The Order of the White Moon Goddess Gallery Presents

A Level III final project by Priestess River for Dark Moon's Heart School

Baba Yaga (BaBA YaGA) is a mythological being of Slavic origin. A famous witch, she appears in folklore as a fierce and frightening being and is the main character in many Russian fairytales. She is known to fly around in a mortar, wield a pestle, and live in a hut on chicken legs that can turn about or relocate, deep in the forest. The hut does not reveal its door until the right magickal phrase is uttered. Baba Yaga is often depicted bent over her stove, or draped the entire expanse of her hut with her nose touching the ceiling.

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She is generally known as an ogress who steals, cooks and eats children. She is known to live with her two or three sisters (also known as Baba Yaga) in her forest hut. Her fence, surrounding her hut, is made of human bones and topped with human skulls. She is known to accompany Death on his travels, devouring newly released souls. She is known to travel with and command a flock of black geese.

Baba Yaga is first referenced in 1755 in Mikhail Lomonosov's grammar, where she is listed as one of many gods. Lomonosov lists the gods and their Roman counterparts. Baba Yaga is not listed as having a Roman counterpart; she stands alone in the Slavic pantheon. She is thought to have existed in Russian folklore orally for much longer than the 1755 grammar. The scholar Mikhail Chulkov notes significant similarities between Baba Yaga and an early goddess of death known as Iagaia baba: “The Slavs venerated the underworld goddess by this name, representing her as a frightening figure seated in an iron mortar, with an iron pestle in her hands; they made blood sacrifice to her, thinking that she fed it to the two granddaughters attributed to her, and that she delighted in the shedding blood herself. “

Her character is ambiguous – at times she’s the fiery crone who is frightening and dangerous; at times she can be maternal and benevolent. Andrea Johns says of Baba Yaga: she is "a many-faceted figure, capable of inspiring researchers to see her as a Cloud, Moon, Death, Winter, Snake, Bird, Pelican or Earth Goddess, totemic matriarchal ancestress, female initiator, phallic mother, or archetypal image". Some understand her name to mean “Grandmother Witch” and she is thought to fulfill the role of trickster, intent on encouraging transformation rather than as an evil archetype of a witch. Because she lives outside of the norms of society, she’s seen as embodying the concepts of feminine power and emancipation. Although she retains her role as menacing, she’s modernly seen as a source of wisdom and power rather than evil.

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Illustration for the fairy tale ‘Vasilisa the Beautiful.’ (Public Domain)

One of the most famous fairy tales is the story of Vasilisa the Beautiful and Baba Yaga. Paralleling the story of Cinderella, Vasilisa’s mother dies when the beautiful girl is very young. Her father marries again, and her step-mother and two step-sisters keep her working. On her death bed, Vasilisa’s mother had given her a magickal doll that helps Vasilisa accomplish the many tasks her step-mother gives her. One day her father leaves on business that will take him some time to finish and return and the step-mother forces Vasilisa out of the home and into the forest to obtain some light from Baba Yaga. As Baba Yaga was rumored to eat people, Vasilisa was terrified. However, her magickal doll encouraged her. Vasilisa found the hut and asked Baba Yaga for fire. Baba Yaga told her she would only do so if Vasilisa would complete several tasks.

These tasks would have been impossible for normal people to accomplish, but Vasilisa’s magickal doll helped her complete them. In one version of the story, Baba Yaga still would not give her fire and Vasliisa escaped from Baba Yaga after obtaining fire from the skulls surrounding the hut. When Vasilisa returned home, the fire turned her step-mother and step-sisters to ashes. Vasilisa eventually moved to the city and after more adventures married the Tsarevich.

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Baba Yaga, illustration by Ivan Bilibin from Narodnyye russkiye skazki (“Russian Popular Fairy Tales”)

Baba Yaga represents the Goddess aspect that leads you to unflinching truths, even when they are uncomfortable or painful. She teaches that only when we face our darkest and deepest fears and issues can we truly begin to heal. She practices tough love.

Themes associated with Baba Yaga include the harvest, rest, providence, thankfulness and silence. Her symbols include corn sheafs, wreaths of wheat, corn, rye or wild flowers.

Ritual Invoking Baba Yaga

(for a group)

Altar setup:

East altar: yellow candle and woodsy scented incense

South altar: red candle and boline knife

West altar: blue candle and chalice filled with beer

North altar: green candle and plate holding wheat crackers

Central altar: black candle, Goddess representation (perhaps a cat representation, as Baba Yaga is sometimes represented by a cat), moxa (mugwort) stick; saucer or small cauldron to rest moxa stick in.

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The High Priestess grounds herself, barefoot, by placing her hands on the ground and feeling the power and energy of the earth rising in her. She then builds a sacred space by cleansing the ritual area with a sage bundle, walking and smudging clockwise. With the cleansing complete, she is now ready to admit the ritual participants into the space. She greets them one at a time, asking, “How do you enter?” The customary response is “in perfect love and perfect trust”, or “to listen and learn”. She anoints each participant’s forehead with rosemary oil and bids them, “Enter and be welcome”. The participants file into the room in a clock-wise direction, silently and respectfully.

When all have entered, HPS invokes the elements.

“Spirits and guardians of the East

Realm of the hawk and the dove,

Direction of morning and springtime,

I ask you to join our circle tonight,

Bringing your powers of rational thought

Of creativity and inspiration

Enter and be welcome.”

(HPS lights candle on the eastern altar)

“Spirits and guardians of the South

Realm of the serpent and the lizard,

Direction of mid-day and summer,

I ask you to join our circle tonight,

Bringing your powers of passion,

Of will and energy

Enter and be welcome.”

(HPS lights candle on the southern altar)

“Spirits and guardians of the West

Realm of the shark and the dolphin,

Direction of afternoon and autumn,

I ask you to join our circle tonight,

Bringing your powers of intuition,

Of compassion and empathy

Enter and be welcome.”

(HPS lights candle on the western altar)

“Spirits and guardians of the North

Realm of the fox and the roe,

Direction of night and winter,

I ask you to join our circle tonight,

Bringing your powers of stability,

Of strength and commitment

Enter and be welcome.”

(HPS lights candle on the northern altar)

HPS invokes Baba Yaga:

Hail Baba Yaga, goddess of the forest, protector of the crops and font of wisdom,

We ask you to join us here in our ritual tonight. Bring with you your traits of protection, wisdom and clarity.

Enter and be welcome.

HPS lights a moxa stick (mugwort) and smudges the circle and encourages participants to sit down, get comfortable, and ground. She shares with the group about who Baba Yaga is and what she is here for tonight. She is here to empower all to succeed in whatever endeavor they’re struggling with now.

Baba Yaga asks us

What stands in the way of you seeing your truth? How can you feel safe enough to trust that you’ll be okay seeing your truth?

HPS shuffles a tarot deck and each participant is asked to draw two cards.

The first card represents what endeavor or issue the participant is struggling with. We’re asked to spend some time meditating on that card, asking Baba Yaga to clarify this issue.

The second card represents the optimal way to approach the endeavor or issue for a favorable outcome. We’re asked to spend some time meditating on that card, connecting with Baba Yaga for support and clarity.

After a suitable silent meditation period, the participants are given an optional opportunity to share insights they’ve received.

Cakes and ale (wheat crackers and beer) are offered to each participant:

“May you never hunger”;

“May you never thirst”.

Quarter dismissals:

Spirits and guardians of the North,

Thank you for joining our circle tonight.

Go if you must; stay if you will.

Hail and farewell!

(HPS extinguishes candle)

Spirits and guardians of the West,

Thank you for joining our circle tonight.