In setting forth this section on Ritual, it is not our intention to give you a book of immutable rituals to learn by rote and practice without variation. Quite the contrary – ritual like religion itself is a living, growing thing. It adapts and changes according to the needs of those using it. The Wise, whenever they find a better way, adapt it to their own. In doing this, we sacrifice none of our own traditions, but rather we help our traditions to grow and to improve.
The rituals given in this section then should be viewed as examples and templates: a starting place from which to gain facility with ritual, thence to create your own. For the art of ritual lies in mindful creating, not in mindless repeating.
The last thing the world needs is another “cookbook” of basic Wiccan rituals. There are so many of these already, that one could fill a library with them alone. In putting this section together, we do offer a selection of rituals for you to draw upon, but we also hope to share with you the theory behind ritual and helpful tips learned from long years of performing ritual.
The rituals which we will present are primarily oriented toward group or Temple use but can also be used by the solitary practitioner. The difference between group and solitary use is, generally speaking, that solitary ritual tends to be simpler but more highly personal, since the ritualist can make use of symbols and concepts which have deep personal meaning without having to consider whether other people will understand or not. For example a solitary ritual can incorporate symbols from personal dreams or visions, which in a group ritual might not be appropriate or would require explanation if they were.
RITUAL
Ritual should be an expression of the heart –whether the individual or the community heart.
Words, forms, actions –these serve only to help give form to the heart’s expression and should never bind it. Granted, specific forms are sometimes important to give cohesion to group ritual, or to pass along traditions which are important to the community. But in ordinary ritual, specific forms are a guideline from which the ritualist builds a personal expression.
There is no mistake greater than putting the form of a ritual above its function. Your concern in ritual must be that the ceremony achieves its purpose, not whether or not it uses specific words, movements, etc.…
Ritual serves three primary purposes:
First, ritual is an expression of religious devotion:
Second, ritual is a means of raising, directing, or attuning energy:
And thirdly, ritual serves to create a sense of community with others, through common actions and through shared customs and traditions.
PERFORMANCE OF RITUAL
A ritual should never be “read,” as from a script. With few exceptions this creates a stilted, unnatural feeling. Using a script makes it very hard to raise energy, as people are apt to pay more attention to what they are reading than to what they are doing. It also tends to give the impression that the ritualist is an amateur who hasn’t done this before and doesn’t really know what s/he is doing.
Rather, the words and actions used in ritual should be your own: even parts that are memorized should be put in a form that is natural and comfortable to you. This you develop through practice. Do not be afraid to rephrase, to innovate, and above all to improvise. In this way you make the ritual your own, and you will find that you are able to put more of yourself into it, thus raising more energy as well as being a purer expression of the ritual’s intent.
When you try to conform to the written words of others you tend to be tense and nervous, and you have the possibility of messing up or losing your place. This can be embarrassing, and it can completely through off the emotional and energetic feel of the ritual. When you use your own words, you may still be nervous sometimes, but you are less likely to have problems.
Consequently, you should never carry a “script” into ritual. Familiarize yourself with the concepts and actions used in the given ritual, then let your words flow naturally. Granted, you may wish to use a “script” the first couple of times you do a ritual, but if you must do this you should wean yourself from it as quickly as possible.
Instead of using a book or a script, you should write up an Order of Service for the ritual. This is a basic outline of the steps used in the ritual, which can be placed upon the altar and referred to during the ceremony. In some cases you might wish to give a copy of the Order of Service to each participant in the ritual, so that they know in advance what to expect and where they may be called upon to join in.
In addition you might wish to have parts of the ritual written on note cards. This is especially true if it is a ritual which deals with themes unfamiliar to some of the participants: for example beginning students, or guests who may not be familiar with it. You may also wish to use note cards in those few rituals, such as initiations, rites of passage, etc., where specific wording may be important because of custom or tradition. In all such cases the use of note cards should be kept as limited as possible.