The passwords to the magick circle are seen in the Gardnerian first-degree initiation ritual, when the dedicant is challenged before entering the circle. When the dedicant answers with the two passwords they are given beforehand, Perfect Love and Perfect Trust, the priest (or priestess, depending on who is officiating the initiation) responds with a third password, a Kiss, and admits the dedicant into the circle. Some traditions use the challenge before every ritual, others only for solemn working such as initiations and exorcisms. In either case, the challenge is meant to remind the participant that fearlessness is expected in the magick circle and love and trust are paramount to the proper mindset for magick.
But what are the three passwords? What do they mean and what ritual significance do they have to Wiccans?
I assumed as a younger witch that Perfect Love and Perfect Trust meant love for and trust in the other people in the circle. And that’s part of it, to be sure. But Perfect Love is unconditional, fearless, and totally accepting — and that is the love we have for Deity. In the same way, Perfect Trust is unreserved and hopeful — and that is the trust we have in the benevolence of the Universe.
It’s important to keep in mind that Perfect Love and Perfect Trust are the two passwords given to the dedicant seeking initiation. They are the keys to the circle. If you cannot enter the circle in Perfect Love — desiring to feel the presence of the Divine — and Perfect Trust — knowing that no harm will come to you while you worship — then fear creeps into your heart instead and you cannot fully participate in the magick that is Wicca. You will be distracted by your fear and even if you’re physically in the circle, you’re bound against feeling the awe and wonder there is to behold there.
So what then is the third password, the Kiss? Simply put, it’s the door opened in welcome. It’s the same energy of Perfect Love and Perfect Trust being bestowed onto the person seeking entrance into the magick circle, for just as we as Wiccans have Perfect Love in Deity and Perfect Trust in the ultimate goodness of the Cosmos, the Gods have Perfect Love for us as their children and Perfect Trust that we’ll act according to our nature. And that’s the energy that we strive to have with our fellow practitioners — not being blind to the flaws and struggles of others but rather accepting them as part of the totality of who they are.
May you, dear reader, know Perfect Love and Perfect Trust in all of your magick circles — and in the world outside of the circle.