The "Winternacht" Ritual

You're bound by this point to have come across detailed instructions to rituals that promise outlandish things such as unlimited wealth or power beyond imagination for nothing but horrid night visions and demons chasing you endlessly. I will promise no such thing, rather, the power to do anything you wish with life within reason. It is incredible, but a very, very tricky ritual to perform indeed. If you follow these instructions EXACTLY, there is a great chance your goal will be within your grasp.

This ritual, the " Winternacht" as it's known in its origin country of Germany, is an ancient ritual focusing on the legend of a supernatural entity simply referred to as Mother Winter. For the sake of simplicity she will simply be referred to as "Mother" in this recounting of instructions. She is often described many, many ways, but she never takes the same appearance twice. Many legends state she has no real known motivation or goal other than she relishes in the torment and suffering of her victims, and is merciless in her taunting.

It is said that if she is lured into and then banished from any one person's home, that person will gain immeasurable success in their life, without repercussion, and was often performed by incredulous adults or children brave enough to try and prove it true.

In order for YOU to perform the ritual on your road to great success, you must wait until exactly one week before Christmas day. On that day (or prior to), buy a bundle of white roses. Then, between 3 and 4pm, drive to the local cemetery and stand as much in the center as possible. It is permissible that you stand off to the sides, but just make sure to stay far, far away from the corners. Nasty things are bound to be lurking there, none of which you want to encounter. You are, after all, messing with the supernatural. There, clutching the roses in your hands, you must recite the following phrase loud and clear, verbatim:

"Mother Winter, Mother Winter

I offer you this gift, one which I give

With the most welcome invitations

I hope you accept, for I wish to speak with you.

Mother Winter, Mother Winter, I will see you soon."

Your voice must be confident and strong, without doubt or a sense of unease. Don't yell, but don't mumble either. Once you have done such, return home and place the roses on your doorstep to the lefthand side. This will let Mother Winter know you have invited her into your home, for better or for worse. The next part of the ritual setup is THE most important. Once the rose is outside your door, you must turn every source of light in your home off at exactly 9:30pm each night. No lamps, no phones, televisions or otherwise can be on. It must be pitch black. Now that the ritual has officially started, the real challenge can begin.

Over the next week at random intervals, five different people will knock on your door asking to come inside for dinner. One of thes people will in fact be a guise of Mother Winter, but they will never be unfamiliar faces, always ones you vaguely remember. The man who took out his trash yesterday, the woman who walked her dog in the park. Anyone who always stays on the threshold of your memory, but if you did it correctly, never a completely new face. If they ARE an unfamiliar face, you have had something go very wrong, wether it be a mistake on your part or just bad luck, but it is advised that you lock all doors and windows and keep all lights off for at LEAST a week.

I hear you asking, can't I avoid Mother Winter by simply refusing all five people? Unfortunately the answer to that just isn't that simple, nor will any of this process ever be. Much like other supernatural creatures, she follows rules. A vampire can't enter without being invited inside, a demon has no power unless you speak it's name, and the only way to beat Mother Winter is to allow all five people in over the week. Should you outright refuse them, this gives her an easy opportunity to enter and harm you as she wishes without a pattern, and your adventure is tragically cut short.

Now, how to deal with her is a different story. During each of the five people's visits, they will simply have dinner with you, carrying out any topic they wish to discuss. What you eat is quite honestly irrelevant, but rather what occurs during dinner is what matters most. Don't force any topics that might reveal their identity or goad them into trying to admit if they are indeed who they say they are, it will inevitably end badly. Your job is to pinpoint which of the five is indeed the malevolent and twisted Mother Winter, and kindly ask her to leave before dinner is over.

This process can prove quite difficult for several reasons. Firstly, the being in question can take the form of both genders, and all five people will demonstrate behaviors that might indicate they are "Mother" order to try and throw you off course. While there is no exact way to tell, there are several guidelines to have a slightly easier time determining "Mother" by her tendencies:

-Typically, all will avoid this regardless, but "Mother" will always stay away from any open flame. It's recommended for this purpose you light a few candles for dinner, and keep an eye on what happens.

-Very rarely does "Mother" ask about extremely personal questions, like the name of your sister or what type of undergarments you prefer. Unless you allow her access to your mind she is incapable of determining your exact memories and personal information, leaving her with less to use against you.

-You must keep your looking at the guests somewhat limited. Should you stare too long any of them will use it as a way to unnerve you further and dig deep into your darkest fears, very subliminally bringing them to the forefront of your mind as you look at them. It's best that you occasionally glance at them and try to pick up on key details.

-Out of them all, "Mother" has the highest probability of demonstrating very brief, subtle twitches while sitting down. Most often seen are in the neck and arm areas, but it's documented to be possible anywhere. It's rare to catch but should you see it more than once there's a very high likelihood you have the right person.

-Finally, never under any circumstance turn your back completely to your guests. They will consider it quite rude, and this is yet another example of a way to simply invite Mother Winter into your abode, or simply allow her to attack you. Keep facing them, and keep your eyes averted.

Once all five guests have come and gone, your results should be rather immediate. Should you have picked the wrong person to send home, "Mother" will likely have already found a way into your home well before you know it. At any time after, in bed, in the shower, even in the car or the back yard, you will begin to feel her presence.

From there, you won't have a choice but to stand, frozen, as she whispers unknown horrors into your ear. Those who have survived never seem to recall what was told, just be warned that it is horrifying beyond all belief. I'm sure you picked up on the mention of the word "survivors", of which there are a few. The results of her punishment can vary. She's allegedly killed people outright, driven them into irreparable insanity and depravity or in the BEST cases caused a very massive deal of misfortune into people's lives.

But what if you are correct in your guess, and send "Mother" from your home during dinner? That's it. There is no catch, no cruel twist that will keep you bound in the depths of evil for eternity. All traces of Mother Winter will have disappeared from your life forever, and you are free to do as you wish. After all, the power to flourish in life and have anything you desire is now readily at your fingertips. Just keep in mind, any undoings or misfortunes you experience from here on out are not of Mother Winter's doing, but simply....your own greed.