Post by Lady Silver Vixen on Dec 16, 2010 14:43:56 GMT -5
Ritual Introduction
In this lesson we will discuss what a ritual is, as well as a little background on them and an example of a basic outline you can work with.
A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value, which is prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers, or dictated purely by logic, chance, necessity, etc.
A ritual may be performed on specific occasions, or at the discretion of individuals or communities. It may be performed by a single individual, by a group, or by the entire community; in arbitrary places, or in places especially reserved for it; either in public, in private, or before specific people. A ritual may be restricted to a certain subset of the community, and may enable or underscore the passage between religious or social states.
The purposes of rituals are varied; with religious obligations or ideals, satisfaction of spiritual or emotional needs of the practitioners, strengthening of social bonds, social and moral education, demonstration of respect or submission, stating one's affiliation, obtaining social acceptance or approval for some event — or, sometimes, just for the pleasure of the ritual itself.
Rituals of various kinds are a feature of almost all known human societies, past or present. They include not only the various worship rites and sacraments of organized religions and cults, but also the rites of passage of certain societies, atonement and purification rites, oaths of allegiance, dedication ceremonies, coronations and presidential inaugurations, marriages and funerals, school "rush" traditions and graduations, club meetings, sports events, Halloween parties, veteran parades, Christmas shopping and more. Many activities that are ostensibly performed for concrete purposes, such as jury trials, execution of criminals, and scientific symposia, are loaded with purely symbolic actions prescribed by regulations or tradition, and thus partly ritualistic in nature. Even common actions like hand-shaking and saying hello are rituals.
Ritual itself is not all about celebration; it’s about completion, fulfillment and manifestation. It is a way for us to become closer to the divine nature within ourselves, and consummate our relationship with the spiritual world. It is through ritual, like prayer or meditation, that we learn to fit together our world with that of the divine. We undertake ritual in our daily lives; some of us would never get anything done if it were not for ritual! In a spiritual context, however, this is where we use a set of specific words and/or actions to create sacred space in which to become closer to the divine and also remind us of our inner divinity – something that everyday ritual might not bring to us. To assist in the creation of sacred space, one might consider an altar.
An altar does not have to look any particular way; it is up to the Practitioner as to what they have access to, and how they feel about the arrangement of the altar. After all, what might work for one person might not work for another. Generally speaking, the altar will have some form of honoring the Goddess and the God, and may also have representations of the five elements – Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Spirit. To give you some insight on my own personal practice, on my altar I have a bowl of salt representing Earth, incense representing Air, an athame representing Fire, and a bowl of water representing (you guessed it!) Water. To represent Spirit, I have a candle, as I believe the Spirit is the flame that burns inside us and keeps us bright and alive. Altars might also house various little nick-nacks like shells, a wand, a chalice, crystals and stones, statuettes, etc. – anything to create a space sacred and comfortable for the Practitioner.
Altars can be permanent or temporary. Some Wiccans choose not to have their altars on display all the time for various reasons – they might live in a house with other people and might not want to share their altars; they might not have the space for a permanent altar; or they might just feel that the altar is just for them and not to be viewed by others. Others prefer to keep their altars ‘permanent’; that is, the altar is always set up, ready to go (this could, however, be in a spare or small room, a backyard, etc.)
As a side note, no-one should ever be coerced into carrying out sexual acts with anyone. If you are asked by your coven or grove to carry out the Great Rite and you do not wish to participate, they should be able to respect your decision. If not, find another group. Similarly, you should not have to carry out The Great Rite to ‘become a witch’; the God and Goddess know their children, whether you have had sex or not!
Basic ritual Outline
1. Make Sacred Space
Set aside outside concerns and create a special safe place where we can focus on the ritual and experience it more fully.
Typical steps usually include: Grounding, Consecrating the Elements, Casting a Circle, Cleansing and Charging the Circle, Calling the Quarters.
Exact order and methods are up to the style of the person or people leading the ritual.
2. Ritual Working
Do what is needed to fulfill the purpose of this ritual.
(This usually includes one or more (though certainly not normally all) of the following: Invocation to Goddess, Guided meditation/visualization, Making a ritual object, Candle magic, Dancing, Drumming, Chanting.)
3. Sharing
Besides sharing cakes and wine (or cookies and juice or similar), we often share our experiences of doing the working.
4. Return to Normal
The gods are thanked, the quarters dismissed, the circle taken down. We hug and are free to either hang out awhile and talk or leave as we will.
Exercise- Think about what a ritual means to you. Give an example of a holiday ritual, then try to write your own ritual. Continue practicing your grounding and centering as it’s key to focusing during ritual as well as spell casting.
In this lesson we will discuss what a ritual is, as well as a little background on them and an example of a basic outline you can work with.
A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value, which is prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers, or dictated purely by logic, chance, necessity, etc.
A ritual may be performed on specific occasions, or at the discretion of individuals or communities. It may be performed by a single individual, by a group, or by the entire community; in arbitrary places, or in places especially reserved for it; either in public, in private, or before specific people. A ritual may be restricted to a certain subset of the community, and may enable or underscore the passage between religious or social states.
The purposes of rituals are varied; with religious obligations or ideals, satisfaction of spiritual or emotional needs of the practitioners, strengthening of social bonds, social and moral education, demonstration of respect or submission, stating one's affiliation, obtaining social acceptance or approval for some event — or, sometimes, just for the pleasure of the ritual itself.
Rituals of various kinds are a feature of almost all known human societies, past or present. They include not only the various worship rites and sacraments of organized religions and cults, but also the rites of passage of certain societies, atonement and purification rites, oaths of allegiance, dedication ceremonies, coronations and presidential inaugurations, marriages and funerals, school "rush" traditions and graduations, club meetings, sports events, Halloween parties, veteran parades, Christmas shopping and more. Many activities that are ostensibly performed for concrete purposes, such as jury trials, execution of criminals, and scientific symposia, are loaded with purely symbolic actions prescribed by regulations or tradition, and thus partly ritualistic in nature. Even common actions like hand-shaking and saying hello are rituals.
Ritual itself is not all about celebration; it’s about completion, fulfillment and manifestation. It is a way for us to become closer to the divine nature within ourselves, and consummate our relationship with the spiritual world. It is through ritual, like prayer or meditation, that we learn to fit together our world with that of the divine. We undertake ritual in our daily lives; some of us would never get anything done if it were not for ritual! In a spiritual context, however, this is where we use a set of specific words and/or actions to create sacred space in which to become closer to the divine and also remind us of our inner divinity – something that everyday ritual might not bring to us. To assist in the creation of sacred space, one might consider an altar.
An altar does not have to look any particular way; it is up to the Practitioner as to what they have access to, and how they feel about the arrangement of the altar. After all, what might work for one person might not work for another. Generally speaking, the altar will have some form of honoring the Goddess and the God, and may also have representations of the five elements – Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Spirit. To give you some insight on my own personal practice, on my altar I have a bowl of salt representing Earth, incense representing Air, an athame representing Fire, and a bowl of water representing (you guessed it!) Water. To represent Spirit, I have a candle, as I believe the Spirit is the flame that burns inside us and keeps us bright and alive. Altars might also house various little nick-nacks like shells, a wand, a chalice, crystals and stones, statuettes, etc. – anything to create a space sacred and comfortable for the Practitioner.
Altars can be permanent or temporary. Some Wiccans choose not to have their altars on display all the time for various reasons – they might live in a house with other people and might not want to share their altars; they might not have the space for a permanent altar; or they might just feel that the altar is just for them and not to be viewed by others. Others prefer to keep their altars ‘permanent’; that is, the altar is always set up, ready to go (this could, however, be in a spare or small room, a backyard, etc.)
As a side note, no-one should ever be coerced into carrying out sexual acts with anyone. If you are asked by your coven or grove to carry out the Great Rite and you do not wish to participate, they should be able to respect your decision. If not, find another group. Similarly, you should not have to carry out The Great Rite to ‘become a witch’; the God and Goddess know their children, whether you have had sex or not!
Basic ritual Outline
1. Make Sacred Space
Set aside outside concerns and create a special safe place where we can focus on the ritual and experience it more fully.
Typical steps usually include: Grounding, Consecrating the Elements, Casting a Circle, Cleansing and Charging the Circle, Calling the Quarters.
Exact order and methods are up to the style of the person or people leading the ritual.
2. Ritual Working
Do what is needed to fulfill the purpose of this ritual.
(This usually includes one or more (though certainly not normally all) of the following: Invocation to Goddess, Guided meditation/visualization, Making a ritual object, Candle magic, Dancing, Drumming, Chanting.)
3. Sharing
Besides sharing cakes and wine (or cookies and juice or similar), we often share our experiences of doing the working.
4. Return to Normal
The gods are thanked, the quarters dismissed, the circle taken down. We hug and are free to either hang out awhile and talk or leave as we will.
Exercise- Think about what a ritual means to you. Give an example of a holiday ritual, then try to write your own ritual. Continue practicing your grounding and centering as it’s key to focusing during ritual as well as spell casting.