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Course #1 Lesson #13 This is the point where we start taking the knowledge we have gained in the previous 12 lessons and blend them together to begin designing our own rituals. At the end of this chapter you should have a very good understanding of the processes involved in writing your own ritual, and will be guided through a self dedication ritual. Please be sure and take your time through this lesson. This may be the chapter that you refer to most often throughout your journey in Wicca. Why all this fuss about ritual
Many people think of the ritual as just the part where we cast the circle, do our working, and close the circle. But as Silver points out, there is much, much more to a ritual. The time that is spent realizing and thinking about the need, and then designing, preparing for, and performing the rite, and then waiting for the results are all part of the ritual. Things that you do and think at all stages of this process can greatly affect, for good or bad, the outcome of the actual rite.
The two types of rituals that Silver points out can be called honoring and working. In honoring rituals our primary goal is to commune with the Divine and thank them for our blessings, whatever they may be. In a working ritual we are there for a purpose. Neither is more pure or righteous than the other. This is not a religion that looks down on us for trying to better our lives or fix our problems! While these are two distinct rituals, it has been my experience that they tend to blend together a lot. By this I mean that most of my rituals have both an honoring and a working part. Afterall, there is always things in my life to be thankful for and I want to take every chance I can to commune with the Divine. At the same time there is always something that can be improved, either in my life or the life of someone who has asked for my help. So the two generally work together in my rituals.
Basic Outline of a Ritual
By following this outline, the rest of the points in the chapter, and your own common sense you will have an outline that you can refer to that will be helpful in designing any ritual imaginable. There are things that can be added or subtracted from this outline, depending on the user and the need. However, I think it's important that we all understand the basic concepts contained in this outline. Its far better to know what you are leaving out, than to just dismiss it as unimportant before you have taken time to understand it!
Exercise
This exercise is actually going to take place throughout the entire lesson. First, take a piece of paper or a word document and write down each of the major sections of the outline on page 120. Be sure and leave plenty of space for notes. At the completion of each section, take a few minutes and record your thoughts and ideas. At the end of the lesson you will have a personal outline on how to write future rituals.
Silver continues on to discuss the difference between the Coven and the Solitary. While it is important to read and understand, there are many other sections of this chapter that we will review in more depth, so I'm not going to spend time discussing this section.
Ritual Preparation
Sometimes this first step is not so obvious as one might think! For instance, I don't think its enough to just decide you are going to celebrate Candlemas. Ask yourself questions like why am I celebrating this, what does it mean to me, what can I learn from this holiday? After you have asked yourself these questions, write down a brief Statement of Purpose. It might be something elaborate, or something simple. You may want to incorporate this statement into the rite when you are ready.
Next you need to format the ritual itself. This is going to require some research, which for me is always half the fun. Call me crazy but I always have enjoyed researching things that interest me. Its a wonderful time to investigate new ideas, and incorporate some of my findings into my personal life. You may want to research the tradition behind the holiday (assuming you are working on a Sabbat ritual), the deities associated with that holiday, where that holiday fits on the Wheel of the Year, etc.
You will also want to decide what you will say and do, and when. Do you want to have music involved, maybe dancing or chanting, do you want to use some form of meditation? Don't worry about getting the wording and timing perfect just yet. The important thing is to start formulating some ideas in your mind of how you want the rite to flow.
Next decide what tools you want to have in the circle with you. This may be limited on the number of tools you have right now, and that's ok.
Now you need to decide what form of dress you will wear, if any, during your ritual. There are some who swear you can only wear certain fabrics and colors in a circle. There are also those who prefer to wear some sort of ritual attire, such as a robe or cloak. Personally I think that is a great idea, because it helps you feel magickal when you are getting your "garb" on, but I don't think the Lord and Lady really care what you wear. Take time to seriously consider the options and decide what you want to use. This may change with time, but for now make sure you are comfortable with your choice.
Ritual nudity, or skyclad, is a rather touchy subject for some. Silver has made several good points, but I thought maybe another persons take on it would be helpful. First off, the thing to remember here is that if you are not comfortable with going skyclad (or with anything else in the Craft for the matter) don't do it! At the same time, I would challenge you to consider performing a Solitary ritual in skyclad. If the thought is just horrifying, than skip this part. My reasoning here is this. I personally live by a motto that I will try almost anything once. My theory is I will never know for myself if I enjoy it if i don't try it. Going skyclad in a Solitary setting removes all the inhibitions and sexual connotation, and allows you the freedom to see what it feels like. Afterwards you will be in a much better position to make an educated decision on whether or not you are comfortable performing a rite skyclad.
Finally, its wise to make a list of the tools and accessories that you want to use in your rite. If you don't, I would almost bet that you will end up either forgetting something, or running around like a crazy person getting everything together. Trust me, this is not good for your focus just before your rite lol.
Opening the Circle
This is one area that Silver and I differ. She has given you her way of doing things, and I will give you mine. Your way will probably be completely different, and that is great.
When I am preparing my circle, I like to get everything set up in its place and then take a few minutes and center myself. Then I will cast the circle, while inside its boundary. I usually cast the circle after I have made my Statement of Purpose. This just gives me some additional time to focus my energy, and remind my conscious mind of what it is I'm doing here. Once the circle is cast I try very hard not to have to leave the circle. Therefore, I don't have a physical Door Between the Worlds. If I have to leave I cut a hold in the circle with my athame, and make sure to seal it when I am outside the boundary. For those who have not been in a circle, this may seem rather odd, but believe me, once you are inside a circle you will feel the boundary. I know you can't see it, but it's there. The boundary of the circle is your protection, and is what sets that space aside as sacred for the time you are using it.
So how do you cast the circle? We discussed this in lesson 11, and I personally love the wording to the circle casting that Silver gives. If you don't remember it exactly it is as follows: "In the cloak of the midnight hour (I substitute Witching for Midnight) I call upon the Ancient Power, I seek the presence of the Lady and Lord, to bless this water that I pour." Remember, there are many ways to cast the circle. You may want to refer back to lesson 11 if you need a refresher on this.
Calling the Corners/Quarters. This is a subject that could take a very long time to discuss. But, its very important that we have at least a general idea of what we are working with here. My personal recommendation is that you should never work with something you don't understand. So, if you have absolutely no clue what a Watchtower or Guardian is, leave it alone for now. Later on you may want to research this idea and then incorporate it. I found that early on in my studies it was better for me to use the elements and their powers/ associations when casting the circle. So a "standard" elemental corner call might be something like "I call upon the powers of the East, elemental Air, to bring knowledge, wisdom and direction to this circle. I summon, stir and call upon you now to witness this rite and guard this circle". Using the list from Lesson 11, and your own understanding of the elements, you can write call for each of the corners.
Ok, so now you can figure out how to call the corners, but what about why do we call them? I see the corners as the foundation of the circle. They are the power points. I also view the circle as a place that is not really on the physical plane, and therefore subject to spirits and other entities, not all of which are such nice critters. The purpose of calling the corners, as I see it, is to invite those elements that I am comfortable with to keep watch over my working, protect me while I'm working, and lend power to the rite itself. I don't envision an actual being, but rather am confident that their energy and protection is present when I call upon them. This is a very simplistic explanation, but hopefully enough to help you begin to find the answer that works for you.
Once the corners are all called, its a good time to pause for a minute and reflect on what just happened. The quote from Starhawk that Silver refers to is excellent, and I too can't remember a rite that I have not incorporated this line into. This is exactly what I believe happens when I cast a circle. I am no longer on the physical plane. Rather I am now in a place that is not a place, and a time that is not a time. Its extremely difficult to explain, but I'm pretty sure you will understand once you are there.
Invocation
Alright, here is another place that Silver and I differ (are you beginning to understand that this is ok?). Silver is showing how you can align yourself with a specific deity. I prefer to invite the Lord and Lady to the rite, and to take a few moments to honor them. So I might use something more along the lines of:
"Great Lady, the stars shine around you and light up the night. From you, the Great Mother of All, I have my being. You are at life's beginning and its end. You dwell within us all for you are life and love, and thus do you make us life and love. With love are we united, one to another. Lady, I ask you to join me this night, and to aide me in my working. So mote it be!"
Then I would also write something comparable to the Lord, and that's that. Again, its a matter of personal preference.
Just a brief side note. Silver is spending a lot of time dealing with incorporating these ideas into a self dedication ritual. Rather than taking time to expound on her thoughts, I am trying to focus this lesson more on writing rituals in general. This is not to diminish what Silver has written, as I find it to be extremely beneficial. It's just a way of hopefully providing you with some additional information that will be useful after you have performed your self dedication ritual.
Earlier in this lesson you started working on the Statement of Purpose. If you didn't state your purpose before you cast the circle, this is a good place to do so. Its important that you verbalize why you are here, if for no other reason than to help you stay focused on the task at hand.
Silver does not go in-depth on actual spell working here, and neither will I. This is going to take much longer than this lesson is designed for. One thing she does point out, however, that is extremely important is that "the Craft and the use of it is no game." I have zero tolerance for people who want to "play witch". Learning and making mistakes are one thing, but to just dabble and mistreat my religion will get me very fired up. Please always remember that while the Craft is an enjoyable practice, it is also very serious and very powerful, and should never be mistreated.
Meditation is something that is part of nearly every ritual that I am part of. Our Coven is blessed to have 2 people who are wonderful speakers, and the right words, blended with their voice, proves nearly every time to be an unbeatable combination. I also incorporate meditation into my Solitary Rites (which I still perform often). Since this is one of my weak areas I many times rely on a prop to help me. It may be a tape playing in the background, or maybe fixing my eyes on the flame of a candle.
After you have completed you rite, be sure and thank the Lord and Lady for their assistance and presence. And if you did call the corners, be sure and thank them and release them as well. A simple corner closing that you may find useful is: "Elemental Water, I thank you for your gift of knowledge you have given me this night, and for your presence here. I bid you farewell, go in peace, blessed be."
Your last task is to close the circle. I find it best to stand, point my athame (remember, its a guy thing lol) at the ground, and envision the power being drawn back in. As I walk around the circle, or stand stationary and turn around in a circle, I envision the power of the circle being brought back into my athame.
Finally, and this is especially important if you are working outside and on someone else's land or public property, be sure and clean up after yourself. This is out of respect, not only to the Lady and her planet, but to those who will come after you.
Why not use rituals written by someone else
This is the last part of this chapter that I wish to briefly touch on. Silver is right when she says there is nothing wrong with using someone else's rituals, but I'm not sure that its the best approach. I have always found that when I write my own rituals they are much more personal, and therefore powerful, than if I just read words from a page someone else has created. This does not mean that I don't refer to other peoples work, nor does it mean I don't borrow it. Actually, I tend to take a bunch of rituals, cut and paste the things that speak to me, and fill in the blanks where needed. Some might say there is little difference between my approach and just reading someone else's work. My defense to that would be that my approach requires that I read the rites, and choose the things that seem to be powerful too me. This way I have the best of both worlds. Again, you will have to choose which way is best for you.
Summary
We have covered an awful lot of ground in this chapter. Hopefully, throughout, you were completing the exercise. If you were, you should now have a great resource that I promise you will use many times in the future. Ritual is important, and taking time to organize it and prepare for it will make the experience that much more enjoyable and effective.
Lesson 13 Quiz
1. List the 8 main sections to a ritual as outlined by Silver.
2. The two main types of rituals are the ________ and the ________.
3. T/F Performing a ritual skyclad is absolutely necessary for it to be effective.
4. T/F The outline that Silver gives is the only way to write a ritual.
5. T/F I have completed the exercise for Lesson 13.
Lesson 13 Quiz Answers:
1. A. Ritual Preparation
B. Open Circle
C. Invocation to the Deities
D. Statement of Purpose
E. Actual Working or Act of Honor
F. Meditation
G. Thanking the Deities
H. Closing the Circle2. working and honoring
3. False
4. False
5. True?
Continue on to Lesson 14
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