Ritual Basics

Ritual Basics

Written by Parerclip

Thursday, 12 October 2006 01:00

Hey Everyone -
Here are my notes from the Ritual Basics Class held in late September. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me.

These are the notes from the class I taught at the end of September on Ritual Basics. Please note that when teaching/leading anything, my notes are just a rough outline for me to follow, and these classes rely much on feedback from those involved.

Ritual Basics
Welcome to Ritual Basics. The purpose of this class/workshop is to get you familiar with the steps involved in a Pagan Circle. This class is meant as both a tool for you to make you more comfortable in circle, as well as to get you comfortable with the steps so you can eventually lead your own circle, whether solo or in a group.

So our first class was on basic elements, this class is going to be on steps of a ritual. Next, we will go over the elements individually, and then the steps of a ritual one by one. The goal is to have you write your own ritual piece by piece, and then, if you wish, you’ll be invited to share your ritual with the community by leading a worship circle.

I have 6 steps to a ritual - most of these can be expanded or condensed as need be, but they are always present.
1) Prep
2) Opening/Invoking
3) Ritual/Raising Energy
4) Activity/Meditation/Using Energy
5) Grounding Energy/Eating
6) Closing

Step 1 - Preparation
The first part of a ritual is prep work. Many people take a cleansing bath before ritual to purify themselves, and for others, the donning of ritual garb is their way to get them in the mindset. Most groups use sage or incense to purify each person before they enter the circle, and some people cast their sacred space before the ritual even begins.

What sort of items are used to cast a circle?
Broom/Besom, Water, Sage, Incense, Salt/Salt Water

Also, as part of prep work, each person involved should have a script either in hand or memorized.

Any necessary responses should be shard with the group, as well the appropriate time to respond.

Prep work should also include you running through the ritual at least twice in front of a mirror, that way you are comfortable with the ritual and the flow, and you have an idea of how long it will last.

Step 2 - Opening/Invoking
Secondly, we open the circle. Most commonly done clockwise starting in the east, the opening follows the compass and continues to south, west, and finally north. Touching upon elements, elementals, guardians, watchtowers, gods or goddesses, or just abstract thoughts and ideas, the calling of the quarters brings together the four basic parts of life that make up the universe, as well as ourselves.

Often, a special deity, or the deity as a whole, is called to acknowledge the ritual. It might be in honor of a particular deity, or sometimes the person in charge just wants to add extra energy to their event. The calling of a deity is considered an invocation.

Some people channel the deity through them, using methods such as Charge of the God/Goddess. This is not something to be taken lightly, and I feel it should only be done after years of practice and a deep understanding of the deity you plan on evoking.

Steps 3-5
Ritual/Raising Energy, Activity/Meditation/Using Energy, Eating/Grounding Engery

The next three parts of the ritual I refer to as the center. This is the meat of the ritual. This is where any magical workings are done. It all involves energy. You raise it, you use it, you ground it.

Raise Energy
The most obvious ways to raise energy is through events such as May Pole Dances, Spiral Dances, Drum Circle. Less obvious ways are Drawing Down the Moon/Sun, pulling energy up from the earth, or using guided breathing. Music is sometimes helpful when raising energy.

Often, during a ritual, anything related to the event you are celebrating would go in here. This is a place for storytelling about the event you are leading, be it an established holiday, or just something you want to focus on.

Use Energy
The next part after Raising Energy is Using the Energy. This can be a meditation, a prayer, an activity, or a visualization. These are common tools used to bring about change. The key to any magic is to use the senses - both mentally and physically!

This is also a good place for an activity. For a harvest ritual, you could make corn dollies and put in energy to sustain you through the winter. For money, you could “plant” spare change in the ground, and picture a mental money tree growing true and strong - make sure to water it daily! For banishment, you could flush a piece of toilet paper with the item/person/thought you want to banish written on it.

Meditations and visualizations are good because they stimulate the senses. Not to mention, being able to see what you want is the first step to getting what you want. Finally, meditation is good for us, for it helps us look within and maybe confront thoughts/ideas/emotions that we have kept locked up. We have to first be truthful with ourselves before we can move on.

Ground Energy
After raising energy or doing any type of energy work, it is always good to ground. You want to get rid of any excess energy, and connect back to our roots. Can anyone tell me the best method for grounding a group of people? Food!

Cakes and Ale is the perfect way to bring us back to normal, as well as a way to replenish ourselves.

Another way to ground is to connect with the earth, with the solid stability beneath our feet. We can also return energy to the source where we pulled it from, almost a reverse of the energy raising we did earlier.

Closing
And speaking of reversing, closing is basically the exact opposite of opening.

You generally want to give people in the circle a chance to share any thoughts or feelings they have, both of the circle or personal life issues.

Then you want to thank any deities you called into the circle. Finally, you thank the elements. For closing, most people start in the north, and then go counterclockwise to west, south, and finally east.

The most important part of closing is balance. You want your closings to mirror your opening, you don’t want to call on an elemental and thank a watchtower, symmetry between the two is a key.

The last step, well, for me anyways, is to end each event with a resounding “Yay Ritual,” and then frequently proceed to IHOP.

Michelle
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