The Witching Hour

A young woman sneaks out to revel in the secrets of the night.

The Witching Hour

The darkness of the night filled my heart, my soul sensing the pull of the full moon. Midnight was drawing near, an hour fabled among these people as a time for darkness and evil; but I knew it was not. Midnight was a time for magick, when one’s spirit can be free to do what it wants.

Silent as a prayer, I slip from my bed linins, turning my lantern to brighten my room. The silvery wash of the moon filters through my dust caked window, creating dancing patterns on my bedroom floor. As I creep down the hall, I peer into my sister’s room, sighing when I find her content and happy in her crib. The gentle sound of her breathing lures me in, but the tug of my quest is far stronger. At the base of the stairs, waiting on the mantle, Salem perches, his golden eyes haunting and mysterious. He seems to look at me with a certain amount of wisdom, as if he knows what it is I am about to do.

Stepping to the closet door, I slip my grandmother’s brown woodsman cloak, folding the hood over my brown hair. With Salem in the wake of my quiet footsteps, I leave the house behind. Inside, my family sleeps with no knowledge of the feat I am about to perform. My bare feet slip over the cool ground with the stealth of an owl, having traveled this path many times over. I follow the familiar trail through the woods, admiring the way the tall pine and wise oaks bask in the full moon’s ethereal glow. Ahead through the filter of autumn leaves, fire light can be seen. Stepping into the clearing, I distinguish my light and join my fellow witches at the bonfire.

They have been waiting on me, and now that I am with them, we begin the ceremony. I take my position at the north, collecting the green candle from the ground.

“Merry meet, Sage, and blessed be.” Rachel’s gentle voice floats over me like silk on her way to the western edge of the circle. In her hands is a light blue candle, its brilliant color catching the light of the fire.

Alice calls the five of us to the circle beside the fire and we close our eyes. We center ourselves by taking three deep, even breaths, thinking about the energy of the earth surrounding us, and drawing that energy into our bodies as we breathe. Then Alice moves to the eastern part of the circle where George stands at the ready, his strange golden eyes glowing.

 George offers the candle as Alice’s enchanting voice fills the air, calling wind to our circle. "It fills us and breathes life into us. I call wind to this circle."  As she touching the burning stick to the candle, George’s wheat colored hair is ruffled in an unseen wind, sticking up from his forehead afterwards.

She moves on to Edwin, his curly mass of red hair disheveled, causing him to look as handsome as ever.  His reddish brown eyes catch the light of the fire, seeming alive and welcoming. "It warms and succors us.  I call fire to this circle."

Moving deosil, she moves to the west, walking gracefully to Rachel’s side. The younger girl’s black hair has been pulled back tonight in a riot of ringlets, her blue eyes smoldering beneath a feathering mass of lashes. Evoking the element water, Ally is saying, "it sooths and washes us. I call water to this circle." 

Dancing in her swaying way, she then comes to stand in front of me. With a faint smile of her pink lips, and she lightly bows her head. "It sustains us. From it we are born, and to it we all shall return. I call earth to this circle." Lighting my candle, I feel the grass begin to grow beneath my feet. Glancing down, a beautiful array of wild flowers has bloomed at my feet.

Moving to the center of our enchanting circle, she stands beside Alex, whose midnight blue eyes are watching my own emerald.  Ally’s twin brother does not move as she calls upon spirit, the final element in tonight’s full moon circle.  "It is our essence. I call spirit to this circle." 

The six of us then continue breathing, listening to the sounds that entertain the night’s creatures. From far off, a lone wolf howls and an owl hoots in the tree not far from us. Ally reaches down for a smudge stick of sage, purifying the air around us. Holding her regal head high, she says, “The full moon is a magical time when the veil between the known and unknown is thin, and can even be lifted. That is mysterious and wonderful, and I honor the fact that this world is made up of more things than my eyes can see. May the unseen protect and guide us. The full moon is also an excellent time to complete, or end, things.”

With that, we each close out circle, starting with spirit and going down the line: earth, water, fire, and air. Tonight’s circle has been fulfilled, the full moon honored, and the witching hour complete.