We sail a craft of balance, perfect love, and perfect trust
Call the wind and raise the sail
turn the wheel and lift the veil.
To sail across a mirror, dark and blow away the dust
Call the wind and raise the sail
turn the wheel and lift the veil.
We call across the Summerlands to those whom we invite
Call the wind and raise the sail
turn the wheel and lift the veil.
To find themselves in sacred space upon this Samhain night
Call the wind and raise the sail
turn the wheel and lift the veil.
Exploring
It is a moonlit night. It is a summer’s day. It is the first dawn of Spring. You are alone with a candle in your living room. You are circle dancing with friends in your backyard. You move and clap at a festival with hundreds of other people. What keeps you focused, sets your mind free, and creates a group mind? Very often, the answer is Chanting.
Within several occult traditions, Chanting is one of the “Paths of Power”, which are tools to raise power in ritual. They are one of the most effective tools for that purpose, combining words with rhythm and usually a tune. Chants can be very complex, with several lines of melody, or as simple as three words repeated over and over again. I’m sure you have chants that sitck in your mind. Maybe you have ones you return to over and over again.
Chants work in a variety of ways. Primarily, the words themselves suggest a focus for magical work, but it is a little more than that. The process of focusing on the syllables can free up the subconscious mind to step out of yourself and connect with the moment and the Divine beyond the moment. That’s why even chanting all by yourself is so helpful. In a group, chants do even more. Depending on the group and how effectively everyone works together, group rituals can be very powerful. Getting all the separate people to come together as one can be very hard, and the larger the group, the more difficult it can be. A good chant will bring all the heartbeats and minds to join together as one.
Understanding
Complex chants can be beautiful and powerful, but you need time to rehearse them. If someone does not know the chant, it can be a true barrier to letting go, for them and those around them. Interlocking chants, where only a number of participants know each part, can feel very magical when the parts fit together for the first time in a ritual. Here is an example of a Goddess/ God chant with interlocking parts, and it is a little complex. The God chant has two parts that interlock, and they, in turn, lock with the Goddess chant.
You can listen to how it all works here. As I said, it would take some rehearsal to manifest it, but quite powerful when it works.
Lugh, Loki, Mars, Osisris, Shiva, Hermes, Dionysus
from “Pantheon” on Arthur Hind’s album “Poetry of Wonder”
Sky, earth, death, birth, rune, sword, dancing lord
Freya, Shakti, Hathor, Rhiannon
Rhea, Maat, the Morrigan
Freya, Shakti, Hathor, Rhiannon
Rhea, Maat, the Morrigan
High, raising up the Goddess
Oh, fill my soul
High, raising up the spirit
Oh, make me whole
Struggling to remember too many words can defeat the purpose of the chants in creating group mind and freeing the soul. One answer to bringing all the words you want into the ritual space without tangling them up, can be found in the chant at the top of this article. All the group has to remember in the refrain.
Call the wind and raise the sail,
turn the wheel, and lift the veil.
The leaders add in the other lines as they come to bear. Eventually, the group learns the other lines and can join in as well. A general rule is: the larger and/or more ephemeral a group is, the simpler the chant should be. You can hear the chant here.
Creating
If you are stuck without a chant or want to have a very specific one, this exercise may be for you. You can run it for yourself, but with groups of 13 or fewer, this tool can give everyone a stronger tie into the chant and multiply its power. Start by calling out and writing down words that relate to the subject you want to chant about. Just brainstorm–don’t censor yourself yet. Then look at the words and see if any rhyme, or any synonyms rhyme. Eventually, four lines will assemble themselves, and there you have a tuneless chant carrying everyone’s energy, which everyone has a good chance of remembering. Here is an example of a chant created in just this way. If everyone knows a tune, the chant fits great, but if not, the chanted words will be fine.
Weave your ribbons round and round.
The Maypole’s mounted in the ground
Dance for Love, Dance for the May
Dance for the Lady’s wedding day
Have fun with chants. Let them send you dancing, clapping, or standing, unmoving in the darkness. It is up to you how you use this powerful tool for Magic.
For more information about Arthur Hinds, including his collected articles here on Pagan Song, his bio, and links to Arthur’s sites on the web, check out Arthur’s author page here on Pagan Song.
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