CREATIVE RITUAL:
A GUIDE FOR SUCCESSFUL RITUAL WORK
by Chandonn c.1995
Contents:
Ritual is an important part of religious life to people the world over. The
value of ritual is connecting with the Great Mystery: be it Deity, the Force
in nature, the spiritual worlds, or even the simple rhythms of the turning
seasons.
Keeping this in mind the first goal of Ritual-writing
should be to establish the Goal of the Ritual --- and
to keep that goal foremost in the ritual.
The most satisfying rituals by far are the ones which never stray too far
from their established goal and ritual format. Keep
it simple and to the point ! Going off on tangents, or spending the
majority of the time setting up Sacred Space
bores the participants and detracts from the very reason the ritual is being
performed !
Rituals help us connect with the Great Mysteries of existence, but these
Mysteries exist whether we perform rituals or not. Keep in mind that rituals
exist for us foremost, just as a television is a gateway for us to connect
with the world --- oh, the world will exist anyway, the news programs shown
in our living room will be there whether we turn on the set or not, but the
television itself helps us to connect. And likewise, our viewing keeps the
shows on the air. But, by ourselves, they do not rely on our individual
televisions. So also it is in religion: the gods will still be there, whether
we dance in circle or not. Rather, the circle
is our forum to connect with them.
By following a few simple guidelines, a ritual can be created for any need
in a very satisfying manner. Be warned: Rituals should never be thrown together
lightly -- with little thought. A good ritual takes some work, but the more
you put into it, the more satisfying it will be.
Rituals come in two flavors: public and private. As their names suggest,
private rituals are those we do individually, and public rituals involve
many persons. But it gets a bit trickier than that.
Private rituals are those we do on the individual level --- there
can be more people around during them, but each person does their own ritual.
For example, the daily routine of praying towards Mecca several times a day
is a private ritual each Muslim performs to attune him/herself to the sanctity
of that holy city.
Public rituals can involve any where from one person on. One person
may perform a ritual designed to help the entire community, while the community
may actually stand outside the Sacred Space of
the ritual.
The kinds of rituals are just as varied. Thanks to the Wiccan tradition,
we in the Pagan Community are familiar with magickal
rituals, be they offensive/defensive or propitiatory in nature. But there
are also non-magickal rituals, such as celebrations,
beginning/ending rituals (i.e. weddings, funerals and the like), connecting
rituals, and so forth. For every important religious event (even the tiniest)
there can be a ritual.
Now, lets touch on the construction of ritual. Rituals work in three
simple ways:
-
first Sacred Space is cleared and any invocations
are made
-
then the Main Body of the ritual is performed
-
Now, with all these things in mind let us continue onward. As you form your
rituals remember one very important thing: rituals exist for us, that it
is we who are most touched by ritual, regardless of how the deities appreciate
our sacrifices and good behavior.
The first thing to consider is the Goal of the ritual. This
may be as simple as celebrating a holiday or turning point in the season
or worshipping a particular deity, or as complex as working weather
Magick or performing defensive
Magick. Whatever the Goal is it's
important to keep it in mind when setting up the ritual. Also, remember that
it is not always necessary to raise Energy /
Magick. Try to keep it simple, not
impressive.
Some things to remember in your ritual is whether to make it public or private,
and just how many people will be in this ritual anyway? This will help in
deciding the tone of the ritual. Small groups of people who are comfortable
together can have less serious (but just as effective) rituals. The reason
I bring this up is that humor can have a very powerful and positive effect
on your ritual, because laughing and happy people tend to put more into ritual
and also to get more out of it. That's what is called having a good time!
Another good question is to think about which deity or deities to invite.
If your ritual is in honor of a particular deity, then this may be very simple.
If your ritual is directed toward forces in nature, or nature itself, you
may want to omit any references to deity by names. Anything in between should
be handled as you believe best depending on which god/desses will help with
your Ritual Goal and which one(s) you work best with.
Keep in mind that in magickal rituals it is not a good
idea to mix pantheons (for example, inviting Thor and Hecate for tea and
cakes).
Speaking of magick, you should decide whether this
ritual will use magick-raising or not. In a
Ceremonial Magick ritual the answer is unequivocally
"Yes!" In many rituals it may not be necessary. In fact, in many it may prove
counterproductive. Even in some Ceremonial Magick-based
Traditions it is not always necessary. Raising Energy / Magick
is the act of using the elemental energy / the Force / the Aura / the Holy
Spirit / whatever-you-want-to-call-it which is present in all things in a
manner which is focused (at the personal level) and directed. If no
goal is specified for this Energy it
may dissipate naturally. However, when a good number of people are present
and this Energy is raised, and if it is not focused
on the Community level, it may become wildly chaotic. Weather phenomena,
sudden faintings, even sickness can be the result. That is why
Energy-raising is generally not a good idea for ritual
use unless it is prescribed by your Ritual Goal or Ritual
Tradition.
[Goals such as defensive
magick and weather-working are examples where it works
well --- the more people in the Ritual Space
the more energy raised, but the fewer people the easier
it is to control: try setting a limit to the number of people involved in
a Magickal Ritual, particularly if
heavy-Magick is necessary]
Remember: don't raise Magick if you don't have to.
Unnecessarily-raised (and often unfocused and ungrounded)
Energy is a dangerous thing. Often, once the Circle
is opened the remaining Energy begins to influence
the weather. How many storms have we seen after
heavy-magick rituals ? Don't do it unless you are
experienced, you know what you are doing, and your participants know what
they are doing and what the goals of the
Magick-raising are.
Now, off my soapbox, to the good news: if a ritual does not require
Magick then why Cast a
Circle? A Magickal Circle is necessary to help
control the generation of Energy and its focusing and
use. If there is no Energy being raised (at least not
much more than exists naturally in a group of people celebrating) then a
Circle need not be
Cast --- in fact, it may prove detrimental
for a simple reason. A well-Cast Circle is a barrier
which keeps chaotic Energies out, yet allows Energy inside it to flow about
unhindered.
Therefore, since Energies produced naturally do not
work together, if you place them inside an Energy Bubble
and they continue to be raised through natural interactions of people they
may become wildly chaotic. Hmmm ....... We're back to the hail and thunderstorm
hypothesis noted above.
As a general rule: if you're practicing Magick then
Cast a Circle, if not then don't
Cast a Circle. Decisions, decisions . . .
You can involve your audience in a number of ways besides -raising. Try songs,
readings (not too long), chants, ask questions, allow people to respond in
one-or-two sentence answers (be careful: pagans love to talk --- don't we
?), dancing, as participants in a drama or story, etc. Make them a necessary
part of the ritual.
Anyway, for whatever ritual you are performing, the
altar, or lack thereof, is of first consideration. For
some rituals, depending on the Tradition, the altar
may stand in a particular quarter of the Ritual Area. Others may wish it
at the center or even outside the main Ritual
Space. Still other rituals may work well with no physical
altar at all, instead using the whole world as the ritual
focus.
An important consideration is this: an altar is nothing
more than a platform or space upon which reside items important for the ritual
Goal. The size of the altar will
depend on the number of items needed for the ritual. For a Ceremonial
Magick ritual this may become heavily laden with
Magickal tools and god images, not to mention candles
and incenses. Others may simply have an altar with a
single god image (if any), a drinking horn, and a libation bowl. For aesthetics
a table cloth of color coordinated with the Goal is a
good idea. [Consult your Ritual's Tradition's color code: for many
a simple Color Magick guide book will suffice]
As for the facing of the altar: I find that this also
will depend on the particular Tradition the ritual is performed for. If there
is no preference for your Tradition, pick one you are most comfortable with,
or pick one at random. That, at least, will show some creativity and eclecticism
on your part!
And now a few words about Ritual Setup. First, find a good spot for the ritual.
Outdoor is nice, secluded outdoor is even better, and an outdoor wooded secluded
clearing is even better, but not if it's raining. Always have an indoor
alternative if an outdoor ritual is desired. And remember that outdoor is
not always practical or necessary. Go with what feels right. Keep in mind
a setting which reflects the Goal and which will also
be practical for your participants. And, I can't say this enough: Keep
it Simple !
When setting up the Altar keep these things in mind:
the Goal, the participants, and if you're outdoor remember
that candles and incenses are favorite playthings of wind spirits (investing
in a simple glass hurricane to surround your candles is a wise choice,
particularly with tapers). Your tablecloth may blow in the wind, too. Small
rocks near the edge of the table / platform can help. And speaking of the
tablecloth: if you simplify your altar significantly
it may be possible to simply wrap all your items in your tablecloth, thus
making a quick and simple altar setup and takedown !
Generally, once the altar is set and you have gathered
all your participants it is a good idea to do a "pregame discussion" with
them. Let them know what is going on. Let them know briefly what kind of
behavior is acceptable and what is not: some rituals have a great deal of
flexibility and spontaneity while others are more rigid. Remember that these
things are set by your goal: a formal ritual is more
helpful for some goals and an informal one is good for
others.
Now you can set up your Sacred Space. Do it
individually, have a member of the group do it, or become inventive and have
the entire group do it. Again, the Goal will decide what
works best here. If there is a High Priest/ess s/he may wish to do it alone
or together.
Once, in a semi-formal ritual I experimented with a
Circle cast from the elements of Water and
Air --- a "Hurricane" I called it. In practice it was quite a bit thicker
than I wanted, still it was a nice cleansing barrier between the world and
the Sacred Space. It even became a bit funny
when one of the participants conjured up a goldfish to swim in it. [several
of us adept at seeing this thing confirmed that it was called forth
correctly]
The message is that creativity and responsibility go hand in hand for
Circle Casting. Carefully consider what your
Goal is, what you are used to working with, what you
think will work best in this situation, who your participants are, and then
think through how your casting will work ---
step by step. If done correctly, this will provide a sense of relaxation
and focus for your group. The clearing of Sacred
Space can be as simple or complex as desired, but bear in mind that it
is not the main part of the Ritual and, therefore, should not drag on too
long. I'm sure we have all been in those long drawn out
Circle-Castings where every being, spirit,
watchtower, element, and so forth were called forth to where, by the time
we reached the heart of the ritual, we had forgotten its purpose [so,
too, did the ritual's creators it would seem]. Bear in mind that if
Magick is not necessary in the ritual, then there is
no need to Cast a Circle, Call Quarters, Summon,
Stir, or in any way Invoke "Circle-Guardians". A simple clearing of
Sacred Space, or even a declaration of "Where
we stand is Sacred Ground" will suffice.
Briefly, clearing Sacred Space for
non-Magickal purposes can be as "brief" as desired.
The shape of the Sacred Space should be determined
by the ritual's Tradition or the ritual's author / leader. Someone may stand
at the center and banish negativity (banishing incenses help here as well),
or s/he may walk the perimeter of the Sacred Space,
or draw a line along the border of the Sacred Space
with a stick or athame, or there may be no act performed at all --- merely
a declaration the "this is Sacred Space". The
point is that whatever method is used to make the Ritual Area Holy should
be simple, brief, and should be symbolic or obvious to the participants.
Next, once you are working on "Sacred Ground",
any gods / goddesses / androgynous/asexual deities, spirits, whatever should
be Invoked. If your ritual does not require deities (or at least, "named"
deities), you may consider deleting the Invocation bit altogether. Regarding
rituals revolving around the turning of the seasons, pick deities with which
you are comfortable, and who have a connection with the holiday you are
celebrating. Actually, when done as a celebration only, I have found that
gods and goddesses of various pantheons seem to get along well. The discretion
should be made by the ritual leader: some persons prefer to keep the pantheons
separate in every ritual.
In any case, keep the Invocations simple, but reverent. Nothing can spoil
a ritual more than a half-hearted or joking Invocation, or one which drags
on for fifteen minutes. ("What was that Goddess' name again ?") And try to
be respectful. Personally, I find it distasteful and rude to "summon, stir,
and call forth" the deity. I prefer to "ask that they be present" for our
ritual.
Now we get to the main part of our ritual. This should reflect the
Goal as outlined previously. In fact, this is where ritual
planning actually begins. The structure of the ritual should come from here.
One thing which seems to work well is to have the entire ritual focus upon
one big thing which represents the Ritual Goal
(magick-raising, ritual drama, a sermon, a nature walk,
and so forth) and to build everything toward this, doing this thing last.
The whole ritual builds to a climax, like a good book, and then tapers off
quickly before everybody gets tired and bored.
An important question in the this part is: How do we complete the
Goal we had in mind for this ritual? This is where creativity
comes in. The true mark of a successful ritual lies in its ability to motivate
its participants.
Be creative. Try new things. But avoid unnecessary silliness.
There is a fine line somewhere between a new and different ritual and a strange,
whacky stage play. Be creative, but keep with the level of seriousness you
want the ritual to contain.
Involve your Audience. Simply watching a priest talking to
or about a god is fine, but so is sleep, which is what your participants
will do if not sufficiently motivated. Many rituals allow their participants
to sing, dance, or chant, but find that the best real involvement is in raising
Energy --- for any purpose.
As for the choice of "bells and whistles" (otherwise known as
participation-keepers), choose songs, chants, readings, whatever which
demonstrate at least an aspect of your Goal. Also, you
may want to choose ones that everyone knows or, if you have the time, teach
them something new. You may want to add a play, a story-telling / myth-reading,
or some other way to act out the focus of the Goal. In
fact a good "passion-play" regarding the changing of the seasons (how about
Inanna's descent into the underworld?) is a great way to involve your group.
Keep them involved !
Remember: rituals exist to involve us with the universe, not
vice-versa.
At the end, the god/dess Farewells should be a mirror image of the Invocations,
just for symmetry's sake. This is not a requirement, but we humans need a
sense of balance in our ritual lives. An interesting corollary is the thought
of doing a ritual based on the un-balanced nature of the modern world, therefore
avoiding all references to symmetry. In any case, there should be no need
to put the Farewells after the Sacred Space is
gone. That would be like tearing down a Cathedral and then saying "Amen"
at the end of your last prayer!
You may also wish to "erase" the Sacred Space in
the reverse manner to the way it was created. Bear in mind that there is
a great deal of freedom of choice here. In some Ceremonial
Magick Circles, the
Circle-guardians are Banished, and so forth in the reverse order of the way
the Circle began (except for "inviting" the chaotic forces back to the space
--- which were banished in the first place !). Others simply cut the
Circle open: "The
Circle is open, but unbroken ..." In a
non-magickal Circle a simple statement "The
Circle / Sacred Space
is released" will do.
Very simply, a good rule of thumb to keep your ritual interesting is to remember:
"there are other people here !" No ritual is more boring than the one watched
from the outside, from the inside. Everyone must feel themselves to be a
vital part of the ritual. Now, consider your Goal and
consider a good way to do this with the number of people you have. Songs
are great for large groups, as are chants. Smaller groups may consider readings
and dramas, or sharings. But the main rule is, as always: Keep it
simple and to the point !" Keep your group involved and wake them
up from time to time.
Adding Drama, Dancers, Professional Music, and Props can greatly add to the
satisfaction of your ritual. But, [see if you can tell what I'm going
to say here] Don't over-do it ! Make sure that, if it's
elaborate, it is well-rehearsed. Don't let yourself be surprised by people
laughing at a thrown-together disaster. Make sure it is well-controlled (I
hate that word, but in ritual it can keep things in balance). Add some nice
touches but don't over-do it. Keep it
simple.
The "extra things" added to a ritual can make it more exciting and memorable
for your participants. As previously discussed, many rituals feature songs,
chants, testimonies, readings, and so forth. These are best used when they
focus on the Goal of the ritual (or a related
goal). The big thing is to keep them to the point and
use them to keep the group involved. Just, keep these things to a minimum
and don't let them overshadow the ritual.
Another tool for ritual participation is the simple feast. This is widely
used in pagan circles, probably because eating is something all pagans enjoy.
We tend to do it every time we get together, haven't you noticed? In any
case, enjoy the feast. This is a time when pagans get together for enjoyment.
Try not to make the feast too serious; have fun with it. Choose a ritual
food and beverage which in some way represents the Goal.
On Ostara, jelly beans do fine. An assortment of breads works well as Samhain.
Cookies at Yule.
The possibilities are endless. The point is: enjoy the feast. Make it a merry
time !
Now, suppose you want to perform a pagan extravaganza, or a gathering, or
--- whatever --- all in ritual form. You have the tools available in the
rest of this guide --- just expand them ! At any extravaganza or gathering
you can use a simple opening ritual to work as an Opening to the much larger
Gathering Ritual. The workshops and main ritual(s) become the Main Body of
the Gathering Ritual, and the closing ritual becomes the Closing part of
the Gathering Ritual. All a Gathering or an extravaganza is a ritual on a
grander scale. And no one says that a big ritual can't be composed of smaller
rituals --- on the contrary, big rituals are always composed of smaller rituals.
Well, now you can plan rituals for a variety of purposes. The guidelines
above are taken not only from pagan rituals, but from the general religious
world at large. All religions of the world rely on rituals to bring humans
to the level of the gods. They are a bridge linking the worlds.
Remember in your own rituals that you are building this bridge --- you
are fulfilling a divine purpose ! Design your rituals as best you can for
your group.
copyright 1995 by Chandonn
Last modified:
04/21/2005
