{"id":9821,"date":"2014-05-01T01:10:37","date_gmt":"2014-05-01T06:10:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=10160"},"modified":"2014-04-24T22:00:21","modified_gmt":"2014-04-25T03:00:21","slug":"tree-of-life-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2014\/05\/01\/tree-of-life-7\/","title":{"rendered":"Tree of Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rituals: Why, When, Where, Who and How?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

‘Let’s do a ritual!’<\/strong><\/p>\n

These words are usually greeted with much enthusiasm. We Pagans do love our rituals! The<\/p>\n

opportunity to get together with like minded folk and honour our beloved Deities or celebrate<\/p>\n

the turning Wheel of the Year – what’s not to like? And yet how often do rituals fall short<\/p>\n

of our expectations, fail to hit the mark, fizzle rather than spark, leave us feeling unsatisfied<\/p>\n

or disappointed? We’ve probably all been there. Most rituals are the wonderful, moving,<\/p>\n

transformative experiences we hope for. Yet there will always be those which don’t quite work (and<\/p>\n

a handful that are outright disasters \u2013 hopefully only a handful, anyway!). As with any negative<\/p>\n

experience, however, this can be turned to our advantage. By analysing what did or didn’t work, we<\/p>\n

can build on our successes and avoid repeating mistakes or misfires.<\/p>\n

The likelihood of creating a successful ritual can also be increased by using the simple questions<\/p>\n

Why, When, Where, Who and How?<\/p>\n

Why?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The first question to ask is why? Why are we holding this ritual? What is its purpose, what are we<\/p>\n

trying to convey?<\/p>\n

I would estimate that most of the unsuccessful rituals I have attended have failed simply because<\/p>\n

those planning them have not given enough thought to why they are holding the ritual in the first<\/p>\n

place. It is easy to get so carried away by enthusiasm for holding a ritual that you forget to give it<\/p>\n

a clear purpose. If the participants are unclear as to what they are doing and why, the energy of the<\/p>\n

ritual will be scattered, confused and unfocussed and the outcome will be unsatisfactory.<\/p>\n

The easiest way to avoid this pitfall is to make your first step the formulation of an intention for<\/p>\n

the ritual. Examples of an intention could be ‘We will gather together with our Pagan community<\/p>\n

to celebrate the festival of Beltane and dance the maypole’, ‘We will trance together to the Isles of<\/p>\n

the Dead to meet with and gain wisdom from our Ancestors’, ‘I will raise healing energy through<\/p>\n

chanting and send it to A___ to help her arthritis’. It is best to formulate a fairly simple intention<\/p>\n

(although you can polish it up with more poetic language if that pleases you) as the simpler the<\/p>\n

intention, the easier it is to remember and refer back to during the planning process. Try to sum<\/p>\n

up what you are trying to achieve in one or two succinct sentences. Then simply refer back to the<\/p>\n

intention periodically as you plan, to make sure you stay on-topic and clearly reflect what you<\/p>\n

intend in the ritual content. It’s also helpful to read the intention aloud at the beginning of the ritual.<\/p>\n

This ensures everyone is clear about the ‘Why’ of the ritual.<\/p>\n

When?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

When to hold your ritual? It seems obvious: if Beltane is on a Thursday this year, then your ritual<\/p>\n

should be on Thursday. But \u2013 especially when planning rituals for a group \u2013 Thursday may not be<\/p>\n

convenient for everyone. When planning a ritual it’s probably helpful to check with all participants<\/p>\n

that the date you have in mind is workable. There may be family commitments, work issues or<\/p>\n

childcare to take into consideration. The venue you want may not be available on the date you want.<\/p>\n

Although it is lovely to feel you are celebrating on the ‘proper’ date, if this excludes members of<\/p>\n

your group it is worth moving the date a few days forward or back . Of course you may find there is<\/p>\n

no one date that suits everyone, but it is worth trying to negotiate something mutually convenient to<\/p>\n

ensure harmony within the group.<\/p>\n

Where?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Where will you hold your ritual? Issues to consider include cost (if hiring a venue), accessibility<\/p>\n

(Can you get there on public transport? Can group members lift-share? Is it accessible to those<\/p>\n

with health or mobility issues?), weather conditions (if working outside), privacy, time constraints<\/p>\n

etc. If your choice of venue excludes participants due to cost or inaccessibility, or you are unable to<\/p>\n

concentrate because you are worried about being disturbed by passers by, perhaps you may wish to<\/p>\n

re-consider ‘Where’.<\/p>\n

Who?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Who will be at your ritual? Is the content appropriate and understandable if children are to be<\/p>\n

present? Is prolonged dancing round the fire really a good idea if someone in the group has<\/p>\n

bad knees? Is it an open ritual which will include people from different traditions and levels of<\/p>\n

experience \u2013 if so how will you make it inclusive? If you are doing a solo ritual which will include<\/p>\n

deep work, should you arrange to have a ‘minder’ to watch over you or be on call if you need help?<\/p>\n

A successful and enjoyable ritual is one that has taken all its participants and their needs into<\/p>\n

consideration. With a little simple adaptation you may still be able to go with your original plan<\/p>\n

\u2013 for example if you really want to raise energy by dancing round the fire, you could have a chair<\/p>\n

ready by the fire for the person with sore knees to sit on when they tire, or ask them if they would<\/p>\n

be happy to sit and drum instead of dancing. Everyone should be included in, and able to contribute<\/p>\n

to the ritual in their own way.<\/p>\n

How?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

How brings us back to the specifics. When you know why you are holding the ritual, when and<\/p>\n

where you will hold it and who will be there you can decide how you are going to convey your<\/p>\n

purpose and accomplish your intention in a meaningful way.<\/p>\n

Most Pagan rituals typically follow the following formula: Opening (welcome participants, explain<\/p>\n

intention and form of ritual), Cleansing, Grounding, Creating Sacred Space (cast circle, welcome<\/p>\n

elements, Deities, allies etc), Body of Ritual (visualisation, meditation, spellwork etc), Energy<\/p>\n

Raising (chanting, dancing, music etc), a Blessing or few words summarising the work that has<\/p>\n

been done, an Offering or Libation (usually food and\/or drink shared amongst participants and<\/p>\n

offered to Deity\/Deities), Closing of Sacred Space (devoke elements, allies, Deities, close circle,<\/p>\n

closing words such as ‘Merry Meet, Merry Part and Merry Meet Again!’).<\/p>\n

Decide How you will cover each part of the ritual, and ensure that what you have planned fits with<\/p>\n

and expresses your ‘Why?’ intention clearly. Then check each component against the questions<\/p>\n

When?, Where?, and Who?. When you are happy that you have covered all the parts of the ritual<\/p>\n

and checked them all against your simple questions, take a quick look at the ritual as a whole. Does<\/p>\n

it flow together smoothly and logically? If not, you may need to polish it a little until it works well<\/p>\n

as a whole. Then breathe a sigh of relief and know that you have given it your best shot.<\/p>\n

You can’t guarantee a perfect ritual. There will always be hiccups and unforeseen snags. Someone<\/p>\n

will fluff their lines, or knock over a candle or the incense will stubbornly refuse to light (or set<\/p>\n

off the smoke alarm!). But with good planning and forethought you will reduce the likelihood of<\/p>\n

serious problems. And if the worst does happen and you accidentally kick over the altar whilst<\/p>\n

circle dancing, don’t panic. Pick it back up and set it straight, but remember to see the funny side<\/p>\n

too. After all, in The Charge of The Goddess, She does exhort us to have reverence and<\/em> mirth within us.<\/p>\n

within us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rituals: Why, When, Where, Who and How? ‘Let’s do a ritual!’ These words are usually greeted with much enthusiasm. We Pagans do love our rituals! The opportunity to get together with like minded folk and honour our beloved Deities or celebrate the turning Wheel of the Year – what’s not to like? And yet how often do rituals fall short of our expectations, fail to hit the mark, fizzle rather than spark, leave us feeling unsatisfied or disappointed? We’ve probably all been there. Most rituals are the wonderful, moving, transformative experiences we hope for. Yet there will always be those which don’t quite work (and a handful that are outright disasters \u2013 hopefully only a handful, anyway!). As with any negative experience, however, this can be turned to our advantage. By analysing what did or didn’t work, we can build on our successes and avoid repeating mistakes or misfires. The likelihood of creating a successful ritual can also be increased by using the simple questions Why, When, Where, Who and How? Why? The first question to ask is why? Why are we holding this ritual? What is its purpose, what are we trying to convey? I would estimate that most of the unsuccessful rituals I have attended have failed simply because those planning them have not given enough thought to why they are holding the ritual in the first place. It is easy to get so carried away by enthusiasm for holding a ritual that you forget to give it a clear purpose. If the participants are unclear as to what they are doing and why, the energy of the ritual will be scattered, confused and unfocussed and the outcome will be unsatisfactory. The easiest way to avoid this pitfall is to make your first step the formulation of an intention for the ritual. Examples of an intention could be ‘We will gather together with our Pagan community to celebrate the festival of Beltane and dance the maypole’, ‘We will trance together to the Isles of the Dead to meet with and gain wisdom from our Ancestors’, ‘I will raise healing energy through chanting and send it to A___ to help her arthritis’. It is best to formulate a fairly simple intention (although you can polish it up with more poetic language if that pleases you) as the simpler the intention, the easier it is to remember and refer back to during the planning process. Try to sum up what you are trying to achieve in one or two succinct sentences. Then simply refer back to the intention periodically as you plan, to make sure you stay on-topic and clearly reflect what you intend in the ritual content. It’s also helpful to read the intention aloud at the beginning of the ritual. This ensures everyone is clear about the ‘Why’ of the ritual. When? When to hold your ritual? It seems obvious: if Beltane is on a Thursday this year, then your ritual should be on Thursday. But \u2013 especially when planning rituals for a group \u2013 Thursday may not be convenient for everyone. When planning a ritual it’s probably helpful to check with all participants that the date you have in mind is workable. There may be family commitments, work issues or childcare to take into consideration. The venue you want may not be available on the date you want. Although it is lovely to feel you are celebrating on the ‘proper’ date, if this excludes members of your group it is worth moving the date a few days forward or back . Of course you may find there is no one date that suits everyone, but it is worth trying to negotiate something mutually convenient to ensure harmony within the group. Where? Where will you hold your ritual? Issues to consider include cost (if hiring a venue), accessibility (Can you get there on public transport? Can group members lift-share? Is it accessible to those with health or mobility issues?), weather conditions (if working outside), privacy, time constraints etc. If your choice of venue excludes participants due to cost or inaccessibility, or you are unable to concentrate because you are worried about being disturbed by passers by, perhaps you may wish to re-consider ‘Where’. Who? Who will be at your ritual? Is the content appropriate and understandable if children are to be present? Is prolonged dancing round the fire really a good idea if someone in the group has bad knees? Is it an open ritual which will include people from different traditions and levels of experience \u2013 if so how will you make it inclusive? If you are doing a solo ritual which will include deep work, should you arrange to have a ‘minder’ to watch over you or be on call if you need help? A successful and enjoyable ritual is one that has taken all its participants and their needs into consideration. With a little simple adaptation you may still be able to go with your original plan \u2013 for example if you really want to raise energy by dancing round the fire, you could have a chair ready by the fire for the person with sore knees to sit on when they tire, or ask them if they would be happy to sit and drum instead of dancing. Everyone should be included in, and able to contribute to the ritual in their own way. How? How brings us back to the specifics. When you know why you are holding the ritual, when and where you will hold it and who will be there you can decide how you are going to convey your purpose and accomplish your intention in a meaningful way. Most Pagan rituals typically follow the following formula: Opening (welcome participants, explain intention and form of ritual), Cleansing, Grounding, Creating Sacred Space (cast circle, welcome elements, Deities, allies etc), Body of Ritual (visualisation, meditation, spellwork etc), Energy Raising (chanting, dancing, music etc), a Blessing or few words summarising the work that has been done, an Offering or Libation (usually food and\/or drink shared amongst participants and offered to Deity\/Deities), Closing of Sacred Space (devoke elements, allies, Deities, close circle, closing words such as ‘Merry Meet, Merry Part and Merry Meet Again!’). Decide How you will cover each part of the ritual, and ensure that what you have planned fits with and expresses your ‘Why?’ intention clearly. Then check each component against the questions When?, Where?, and Who?. When you are happy that you have covered all the parts of the ritual and checked them all against your simple questions, take a quick look at the ritual as a whole. Does it flow together smoothly and logically? If not, you may need to polish it a little until it works well as a whole. Then breathe a sigh of relief and know that you have given it your best shot. You can’t guarantee a perfect ritual. There will always be hiccups and unforeseen snags. Someone will fluff their lines, or knock over a candle or the incense will stubbornly refuse to light (or set off the smoke alarm!). But with good planning and forethought you will reduce the likelihood of serious problems. And if the worst does happen and you accidentally kick over the altar whilst circle dancing, don’t panic. Pick it back up and set it straight, but remember to see the funny side too. After all, in The Charge of The Goddess, She does exhort us to have reverence and mirth within us. within us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":186,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9821","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/186"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9821"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9821\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}