To Dissolve or Disband a Coven or Hive
This ritual severs magical and spiritual ties between members of a Hollow and unbinds the shared practice. It may be used when a Hollow disbands, whenever its members choose to part ways in peace.
Gather the following tools, adapted as needed:
A central fire or large candle
A cord (ideally one used when the Hollow was first bound together; if none was used, any cord will do)
A bowl of salt and water
A cup of wine or other drink
Graveyard dirt or blessed dirt
A written record of the Hollowβs name and purpose (to be used as a symbolic pact)
Gather in a place of power appropriate to the group practice (a crossroads, a liminal place, or the groupβs customary meeting site). If gathering indoors, open a window or door to the night. All members should stand in a ring, hands joined or linked by the cord. The ritual leader (or agreed speaker) lights the central flame and says:
By road and root, by oath and art,
Gather once more, as we now part.
The ring was cast, the bonds were madeβ
But now we sunder what once we laid.
Each member should lay a hand upon the cord. All speak together:
Once bound by craft and by kin,
Now unmade, we leave again.
No claim, no debt, no bolted chain,
The path divides, none shall remain.
The leader cuts the cord (ideally into as many pieces as their are Hollow members) and drops the pieces into the saltwater. They then take up the written pact and hold it aloft, saying:
No name, no pact, no concord drawn,
No whispered calls at dusk or dawn.
This house is empty, this place is bare,
The spirits take what once was there.
The paper is then burned in the central flame and laid upon the graveyard dirt to finish burning. Once the ashes have cooled, they are mixed with the dirt and scattered at the heart of the circle. If desired, the ashes and dirt may instead be cast to the wind. As this is done, the leader says:
What was raised, we lay back down,
What was called, we send to ground.
No spirit lingers, no tether staysβ
The winds shall scatter, the past decays.
Pour the wine or drink into a shared cup. Each member takes a sip and then pours a drop onto the ground (or, alternatively, into an extra bowl if you are indoors), saying:
As this cup is drained, so is our bond.
The ritual leader takes the final sip, then pours the remainder onto the earth as an offering. All members speak together:
The gate is shut, the door is closed.
We part as free folk upon the road.
The leader extinguishes the central flame, saying:
The light is out, the thread unwinds,
No step returns, no fate rebinds.
The pact dissolved, the spell unspunβ
The work is ended. It is done.
All present leave in silence, taking separate paths. Do not return to the site for one full lunar cycle, if possible. Refrain from using former Hollow tools, symbols, or rites during that time. If any spirits associated with the group and its work remain restless, individual members should perform a banishing or cleansing suited to their needs. If needed, each may also undertake a personal severance rite to fully release any lingering ties.
