Ritual is a secret act. In magical philosophy, such a concept as a ritual has a different content - a specific form of movements, manipulations of external and internal energies, as well as objects, i.e. this is a special form of consciousness, where the movement of psychic energy through time and space takes place, designed to fulfill the desired result. Ritual consciousness is a state where the conscious and spiritual minds act in concert and allows professionals to clearly sense and direct energy to the right place. This is a state of increased sensitivity, when consciousness is open to the subtle world and is in complete unity with nature. There are three reasons for performing different rituals in magic:
1. Know yourself, which will allow you to acquire Willpower, a different feeling about yourself and others.
2. The ritual strengthens the internal energy state, which will allow others to treat you differently and exclude unwanted influences from your environment, including the physical.
3. Awakening of true consciousness.
Most of the initiation ceremonies are only a rite celebrating the acceptance of a person into the Sabbath or dedication to the Goddess and God. You can enter such a group only after initiation, part of which is an oath not to disclose their secrets. Each traditionalist sorcerer has his own initiation ceremony, which he is free or not free to reveal to others. Sometimes, between the initiator and the adept, 'Power' passes, as the initiates say, associated with ancient knowledge and divine ways. And only when the Old Ways become a part of your life and your connection with the Gods becomes stronger, when you collect your tools, when you become spiritual persons, only then you will receive the right to call yourself a Sorcerer.
Witchcraft rituals usually take place on special days, full moon nights or during seasonal holidays, this is the ideal time for rituals when the best earthly energies are in motion and can be used to increase the efficiency of your processes, where spiritual goals or magical actions are pursued.
SHABASH
There was no consensus about the nature of the Sabbath and even about the very reality of this phenomenon. Some modern authors believe that the "witch hunt" that once swept the whole of Europe was the fruit of an illusion generated by an excessively rich imagination and credulity. Others, on the contrary, consider all the confessions of the witches to be truthful and reliable. The truth seems to lie somewhere between these two extremes, but closer to the first. One should not reject all the numerous evidences indiscriminately, considering them to be fiction. After all, witches exist today. The only thing that can be stated with accuracy is that the Sabbath is rooted in paganism. The leader of the coven was previously the Goddess Hecate, but over time she was replaced by Diana. However, modern witches have finally restored the cult of the Goddess and worship the Queen of Heaven and All That Is (Hecate). The word 'sabbath' itself has become a designation for witches' meetings, usually held once a week, due to negative associations with the Jewish holiday of the Sabbath (sabbat). In different areas, the order of performing rituals at the Sabbath was different.
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But, as a rule, the Sabbath began with a ceremony during which bonfires were kindled and the witches swore allegiance to the Devil: “And they approached him and paid him honor, but each time in a different manner. Sometimes they knelt in front of him, like supplicants, sometimes they turned their backs to him and backed away, like crayfish, they touched him with their hands folded behind his back in a prayer gesture. Talking to him, they lowered their heads and looked at the ground, and many more they did all sorts of things in a manner completely alien to the customs of other people: After that, new members of the sect were dedicated, introducing them to the Devil. Sometimes he performed the rite of satanic baptism on them. Then the witches sat down to feast, dancing around the fire, after which they indulged in orgies. In some cases, a religious ceremony was performed - a parody of the Catholic Mass: '. This is how the religion of the gathering of witches was described. However, this is far from the case, although there is some truth.
Rejecting the Christian God, witches swear to the Devil as a deity. When initiated into a sect, they turn to the Devil, approximately with the following words: “I surrender myself entirely to your power and into your hands and will not worship any other god, for you are my God.” Then they swore an oath to him that they would always come to the call, bring in new members, never reveal the secrets of the witch sect and take revenge for any wrongs inflicted on their new brothers. The idea of the Devil as a creator and master goes back to the belief that the world was created and controlled by the Devil, while God is far from earthly life. Although in most cases the witches themselves called their god - Satan, Lucifer, Beelzebub, Belial, Astroth, Asmodeus, Mammon, but still they identified him with the Devil, whose role was played by the chairman of the Sabbath. That fact,that the Devil often turned out to be horned and in a goat's skin, apparently due to its symbolic connection with the number 2, as well as the fact that demons very often appeared in the form of animals or creatures in appearance with their various parts of the body. However, to a greater extent, the connection between the Guardian, the evil principle and the goat is inherent in the structure of the Jewish ritual - the expulsion into the desert of the scapegoat. According to another theory, the Devil takes the form of a goat and other animals for the reason that he is none other than the pagan "horned god" of the peoples of Europe. However, no matter which particular deity the witches turned to, the very essence of the idea is important. Witches, who were both sorcerers and devil worshipers at the same time, shared magical and pagan ideas about the value of the animal principle in man. Wild dances and orgiastic rituals in honor of this god,apparently served most likely to release this animal principle. The theory of magic says that this is the most important step on the path to gaining integrity, to the transformation of a person into a deity, according to which the necessary condition for salvation is to experience all conditions and sensations possible on earth. This is clearly seen in the inconceivable and perverted orgies of witches, the culmination of which was a sexual animal revelry, in which pleasure, mixed with pain, plunged the witches into ecstasy. The aesthetic pleasure that witches received at the Sabbath was so attractive that many remained faithful to the Devil until death. The Sabbat gave the witches great pleasure, not so much because of freedom and permissiveness, but because the Devil had such power over the hearts of witches that they no longer wanted anything other than communication with him.
On the other hand, there was a belief about the so-called pact with the Devil, which took a firm place in the dark countless legends and tales. The idea of a pact with the devil most likely arose under the influence of early Christian ideas that sorcerers are capable of performing miracles only if they enlist the help of supernatural beings. Since the black magician clearly could not count on the help of God, he could only rely on the Dark forces. It is difficult to say how correct such conclusions are, since this is most likely a manifestation of a gesture of despair, the lot of second-rate sorcerers who are unable to gain power over the forces of hell. However, this judgment is incorrect.
It is well known among practitioners of the occult that magical actions performed by a group are much more effective, while the efforts of a single person can have only a moderate effect. However, there is a reservation of such a community - firstly, the group must be equally minded, i.e. everyone should feel sympathy for each other, have a common faith and emotional connection, and secondly, each of the members of the coven should have good skills in the practice of magic and the desire to implement it, but not fanaticism.
Each coven group, specializing in the sexual aspects of witchcraft, has its own special rituals and symbols, which are initially hidden from the uninitiated, who connect to the group for the first time with their own attitudes, thereby causing unconsciously destruction in the subtle work of the coven. This is especially important when the first time participant may be an "uninvited guest" or skeptical.
What your coven will specialize in should be decided by the group itself - it can be healing the sick, calling the souls of the dead, influencing someone, etc. But most groups devote their energies to the worship of various deities, not for the sake of practical and magical actions, but rather expressing their pure and spiritual life, thereby professing the 'cult of witchcraft'.
It is quite obvious that the strength of occult teachings such as witchcraft, as opposed to organized religion, is that they leave the adept the 'path to salvation' on his own, without making any attempts to convert anyone to his faith - everyone is free to choose engage in witchcraft or not 'or, take it and do something'.
The Orthodox witch adheres to the most traditional principles - to create for one and for one. The Sabbat, on the other hand, consists of a group of individuals who have a common interest and work not only for the desire of one or a group, but for the desire to know knowledge, energy and love.