To Introduce Yourself to the Spirits & Seek an Initiator

This ritual is for those who feel called to the path of witchcraft and wish to formally introduce themselves to the spirits. It is not an initiation into a specific tradition but a personal rite of stepping onto their personal path and seeking guidance from the Spirit Realm. By going to a place of power—such as a crossroads, forest, or graveyard[1]—you make yourself known to the spirits and invite contact from an initiator spirit. This entity may come as a guide, a teacher, or as a challenger, testing your commitment to the path.

Choose your place of power: a crossroads, forest clearing, abandoned churchyard, hollow hill, or any place where the veil is thin. Bring an offering of bread, milk, spirits, fruit, a handwritten letter, or whatever resonates with you. If your place of power is outdoors, it’s a good idea to make sure that your offering is something that is safe for the environment and the wildlife in it.  Bring with you a symbol of traveling and seeking; this could be a walking stick, a lantern/candle, or an icon of deity/saint associated with travel or witchcraft.

Go to your chosen place at a time when you are unlikely to the bothered. In general, we associate times like nightfall and midnight with witchcraft, but the specific time should be determined by your own beliefs, practice, folklore, safety and ability.  Once you have reached the space you wish to use for your ritual, take a deep breath and center your focus. In a clear, confident voice, say:

I come in shadow, I come in silence, I come in seeking.
Not of idle heart nor empty hands, but with a question that burns within my bones.
Will you hear me? Will you find me? Will you take my name into the dark?

Step forward with intent, recognizing this as the first step toward on the Witch’s Path. Draw an equal-armed cross or an x on the ground. Stand or kneel before it, placing your hands on the earth. Say:

I mark this ground, and it marks me.
As hedge and thorn part for the fox, as the wind bends to the crow,
So too do I ask to pass through bramble and thorn—unseen by the blind, known by the wise.
Let those who walk the path before me know my step.

Breathe onto the earth, sealing your request. Take a moment to prepare for calling on an Initiator Spirit to join you on your path as a guide and mentor. When you are ready, raise your hands, close your eyes, and speak:

I welcome you, Stranger in the Night, Keeper of the Crossroads,
Watcher in the Witch’s Wood,
Old One who walks behind my steps.
If I am seen, see me now.
If I am known, know me now.
If I am worthy, let my name be taken into your mouth,
That I may be guided, tested, and taught.

Grant me your consideration

And send me a sign of your acceptance.

Wait for a moment in silence to allow the spirits time to answer. Pay attention to the world around you. You may feel a shift in the air, hear a distant sound, see movement in the corner of your eye, feel a gust of wind, the call of an owl, the flicker of a shadow. If you feel welcomed by the spirits, whisper your name (if you wish to take a Craft name or wish to establish a new name for any reason, use your chosen name here) and say:

I walk the path of the Witch.
I walk with open eyes.
I walk in light and shadow alike.

I am not made by church, nor king, nor altar,
But by the wild and the wind, the stone and the stream.
Not by law, nor claim, nor chain,
But by the cunning hand and the open eye.
This step I take, by root and thorn, by fire and night.

Leave your offering and walk away from the ritual area without looking back. Over the next nine nights, record your dreams, readings and any other signs you receive. The spirits often answer in sleep, in riddles, or in omens that unfold over time for a sign of an Initiator’s acceptance. If you receive a sign and choose to accept an offer from an Initiator spirit, place an offering on your altar (or in front of your mirror), saying:

Not by priest nor holy writ,
But by thorn and flame, oath and whisper,
I take the hand that is offered.

Not by altar nor gilded crown,
But by the black earth, the hollow hill,
By the night-wind that calls my name.

By blood and breath, by bone and shadow,
I walk the path unseen,
Where the wise have walked before me.

Let the spirits bear witness,
Let the hidden doors open,
Let my name be known beyond the veil.

I accept your guidance with open eyes and steady hand,
From now until our paths diverge again.

               If you receive signs from a spirit with whom you do not wish to have a partnership, you can also decline an offer with an offering. Again, leave the offering on an altar or in front of a mirror, saying:

I see you, and I know you, Spirit,
But my path is not yours to shape.

Not in scorn, nor in fear,
But by will and wisdom, I turn away.

As the river finds its own course,
As the fox walks its own trail,
So too must I walk mine.

Let there be no debt between us,
No chain, no binding word.
Go in peace, as I shall.

And if we meet again, let it be as strangers,
Each to our own road, each to our own fate.

[1] Places of power vary across cultures, regions and practices. This ritual calls for simply a place of power, leaving room for you to choose a place that is powerful and meaningful to you.