Threshold Rite for Creating Liminal Space for Ritual

In my own practice, most magic is ideally performed in a liminal space. I like to be in a position of greater closeness to the Spirit Realm while working. When no natural liminal place is available to me (such as a crossroads, doorway, hallway, forest edge, or shore) this rite can be used to conjure the threshold and create a space between the worlds for ritual.

Stand at the center of your ritual area. Create the threshold by drawing an equal-armed cross in the earth, tracing it on the floor, or laying down two straight objects (such as two long sticks, or a staff and besom) in the shape of a cross. Stand at the center, straddling the space where the two lines of the cross meet.

Say:

Upon the place where ways divide,
Where breath is held and worlds collide,
I call the gate, I call the seam,
A foot in waking, a foot in dream.

Open the way, betwixt and between,
Unravel the threads, undo the seen.
By root and star, by wind and sea,
Threshold spirits, come work with me.

Remain still for a moment. Wait for any signs of shifting energy shift around you. When the threshold feels open, continue onward with your rite.

Conjuring a Hedge for Divination, Spirit Work, and Trance-Work

The rite of conjuring the hedge is a rite used to define ritual space for spirit communion, spirit-flight, and other forms of spirit work. While not a required rite, Conjuring the Hedge may serve as more spirit-work specific alternative to the Threshold Rite or the Witches’ Compass, and may be especially suitable for witches who prefer a more folklore-oriented form of boundary-setting.

The hedge itself is visualized rather than physically constructed. It is useful for those involving contact with spirits, journeys into the Spirit Realm, or when working between the worlds.

Planting the Hedge

Stand at the edge of your ritual space. Take a steady breath and say:

I plant the hedge where worlds collide,
Between the living and the spirit's tide.
With thorn and root, with bark and bone,
Beyond this hedge, no spirit shall roam.

Extend the index and middle fingers of your dominant hand (referred throughout this site as the Witching Fingers). Use them to trace the outline of the hedge around your space. As you do, imagine thorns and vines growing and twining into a protective wall. Focus on the spirit of the hedge taking root in the earth; make the roots as deep as the hedge is tall.

Walking the Hedge

Once the hedge is planted, it is time to walk it. This walking serves to stir the spirits and to call those you wish to engage with, much like calling a neighbor to the fence. Begin walking slowly along the inner edge of your hedge. As you walk, you may speak the following verses aloud, either as-is or adapted to your purpose:

I walk the hedge, where worlds do meet,
Between the living and the spirits’ feet.
In this place, no harm shall tread,
The boundary set, the spirits’ thread.

I call to those who walk the night,
Who dwell in shadow, out of sight.
Come, kindly spirits, heed my call,
Step from the dark, one and all.

I walk the hedge, I cross the veil,
Through thorn and root, I weave my tale.
Spirits of air, earth, fire, and sea,
Come now, commune and speak with me.

Crossing the Hedge (Optional)

If you intend to use the hedge as a gateway for spirit travel or journeying, pause at any point within the boundary. Light a candle, ring a bell, or perform another small action to signify your intent to enter the spirit flight.

Speak the following, or your own words, to cross the veil:

Through the hedge, I now do pass,
Between the worlds, through looking glass.
Kind spirits near, I call you forth,
Guide my steps, from south to north.

Take a step forward and imagine that the hedge now stands behind you and you are on the path between worlds. When your work is complete, the hedge will need to be undone and dismantled.