Elemental Invocation

I’ve written a group invocation focusing on the elementals, which I’ve used in ritual. A person walks to each direction in deosil or sunwise order. S/he raises an athame, wand, or finger and draws the invoking pentagram while calling the element of that direction. S/he lights a candle.

East: Hail, Sylphs of the East, creatures of air, I call you to send forth your breezes and join in these revels. Hail and welcome!

South: Hail Salamanders of the South, creatures of fire, I call you to illume me with your flames and join in these revels. Hail and welcome!

West: Hail Undines of the West, creatures of water, I call you to cleanse me with your flow and join in these revels. Hail and welcome.

North: Hail Gnomes of the North, creatures of earth, I call you to fortify me with your strength and join in these revels. Hail and welcome!

The farewell to the elements would be:

East: Sylphs of the East, creatures of air, we thank you for bringing your gentle breezes. We ask for your blessing as you depart for your lovely realms. Hail and farewell!

South: Salamanders of the South, creatures of fire, we thank you for bringing your flame. We ask for your blessing as you depart for your lovely realms. Hail and farewell!

West: Undines of the West, creatures of water, we thank you for your flow and ebb. We ask for your blessing as you depart for your lovely realms. Hail and farewell!

North: Gnomes of the North, creatures of earth, we thank you for brining your strength. We ask for your blessing as you depart for your lovely realms. Hail and farewell!

A “More Poetic Version “ of an invocation focusing on the elementals would be:

East Sylphs, yellow butterflies, floating lightly poetry on the breath of the wind ride our sweet incense with wishes born on fragrant smoke. You are welcome; come in.

South Creatures of the hearth Warming our hearts children of red and blue-white heat will you play in our candle flames gentle Salamanders? Transforming fire come from the south. We call you; be here.

West Undines of waves twilight fish scale ladies creatures of movement living currents salt and fresh swim in these waters. Welcome our friends.

Noirth Gnomes of knowledge black soil secrets of earth little ones of roots and gems you know the way of trees and grass see stones on the altar the bones of your grandmother. We ask you, we ask you, sit with us here.

(2000 Myth Woodling. This “More Poetic Version” may be reproduced and distributed if the name and date are attached.)

If you are inviting faeries into your circle rather than invoking them as part of casting the circle and calling the elements, you may choose to follow Chesapeake Pagan Community’s practice.

Faeries are invoked separately from the elements or elemental spirits.

A sample of a very general invocation would be:

Little faery folk, gentle spirits, good friends dwelling around this place, we call you from the trees and plants, from the stones and the stream out back, come if you will and celebrate with us during the season.

Alternatively, they can be invoked with instrumental music, with songs, or with drums and rattles. (Loud bells and clapping are not usually advised. Sometimes bells, which produce gentle, light, jingling sounds have been used “to good effect” as they said in the old days. Some folks insist faeries dislike almost all bells. Others claim certain flower faery-spirits and faery-spirits associated with wind like soft wind chimes and gentle bells.)

Myth Woodling 1/29/2007