During the third hour after sunset on the day before hunting, inscribe a red candle with the runic symbols Rad, Tyr, and Eohl, and light it. Light patchouli incense, and say: "Let this earthy scent attune me with Herne the Hunter, the bounty of the Earth, and the natural forces of life's cycles." Drop the following herbs into the candle, speaking after each. Star anise: "I call upon the spirits of hunter ancestors to aid me in my hunt tomorrow." Bergamot leaves: "I call upon the power of bergamot to bring me success tomorrow." Artemesia leaves: "I call on the Lady of the Hunt to bring me success in my endeavors tomorrow." Red dianthus (carnation) petals: "I honor the blood of the animal I seek; life unto life, I hunt what I eat. The cycles we share flow ever eternal; hunters and hunted, revered and fraternal." |