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 Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 7:22 am
So what are the components of your rituals?
How do you create sacred space?
Do you use invocations?
What does worship entail?
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Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 1:57 am
 Neko Wyndy Wytch So what are the components of your rituals? How do you create sacred space? Do you use invocations? What does worship entail? More often than not the vital components of my rituals will be to invite the necessary deity into my space in terms of evocation, give them an offering and bid them farewell. Everything else is different everytime but the way in which I ask the Gods to play a part is consistantly the same. I'm not entirely sure why, to make me comfortable? To make them comfortable? Who knows. I suppose if I use a sacred space at all I cast a circle. I don't make a ritual out of casting the circle itself. It's a simple visualisation with a few words. Ba-da-bing. I don't often use invocations. Only with Gods I feel closer too. Most of the time I only use evocations hehe. Worship entails offerings, asking for things (anything), meditation, communication and giving thanks.
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Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 1:38 pm
Quote: So what are the components of your rituals? Most of my rituals have a fairly specific structure, though some parts may vary depending on exactly what the purpose of the ritual is... - ground and center myself - cast my circle - call the Guardians - evoke the God and Goddess - raise energy (as needed - depends on the purpose of the ritual) - main purpose of the ritual - cakes and ale (offerings, sharings) - devoke God and Goddess - dismiss the Guardians - open my circle Quote: How do you create sacred space? Though it might sound like a lot of steps, it really doesn't take up all that much time. Before I start doing anything I have a set of Tingshas (Tibetian Chimes) that I ring 3 times to disperse negative energy in the area. As far as actually casting my circle - I draw it 3 times. The first time I formally cast it, then I sprinkle it (earth/water), then I cense it (air/fire). I ask the God and Goddess into my circles, but I don't actually invoke them into me. Sometimes I will read one of the Charges (or both), though often I just say what comes to mind at the time. Quote: What does worship entail? Offerings, communications, celebration/ritual, and sometimes just simple acknowledgment.
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Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 5:03 pm
Neko Wyndy Wytch So what are the components of your rituals? I follow the Ravenbok blot structure, so.... Invoking the god(s) Asking them to bless and accept the offering Sharing the offering Thanking them for attending and for the way they work in my life Pouring out the offering outside. Quote: How do you create sacred space? I don't, really. Kind of sort of? I call the god(s) by their kennings, and ask them if would attend. Quote: What does worship entail? Prayer. Sharing an offering with them. Giving them thanks.
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Violet Song jat Shariff Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 7:38 am
Neko Wyndy Wytch So what are the components of your rituals? Ritual bath, cleansing of the space physically and spiritually, setting up the altar, preparing the offering and communion, cast circle, petition quarter guardians, call deities, state intent of ritual, performance of ritual working, meditation, prayer/blessing, communion, thank deities, thank quarter guardians, release circle, ground center, return space to mundane work. Neko Wyndy Wytch How do you create sacred space? I don't have a specific quarter call that I use at the moment. Though I am trying new ways all the time. Something that is central to my creating sacred space is the smudging or purifying of the space with sage prior to ritual. Then I call the quarters. After each quarter call I walk the circle with that element. So my circle gets cast about a total of 5 times. Then I seal it with a pentacle in each quarter and a tap the ground and the sky above my ritual space creating an enveloped sphere. I have used an invocation once and I was not ready for it, so she released me. I use evocations right now and they work fine. Though I do not use my own evocations. I'm not comfortable enough with writing my own yet. Neko Wyndy Wytch What does worship entail? It entails an offering, a display of love and ecstasy, communion, meditation, and enjoyment. I happen to like ecstatic rituals so my rituals involve a lot of body movement and dance like practices.
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Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 7:47 am
doistu More often than not the vital components of my rituals will be to invite the necessary deity into my space in terms of evocation, give them an offering and bid them farewell. So your rituals are pretty simple then? Thats cool. I like simple rituals, but I also like my complex ceremonial rituals too. It depends on what I feel like doing that day. doistu Everything else is different everytime but the way in which I ask the Gods to play a part is consistently the same. I'm not entirely sure why, to make me comfortable? To make them comfortable? Who knows. Well some Gods do like to be called in specific ways. Thats why some Gods have specific invocations to them. My Gods don't have specific invocations to them, though they do have a few poems written from their voice. They can be used as invocations but I prefer to think of them as inspiring literature. doistu I suppose if I use a sacred space at all I cast a circle. I don't make a ritual out of casting the circle itself. It's a simple visualisation with a few words. Ba-da-bing. Not every one likes an elaborate ritual structure. I know that some times when I cast a circle it's very simple and just a visualization. Other times its complex. It really depends on the ritual I am performing. doistu I don't often use invocations. Only with Gods I feel closer too. Most of the time I only use evocations hehe. Good point. I'm not ready for invocations yet myself either, though some people think that all evocations to deities are invocations. I don't think so. I have invoked the Goddess once, and it was very brief. I wasn't ready for it, so she let go. I hope one day I can experience that feeling again. doistu Worship entails offerings, asking for things (anything), meditation, communication and giving thanks. What sorts of offerings do you give? Do you have a specific meditation you use in worship?
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Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 7:56 am
Violet Song jat Shariff Neko Wyndy Wytch So what are the components of your rituals? I follow the Ravenbok blot structure, so.... Invoking the god(s) Asking them to bless and accept the offering Sharing the offering Thanking them for attending and for the way they work in my life Pouring out the offering outside. Are there more than one way to perform a Blot? I've used the structure located here. I've also added in (because It felt right) a reading of Eddic tales and Sagas as well. The reading of them in ritual to me gives the lore an extra power. Violet Song jat Shariff Neko Wyndy Wytch How do you create sacred space? I don't, really. What about the hammer rite? Isn't that sort of like creating sacred space? Violet Song jat Shariff Kind of sort of? I call the god(s) by their kennings, and ask them if would attend. Now do you write these your self or do you use an established keening order? Violet Song jat Shariff Neko Wyndy Wytch What does worship entail? Prayer. Sharing an offering with them. Giving them thanks. Cool. How do you feel about adding a reading of the lore into your ritual?
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Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 8:06 am
ncsweet neko wyndy wytch So what are the components of your rituals? Most of my rituals have a fairly specific structure, though some parts may vary depending on exactly what the purpose of the ritual is... I agree. Some rituals I use a simple structure and others I use a more complex ritual. It all depends on what I am doing at that point in time and how I feel about the ritual. Tonights ritual is not going to be as complicated as the ritual I did on Beltane. ncsweet - ground and center myself - cast my circle - call the Guardians - evoke the God and Goddess - raise energy (as needed - depends on the purpose of the ritual) - main purpose of the ritual - cakes and ale (offerings, sharings) - devoke God and Goddess - dismiss the Guardians - open my circle Sounds quite simialer to how I structure my rituals. Do you have a favorite way to raise energy? ncsweet neko wyndy wytch How do you create sacred space? Though it might sound like a lot of steps, it really doesn't take up all that much time. Before I start doing anything I have a set of Tingshas (Tibetian Chimes) that I ring 3 times to disperse negative energy in the area. As far as actually casting my circle - I draw it 3 times. The first time I formally cast it, then I sprinkle it (earth/water), then I cense it (air/fire). I use a bell to signal the start and end of my ritual. It's a nice little bell that I bought a few years ago. It works well for me. Do you consider the quarter calls to be part of the circle casting or is that a separate part of ritual? ncsweet I ask the God and Goddess into my circles, but I don't actually invoke them into me. Sometimes I will read one of the Charges (or both), though often I just say what comes to mind at the time. I see. Do you write them down later or do you use different keenings for each ritual? I have a hard time writing my own, so I typically use ones that I find in my books. I might alter them a bit, but they basically remain the same for me. It's something I think that will come with time and experience. Now that I am doing rituals on a regular basis I can gain that experience. ncsweet neko wyndy wytch What does worship entail? Offerings, communications, celebration/ritual, and sometimes just simple acknowledgment. Now do you ever rejoice or express your worship in a physical form (dance or movement)? Do you have a specific meditation you use in these rituals or do you just let what happens happen?
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Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 6:39 pm
LoCoElRockStar ncsweet Quote: So what are the components of your rituals? Most of my rituals have a fairly specific structure, though some parts may vary depending on exactly what the purpose of the ritual is... I agree. Some rituals I use a simple structure and others I use a more complex ritual. It all depends on what I am doing at that point in time and how I feel about the ritual. Tonights ritual is not going to be as complicated as the ritual I did on Beltane. ncsweet - ground and center myself - cast my circle - call the Guardians - evoke the God and Goddess - raise energy (as needed - depends on the purpose of the ritual) - main purpose of the ritual - cakes and ale (offerings, sharings) - devoke God and Goddess - dismiss the Guardians - open my circle Sounds quite simialer to how I structure my rituals. Do you have a favorite way to raise energy? Chanting is probably one of my favorite and the most effective that I've found. This in particular is one of my favorites... We All Come From the Goddess
We all come from the Goddess, and to her we shall return
Like a drop of rain flowing to the ocean.
REPEAT
Isis, Astrate, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Innana!
REPEAT
We all come from the Horned God, and to him we shall return
Like a spark of flame rising to the heavens.
REPEAT
Hoof and horn, hoof and horn, all that dies shall be reborn
Corn and grain corn and grain, all that falls shall rise again!
REPAEAT
The Goddess is alive and magick is afoot!
The Goddess is alive and magick is afoot!
RETURN TO THE BEGININGQuote: ncsweet Quote: How do you create sacred space? Though it might sound like a lot of steps, it really doesn't take up all that much time. Before I start doing anything I have a set of Tingshas (Tibetian Chimes) that I ring 3 times to disperse negative energy in the area. As far as actually casting my circle - I draw it 3 times. The first time I formally cast it, then I sprinkle it (earth/water), then I cense it (air/fire). I use a bell to signal the start and end of my ritual. It's a nice little bell that I bought a few years ago. It works well for me. Do you consider the quarter calls to be part of the circle casting or is that a separate part of ritual? For the most part I consider calling the Guardians a separate step, if only because there are times that I cast circles that I don't call them, depending on if I am just trying to create sacred space, or if I feel I need the extra "uummph" of calling in the whole "gang". Quote: ncsweet I ask the God and Goddess into my circles, but I don't actually invoke them into me. Sometimes I will read one of the Charges (or both), though often I just say what comes to mind at the time. I see. Do you write them down later or do you use different keenings for each ritual? I have a hard time writing my own, so I typically use ones that I find in my books. I might alter them a bit, but they basically remain the same for me. It's something I think that will come with time and experience. Now that I am doing rituals on a regular basis I can gain that experience. If I don't use the Charges (the Goddess one by Valiente, and God one by the Farrars), I usually just wing it off the top of my head at the time. At some point I need to sit down and write something out of my own, but I haven't got around to it yet. Quote: ncsweet Quote: What does worship entail? Offerings, communications, celebration/ritual, and sometimes just simple acknowledgment. Now do you ever rejoice or express your worship in a physical form (dance or movement)? Do you have a specific meditation you use in these rituals or do you just let what happens happen? I done rituals with movement/dance, though it's not a form I do that often, probably because I'm trying not to wake the kids most of the time. It really limits me in how I can express myself. When I actually used to circle with others, we did all sorts of things - but my friend lived out in the middle of nowhere, so we could pretty much do whatever we wanted. If I'm meditating I usually pick (or write) something before hand, though there are times when I when I just let whatever happens happen. A lot will really depend on the purpose of the ritual, as to how "planned" it all is.
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Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 2:50 am
LoCoElRockStar What about the hammer rite? Isn't that sort of like creating sacred space? I think it can be, but isn't usually. You'd have to define "sacred space", I think. In Wicca - and theoretically in religions based on Wicca - the circle is meant to be outside of space and time (metaphorically anyway). You are creating something intentionally that is apart. In Asatru, the Hammer Rite essentially is asking Thorr to hallow your space. You're asking for his protection and blessing. You yourself are not actually doing anything. The area isn't being separated out or defined. While, in its way, it is being "made sacred", it's more like dedicating the area to the gods and ridding it of unwelcome energies for that time. At least if that's what Thorr decides to do. There are more elaborate Hammer Rites based in part on ceremonialism. I personally blame Thorsson for that one. Mine is very simple. I ask Mjolnir's might to bless my space, and make the hammer sign (or hold my hammer). I don't consider that making sacred space; rather, I think of it as a way to focus my mind, to let myself know that ritual has begun, to connect momentarily with Thorr and to ask his blessing for my ritual and protection. It's not necessary, but it's pleasant.
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Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 3:27 am
LoCoElRockStar So what are the components of your rituals? Usually as such: Centring of self. Lighting of candles and incense, if desired. Calling of deities. Brief detail of ritual. Pouring or giving of offering, if relevant. Sharing of offering, if relevant. Longer explanation of purpose for ritual, e.g., what the season entails, what the god means to me, recitation of deeds done etc. The honouring of deity or holy day, accompanied with more offering. If relevant, reading of poetry or hymn. Personal, informal prayer or interaction with deity. The informal part of the ritual. Time for personal requests, questions, comments. Final offerings, final declaration of purpose of ritual, summing up. Pouring of libations outside. That's more or less how it goes, but it's not intentionally laid out that way... that's more or less just how it happens. Quote: How do you create sacred space? I don't. I used to, but not anymore. Do you mean, how do I call deities? Lists of kennings and epithets, usually. If you're asking if I actually call them into myself, I don't think so. At least, not intentionally, and not totally. But perhaps a little bit - or maybe it's more feeling that part of a particular deity that resonates within oneself, if that makes sense at all. I'm not sure which, and it might be neither. Quote: What does worship entail? Within ritual? Depends on the deity. With the Norse, the sharing of food and drink. With the Greeks, the giving of libation. Prayer, of course, and sometimes poetry. With the Norse usually ad libbed, with the Greek a reading of Homeric or Orphic Hymn. With that unnamed God and Goddess whom I follow, usually chant and dance.
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