Each of us embraces ritual as a core part of our daily lives. We find that our day doesn't begin until we've drank our first cup of coffee, kissed a loved one good morning, or welcomed the sun to a new day. Here in the United States we have a tradition of blowing out the candles on a birthday cake and making a wish to usher in a new year in our lives. We give gifts at baby showers to help parents prepare for the birth of a child, hold weddings or hand fastings to bond our life with the life of another, and gather at funerals and memorial services to honor the passing of a friend or loved one.
All of these seemingly mundane traditions that we embrace are rituals.
One of the things that set pagans apart from other paths is that we consciously recognize the rituals we choose to embrace. We understand the symbolism involved in the traditions, the tools, and the actions themselves. While the event itself may be a simple moment of recognition for bystanders and those who call other spiritual traditions home, the ritual holds deep, spiritual meaning for us and our paths. What's more is that we use ritual as a tool, not only to honor the transitions in our world, but to create intentional points of transition as well.
And that is the key. Ritual honors transitions. When we celebrate a milestone in our lives or on our path, we are honoring our transition from one stage of our life to the next. When we work magick, we're honoring a transition between a space where the thing behind our intent doesn't exist to a place where it does. A funeral or memorial service honors not only the memory of the one who has moved on from this life, but the transition between a world where they walked at our side and a world where we miss their physical presence.
While others may follow the traditions that have been handed down through the generations, we who walk a mystical path often find it necessary to create our own rituals, ceremonies and rites. It's one thing to read a ritual from a book, to blindly follow in another's footsteps, but it's something magickal when you can weave your own rite, using your own symbolism and your own understanding of the flow of energy, the phases of life, and the endless turning of the Wheel of the Year.
Ritual as Magick
At its heart, ritual, in all its varieties, is simply a form of magick, although we may not think of it as such. After all, how is a funeral a form of magick? What sort of mystical energies are at play in a baby shower or a birthday party? While it may seem as if these rituals lack any trace of magick, the lack of spirituality in these rites isn't because of the rite itself, but because we've forgotten how to perceive ritual and how to raise the energy associated with such rites.
One of the key elements in effective spellwork is raising energy. We shift from the mundane into sacred space, connect with the energy of the moment, and raise it to a level where we can work with it. This is one of the most commonly misunderstood concepts in magick. Most pagans, although we instinctively engage in the act, have no idea what it is we're doing when we raise energy.
Imagine that you closed your eyes and suddenly, instead of a birthday cake before you, you saw the flow of reality - yesterday, today, and tomorrow existing as a river of threads that emerged from the center of your chest and passed through the candles of the cake. We make a wish and blow out the candles, our intent leaking out into the river, passing through the candles, and changing both the pattern of the woven threads and the color of the fabric they're woven from.
As we considered above, the act of blowing out the candles is ritual. The issue isn't the rite itself, but that we've forgotten how to perceive the moment as ritual and raise the energy associated with the moment.
To fully embrace the rite, we would close our eyes, seeing the same river of woven threads. The first step is to clearly picture what it is we're wishing for. Once we have a concrete concept of what it is we're creating, all that's required is to raise the energy of the rite and perform the ritual. Reaching out with our energy (we'll look at techniques of how to do this in future materials) we plunge our energetic hands into the river and pull as many of the threads to us as we're capable of holding. Holding those threads close, we merge our energy with that of the candle flames and the threads, forming a trinity between the weave of reality, our own will, and the ritual elements before us. Merging all of the energy into a single entity, we blow out the candles, simultaneously extinguishing the flames and releasing our intent and the threads back into the river.
What we need to understand is that magick is, at its very core, an act of creation. We are creating something out of nothing. Even altering, enhancing, or binding something through magick creates a new paradigm that mirrors our will. We aren't attaching our will to the threads - we're transforming those threads from whatever vibration they held when we connected with them into our will and intent. The instant we perform that act, we've created a transition point in the world. And any conscious act of transition is, at its very heart, ritual.
Find Sacred Space
There are numerous approaches to creating ritual but, in all honesty, there are only three steps to the act itself. This entire concept is contrary to much of what you've read and been taught, including here at Old Ways, but The First Cycle is an advanced, in-depth course. Our journey through this course will take us three years to fully complete. Each year, we'll revisit the concepts that we learned at that point the last time the Wheel of the Year turned to this particular season. For instance, this time around, we're learning how to craft a ritual. Next year, we'll learn the concepts behind enhancing a ritual, delving deeper into magick through the use of symbols, time, location, spirit allies, and the fullness of your own cycle of reincarnation. In the third year, you'll be given the challenge of making your life ritual, blurring the lines between the magickal and mundane, working with concepts like instant physical manifestation and seeing the weave of reality and interacting with it without the use of ritual.
In the third lesson in the Basics of Witchcraft course, I taught that there were eight steps to creating a ritual. If you're interested in a simple, paint by numbers approach to the Craft, this is a perfect perspective to use when you approach ritual and magick. The steps outlined in that lesson lead you through the process in such a way that you don't need to understand the principles behind what you're doing. But here in The First Cycle, we're intending to delve much, much deeper than you may have ventured in other materials. You need tools and concepts that you can get creative with, that you can apply and adapt instinctively as the moment and your own will dictates.
So let's look at the process behind ritual and magick.
The first thing you need to do is to shift from mundane reality into sacred space. There are numerous ways to accomplish this. In the Basics of Witchcraft course, we cleansed the physical space we were going to work with, gathered our tools and the elements of the ritual before us, and then focused our intent. You can cast a circle. You can ritually bathe or meditate to clear your mind. You can step into a room, the corner of your yard you've set aside for your rites, or a specific natural site that you use for ritual. All of these are valid approaches. And all of these are completely unnecessary to perform ritual and work magick.
I spent approximately eighteen months studying with an old crone who had the most eclectic path of any practitioner that I've ever met. Among the many twists and turns of her journey, she spent some time in the American Southwest, studying with a shaman who led her into various states of consciousness through the use of hallucinogenic herbs. My teacher explained that the herbs were a tool and once the student had achieved a certain state, they were expected to use smaller and smaller amounts of the herb until they were capable or reaching that same state without assistance.
The various tools and elements that we use in ritual work and magick work in the same manner. When we've returned to this portion of the course for the third time, we'll be dropping all of our tools and elements and simply reaching the same energetic state by instantly and instinctively shifting our consciousness and energy to that space.
As we saw in the introduction to this course, all of reality is created from divine energy. By that very definition, everything, absolutely all of reality, is already sacred space. What holds is back is a series of intentional limitations that we've put in place that allow us to focus on our spiritual growth and evolution, not a chasm that needs to be bridged. Magick is all around us. We are magick. The problem isn't reaching sacred space, it's that we have a difficult time embracing that concept and, because we're the very fabric of magick, our hesitation and disbelief actually manifest the boundaries that we need to overcome.
Sacred space is simply a state of mind where you've let go of the shackles of the mundane and are open to the concept of limitless potential. You are the same pagan whether you're standing in the middle of a busy sidewalk or you're in the midst of a circle cast by a full coven of witches. Your ability to work magick, to interact with the flow of reality isn't created by a rite, it's always there. You don't have to call upon gods or spirits to move the energy for you because, if we're all truly created from divine energy, that the unifying nature of that energy means that you are the same as the gods and spirits you call upon.
Think about your state of mind that you achieve when you're deep in the midst of a carefully constructed ritual. Ideally, you're connected and aware of the flow of energy around you and the deeper patterns of reality beyond the boundaries of your circle or ritual space. You also have an understanding, regardless of whether it's confidence or a nervous uncertainty, that the rite you're about to work will have some sort of result once you've performed it. That's what you're aiming for when you shift to sacred space, that combination of awareness, connectedness, and understanding that you're interacting with reality at a very basic level. I used to achieve that space through a simple meditation, clearing my mind and visualizing my body slowly filling with white light, pushing the darkness out of me as completely saturated my being. Then I reached a place where the visualization was unnecessary, where I could stop, take a deep breath, and complete the same journey I undertook with the visualization in a single exhale. After years of ritual work, I realize that even the pause was unnecessary, all that was important was the shift from one state to the next, a process that I can usually achieve on the spot without even closing my eyes.
Regardless of where you're at in your own practice, achieving this state is paramount to performing a successful ritual. It doesn't matter which techniques you choose to employ to reach this state of consciousness, all that matters is that you reach it. Once you have, you've entered sacred space.
Be Clear About Your Intent
Magick is effective beyond our wildest dreams. The issue is that we often don't have the slightest clue regarding the result of our spellwork. And yes, all ritual is spellwork. You're working a transition point. You're consciously altering, riding, or honoring the flow of reality from one side of that transition to the other.
The first problem is that our perspective on the nature of reality is horribly skewed. We think of this lifetime, of an immediate process of cause and effect, when the entire scope of this incarnation is but a tiny drop in the ocean of time that symbolizes the journey of our soul. We're thinking "today" or "tomorrow" and reality is thinking, "entire scope of your cycle of incarnation." The magick you work will manifest as immediately as it can. The delay is simply that our soul knows better than our ego and our soul's interaction with reality, on a level even deeper than our subconscious, is more adept at working with magick than our conscious mind.
(The very last lesson in this course is entitled, "Transcending Physical Reality." We'll look at a handful of techniques that will allow you to synchronize all of those levels of your being when directing your intent.)
We also have to understand how magick works. At some point, I'll be teaching a lesson or two on "dark" magick. If you're going to heal and protect, it's absolutely imperative that you know the concepts behind causing harm so you can adequately interfere, redirect, or completely ground and dissipate the attack. Part of that process is understand that there are two types of spellwork - that which works with the natural flow of reality and that which goes against the flow.
Think about it this way. As you've probably figured out, I'm a spiritual teacher. Part of my path is serving you, teaching for free and offering what knowledge and wisdom I gather without asking for anything in return. In my humble opinion, this spirit of servitude should be at the heart of any spiritual leader. Even so, things occasionally get a little tight on my end of the modem. I'm a single parent, work full time, and usually find it necessary to budget my finances pretty carefully.
Now, in the bigger flow of reality, it's clear that I'm learning humility and trust, that I'm learning to give out of love and set my ego aside. So let's say that one day my finances get really, really tight - to the point that I'm not only going to be able to make it to my next paycheck, but that Sparrow, Bear, and myself are going to end up on the streets. And at this point I've already turned to every mundane source without success and have reached the point that I'm going to need to work a spell to see things through.
There are two ways to approach this. The first is to simply ask for enough to get by and, should another path be necessary, to be given the insight and wisdom to see the doors when they open and know which ones to step through and which to allow to close behind me. While I may not have the perspective to understand how everything is unfolding around me, this intent is in harmony with where my path is headed. It follows the natural flow of reality while still manifesting my intent upon the path ahead. At no point am I contradicting the flow of events and the energy that surrounds me. I'm simply dipping my oar in the water and intending to use the existing flow of energy to make a correction to my perceived course.
The second approach is to decide that I'm tired of carefully budgeting my paycheck and work a spell to receive one million dollars. This is clearly not where my life has been going and, as such, goes against the flow of reality.
Remember the example of working magick with the birthday cake? Where we reached out, held as many of the threads as we could, and merged our intent with it? What we fail to consider is that when we use our intent to alter the threads of reality, we are, in a very real sense, putting yourself into that flow. When we work with the flow and release those threads, we influence the pattern, color, and speed of the flow of reality. It's a simple, peaceful, and harmonious process - and we feel that sense of peace at the end of our rite. Things flow a little better in our world. We find that we aren't as stressed by the challenges and solutions begin to present themselves.
When we work against the flow, we're still putting ourselves into the weave. But instead of becoming part of the flow, we become an obstruction in the midst of the river. We are buffeted by the "waters" we are forcing to change. In all honesty, it isn't a failing of magick that would keep us from receiving the one million dollars, but our own inability to hold our intent against the flow of the river. When we take an appropriate approach, we can let the energy go and allow it to carry our intent because our intent mirrors the flow of reality. But when we force our will upon the river, we have to hold that position, we have to expend immense amounts of energy and devote significant portions of our own psyche to keeping that intent clearly defined against the flow of reality, or it will be lost in the natural flow of things to come. It isn't karma that kicks our butt when we work such magick; it's simply a bi-product of our own arrogance as we're buffeted by the waters we seek to redirect.
That, in its simplest form, is also why "Hollywood" magick, changing lead into gold, and supernatural powers (like flight) are almost impossible to achieve on this level of reality. Almost without exception, they're an act of arrogance that goes against the flow of the river.
Being clear with our intent isn't simply a process of being able to visualize or connect with the concept we're trying to bring to life. It's a process of understanding ourselves and our own path, of being able to be truly honest with ourselves about our growth and the lessons we need to learn, and being strong enough to embrace those lessons over our fears and weaknesses.
Become the River
The third component of ritual is simply becoming the energy on the other side of the transition point. First we moved ourselves into sacred space, reaching a place where we are not only aware of the flow of reality, but truly believe in the limitless potential of the moment. The second component is clearly forming our intent and making certain that it mirrors the flow of reality, rather than opposing it. Finally, we become the change we're seeking to create.
Think of ourselves as the seed from which the change in reality will grow. When we release our intent and the threads we held back into the river, the rite itself may be completed. We may choose to ground our energy, give thanks, mourn, or celebrate depending on the ritual and our intent involved in the rite. But as we considered a moment ago, we become part of the river. We're either going with the flow or we're opposing the current. It's not just our intent that we're releasing into the flow; we've merged our energy, ourselves, with the flow. We have, in a very real sense, become the river.
On one hand, this is one of the key reasons why teachers promote concepts like the Threefold Law, the idea that our intent will return to us. In reality, it's not that our intent will return to us, it's that we become our intent.
To truly empower our rites, we need to recognize this concept and, instead of using it as a deterrent to magick, we need to embrace it. If we become our intent, then by mirroring the transition we are intending to create, we can greatly enhance the power of our rituals.
For instance, in the example of working a spell when we find ourselves in a financial bind, we essentially asked for safe passage and the wisdom and discernment necessary to know which steps to take to safety. We're willing to do the work, we just need some guidance and, possibly, a little assistance. Ritual is only one form of magick. The energy we manifest through our attitudes, actions, thoughts, and intent is another. And while ritual, performed correctly, is incredibly powerful, the little bits of energy we continually manifest throughout our day adds up over time.
What we need to do in this example is to trust that the doors we need to step through will open for us and that we'll know which ones to enter. We need to trust and have faith that the opportunities or needed assistance will appear as necessary. That doesn't mean that we can sit back and wait. We need to examine our options, look for a better job, think outside the box. We don't need to pursue each and every one of those avenues, but the energy involved behind openly and honestly considering them will further empower the ritual we worked. We need to live the energy we raised and directed. We need to become the river.
Putting It All Together
At first glance, the three concepts we've looked at may seem applicable to spellwork and magickal rituals, but it may not seem clear how to apply them to our every day rituals. We've already looked at how the simple act of blowing out the candles on our birthday cake can be ritual, but what about other transition points that we experience in our lives?
There are many rituals that we honor our loved ones with the giving of a gift. Let's take the example of a baby shower where we're honoring the expected birth of a child into our circle of family and friends. Our intent is to bless the family and ease the transition from married couple to parents. Instead of joining our intent to the blowing out of the candles of our birthday cake, we can use exactly the same process when we wrap the gift and release it into the river with the addition of the bow to the package.
When we pass a milestone in our own path, it's important to make a wish for ourselves, to visualize who we want to become on the other side of that transition. Whatever ritual we use to honor that transition will contain all of the above steps, but we need to remain true to our growth and "become the river" by living up to the responsibilities and calling of the next chapter of our path.
Exercise
Find a transition point in the your own life or path and, using the three concepts of ritual, create a rite that honors that transition. Ask yourself the following questions:
Using this same process, we've come up with a new ritual in our world. When it's someone's birthday in our family, we take a glass goblet and fill it with the person's favorite drink. The goblet is passed around to each person in attendance and each, in turn, speaks a wish for the guest of honor to receive in the coming year. Their intent is focused into the goblet and, when each person has held the goblet and spoken the wish, the guest of honor drinks it, taking all of the magick of the rite within them, symbolically receiving the intended blessings.
It may seem overly, it may seem incredibly challenging, but this approach to ritual is at the core of almost everything that I do on my path. I've used it myself for decades and have taught it to countless students who have also had amazing success using this approach. While prewritten rituals created by another practitioner certainly have their uses, by using the concept outlined above, you can create your own rituals for any occasion, regardless of whether you're working a spell, honoring a milestone on your spiritual path, or simply celebrating someone's birthday.