To Leave the Path Behind

A ritual to leave witchcraft behind, breaking spiritual and energetic ties. This can be used to leave a specific craft, tradition or path of witchcraft in favor of another, or to leave witchcraft altogether.  Gather a candle; a bowl of saltwater; a sharp blade or scissors; a piece of cord, thread, or cloth; a handful of graveyard dirt or ashes; a personal item connected to your practice (to be buried, burned, or left behind); and a written copy of your personal renunciation if you need.

Go to a place of power appropriate for your practice, such as a crossroads, a graveyard gate, the edge of a forest, or a place where wild land meets the human world. If indoors, create a threshold with an open window or door, or mark a cross on the floor with ashes. Draw a circle in the dirt with your blade, foot, or finger. Stand outside of it. Light the candle and place it at the edge of the circle. Say:

By the spirits of road and root,
By those who walked before in soot,
By the whispering wind and silent grave,
Witness now the ties unmade.

Hold the cord, thread, or cloth and say:

Once bound, now severed,
Once sworn, now untethered.
No oath, no claim, no lingering thread,
I walk away, the path is dead.

Cut the cord with the blade, drop the pieces into the saltwater, and let them sink.nTake the graveyard dirt or ashes in hand and say over it:

What was given, I return,
What was taken, now shall burn.
No debt remains, no bond shall hold,
I walk unmarked, the tale untold.

Scatter the dirt to the wind or lay it at the crossroads. Hold the personal item and say:

No spirit calls, no fire remains,
No whispered pact, no hidden names.
The road behind is shut and barred,
The witch departs, the door closed hard.

Leave the item behind or burn it. Put out the candle with your fingers or a pinch of dirt. Say:

No more shall I walk this way,
No more shall my name be spoken.
The pact is gone, the thread is cut,
The path is closed, the circle broken.

Leave in silence and do not return to this place for a full cycle of the moon. Avoid all former tools, symbols, or practices for a full lunar cycle. If necessary, take a cleansing bath with salt and rosemary. If spirits call or dreams stir, do not answer during this time.