Preparation
Assemble materials
Set the altar (working candle color: white)
also need black candle with black paper underneath

State Intention
I will now state our intention and then light the working candle:
We come here to purify and protect this place.
This is our intent. (Light working candle)

Ground and Center
We will now ground and center. If you wish to participate, please close your eyes. Take a moment to ground yourself with Mother Earth and Father Sky. Center yourself. Clear your mind and focus your thoughts and energies on this circle. Put away all mundane concerns and allow this time to be a gift to yourself. See your energy reaching deep into the earth. See your energy rising into the starry heavens. See energies of purity and protection coming from the earth and the sky to fill you and this place. If you wish, you may take this time to connect with your personal deities. We will use a soft humming sound to center ourselves. Begin now and continue until you hear the ringing of the bell.

Banish and Purify
We will now banish and purify this space.
Circle the area inside counterclockwise ringing bell and chanting. (take sage with you)
If any ill intent here be, by these sounds I banish thee
Circle again on the outside in the same manner
Light sage and Circle clockwise outside, then continue inside circling in towards altar
Bless this place and all who may enter. May peace and love be always its center
Return to the altar and continue the blessing.
By Air and Fire, we sanctify this place
(Place athame in fire, draw invoking pentagrams at quarters, deosil)
By Water and Earth, we purify this place
(Place water in chalice, put dipping stone in water and splash quarters, deosil)
Through the blessings of the Goddess and the God, we claim this space sacred.
(Place tip of athame into chalice)

Set the Four Quadrants
Guardians of the East, element of Air, realm of the mind, direction of the rising sun and new beginnings, come to us. We ask you to protect this place from harm and to allow joy and peace to enter within. Hail and welcome. Blessed Be!

Guardians of the South, element of Fire, realm of the heart, direction of the noonday sun and fortitude, come to us. We ask you to protect this place and to maintain joy and peace within. Hail and welcome. Blessed Be!

Guardians of the West, element of Water, realm of the soul, direction of the setting sun and endings, come to us. We ask you to protect this place from harm and to let all strife and fear be banished quickly when they appear. Hail and welcome. Blessed Be!

Guardians of the North, element of Earth, realm of the physical, direction of the dark of night and renewal, come to us. We ask you to protect this place from harm and let joy and peace live in the darkness as well as the light. Hail and welcome. Blessed Be!

Call the Deities
O great Goddess, Mother of us all, Blessed Mother of the Earth,
protect this place and all who may come to enter within.

O great God, Father of us all, Blessed Father of the sky,
protect this place and all who may come to enter within.

O sacred Child, mystery of all, great miracle of creation,
protect this place and all who may come to enter within.

Ritual
Black is the color of the power of absorption of negative energy. Let all negative energy which has ever been within these walls be now absorbed into this paper.
Light white candle.
White is the color of purity and protection. With the light of this flame, we banish all past ill intent and fill it instead with hope and joy. (light black paper)
Let us now concentrate on filling this place with those energies of hope and joy.
Close your eyes and see all those within as mmoving about in love and happiness.
Feel those feelings within you and let them fill this place
Consecrate all actions within this place to be good and right for all. (pause)
By our actions, our energies, and most of all by our love, I proclaim the space purified and clear.
ring bell.

Sharing
Before we close this ritual, we will take a few moments to let you share your thoughts and feelings about this ritual or about anything you wish to express.
[allow participants to openly speak and share their experiences or other concerns.]

Completion
Now we will end this ritual:
Now this circle we undo, for the magick rite is through
Let this sacred work befall for the good of one and all. So Mote It Be.

Release Deities
O Child of the Stars, great mysterious one, with you our work here has now been done.
If you have come to bless this rite, we thank you now for your bright light.

O God of the Sun, great masculine one, with you our work here has now been done.
If you have come to bless this rite, we thank you now for your bright light.

O Goddess of the Moon, great feminine one, with you our work here has now been done.
If you have come to bless this rite, we thank you now for your bright light.

Release Quadrants
Guardians of the West depart, to your watery realm impart.
Bless all here gathered in true mind and heart. Hail and Farewell. Blessed Be!

Guardians of the South depart, to your fiery realm impart.
Bless all here gathered in true mind and heart. Hail and Farewell. Blessed Be!

Guardians of the East depart, to your airy realm impart.
Bless all here gathered in true mind and heart. Hail and Farewell. Blessed Be!

Guardians of the North depart, to your earthly realm impart.
Bless all here gathered in true mind and heart. Hail and Farewell. Blessed Be!

Ground
Before we bring this ritual to a close, I invite each of you to take a moment to ground your energy. You may do this by silently concentrating on returning your energy to the earth. One of the best ways to do this, however, is to give warm hugs to all who have participated here after the circle is open. (Ground)

Open the Circle
Let these blessings we bestow like a seed, take root and grow.
For though this blessing now is through let what we’ve done be forever true.
So Mote It Be. [ring bell]

Bow [place hands together]
From Mind [touch forehead] and Heart [touch center of chest]
and Body [cross hands across chest] and Soul [drop hands open in front of you],
let is now in love and peace grow.
And from the Spirit from which we all came, [bow]
Merry Meet, Merry Part and Merry Meet again! Blessed Be!
Cakes and Ale

NEEDS:
white working candle
altar
altar cloth
altar tools
deity candles
quadrant candles
“cakes and ale”
white candle
black paper