How Hazel Became Oak

According to centuries old tradition, Samhain or All Hallows is a most auspicious time for magic ritual and we started planning immediately after the summer solstice for a special celebration of the Great Rite to be performed at midnight on All Hallows Eve. Such a long period of preparation was deemed necessary for two reasons, firstly because, as a coven, we had never attempted the Great Rite before and secondly because the ceremony requires a willing virgin as its central focus and we knew it would not be easy to find a suitable candidate.

Our forethought proved well founded, for it was not until the middle of September that we found a potential subject. Our High Priestess was contacted by a neighbouring coven who knew of our intention to perform the ritual. A young acolyte to their sisterhood had come forward and offered herself. Her name was Eve, she was in her early twenties and, by her own testimony, was yet a virgin. The High Priestess requested that I accompany her to an initial meeting and I was pleased and honoured to be chosen for such an important task. We travelled to a neighbouring town and met Eve in the private office of the lore mistress of the coven to which she hoped to become apprenticed. Eve arrived punctually and after exchanging greetings we sat together to talk.

I was initially impressed by Eve's quiet dignity. She spoke openly and answered our questions simply and without apparent embarrassment. The questions were of course of a deeply intimate nature, for we needed to be as sure as we could be that our Chosen One was indeed a virgin, so gaining an understanding of Eve's background was essential. Perhaps even more importantly we needed to know that Eve was capable of orgasm. This would be the high point of the ritual and many stories are told of rites that failed to fulfil their purpose because the Chosen One was unable to reach a physical climax.

Eve answered our questions in a matter-of-fact way. On reflection she seemed to me to be a principled and thoughtful young woman who had simply not yet met anyone with whom she wanted to have sex. She told us that she was attracted to both men and women and had realised in her late teens that she was bisexual. Although a virgin she was clearly a sexual being, masturbating frequently and fully aware of the pleasures of which her body was capable. She was of course curious as to the nature of the forthcoming rite and her role in it and I observed Eve carefully as the High Priestess explained it to her.

The High Priestess started by explaining the background to the ritual, steeped as it is in history and ancient magical lore. She spoke of the primary purpose being to honour the Goddess and to seek her blessing on the Earth and explained the central importance of the Chosen One as the focal point of the ceremony, leading up to the Great Rite itself, and her role as the primary channel of the cosmic energy, released through her sacred orgasm. Eve took this in, listening intently and occasionally asking questions of clarification. Then the High Priestess went on to describe the practice of the ritual itself, the disrobing of the Chosen One, the many-handed honouring of her body, her slow arousal and final climax, The sacred opening of her body and soul to the Goddess and the potential ecstasy of her divine possession. During this Eve remained silent, but watching her closely, I saw the signs, she was aroused by the thought of what might be to come.

At the end of her explanation the High Priestess spoke gently to Eve. "If you have no more questions for now, then we need to get a better look at you, please stand up and take off your jacket."

Eve complied without demur, getting to her feet, slipping the jacket off her shoulders and placing it on her chair. She wore a white blouse with a simple V neckline over a knee length black skirt and plain black court shoes. Her legs were bare and her long dark hair was neatly tied in a pony tail. she wore no jewellery save for an elegant pair of earrings and a small gold watch around her left wrist. The clothes were simply designed with little ornamentation but were well-tailored and a good fit, they showed Eve's slender waist, shapely legs and full bust to advantage. Eve was an extremely attractive woman and I was favourably impressed.

"Turn around please," the High Priestess spoke quietly, keeping her own counsel, deliberately avoiding my attempt to catch her eye. Eve complied with a shy smile, showing us that both front and rear views were equally enticing. I held my breath. The next step had the potential to put an untimely end to the process of selecting what I had begun to believe was an ideal candidate.

"Please remove your shoes, blouse and skirt," was the High Priestess's softly spoken request. If Eve hesitated it was only for a split-second and I began to breathe again as she reached down and took off her shoes, placing them side-by-side next to her chair. Had she refused, or even questioned the High Priestess's request the interview would have been politely terminated and our search would have needed to continue.

I believe you can tell a lot about a person by the way they take off their shoes. She did not kick them off or use one foot to lever the shoe off the other. She leaned down and carefully removed them. And she did not just leave them where she stood, she placed them neatly, next to the chair on the back of which she had previously placed her jacket. I liked that, she showed pride in her appearance without in any way being 'flashy."

She unclipped her skirt, reached behind pulling down the short zipper and stepped out of it, folding it neatly over the back of the chair. Then, looking directly into the eyes of the High Priestess with no sign of embarrassment she unbuttoned her blouse and slipped it over her shoulders before laying it over the chair with her usual care. Standing in front of us in just bra and pants she waited expectantly for whatever was to come.

"Thank you," was all the High Priestess said as she also rose to her feet. The two women held each other's gaze as they faced each other and Eve retained her natural poise despite her near nakedness and the unexpected position she must surely have found herself in. Eve wore white underwear, brief but not too-brief panties and a neat bra which cupped shapely breasts. The sheer fabric of her bra hid little and her nipples, obviously erect, thrust themselves enticingly forward. The High Priestess looked carefully at Eve's body examining her from top to toe, first from the front, and then taking her by the shoulders and turning her, from the back. I breathed an inward sigh of relief. Eve's skin was pure and unblemished. I could not be certain until the High Priestess and I had discussed Eve's suitability but from everything I had seen and heard she was a promising candidate. The High Priestess returned to her seat.

"You may get dressed now Eve," was all she said.

Eve looked as surprised as I felt and was that worry or disappointment in her eyes? I could only surmise. I had expected the High Priestess to ask her to remove her bra and pants and surely that was also in Eve's mind. Was she now wondering whether she had failed some uncomprehended test, for she had been given no explanation of what the High Priestess sought, only instructions on what to do. When Eve finished dressing the High Priestess motioned to her to sit down and this she did, waiting quietly for the High Priestess to speak.

"You are probably wondering what that was all about," the High Priestess said after a moment's silence in which she seemed lost in thought. Eve nodded. "Yes," she said.

"As I said earlier," the High Priestess began, "The Great Rite calls for someone who is a virgin at the time of the ceremony to offer herself freely to the Goddess. I know you have been completely open with us in discussing your past sexual life. I am sensitive to these things and I am sure that you spoke the truth. I thank you for your honesty and frankness in what must have seemed an intrusive interview. There is another thing that is necessary however and for that I asked you to undress. In preparing you for the ritual your body must be adorned with certain arcane signs. They are important, and I had to be sure that you had no tattoos or other major blemishes on your body that would cloud these signs. In this matter I must see for myself. And, as I can see you are wondering, I did not feel the need to see you completely naked at this stage and therefore I spared you the potential embarrassment of disrobing before two strangers without prior notice. You don't have any tattoos that would have been hidden, do you?" She smiled.

"No," Eve smiled back, with obvious relief. "It's not something that I find very attractive."

"I thought not," The High Priestess spoke reassuringly. "Should we progress to the ritual, the symbols we will adorn you with are drawn with henna dye, they will wash off eventually. And by the way, you will need to shave your pubic area, the symbols we draw must come to a confluence as close to your clitoris as possible and pubic hair prevents that."

Little more of significance was said before the High Priestess brought the interview to a close. Eve was asked to think over what she had heard before deciding whether to offer herself as our Chosen One and she was told that we must discuss what we had seen and heard before we could confirm her as our choice. Eve withdrew, leaving The High Priestess and I alone.

I waited for the High Priestess to open the discussion, which, after a moment to two of silent reflection, she did.

"Well Hazel," she said, her soft brown eyes holding mine. "Your thoughts?"

"She seems almost perfect," I said. "She is an open sexual being with much to offer. I, like you, have no doubt that she is truthful and that she remains a virgin and I also am sure that with the right stimulation she will be able to achieve both a spiritual and physical climax." I paused.

"You say 'almost perfect', have you doubts? The High Priestess asked.

I replied choosing my words carefully. "Only that she may be doing this for the wrong reasons."

"Go on."

I continued, with some trepidation, "She is young and sexually awakened, although a virgin. She is uninhibited, masturbates frequently and she was obviously aroused by the thought of the ritual," I paused, but the High Priestess made no comment and so I went on. "Eve got pleasure from undressing for you and I think she positively wanted to take the rest of her clothes off. She was disappointed when you told her to get dressed. She wanted us, I think you in particular, to see her naked. I wonder whether there is something of an exhibitionist in her. The ancient lore sets great store by the motivation of the Chosen One, as you know. The rite would not be a force for good if the primary motivation of the Chosen One is one of sexual gratification."

"Do you find her attractive?" It was a strange question from the High Priestess and not one that I had expected.

"Yes," I did not have to think very hard, "She has the face of an angel, a lovely body in perfect proportion and she glows with vitality and life. Her sexual energy is palpable and yet she seems unaware of her power. She was not wearing any make up and her finger and toenails were well groomed but not painted, she is a natural beauty. When barefoot she walked naturally and without hesitation, she is comfortable with the feel of the earth beneath her feet. The sisters will be enraptured by her, but that does not mean that she is right for the ritual."

"Sister," said the High Priestess, "you are wise and observant beyond your years and that is a blessing for which I am grateful. It is one of the reasons I asked that you accompany me tonight, but let me speak of what I have seen."

The High Priestess gathered her thoughts before continuing. "You are right about Eve, in some ways certainly. You are right that she is a beautiful young woman, she is a ripe peach, full of promise and ready for the taking. I do not know why she remains a virgin for she is highly desirable, socially active and sexually aware. Something holds her back but even with my insight this part of her is closed to me. You will have noticed that I did not simply ask her to undress, which I could easily have done, rather I gave her specific instructions. I asked her first to stand and remove her jacket, then to remove blouse, skirt and shoes, to turn around and so on. She complied without question and this shows trust. You know as well as I do that we did not at this stage need to see that she had no marks or tattoos. I could simply have asked her. We trust her to be truthful about her virginity, why would we not also trust her on this relatively trivial matter. In any case we will have ample opportunity over the coming days to confirm all that we need to know."

I nodded, it was not for me to question the High Priestess's motivations in such matters but while enjoying the spectacle of Eve's undressing, I had wondered as to its purpose. The High Priestess continued,

"I asked her to undress in the way that I did because I wanted her to know whether she was able to take instruction but also whether she is capable of exposing herself to us. Far from being an exhibitionist I was worried the Eve was ashamed of her body for some reason. For someone these days with such a body as hers to dress so plainly is very unusual. We did not tell Eve beforehand that this meeting as an interview, although of course that is what it was. I did not ask her to undress completely because it was not necessary, she would have removed all her clothes had I requested it, of that I am sure. Whether she desired to do so, of that I cannot speak. Eve passed all my tests, if you agree, and of course subject to her willing acceptance, I think we have found our Chosen One."

Any residual doubt that I held was assuaged by the wise words of the High Priestess and I left in the fervent hope that Eve would agree to participate. Just before we parted company the High Priestess said something that gave me much food for thought. She put a hand on my arm and said, "Hazel, I have a strong sense that Eve has been chosen for this purpose by forces beyond our own, but as I said earlier part of her is closed to me and I cannot fathom whether the forces at work are for good or ill. I am sure that Eve is truly a virgin and that means that her first experience of penetration will be by the Goddess herself. Such ecstasy may have been more common in times past, but it comes to few in these days. We must prepare well. Eve, of course, must be made ready but we and the sisterhood too.

*****

It was a few days later that the High Priestess called to break the news that Eve had indeed offered herself as our Chosen One and, for that, I breathed a silent prayer of gratitude. I had given the matter much thought and despite my earlier misgivings, was convinced that Eve was perfect for the role. With all Hallows Eve a scant six weeks away we had much to do in preparation for the ritual. A host of practical tasks had to be undertaken as well as our spiritual preparation. We also had the important job of choosing the participants for the ceremony.

In addition to the Chosen One, six sisters are needed, to properly celebrate the Great Rite, one of whom would be the High Priestess. Thus, the number directly involved in the rite is seven. Unusually in these times, we are a coven of young witches, even the High Priestess herself is only just thirty years of age and I knew that it would be difficult to choose which of the sisters would be celebrants in the ritual and which would merely observe, for all were invited to be present.

In order to refresh my memory, I took from the shelf the battered book of lore that had been given to me by mother on my coming of age. Turning to the chapter on the Great Rite I read:

The Great Rite is the culmination of a ceremony celebrated by seven sisters. It harnesses the collective sexual energy of its celebrants and the power of the Goddess is focused for healing of the Earth. For the Chosen One, it is a great honour, to be penetrated by the Goddess and the Rite is not to be undertaken lightly, or unwillingly. It requires due preparation a pure heart and a pure body. The ceremony is performed willingly by seven true sisters, each of whom must prepare through fasting, sexual abstinence and communion with the Goddess for a period of seven days prior to the ceremony. The sisters are ordained as follows. Five sisters participate alongside the High Priestess in the direct awakening and arousal of the Chosen One. One sister serves the High Priestess, arousing her and bringing her to sacred Orgasm, just as she in her turn serves the Chosen One. In this way the power of the Goddess is multiplied.

The Chosen One, who is to be a virgin according to the book of lore, must give herself willingly. She need not be a member of the sisterhood but will be chosen by them for her physical beauty and spiritual purity. She is to be prepared by ritual bathing, her body is to be shaved and she is to be adorned with the ritual signs. She is to be clothed in white for the procession.

The chamber in which the ceremony is to be performed will be large enough to hold the coven it will be a private place, free from the possibility of interruption and will be made suitably warm. The four elements of Earth, Water Fire and Air, will be present in their appointed places. The altar is to be placed centrally. and its proper design is essential to the successful awakening. At its simplest it can take the form of a simple rectangular platform on which the Chosen One will lie with the sisters surrounding her. While not essential, it is traditional for the celebrants to kneel around the Chosen One and the height of altar should allow for this. What is of paramount importance is that the sisters and particularly the High Priestess have full access to the body of the Chosen One to perform the proscribed acts of awakening and arousal.

There are seven stages to the ceremony. They are: The Procession, The Preparation, The Awakening of the Senses, the Arousal, the Great Rite itself, the Homage and finally the Recession. They are to be conducted as follows:

The Procession

The coven is to be seated in the ceremonial chamber prior to the procession. At the stroke of midnight, the procession will enter the chamber. The coven will stand. The procession is led by the High Priestess and followed by the Chosen One with a sister at her side. The other sisters will follow in pairs. The Chosen One will stand facing the High Priestess. The sisters will take their allotted positions surrounding the altar. The coven will then be seated.

The Preparation

The Preparation begins with the words of introduction and is followed by disrobing. The Celebrants will disrobe first followed by The Chosen One. She may undress herself but it is traditional practice for one or more of the sisters to ceremonially disrobe her, presenting her body to the Goddess and the Coven as an offering and in this case the removal of the robes can be performed with sensuality and can be considered as part of the awakening. Once all participants are skyclad the High Priestess will cast the sacred circle. Three times the circle will be cast, the better to ward against the forces of darkness.

The Awakening of the Senses

The High Priestess begins the awakening with the fivefold-kiss and following this the Chosen One is positioned on the Altar, under the direction of the High Priestess.

Two of the sisters must always remain positioned at the feet of the Chosen One. They will take part directly in the awakening and arousal, but they have an important additional role in supporting and even restraining the Chosen One's feet and legs, ensuring that that the High Priestess is able to maintain contact with the Yoni, especially during the sacred Orgasm where the Chosen One may be unable to control her movements. For the same reason, two of the sisters remain positioned at the Chosen One's shoulders. They may also need to support and even gently restrain her if the situation calls for it.