Rituals

Everyday Ritual
In our everyday lives, ritual serves to provide a sense of comfort and security. If your family and/or friends celebrate holidays and other occasions a certain way that is a ritual. If you brush your teeth and hair and listen to certain music every night before bed that is a ritual. Anything performed regularly in more or less the same way every time is a ritual. Rituals usually have a meaning that may or may not be consciously acknowledged. For example, doing the same thing before bed every night serves as a signal that it is time to sleep and helps you transition from your busy day to a time of rest.

Religious Ritual (from a Pagan perspective)
Most - if not all - religions celebrate some form of ritual. Usually these are used for worship, initiation of new members, marking important events in one's life, and celebrating holidays - to name a few possibilities. Pagans recognize their rituals as an act of giving a physical presence and meaning to something spiritual, something that it may be difficult to understand rationally (though we do understand it spiritually). It would be extremely difficult to explain how the universe works on a spiritual level without using any kind of familiar imagery - that is why we have our concepts of the Divine. So we use tools that have symbolic meaning, perform actions that represent what is happening both within and outside ourselves in a completely different form, and say words that illustrate, but cannot fully capture, the bigger idea. Rituals can be performed by groups or individuals and may be very formal utilizing many tools or very informal using nothing but the person(s) performing it. (top)

Some Basic Ritual Tools:
Chalice (West, water, feminine, holds wine)
Salt (North, earth, feminine, purifying)
Athame (East, air, masculine, directs/stores energy)
Wand (South, fire, masculine, directs energy)
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Pagan Rituals
Pagan rituals serve mainly to celebrate holidays, mark important events in an individual's life, and provide a more directed means of doing Magic. In all of these functions, there is an intrinsic element of worship, as the ritual honors the Divine both within the participant(s) and present in the rest of nature. Rituals that involve raising energy (to then be directed toward a goal) are best done within a circle, which serves to contain the energy, protect it and the participants from outside forces, and help direct it when the time comes. The steps in a ritual can informally be summarized as follows:
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Preparation: One should be prepared in mind, body, and spirit before beginning the ritual to maximize its effectiveness. This includes having a clear understanding of its intent and what one's role is, as well as having all the necessary tools. You may choose to bathe, wear special clothing (or nothing), and will most likely want to cleanse the space in which you will be working both physically and spiritually.
Casting the Circle: This serves to form a protective boundary and remind the participant(s) that the duration of the ritual is a special time in a separate space, one that is sacred.
Invocations: The Quarters (usually cardinal directions) may be called and the Goddess and God are invited to join in the ritual and bless the participant(s) and their works. Of course, the Divine is always present within and around us, but the invocations help us to be mindful of this.
The Purpose of the Ritual: This may include the actual initiation, celebration of a holiday or important life event, working of Magic, etc.
Cakes and Wine: Food and drink are shared by the participant(s) and the Goddess and God.
Thanking and Dismissing: It is important to thank the Goddess and God for their presence and blessing, and to dismiss the Quarters if they were called.
Uncasting the Circle: This serves to return an even flow between the location of the ritual and the outside world and also serves as a transition for the participant(s).
Grounding: It is very important to ground after a ritual, restoring balance. Failure to do this can impair practical and emotional day-to-day functioning!

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Quick Links:

Religious Ritual
Ritual Tools
Pagan Rituals
Steps in Rituals
Past Rituals

The Pagan Society @ Drew

The Pagan Society will occasionally perform a ritual as part of a meeting or to celebrate an important event. These rituals are usually relatively informal and involve active participation by every interested member of the group. Please join our mailing list if you are interested in being informed of rituals we have planned throughout the semester. Keep in mind that the information on this page pertains mainly to rituals as they are performed in the Pagan Society; this may not be relevant to all Pagan solitaries or groups. (top)

Past Rituals

Pumpkin Ritual (Fall 2005)
Dispelling Anger (solitary)

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© 2006-2007 Laura
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