The Ceremony of Birth

Setting:
Indoor Temple, or outdoor area previously used for rituals.

 Participants:
Master – black robes tied with crimson girdle
Mistress – black robes tied with crimson sash
Priestess – white robes tied with black sash
Priest – white robes tied with black girdle
Congregation (if present): black robes

Preparation:
Black candles on altar together with quartz crystal or tetrahedron. Phial of musk oil (if male child) or civit oil (if female child). Incense of Yew to be burnt (male child) or Black Poplar (female child).
Before the ceremony the parents of the child appoint two Temple Members as guardians of the newborn. They also provide a small pendant made of silver inscribed with an inverted septagon (or sigil of the Temple) which, for the ceremony, they hang around the neck of the newborn on a leather thong. When the child is old enough, this can be worn by them all the time. A feast, to follow the ceremony, is prepared. The newborn is brought to the ceremony loosely wrapped in black cloth.

The Ceremony:
The Master signifies the beginning of the rite by ringing the Temple bell seven times. The parents then hand the newborn to the Priestess if the child is male, and to the Priest if female. The Master then says:

We gather here to welcome the newborn destined to share our gifts.

Mistress: Agios o Satanas!

Congregation: Agios o Satanas!

(The Mistress turns toward the altar, holds her hands outstretched and says quietly but in an audible voice:)

Veni, omnipotens aeterne Diabolus!

(She then turns back to the participants, saying:)

Agios o Baphomet!

Congregation: Agios o Baphomet!

(Note: if no congregation are present the responses are said by the Priestess et al.)

(The Master touches the head of the newborn saying:)

May the gifts of Satan be forever with you, as they are with us.
Pone, diabolus, custodiam. With this mark I seal wyrd.

(The Mistress hands him the phial and he anoints the forehead of the newborn with it in the shape of an inverted pentagram or the sigil of the Temple saying as he does this:)

Ad Satanas qui leatificat juventutem meam.

(He then turns to the parents, saying:)

How is he/she to be known?

(The parents answer, giving the Temple name they have chosen for the newborn:)

We have named him/her …….

(The Master then says:)

So shall it be. I name you ……. amongst us.

(He then touches the forehead of the newborn, visualizing an inverted pentagram or the sigil of the Temple. As he does this the Mistress says:)

Pone, diabolus, custodiam!

(The Master then turns toward the congregation saying:)

Come forth, guardians of this child.

(The child-guardians step forward. The Master says to them:)

Do you, so chosen, pledge to guard and watch over this newborn and to teach when the teaching-time is right, our ways so that ……. (He states the Temple name of the newborn) may learn our ways?

(The guardians answer:’ We do. ‘The Master then turns to the congregation, saying:)

See them! Hear them! Know them!

(The Mistress hands him the phial and he anoints each of their foreheads with the sign of the inverted pentagram or the sigil of the Temple. He then turns toward the congregation saying:)

So it is done according to our ways. Let the feasting begin!
(The participants leave the Temple to partake of the feast -this is provided by members of the Temple, to honour the parents of the newborn, who may also provide gifts for the newborn and the parents.)