the Wand of Will
Come one, come many, come one, come all
Come by the Stone and Stang and the Cauldron call.
Hail and welcome.
- Feel the presence of the Mighty Dead in the other world, the members of the Timeless Tradition of the Witch’s Sabbat, awaiting you where you left off on the previous night.
- Recite the Invocation of the Seventh Key:
By the Golden Chain,
And the Silver Hooks,
I see the flow of Power, Love and Wisdom,
Not found in the pages of any book.
I seek initiation into the Timeless Tradition
Of the Nameless Art,
The Unnamed Order
Of the Perfected Heart.
Teach me the Ways of Power.
Teach me the Ways of the Wise.
Teach me the Ways of Love.
And the Secrets of Those Who Never Die
In Service to the Lady
In the Service to the Lord
Flow with lightning through my blood
Flow through me the sacred cord.
Join me to you and join you to me.
Join me to the Three In One
And to the One in Three Forever More.
So mote it be.
- Contemplate the Game of Life where life is characterized as a series of moves unfolding upon a board. The mystery is embodied in old temple structures of a checkerboard floor, showing the interplay of light and dark, or two forces engaged in the game, though the relationship is always of at least three, the first player, the second and the game itself. Though in life, there are many players seen and unseen, human and not.
- Think about how each game is really about the structure of rules and a pattern in which the game unfolds using those rules.
- Think about how different people approach games, and life. Some use strategy, deliberation, cooperation, instinct, random guesses. All are approaches to life and none are necessarily better than another inherently.
- Reflect on the idea of “winning” and what that means to you. Does it mean the same to everyone?
- Think about how in many contests and games, one is “crowned” or given a medal or award. Think about the Witch’s Crown, in the Temple Tradition, not just of sovereignty, but of humility, and how those who win who express grace and humility in the process truly seem to enjoy the game, and not the superiority over their opponents.
- In vision, return to the sabbatic mound and seek the checkerboard floor. There the eternal game is being played out.
- Who is playing the game? Are you playing the game?
Are you a player in the game or a piece in the game?
Can you be both, having multiple games at once? - What is the spirit of the game? Are you having fun?
- What is the goal of the game, if any?
- What is your own goal in the game?
- Once you have experienced the unending game, step out of his stage of the sabbat. Withdraw from the vision, returning to this point with the invocation of the final meditation.
- Drink the sacrament if you have prepared one.
- Recite the closing passage:
In this house of the ancestors
I call forth the light of life
Spirits of the Game
We hold open the gate
Regenerating the world
And we dispel sickness and strife.
May there be peace among us
And peace between us all
Blessings be upon us
As we pass through these hallowed halls.
Blessed be.