The fivefold kiss is a ritual kissing of five parts of the body, done in certain rites and ceremonies, such as handfasting, in some traditions of contemporary Witchcraft.
It is done within a Magic CIRCLE and is symbolic of the homage paid by the God and the Goddess to each other. The fivefold kiss can be done man to woman or woman to man. The kisses may be given on the parts of the body which, with arms and legs outstretched, correspond to points of a pentacle: head, arms or hands; legs or feet. Or, eight kisses may be given in five body points: on each foot; on each knee; above the pubic hair; on each breast; on the lips.
Each kiss is accompanied by a blessing, such as the following:
Blessed be thy feet that have brought thee in these ways; blessed be thy knees that shall kneel at the sacred altar; blessed be thy womb [phallus], without which we should not be; blessed be thy breasts, formed in beauty [strength] ; blessed be thy lips that shall utter sacred names.
FURTHER READING:
- Farrar, Janet, and Stewart Farrar. A Witches Bible Compleat. New York: Magickal Childe, 1984.
The Encyclopedia of Witches, Witchcraft and Wicca written by Rosemary Ellen Guiley – Copyright © 1989, 1999, 2008 by Visionary Living, Inc.