Page 60 of Peacock Me Like a Hurricane

Calista looks at me with wide eyes, picking at the corner of her index cards. “We won’t do anything we normally wouldn’t, right?”

“The Goddess works with what’s inside of you—what you need. She won’t do anything harmful to you,” Sari says, putting a hand on her shoulder soothingly.

Calista looks at her and then at the rest of the group. “What if you don’t already have a mate?”

I shrug, giving her and Amanda a smile. “The Goddess will call whomever best suits the embodiment of her God. Your match should find you when they arrive.”

“It’s exciting,” Amanda says, her eyes dancing with a light that makes me suspicious. “It sounds scary at first, but it’sexciting when you embrace it. New people, experiences, and lots of hot se—I’ll shut up now.”

It takes everything in me not to roll my eyes into the back of my head. Amanda is looking at this as a hook that will be a back door to a relationship. That kind of disrespect is annoying as hell and a little insulting. I gather all of my patience before I respond. “Now that Amanda has stated the obvious, we should get into our robes before we muck up our timeline.”

I lift my robe, the magickal filaments shimmering in the moonlight as if imbued with tiny stars. I’ve been a practicing witch most of my life. I shed the Sunday school teachings of my parents long before high school and pursued what felt right to me.

My tools and equipment—like my robe—were also made by elders of various covens that I’ve joined. Each item represents my harmony with the Universe in a particular way. Anyone that is not a serious witch would think they are simply expensive toys, but they aren’t. They hold a blend of magick created by me, the covens, and the Earth.

I hand Lily and Amanda the basic robes I brought for the occasion. Calista is putting on a forest green robe with autumn colored accents and Sari’s are full of the colors of spring. They look brand new. I’ll be damned—Sari had special robes made so they’d look like they fit with me.

Christ, Amanda will pout all night long.

My irritation doesn’t last long because Lily starts muttering about video surveillance. Knowing Mercury as I do, I don’t blame her for wondering. He loves to watch and he’d absolutely record a bunch of chits dancing naked by a fire.

Too late to worry about that now.

When everyone is ready, I hand Sari a large scallop shell full of Dead Sea salt and instruct her to follow Calista. The droid will sweep the negative energy with my besom, and she will usethe salt to set the boundaries of our circle. They take a moment to calculate the size and then get to work. It’s integral that we have enough space in the circle for the craziness when the Gods arrive. The sacred space must remain unbroken during the ceremony or all sorts of bad things could happen.

I sure as hell don’t need any more of that.

As they work, I give Amanda the candles for each quarter, five sets of matches, and a small bowl with elemental materials. I direct their placement as I sit the God and Goddess candles on either side of the bonfire. Lily places the fern on the spirit point of the pentacle, and I move to light ceremonial incense throughout the circle. Driving the sticks into the ground, I hope that it will burn as needed to create the atmosphere.

Once the set-up is complete, each lady picks up her assigned flowers and heads to their spot. With my roses and athame in hand, I take my place. Closing my eyes to feel the energy in the circle, I smile. Energy flows from everything around us, letting me know that I can begin the ritual. It’s strong and I’m feeling very powerful in the light of the moon.

It is time.

I raise my athame and draw a pentacle in the air where Sari is on the North point. Pressing the tip of the athame into the ground at her feet, I seal it and turn to them. We walk the edges of the circle, dropping our flowers and leaves as we delineate the space and infuse it with our energies. When we reach our original places, I re-draw the pentacle and seal it again, raising my hands to the sky.

“Circle, I charge that thou be a barrier between the world of man and the realms of the Gods. A guardian and a protector shall contain the power we raise within thee tonight. As I will, so mote it be! The circle is closed. All herein are totally and completely apart from the outside world. The circle is cast.”

Sari gives me a look like a kid in a candy store, itching to get involved. I suck in a deep breath to keep from telling her to keep her bloody pants on, knowing that negativity will hurt our ritual. Besides, I need her where she is on the North point, serving as the conduit to the Earth. Amanda is on the West point, serving as water; Lily is in the East to represent Air. I walk to the South point, not trusting anyone but myself to harness Fire.

Nodding at Calista as she walks to the center and uncorks the Sabbat Oil, I wait for her to anoint us on our foreheads. When she gets to me, she gives me a lop-sided smile. “I welcome thee to this magickal circle this night. May the peace of the Goddess be with thee, Blessed Be!”

After making the rounds of the circle, she moves to her position near the bonfire as our spirit anchor to wait for us to call the quarters. I watch carefully, knowing that we have to start with Sari, and praying that she doesn’t make a bloody mess of this.

Sari begins, lighting her green candle and standing as tall as someone her height can manage. “Element of Earth, world upon which we walk, Mother from which we spring, we ask you attend this, our magickal rite, giving upon us your gift of life itself. Blessed be!” She sprinkles the soil onto the ground and waits for my approval.

I nod, lighting my red taper as I call out, “Element of Fire, symbol of the Sun God which brings warmth and life to our planet, we ask you attend this, our magickal rite, bestowing your fire and will upon those here. Blessed Be!” Driving my candle into the ground, I raise my eyes to the sky.

So far, so good. Three more to go.

Lily picks up her purple candle, lighting it and reading her part. “Element of Air, that which facilitates our communication, the very breath of life, we ask you attend this, our magickal rite, bestowing your gifts upon our intellects. Blessed Be!” Droppingher handful of feathers, she looks at Amanda, who grins wickedly.

Gross.

Amanda lights her blue pillar and says, “Element of Water, that which nourishes the life the Great Mother brings forth upon her bosom, we ask you to attend this, our magickal rite, bestowing upon us an appreciation of the emotion in our lives. Blessed Be!” She opens the bottle of water and drizzles it on the ground.

Calista lights her white candle, crossing to me with my chalice and the remains of the holy water. I assume the star position, calling to the sky. “Great Brighid, Mother of us all: Maiden, Mother, and Crone in her turn, she who brings us life. Be here with us! Join with your Lord in Sacred Marriage in this, our magickal rite. Blessed Be!”

Kneeling, I hold my chalice, plunging the athame in it. “As the athame is to the male, the chalice is to the female.” I place it in front of me, raising the chalice and taking a sip. Calista takes it to each lady to sip from as I chant, “Lord, I invite you to the circle: Angus Mac Og, God of Love, Blue God, and Consort of Brighid. Join with your Lady in sacred marriage in this our magickal rite. Blessed be!”

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