Treading the Mill

Treading the Mill is a method of raising power through movement and ecstatic trance. By walking a repeated path around a central point the practitioner builds energy and induces a trance state that opens the way for magic, vision, or spirit contact.

To begin, place a candle at the center of your working area and light it. This will function as the central point and will be the object of your focus while raising power. If preferred, you might also use a flame in a cauldron, a bonfire, or a symbolic item such as a stone or crystal. If you are raising power for a spell or working, consider placing the object of that working (such as a charm, poppet, or written spell) in the center.

Take a moment to prepare yourself. When you are ready, begin to walk in a slow circle around the center point and your focal object. You can choose to move clockwise or anticlockwise depending on your preference and the aim of your work.1 As your steps settle into rhythm, you can start to really hone your focus in on your central object (as close to the point of hyperfocus or fixation as is possible or safe). From here, you can continue to walk in silence or begin a chant. If you are chanting, speak softly and walk slowly at first; increase the speed and intensity of your movement as well as the volume and force of your words.

An example chant for this type of power raising may go as follows:

Round and round the millstone turns,
Fire burns and cauldron churns.
By hoof and horn, by fang and claw,
I tread the path, I speak the law.

Three times round, the veil grows thin,
Four times round, the power spins.
Five times round, the spirits wake,
Six times round, the thread we take.

We witches walk where none may see,
In shape of crow, or hare, or bee.
Through hedge and gate, through iron and bone,
The path is trod, the way is shown.

This chant may be used in full, or a single couplet repeated throughout, depending on the depth of your focus or your preference for simplicity.

As the intensity of your power raising peaks, the outer world may appear to “fall away” or become out of focus. Your awareness may shift inward or outward. Visions, sensations, or spirit presence might come to you. If spirits are being called or honored, this may be when they make themselves known.

When the energy reaches its height (or when you arrive at a pre-determined stopping point in your walk) bring the motion to a close. This can be done by gradually slowing your pace or by stopping abruptly, depending on the intent of your working and how you want to release or use the power you’ve raised. If raising power for a spell, I suggest releasing it with a gesture, a spoken word, or focusing on sending a final surge of energy into your working. If seeking insight, guidance, or presence, pause in the trance state you’ve induced and wait for messages.

Fire & Wind Chant

This chant is used to raise and stir magical energy for ritual and working through rhythm, voice, and movement. Its verses are designed to build momentum and volume with each repetition.

This chant can be spoken aloud on its own or accompanied by movement: clapping, stomping, nodding the head, swaying, dancing, bells or simple gestures. Begin slowly and steadily, then increase the speed and volume as the chant continues. In group settings, this chant can be layered as a round. For simplicity or solo use, it can also be broken into repeating couplets, using whichever couplet resonates most with you and your work.

The power raised through this chant can be directed into spellwork, used to open trance states, or released at its peak with the final line.

Chant:

Fire in the foot, wind in the hand,
By iron and ash, by sea and land.
Tongue to flame and breath to spark,
Turn the wheel, awake the dark.

Storm-born spirits, wild and wise,
Come on the current, ride the skies.
Witch-fire rises, heart beats fast,
By pact and power, spell is cast.

Blood to ember, bone to stone,
Light the path, break the throne!
Round and round the power sways,
By word and will, by olden ways!

Now is the hour, the working begun,
By night, by fire, by moon, by sun!

Release and direct the energy on the final line. I recommend doing this with a gesture, such as pointing the Witching Fingers (the index and middle finger of the dominant hand) at an item you are working with or a spell you are casting.

Drumming Rite

This “drumming chant” is a rhythmic invocation of movement and power, designed to stir and raise magical force through sound and motion. It may be performed with drums, clapping, stomping, rattles, bells, or even the steady beat of a metronome. The chant begins at a slow, measured pace and gradually intensifies as the rite unfolds.[¹]

Chant:

Beat the hoof, turn the wheel,
Flesh to fire, hand to steel.
Beat the hoof, turn the wheel,
Wake the path and make the seal.

Wind in the trees, tide in the sand,
Storm on the hill, fire in the hand.
Wind in the trees, tide in the sand,
Round we go at the witches’ command.

Faster, faster, ‘round we tread,
Tongue of the fire, crown of the dead!
Faster, faster, stir the deep,
Wake the road where the wild gods leap!

This power raising method is designed to guide increase the power/energy as the drumming and chanting progresses. At the final line, stop suddenly and completely, pausing for a moment before loudly releasing the power toward your working by saying:

Now is the hour, the fire is fed,
Power is waking, the charm is said!

[¹] In some instances (such as when working with recorded music or a metronome) the pace of the chant may be fixed. However, you can still increase the intensity of the chant by raising your voice, increasing the strength of your movements, or deepening your focus.

Witches’ Dance Rite

This is a power-raising rite that used rhythmic movement and sound to build and release magical power for magical and ritual workings. Beginning in a whisper, the chant starts slowly, growing louder and faster as the chant progresses. Any form of movement may be used to stir the current. Dancing, swaying, hand and arm gestures, or even the nodding of the head will suffice.

Chant:

Round and round the Devil goes,
Hoof and heel on the hollow road.
Round and round the witches fly,
Smoke in the air and fire in the sky.

Spirits gather, shadows call,
Through the gate, beyond the wall!
Cunning ones and creeping things,
Come to dance where the dark bell rings!

Round and round the Devil goes,
Hoof and heel on the hollow road!
Round and round the witches tread,
Charmed by the quick and led by the dead!

Now is the hour, now is the way!
Night is awake and the wind will obey!

At the final line, stop suddenly, focusing on directing and casting the raised power. I find it is helpful to symbolically direct the raised energy by pointing or fling your arms toward the focus of the working (as if throwing a ball). Or, if the chat is to be used for trance purposes, I sometimes like to punctuate the end of the chat by falling to the ground as a gesture of releasing the raised energy from the body.