Thirteen Rites Dedicated to the Horned One

The Devil's Dozen Thirteen Craft Rites of The Old One by Gemma Gary
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

He is a figure shrouded in mystery, the Christians call him the devil, but to witches he has a variety of names. Known he is as the man in black, auld horny, the goat food god etc. He come to ritual when properly bidden. The man in black is the central deity in traditional witchcraft. The devil is the one who initiates you into the mysteries, he stands in the great in between in fact he is the in between.
Gemma Gary has produced another small masterpiece that contains thirteen ritual dedicated to the old one. Mind you these are not Wiccan rituals these are based on traditional witchcraft. The directions are different and the tools have a slightly different use. One tool that Wicca does not have is that of the stang. The stang represents the horned god but it also represent the male and female aspects of deity and the approach is unity and love.
The first rite is a “calling the man in black” like the rest of the rituals this one should occur far away from human habitation, like out in nature or in some abandoned building. This first ritual pulls you away from the strictures of civilized man and pulls you back into the carnal forces of nature. When you summon the man in black he can appear at any times and in several; different forms. Sometimes he comes in the form of a hound, a hare , a cat, a crow or a man in a black hat and jacket. Keep your eyes open.
The next ritual is a self initiation. This one dedicates you to the path of the man in black. This ritual is done in an abandoned churchyard on a full moon light. Churches have holy power and are connected with divine energy and energy of those who have invested in that religion. Plus there is an aspect of rebellion against oppressive authority here.
The third ritual empowers the witch’s nowl. The witch’s nowl is an Iron nail that is magically empowered with divine energy. The divine energy comes from the red serpent who lives in the ground of the earth. Once the nail is empowered it is nailed into the ground t empower the working place.
The third ritual leads to the fourth ritual where in the practitioner obtains a stang and empowers it with magic or energy. An iron nail is nailed in the bottom to seal the energy in. It has horns on the top. It represents the horned god but also the masculine and feminine. It could have magical uses like that of the wand or it could be used as an object of devotion and veneration.
Now that was a sampling o the rituals that are offered. The book is small but the directions are full, complete and easy to follow. I read through the book in one day, it was that good. This is a book that any level of practitioner can use.


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