Lesson Title: Rituals



Ritual - 1. The prescribed form or order of conducting a religious or solemn ceremony. 2. A body of ceremonies or rites, as those used in a church or fraternal organization. 3. A book of rites or ceremonial forms. 4. rituals. a. A ceremonial act or series of such acts. b. The performance of such acts. 5. A detailed method of procedure faithfully or regularly followed.


Introduction To Ritual

Whether celebratory or working in nature, ritual is at the very heart of Paganism. It is the way we celebrate the Gods, nature, and stages of life; it is the way we tap into archetypes larger than ourselves; it is the way in which we seek to move energy in accord with our Will towards specific goals.

In it's broadest sense, ritual encompasses both celebrations and magic.

Ritual--What is It? Why Do We Do It? In Scott Cunningham's definition, we see the dual nature of ritual: "Ceremony. A specific form of movement, a manipulation of objects or inner processes designed to produce desired effects. In religion ritual is geared toward union with the Divine. In Magic it produces a specific state of consciousness that allows the magician to move energy toward needed goals. A spell is a magical ritual."

Almost any act can be made sacred through intent.

(Source: Unknown)




Thoughts on Ritual

Isaac Bonewits has defined ritual as "any ordered sequence of events or actions, including directed thoughts, especially one that is repeated in the same manner each time, and that is designed to produce a predictable altered state of consciousness within which certain magical or religious results may be obtained. The purpose of ritual is to put you into this altered state "within which you have access to and control over your psychic talents."

Margaret Adler: "It is important to note that when Pagans use the word ritual, they mean somthing far different from what most people mean. For the majority, rituals are dry, formalized, repetitive experiences. Similarly, myths have come to mean merely the quaint explanations of the primitive mind. From my own experience of Neo-Pagan rituals, I have come to feel that they have another purpose--to end, for a time, our sense of human alienation from nature and from each other. Accepting the idea of the psychic sea, and of human beings as isolated islands within that sea, we can say that, although we are always connected, our most common experience is one of estangement. Ritual seems to be one method of reintegrating individuals and groups into the cosmos, and to tie in the activities of daily life with their ever present, often forgotten, significance. It allows us to feel biological connectedness with ancestors who regulated their lives and activities according to seasonal observaces. Just as ecological theory explains how we are interrelated with all other forms of life, rituals allow us to re-create that unity in an explosive, nonabstract, gut-level way. Rituals have the power to reset the terms of our universe until we find ourselves suddenly and truly at home."

Sharon Devlin: "Ritual is a sacred drama in which you are both audience and participant. The purpose of it is to activate those parts of the mind that are not activated by everyday activity, the psychokinetic and telekinetic abilities, the connection between the eternal power and ourselves....We need to re-create ecstatic states where generation of energy occurs."

Z. Budapest: "The purpose of ritual is to wake up the old mind in us, to put it to work. The old ones inside us, the collective unconscious, the many lives, the divine eternal parts, the senses and parts of the brain that have been ignored. Those parts do not speak English. They do not care about television. But they do understand candlelight and colors. They do understand nature."

Vivianne Crowley (Wicca): "All rituals, sacrifices, invocations, prayers, hymns and chants have the common aim of turning our minds toward the way up and the way down, birth and death, and showing us their meaning in our lives to give us great knowledge and understanding of how we fit into the greater whole. By neglecting our myths and rituals we have lost the sense of the endless cyclical process of the life force which endures in the face of the changing seasons and the brief shooting star of our individual lives. We have lost touch with that part of ourselves which lives on when the body fails us and reincarnates to form another stream of human existence, or simply returns to the great ocean of being from which we all spring forth."

Sowan: A focused mental and/or physical ceremony to honor something or to perform a magical working, they can be simple (The lighting of a candle each morning to bless your day) or complex (A ceremony to thank your chosen Pantheon). Rituals are usually done a regular basis.

(Source: Unknown)
Health and Diet

Certainly the way you treat your physical body will affect your mind. In magic you want an alert mind. Therefore, your body must be as healthy as you can keep it. Take care of your body. Exercise regularly. Eat a good diet (maybe include vitamin supplements), and do not consume anything that will have a negative effect upon the mind. Drugs, smoking and alcohol should be restricted, or eliminated. (The mind can create any condition that a drug can create.) A good rule here is moderation in what and how much you consume. (Most of this stuff is pretty obvious isn't it.) You may also want to cut down on sugar and processed foods. Many occultists advise dietary changes, especially the non-eating of meat. We cannot deny the physical, psychological, and spiritual effect that all foods have. This effect may be described as the 'heaviness' factor of foods. Various foods are so ranked in the chart, lighter to heavier:

lettuce and other greens.
fruits and most vegetables.
wheat, rice, and other grains.
nuts, beans, and other legumes.
cheese, dairy products, including eggs.
fish, seafood.
chicken, poultry.
beef, pork, other red meats.

Note that meats, especially red meats are the 'heaviest' foods. Generally, foods which are harder to digest, or which are higher in protein are 'heavier' than those which are not. Animal products are heavier than plants. Foods high in carbohydrate (candy, bread, starch) are heavy. However, the 'heaviness' of foods is not directly related to the amount of calories.

What this means is that for various reasons, the heaviness of food in your diet will affect your magical experiences. You may be able to increase your psychic receptivity ('energy level') by eating lighter foods, or by eating less. Conversely, emphasizing heavy foods in your diet, or eating larger helpings, may help to 'bring you down to earth' should you 'rent the veil' too much. These are generalizations, of course, and it may take a number of days of dietary change before you notice much effect. I do not advocate radical dietary changes, excessive fasting, or malnutrition. Your good health is far more important in magic than any temporary effect you get from prolonged starvation. A change in diet will sometimes only produce a temporary effect, until the physical body adapts to the change. Healthy natural foods and lifestyle make it easier for us to be healthy, but ultimately, good health is a mental quality (attitude).

(Source: www.ecauldron.com)


Cleansing

There are times when you need to cleanse your mind, body and/or soul in order to give your full self to a new task. Rituals and magical working are one of these times. You don't want to carry the stress of the mundane world into your ritual; it can distract you and effect your work.

(Source: Sowan)


Purification

Purification of self and of the ritual space is important because it is the first part of placing yourself in a ritual consciousness. You cleanse away the dirt, negativity and stress of the world so that you are clean mentally, spiritually, and emotionally when you go before the Gods. For some, the purification becomes a ritual in itself; many people have a purification ritual that has become a subconscious habit.

Have you ever climbed into a bath or shower to emerge some time later feeling renewed, as though all of the things that bothered you were washed down the drain with the water? The ritual purification is like that. When purifying yourself for ritual, it is usually best to visualize the process. In your mind see the negative aspects of day to day life as being a film on your body, feel the water rinsing it away, see it being carried off of your body and spiraling down the drain.

When purifying the space that you will use for the ritual, it is much the same. Sweep the area, visualizing as you do so that you are clearing away negative energies with the dirt. Burn incense or use a fan as you visualize the air itself being cleansed and made ready for your ritual. Turn off the lights, light a candle, ring a bell, etc. Your goal is to slow down, to become aware of Divinity within and without, to set the stage for your magical act to follow.

(Source: Unknown)


Cleaning and Charging Tools

Most Witches & Pagans clean and charge their tools before using them in magic and ritual. The idea is the same as cleaning and preparing yourself: Cleaning away dirt, negativity or previous influences, and then focus a new task upon the item.

This can be done in several different ways. The main point is to focus and visualize the task. Here are few suggestions to try out:

Cleaning:

Washing with water and/or soap

Running it over incense smoke

Brushing it with a broom

Charging:

Holding it in your hand and focus

Dab it with oils or herbs that corresponding with the purpose

Carve or draw symbols that corresponding with the purpose

Over time you find your own personal methods for cleaning and charging.

(Source: Sowan)


Creating Sacred Space/Casting a circle

Magical and ritual work requires a space that is set aside and made special or sacred. What defines and makes sacred space special is the mind of the magician. Rituals can be performed silently, even in the busiest places if the magician can set aside, then access, a safe, quiet part of his or her mind. It takes practice, and there are many different techniques to do it.

Here is a common practice:

Casting a circle
The Circle is cast with athame, wand, salted water and/or incense which are carried about the circular perimeter of the area you are working in while a chant is spoken and a field of protective energy is raised through visualization. You could chant "a place which is not a place in a time which is not a time" or "a place between the worlds".

Breaking the Circle
Once the circle is no longer needed, the circle casting is reversed. The final stage of breaking the Circle is drawing the protective energy back into its original source, whether it be an athame, wand, ect. The circle is then declared open with words such as "The Circle is open, but ever unbroken" or "The Temple is now closed, but lives on within us".


(Source: Unknown)


Hold a Ritual

Now that you have your altar created and basic ritual concepts under your belt, lets hold a ritual. Below is a very basic ritual to help you become comfortable with rituals and your atlar.

Determine Purpose
The purpose of your ritual is your reason for doing it. Until you are experienced, keep your purpose simple. Examples: peace, protection, happiness, etc. During your ritual you need to focus on this purpose, visualize what it means to you.

Prepare
Make sure you have privacy, turn your phone down, lock your doors, etc. Set everything up on your altar: light candles, incense, etc. Altar your mind from the mundane, cleanse your ritual space, cast a circle etc.

Meditate
Sit, stand or lay before you altar. Focus on your intent, but also let thoughts, images and feelings flow into you. You may be given ideas and messages during this time regarding your purpose.

Give Thanks
You can give thanks just by saying "Thank You" out loud. You can also give thanks after your ritual: feed some wild birds, plant a tree, make a stranger smile, etc. Do something in honor of the divine, to show you appreciate their help.

Clean Up
Blow or snuff out candles, put away any items that you don't want kept on your altar, return to everyday life.


You can do this or other rituals as often and whenever you like, when you feel ready.

(Source: Sowan)



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