A Pagan Ritual Prayer Book (8 page)

Theologically, the split between the sacred and the mundane is the main point. The two are seen as different, and purification separates the two. It may seem to some that this insults nature by downgrading the everyday. It's been found in Paganism from ancient times, however, so there must be something that is right with it.

The major purpose, I think, is that the ritual be just what it is. A weed is a plant that, however nice somewhere else, doesn't belong where it is. The things we need to be purified of are those that don't belong in a ritual. Purification makes a ritual a garden.

Rituals are often performed in sacred space. The most basic requirement for sacred space is that it be set apart in some way. The creation of sacred space is therefore like purification (and often parts of it include purification). It makes a place fit for the divine to enter.

A permanent sacred place can be a temple or a cave, or something as simple as the space surrounding a sacred tree or stone. Permanent sacred space was the most common kind in antiquity.

Modern Pagans, however, most commonly worship in temporary sacred spaces. This is largely an inheritance from ceremonial magic, where a properly created magic circle is very important. There are practical concerns as well, however. Few modern Pagan groups are wealthy enough to build temples. Some ancient Pagans also used temporary sacred space—the sacred sheds created for Vedic rituals were burned after the ceremonies were completed.

Sacred space is often a representation of a cosmic plan. The idea is to place yourself in a “perfectly” constructed universe that corresponds to a symbolic one in a way that the everyday universe does not. The ritual space thus established corresponds to a sacred plan and thereby becomes sacred.

This cosmos can be created in several ways. It can be declared to exist: “Here in the East are the powers of Air.” It can be called into existence directly: “May this stone be the mountain at the center of the world.” Or it can be invoked indirectly: “Spirits who dwell in this dark lake, open the ways to the darkness that lurks at the root of all.” It can also be brought into being the way the cosmos was brought into being—for instance, with words, by telling a creation myth, or with actions, such as through the repetition of the original sacrifice.

By purification and the creation of a sacred space, you prepare yourself and where you are for the presence of the divine beings. The next step is to call to them. This will, of course, include sentences like, “I call to you,” “I ask for your presence,” “Come to us.” The being called will have to be identified—by name, by title, by the telling of a myth, or by some combination of these.

Calling through titles and myths leads naturally into praise prayers, since relating a myth with respect is a good way to praise a deity, as is the recognition of a deity's characteristics by listing titles. Still, there is always room for “I praise you.”

By now you have probably noticed that we are following the classic prayer structure. That's because a prayer can be thought of as a ritual in miniature. Likewise, a ritual can be seen as an unpacked prayer.

Just as in a prayer, a ritual now moves on to its purpose (assuming it wasn't intended simply to praise). Is it a ritual of healing? A seasonal celebration? A rite of passage?

Once the purpose has been fulfilled, or at least prayed for, the ritual winds down, in reverse order. Callings and praise become giving thanks and farewells, the creation of sacred space becomes its dissolution, prayers of coming together become prayers of separation. There is no ritual of de-purification; that will happen soon enough on its own. Some Wiccans “ground and center” at the end of a ritual to drain away magic power and return to the mundane world. This involves meditation and magic more than prayer, so I won't deal with it here, except to note that the prayers for dissolution of sacred space and of separation can be used as part of it.

That's a basic ritual, then: the sacred is created through calling together, purification, creating sacred space, and calling and praising the divine beings (the beginning); the purpose of the ritual is carried out (the middle); things are returned to a mundane condition (the end). Hopefully, the return isn't to an unchanged world, or to an unchanged person.

Some other things that have been said about prayers apply to fuller ritual as well: the importance of the nonverbal; the difference between spontaneous, memorized, and read practices; the usefulness of repetition; and the importance of beauty and organization. And rituals are, of course, made up of prayers.

When you are saying a prayer by yourself, you can choose or write one in whatever style calls to you—or more important, in whatever style you think will appeal to the Holy Ones. In rituals, you don't have as much flexibility. Because they are linked together, the prayers in a ritual interact with each other, so their styles can harmonize or clash.

When you're putting a ritual together, ask yourself how the style of each section fits with the others. Do you want them all in the same style to create a unity? Do you want them to differ so as to provide a strong break between parts? Do you want to start in a relatively everyday style and build up to a very poetic one before winding down again? If you are invoking more than one deity, do you want to have each section in a particular style appropriate to that deity? Do you want to use the same style, with variations only for each deity? The important thing here is that the structure of styles be for a purpose.

There are differences between individual and group rituals. Because there is more than one person, communication is not just with the divine, but also with the human. What is being done should be clear to all. (I say “should” rather than “must” because there is a time and a place for mystery.)

It's because of this that gestures, movements, and objects become more important for groups than they are for individuals. They carry part of the meaning; they are forms of nonverbal communication. This is especially true for motions and gestures. Choreography, taken in its widest sense to include the arrangement and performance of all movements and gestures and the manipulation of tools, is extremely important in group ritual. As with the connection of words, the structure created by connecting motions should be meaningful and beautiful.

At the very least, the motions must not be clumsy. The most basic concern is that people not bump into each other. This sounds simple, but can be surprisingly difficult. Two people are making libations onto a fire, one after another. If they start on the same side of the fire, they will have to pass each other. This can result in awkward maneuvering. It is better if they start on opposite sides. But maybe they have things to do together at another point. Or perhaps there is a fire-tender on one side, blocking access. They will need to know how to approach the fire and then leave without colliding.

A difficulty that can arise even in solitary rituals is the manipulation of objects. Most important is to remember that you only have two hands. You'd be amazed how easy it is to forget that when writing a ritual.

To avoid clumsy fumbling, always put objects in a place that will make them easy to get to at the right time. If two people are to use the same tool at different times, where should it be placed? And where should the participants stand so they don't bump into each other on the way to or from it?

A given tool won't be used after a particular point in the ritual. What should happen to it after that? You don't want to mix it in with tools that you'll be using. A pitcher or bowl with the remains of an offering can be unsightly. Maybe there can be a spot for used tools. Or maybe they can be moved from the side of the space where they began to the other.

A particularly difficult maneuver is the transfer of tools from one person to another. This is especially true of pitchers. If two people need to pour a libation from the same pitcher, there has to be a handoff. Since pitchers are held by the handle, it can be awkward to switch them to another set of hands. The pitcher may even be dropped.

If people start out at a distance from each other, there may be time to put a tool down between their using them. Even if the people start out near each other, this can still be done to smooth out the transfer, with the first person putting the tool down and returning to his or her place before the second comes to get it. This will affect the pacing of the ritual, which is something to keep in mind.

In every case, it is not just the primary use of an object that should be beautiful. All aspects should be. Picking up a pitcher gracefully is as important as pouring a libation with it gracefully.

Rehearsal can show you where the problems are and give you the chance to fix them before you stumble across them in the middle of a ritual. Rehearsal increases the ease with which a ritual is performed, adding to its beauty.

Keep all this in mind when constructing a ritual from the prayers in Part II. It is possible to create an entire ritual from these by choosing a single prayer from each of the chapters. It would be a short ritual, but complete in its way. That may even be a good way to set up a solitary ritual, perhaps for daily devotions, where brevity is a plus.

It is unlikely that a ritual like that would be satisfying for a group, however. It would probably only last about fifteen minutes, and by the time people were getting into it, it would be over.

Imagine, however, that your group is holding a ritual. In your tradition, you cast circles and as part of that you address the four directions, calling on the classical elements of Air, Fire, Water, and Earth assigned to each, using a tool connected with that element. Let's say as well that it is part of your tradition that each direction is addressed by a different person.

So there you are, sitting in a circle, and the time has come to call on the directions. The person who is to call on the first stands up and goes to the place where you've put the tools—maybe on an altar. They pick up the right tool, goes to the right direction, and pray while manipulating the tool. Then the person goes to the altar, puts the tool down, returns to their place. The next person does the same thing. You've already added several minutes to that fifteen-minute ritual.

Or maybe you're doing the purification. You pass a bowl of water around for people to purify themselves. Say everyone has to dip their fingers in the bowl, and then anoint themselves on the forehead. Then they have to pass the bowl on to the next person. Multiply this by a dozen people. Now you've
really
added time.

It's important to consider this when you're putting a ritual together. In a small group, passing a bowl may work great. But with a hundred people, some of whom have elaborate purifications they want to do? Even if each person takes only five seconds, this would stretch this part of the ritual out to nine minutes. Meanwhile, everyone is standing around waiting. Great way to kill a ritual buzz. Consider aspersing instead, perhaps accompanied by a prayer.

When you write an individual prayer, you are concerned with how the words fit together—both their meaning and their sound. You want them to express just what you want, and to be beautiful. When you are putting a ritual together, you have to treat each of these prayers as if they were words. You want the prayers to fit together in both meaning and sound; you want them to express just what you want, and you want them to be beautiful.

Remember that a ritual is a prayer writ large.