Invocations

Invocations are used to call entities to attend your ritual. The most common invocations are those used to call the God and Goddess, awakening them within you. Often an invocation will call to a specific deity, as a way of calling to the aspect of the God or Goddess that fits best with the ritual and with you.

Invocations are in fact the heart of any ritual, and often are the only necessary part, if no magicks are being worked, when simple Esbats or Sabbats are being observed to honor the Lord and Lady and attune ourselves with Nature.

Invocations need not be verbal, one of the simplest methods is to simply open yourself to the Goddess and God and 'feel' your heart and soul call to them.

Invocations work best if they are created by yourself, specifically for the purpose of the rite you are conducting.

Here are some examples of invocations to the God and Goddess:

From Wicca: a Guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham
Blessing Chant

May the powers of The One,
the source of all creation;
all-pervasive, omnipotent, eternal;
may the Goddess,
the Lady of the Moon;
and the God,
Horned Hunter of the Sun;
may the powers of the Spirits of the Stones,
rulers of the elemental realms;
may the powers of the stars above, and the Earth below,
bless this place, this time, and I who am with You.

Note:Because I do not visualize standing stones at my quarters i would substitute Spirits of the Four Quarters for Spirits of the Stones.

Invocation to the Goddess

Crescent One of the starry skies,
Flowered One of the fertile plain,
Flowing One of the ocean's sighs,
Blessed One of the gentle rain;
Hear my chant 'midst the standing stones,
Open me to your mystic light;
Waken me to your silver tones,
Be with me in my sacred rite!

Note:I have used this before with changes to the last four lines.
Hear my chant 'midst this circle round,
Open me to your mystic light;
Waken me to your sacred sound,
Be with me in this magick rite!

Prayer to the Horned God

Horned One of the wilderness,
Winged one of the starry skies,
Rayed one of the splen'drous Sun,
Fallen One of the Samhain cries-
I call amidst the standing stones
Praying that you , O ancient One,
Will deign to bless my mystic rites-
O fiery Lord of the Blazing Sun!

From Green Witchcraft by Ann Moura
Invocation to the Lord and Lady
I, (craft or working name), who am your child, stand between the worlds and callupon my Lady and my Lord, (names), to hold communion with me.

Note: As you can see not every invocation needs to be poetic and musical, though it certainly does help.

Invocations to the Goddess and God are not the only sorts of invocation. Often we will want to call other entities suitable to our working to aid us in raising power. Examples of such entities are ancestors, angels, animal spirits, dragons, faeries, and other mythical creatures.

Here are some examples of invocations to other entities:

From Animal Magick by D.J. Conway
Chant to call the spirit of Cats
Littlest lion, panther in miniature,
Help me in my magickal endeavours.
Teach me to see my path through dark places.
Help me to sift the necessary from the unnecessary
And to relax and enjoy life.
Strengthen my magick and carry it to its destination.

Chant to call the spirit of the Lynx
Keeper of the ancient secrets,
Teacher of the hidden skills,
Open my heart and mind to wisdom.
Fill my days with strengthened will.
Reveal the fearful truth of being,
The part of us we fail to see.
O lynx of smiling, hidden secrets,
Bring aid and wisdom now to me.

Chant to call the spirit of the Wolf
The mournful cries rise in the night.
We are seeking!
Wolves' song greets the Moon so bright.
We are brave and wise!
Sleek, muscled bodies beneath the Moon.
We help turn the wheel of death and rebirth!
By our magick we send a boon
Of true dreaming!

From A Witch's Guide to Faery Folk
Invitation to call faeries to your circle
Hear me now, oh powers of the (direction). With an open heartI invite all the friendly spirits and faeries of the (direction)and of (element associated with the direction) to come to the edge of my circle, this sacred space, to witness and participate in the worship of our cherished Goddess and our blessed God, and to joyfully work towards our goals for the good of all. Come join me (or us), if you will. You are welcome here. You are wanted here. Blessed be all who come in the name of the Bounteous Goddess and the Gracious Lord.