The Handfasting Handbook

The handfasting ritual is a beautiful, magickal rite of passage. Many non-Pagan and non-Wiccan couples are adopting this old custom, much like when couples borrow from other traditions to craft their own ceremony to match their distinctive personalities. The following is the longer version of an interview with the founder of Handfastings. Click the banner at the bottom of this page to go to their website. The short answer to this question is: However, the long answer entails a bit of back-story.

During the formal betrothal ceremony, in which a couple promises to one another their agreement in future marriage, there was a formal handshake to seal the deal.

The betrothals eventually became so formal that it was an event in and of itself, which eventually lead up to the wedding ceremony. And now for the magical part: Fast forward to modern neo-Paganism and their adaptations of sacred ancient and not-so-ancient rituals.

• The Best 90 Plus Years of My Life: A Voyage!
• For the Love of Murphy.
• .
• Magic Money (New World Book 1).
• Fushigi Yûgi: Genbu Kaiden, Vol. 11.

Modern day Wiccans and Pagans recognize the power of magic which is essentially focused intent. Magical cord knotting presents an outstanding visual in illustrating intent. The handfasting ritual has been, almost effortlessly, adapted and incorporated into our modern Pagan wedding rituals as the main ceremonial element in addition to — or instead of — the ring exchange. Modern Pagans revived the literal tying of the knot. Is it a legal marriage? The handfasting ritual can be incorporated into any wedding ceremony, just as can the ring exchange.

Whether or not a couple chooses to have a handfasting does not make or break the legality of the marriage. Rather, the couple must take the proper steps to ensure that their marriage is recognized by the government if they do so choose. Generally, there may have to be an ordained or legalized officiant in addition to the couple having filled out the proper paperwork i. Anyone can become handfasted if that is their intent; rest assured it will be recognized by the Gods. But it may not be recognized by the government — so do your research!

Do you have to be Wiccan to have a handfasting? In fact, the term handfasting arose during the early Christian era, when Paganism had already lost much ground. But people from all religious denominations can experience the beautiful handfasting ritual during their wedding ceremony. In practice, Wiccans are taught to place well-thought intention into ritual, and therefore they do so into the knotting of the cords.

Because of this, the ritual of the handfasting invites a unique, magical experience between the couple. How do I find someone to perform a handfasting? While the website itself is a work in progress as I suspect in perpetuity , it will always be a direct source for those who seek someone to perform their handfasting ceremony.

One can also find a wealth of information on a comprehensive website called Witcvox. There is also a handfastings Yahoo! Group operated independently of Handfastings. Otherwise, you are going to have to do what the founder of Handfastings. I searched forever for a Wiccan High Priestess to perform my handfasting. How can I find out if they are legally registered to perform marriage ceremonies?

Although there are differences between the requirements in the various states, a marriage between a man and a woman performed in one state must be recognized by every other state under the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the United States Constitution [ U. This is where research comes in handy. We strongly urge you to consider this action seriously, gravely seriously! To quote Father Nate Leved, "Such long term agreements were well and good a century ago when the average life span was forty years if lucky, but now that people are living to eighty or more years, such long term agreements should be considered doubly well.

To report this review as inappropriate, please complete this short form.

Consider that if you are twenty or so years old, you may have to endure one another for the next half century or more. The following text provides an outline - situational changes and adaptations are permissible. The priest can be either man or woman. The altar and room is lit by a dozen black candles. One red candle sits on the altar, also incense, bell or gong, one silver chalice, a short sword or dagger , a crystal ball or stone , wedding rings and length of cord.

A Baphomet plaque hangs on the wall behind the altar on the west wall. The bride and groom will be dressed or undressed, according to their desires.

A Baphomet amulet shall be worn around the neck. A selection of music shall be agreed upon by both bride and groom and played in the background as bride and assembled guests enter. The groom stands next to the best man to the right, near the altar. Before the bride and the one who gives her away comes down the isle, there will be the usual procession of bride's maids, ushers, flower girls, etc.

The priest stands in front of the altar, facing the congregation. When the ceremony is about to begin, the deacon or best man strikes the gong or rings the bell toward the assembly three times slowly. In the name of Satan, I call upon the forces of Darkness and the infernal power within! Consecrate this place with the power, love and light of Lucifer. Join with us, we say in the binding of these two who shall be as one.

They desire to make their union a matter of record, so that their friends and the society in which they live may bear witness and lend support. I invite the Gods to come bless this union as we invoke the infernal names: It will then be reviewed by Lulu Staff to determine the next course of action. Identify in sufficient detail the copyrighted work that you believe has been infringed upon for example, "The copyrighted work at issue is the image that appears on http: Identify each web page that allegedly contains infringing material.

This requires you to provide the URL for each allegedly infringing result, document or item. I have a good faith belief that use of the copyrighted materials described above as allegedly infringing is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law. I swear, under penalty of perjury, that the information in the notification is accurate and that I am the copyright owner or am authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed. Your digital signature is as legally binding as a physical signature.

If you use a digital signature, your signature must exactly match the First and Last names that you specified earlier in this form. This form does not constitute legal advice and nothing that you read or are provided on this web site should be used as a substitute for the advice of competent legal counsel. If someone believes in good faith that a Lulu Account Holder has infringed their copyright, they can request that we take down the infringing material by filing a DMCA Notice. When a clear and valid Notice is received pursuant to the guidelines, we will respond by either taking down the allegedly infringing content or blocking access to it, and we may also contact you for more information.

If you are not the copyright holder or its agent and if the content is clearly infringing the copyright of a well-known work, please select "Infringes a well-known work" from the dropdown menu. Lulu Staff has been notified of a possible violation of the terms of our Membership Agreement. Our agents will determine if the content reported is inappropriate or not based on the guidelines provided and will then take action where needed. Thank you for notifying us. The page you are attempting to access contains content that is not intended for underage readers.

This item has not been rated yet. After hundreds of questions from clients and readers of my blog I decided to create this little guide to Handfasting in the hopes that it will take some of the stress out of planning your milestone ceremony.