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"One of the greatest misconceptions about the Art of Rituals is that everything has to be done a specific way, that not much is personal and that everything must be done in the manner that another has determined. I am fully aware that there is symbolism and magick in ritual and that in order for the intention to be expressed clearly and the magick to be activated, certain things do have to take place and in very specific circumstances, they need to be done in a certain order. So many people are also completely overwhelmed and intimidated by ritual practice. They carry the burden of the opinion of others as well the fear of getting something ‘wrong’ or creating a ritual that will not be successful based on another’s criteria."

 

However, as I have developed my spirituality, and dived into the depths of my faith, I have learned that contrary to popular belief, rituals are intensely personal. I would go so far as to say that I have developed relationships with my rituals. I honour them not only for what they give me, whether it be release, clarity, manifestation or even intention setting but I also honour them by adapting them to where I am in my space. Rituals for me are living spiritual rites of passage and thus it makes complete sense to me that they should then reflect the passage I am currently journeying through and not one I have encountered already or one I am yet to encounter. I honour them with my authenticity.

 

Shamans believe that you should carry ritual into every area of your life, they carry this belief as their thinking is that ritual makes us more present. We need to be focusing on what we are doing in terms of the order of ceremony as well as being mentally present by setting the intention for each phase. They take this one step further. They believe that by adding ritual to the mundane activities in our life, we honour these activities with gratitude. For example, to do a simple ritual of gratitude before you wash your dishes. I cannot lie, washing dishes, so much less than my favourite chore, highly strongly do not recommend. Zero stars. However, if for a moment you stand in front of your sink and give gratitude for the fact that you have had the meal that has created the dishes, it changes the energy of the task. A simple example I understand but as we all know, gratitude changes everything.

 

Ritual is a huge part of my life as it is for so many of us. The rituals of self-care come to mind for those of us who have set appointments for hair, nails and skin. These are monthly rituals that we do to take care of ourselves, without even maybe understanding that they are in fact rituals. I say this as, an advocate for ritual practice, it is a great way to showcase the power of simplicity in rituals. There are months when I am soooo excited for my Full and New Moon rituals, I spend hours prepping and then even more time in that sacred space of performing the ritual. There are other months when my energy is low and all I can manage is to light some incense, draw some guidance cards and manage a prayer or two. I am firm in the belief that rituals are tools and thus should be flexible enough to perform the tasks that are required in that space and time.

 

For those that are wanting to start practicing the Sacred Art of Rituals, here are some of the lessons I have learned and some guidance to hopefully get you on your path.

• Make sure that your space in clean – that is something that is imperative no matter what ritual you are wanting to perform.
• Clear your space energetically with some form of Sage or even Palo Santo – do this both before and after your ritual. We don’t want to carry any funky vibes into your rituals. This includes clearing yourself!
• Create an altar space for yourself. I have found that having a set altar creates an energetic portal if you will, for all your spiritual and ritual work and over time strengthens the power of your rituals. It also creates a point for you to focus on during your ritual.
• Your altar needs to be completely personal. There are certain specific rituals that call for very specific tools – when you are starting, you may not have the exact crystals for example that you need. From personal experience I have either used my intuition and replaced it with a crystal that has ‘spoken’ to me or I have left it out – consciously intending that nothing be taken away from ritual with the absence of that crystal/tool. Please understand that your energy goes where your intention is.
• I LOVE using Oracle cards and Tarot cards in my rituals – ALL my rituals but particularly my Moon rituals. They are great ways of placing on the altar those that are surrounding you for assistance, what you need to release/focus on and even what you are wanting to manifest.
• I personally work with the directions and elements – if this is something you feel drawn to – then look at putting down something that represents each of the directions, I use candles for Fire, incense/feathers for Air, shells or a bowl of water for Water and then either rocks/twigs for Earth. Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere work slightly differently here – please see the end of the post for this information.*
• I always start my ritual with a little mediation as I feel it connects me to Spirit more quickly and very often those that want to be around us will step forward for us even if we are not fully aware of them. It is a way of inviting Spirit into the Sacred Space you have created.
• Music is something that is very powerful for me. I have a specific song, just one that I use for all of my meditations and I can listen to on repeat for hours. I find that very often music/chanting when I am performing rituals really heightens the experience – this is however not a necessity. You need to work with what feels comfortable and natural for you!
• Before I start my ritual I invoke those that I want to be part of the ritual. This can be guides, family members crossed over, the ancestors and deities that you are wanting to work with. Call them in at this point.
• How the actual ritual plays out will depend on what your intention is – I have recently done some huge ancestral healings on land, for this I have offered gifts to the ancestors – in thanks for their assistance. I literally poured milk and honey into the Earth, intending to sweeten the energy of the land. Offerings are always good if you are asking for assistance in any way. My favourite way of making an offering is to feed the wildlife in my garden as a thanks for the abundance in my life. It also illustrates the connectedness we have to all of life in general.
• Finally I always end my rituals with gratitude. I verbally give thanks for the assistance and the time and space I have been in.

 

I love my rituals, I feel so connected to my higher self, to Spirit, to my ancestors and to my family on the other side when I perform them. I often do prayer and gratitude rituals in alignment with my faith and practice (Wicca) and it really feeds my soul on a completely different level. I am a firmer believer in doing research before you undertake something new, it is important – but I am also a huge believer in doing what feels authentic and natural for you – I truly hope that this post has given a little more insight in this beautiful art. I also hope that it may ignite the spark of imagination and inspiration and that it encourages you to dip your toes in the sacred pool of ritual!

 

*The Directions - Information:

 

The Northern Hemisphere works in a clockwise direction and the elements attributed to them are:

North – Fire

East – Air

South – Earth

West – Water

 

The Southern Hemisphere works in an anti-clockwise direction and the elements attributed to them are:

North – Earth

West – Water

South – Fire

East – Air