A Magickal Relationship: Chalice and Athame Casting

This is a bit of misnomer, most of the time when people hear the word magic and relationship they snort and say and say “New Relationship Energy”.  But for me the idea of a magickal relationship, that is a relationship between two people who are practicing magick together as a couple is an interesting idea.  Now please understand that as I write this my ideas and practices are based off the fact that I am engaged in a hetero normative relationship (meaning that I identity as a cis-gendered male and she as a cis-gendered female).  While we are not even close to what anyone might call a “normative” relationship for the purposes of discussing magick we can can for the moment call ourselves that.

When we started this relationship one of the stress factors on us was the fact that we were 3 hours from each other which meant that if the mood struck us we couldn’t just “drive out to see the  each other”.  Because the basis of our relationship was the fact that both of us were heavily involved in occult studies and magick our solution for this was simply……”Why don’t we create a device for maintaining our energetic connection” which was followed by the “Here is an athame and chalice”.  ......................Which led to occult and sexual shenanigans..........

Now for the brief definition were going to need.

“The Chalice and Athame are used to engage in the Great Rite within our magickal practices”

For us, this not only served as a method to touch base with each other but we also incidentally formed a forge to create things and works that we did not originally intend on creating with this idea

:Theory:

To break this down, within magickal practices both the Chalice and Athame have many different perspectives that have been placed upon them.  Within the metaphysical map of this magickal relationship though they are holding in place the concept of “masculine” and “feminine”.  Now in a magickal space the act of combining these two elements is referred to as the great rite and is a symbolic act that represents the act of sex.

 

Magically speaking the act of being able to balance and hold that which is female and male within us in balance and placing them together is what we refer to as the great rite.  This can either be done by two individuals or by one individual (or groups or acting in place of these two).  But ultimately this is an act of unity; in which two things became one.  The original idea for us that was we could mix our energy between the two of us creating a constant connection using these two tools since they would now also count as just one.

While this is no way a primer on sexual magick (which is a huge topic) but I need to focus on eastern techniques for a moment.  It is thought that part of the goal was to achieve mutual release of both partners in order to heighten the effect of unity.  That unity being the dissolving of the masculine and feminine identities into a single moment of unity and oneness.  Both with each other and with the world around us.

The energy of the masculine and feminine is different from the energy of release that we speak of when we speak of the masculine and feminine.  I know the energetic feeling that comes when I pour out my energy into my partner both with the physical action of release and it’s energetic equivalent.  The difference in that energy for me is the difference between these two, while they are based from the space energetic space, are radically different. 

They are also fundamentally creative forces when combined.  The act of release itself is an attempt at a form of creation.  While human beings engage in this act as recreation, it is also wired into our biological selves that it is a method of creation as well.  So with that being said why not use this energy for magickal purposes.   The two of us have used this as a form of creating new magical work and in order to create a space where we wish to open up the possibility of something being created that we did not necessarily intend or we wish for something to be more of a permanent creation.

Athame and Chalice Casting

Both Individuals need to be aware of the experience of the female and/or male orgasm and need to be able to channel the energy (and the feeling of each)….while this doesn’t have to be a gendered casting if you can’t or question your ability to hold this feeling then my suggestion is to allow it to be a gendered casting.

Secondly….understand that this is a space of fertility so bear that in mind for sex and prophylactics during the working and for a period of time around it so you don’t have any unintentional consequences (unless you are just using this for added fertility magick at which point have fun).  This casting is more effective for people who have already engaged with each other sexually as well.

Both partners start facing each other from the distance that will cast the total space over ( no specific orientation in circle is needed for this casting).  Begin by simply holding the energy of the “mode” in question.  Feel this energy sharpen towards the feeling and the particular energy of release as you start walking towards each other the goal is that you should have that feeling of energetic release the moment that the athame and the chalice meet (as when the great rite is normally cast).

  Now instead of that energy being released into the act itself it is necessary for both partners to hold the energy of release and let the moment freeze.  As the moment is frozen and the energy is held each partner steps backwards carrying with them the shared energy of unison….in your mind’s eye see that the energy form a seed like shape until you reach your original position at which point see that place the tools onto the ground or “alter” as appropriate.

In order to clear the space…..taking the tools and simply reuniting them in the great rite and letting the energy release as it would otherwise normally do so completes the rite.

So while the space has been erected feel how the space feels like and which energies are more easily manifest.  Understand that this space wants to create something so any energy that you place into it will have much more of what I might call a “run-a-way” effect than they normally would and this space is also going to have a sexual component which may or may not be good for what you are attempting to do or whom you happen to be working with.  I have some more thoughts on magick within a relationship but this is just a piece of it for the moment.