Lesson Three: Elements of Ritual (Part 2)

Continuation of the material begun in the previous section, Lesson Three:

Elements of

Ritual (Part 1).

Step 5: Applying Energy

In the example of our room renovation, when we raise the energy, we began

to paint the

room, adding new colors to the world around us. But at this point they

are merely

brighter hues on a dim canvas, they are simply colors without form,

without substance,

and without a precisely defined role.

That's where we begin to apply the energy, to take the colors that we've

brought to the

room and slowly weave them into something beautiful. We carefully tape

the window's

glass and, with a smaller brush, bring new life to a faded window frame.

We might paint

the floorboards a complimentary color or decide to put a new plate on the

light switch.

But even though it may seem that we are simply continuing the process

outlined in

Stage 4: Raising Energy, we are now doing something more.

We're creating.

If you talk to an artist, they'll tell you that their finished work often

turns out quite

differently than they originally intended. That, as they begin to work,

they may become

inspired by new colors or decide that the piece seems to be leading them

in a new

direction. There is a fragile, undefined moment when a process stops

becoming a

mental exercise and begins to take on a life of its own. In the example

of our room, we

may find ourselves smiling as we can suddenly see how the room is taking

shape. It is

no longer something we simply intended to do, it is no longer a process

of moving from

one state of energy to another. We are there, we are embracing the energy

we've

created, and in the next step, we will seal it and make it strong.

This stage, applying energy, is that moment when "it all comes together."

If you've

done a certain amount of magickal ritual work, you know that in your

ceremonies there

comes a time when everything begins to flow, when it seems as if there is

an unseen

wind at your back, filling your magickal sails. There simply comes that

moment when it

all begins to fall into place and, subconsciously, we begin to approach

the process with

a new state of mind. No longer are we simply trying to create something -

we are

actually creating, we can see the process coming to life before our eyes.

But, if you pay attention to what's going on inside you, we don't stop

what we're doing

at this point. We are within the flow of energy, we have stepped from one

state of being

to another. We are no longer simply a person with mundane concerns, with

a thousand

questions about who we are and why we're here. We're the artist, creating

something that

gives us joy; the athlete, seeing all of our training pay off; the

musician, at one with the

music, feeling it flow. Or the home owner, smiling in pride as an old

dismal room begins to

come to life and slowly forms into something magickal beneath our touch.

Step 6: Sealing Energy

Our room is painted and beautiful, the windows open, letting in the cool

breeze of spring.

But if you think back, that wasn't our intent. We wanted to reclaim the

room, to make it a

special place devoted to ritual and ceremony within our home. At the

moment, it is simply

a bright, cheerful room. If we were to walk away, to leave it in its

current state, it's purpose

may change. It may sit, unused, until we begin using it for storage, to

keep the empty

boxes that once contained the household we've unpacked into our new home.

The room

itself is ready, we simply have to take the final step, to seal it into

its intended purpose.

Sealing the energy is the "lock" of the ritual, a process of binding the

energy to a spell or

taking the steps to insure an endeavor is successful. It's the handshake

on a deal, the "By

the power invested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife" in a

Christian wedding, the

"As I speak, so shall it be" in spellwork.

This sealing is important for two reasons. First of all, it creates a

subconscious shift within

us. In the example of the room, we have only created something beautiful

that we intended

to be used for a specific purpose. But we have yet to name the creation,

to give it life, to

welcome it into its new role (we will discuss the power of naming in a

later Phase of this

course). By naming the room or presenting it with its purpose, we define

it. The work of art

is no longer a simple painting but, "A Morning With Roses." The room is

no longer

simply a beautiful room when we stop and say, "I have created this room

for ritual and

ceremony. And it is complete."

So what is involved in sealing energy?

It can actually be a very simple process. When most people do spellwork,

they stop the

process after directing the energy to its destination. Sealing the energy

is simply

visualizing it actually accomplishing it's task and saying something

like, "As I speak, so

shall it be," claiming the completion of the spell and sealing that

completion to the energy

you just directed.

Think of it like this. Let's say you're at the beach and you want to fill

a bottle with

seawater. Rather than just dunking it in the ocean until it's filled, you

dig a little

indentation in the sand and lay the bottle on its side with the mouth

facing the surf. As

the waves come crashing in, some of it gets into the bottle while some of

it erodes the

sand, so the mouth of the bottle points down at a slight angle. If the

seawater was the

energy of the rite and the bottle was where you were directing it, you'll

notice that while

the water goes into the bottle with each wave, a portion of it also pours

out because the

bottle is tilted downward. Sealing the energy (by visualizing the spell

to it's completion) is

kind of like waiting for a wave to fill the bottle and then sticking a

cork in it before the

water can run out. I like to say something similar to, "As I speak, so

shall it be," as a way

of saying, "I got the cork in! And water, you're going to stay in there!"

The verbal

component is not completely necessary, but there is a certain power to

the spoken word

and every little bit helps.

I always have a purpose behind every ritual I do -- magickal or

otherwise. This is the

intent we speak. Even if I am simply casting a Circle to honor the moon,

I will specifically

focus on honoring the moon within that Circle. In a situation such as

that, I may spend

some time focusing on the moon, visualizing it's energy filling me and

then to seal it, I

might visualize that as I turn my face away from the moon, I remain

filled with the moon's

glowing light, that I can still feel its presence even though my eyes are

no longer on it. I

might say something simple like, "Even when I can't see you, Moon, I am

still connected

to you and filled with your light."

Sealing the energy is the period at the end of the sentence, the moment

when we realize

that our task is complete, that we claim the victorious outcome as our

own. But we aren't

done yet. There are still two very important steps to complete.

Step 7: Giving Thanks

I was taught, both by teachers and by monitoring my own state of mind

while working

with Nature, that we should always give thanks. This is as fundamental to

me as

grounding energy at the end of a rite and is a lesson that I seek to

instill in every student I

work with.

There are a number of reasons as to why we give thanks, but I believe the

most important

is that it begins to change our perspective and our attitude toward all

of life. When we

thank someone, even ourselves, it implies that what was done has value,

that it's

important. Try thanking yourself for a job well done. It's amazing how it

changes the way

you think and feel. When you thank the natural world for a wonderful day

of hiking, you

will stop seeing the forest as merely dirt and trees, but rather a

special, interwoven

creation which provided you with the memories of the day, with the energy

of the

afternoon, and with the spiritual recharging that so many of us find

outdoors.

Giving thanks implies that we received something, rather than simply

taking it. As we

move deeper into this guide and begin working with spirits, both natural

and ethereal,

you'll realize how much of your ability to interconnect with them has to

do with your frame

of mind. It is a little understood, seldom mentioned area of Witchcraft,

but one which we

will address in this guide.

The process of giving thanks can be simple or elaborate. It can take the

shape of a quiet

moment or a gift we give the energy around us. Think back to the magickal

room we've

been renovating in these pages. It has changed from a dismal corner of

our house to an

enchanted place to create ritual and magick. To say thanks, we could

simply stand in the

doorway, admiring the colors of the fresh painted room, basking in the

caress of the wind,

the sunlight that spills through the open window and say, "Thank you

room, for coming

to life." We could then turn and thank ourselves for bringing something

beautiful to our

home. We could allow our thanks to take a physical form, bringing a

bouquet of flowers

from our garden in to further enliven the energy around us.

As we begin to be thankful for the various rituals within our lives, we

begin to understand

the value of each sacred moment. The path I teach focuses on awakening to

life, it seeks

to teach us to open our eyes to the life we live. If you could give

yourself one gift, would

it be a car? A house? Or the ability to look back upon each day, seeing

it as richly lived,

feeling that we truly experienced what it means to be alive. Giving

thanks is a fundamental

part of this process, which is a gift to ourselves precious beyond

compare.

Step 8: Grounding

When we work ritual, we specifically take hold of the energy of a moment

and move it from

one state of being to another. We have gone from early morning at home to

the hustle of

the morning commute. We've taken a dingy room and turned it into

something beautiful.

Or perhaps we've cast a Circle and woven the energy into a spell.

Whatever the purpose,

we've connected ourselves to the energy of the moment. By taking charge

of the situation,

we've bound our being to the things we've changed.

This energy has a definite, often subtle impact on our daily lives.

Occasionally, we will

specifically choose not to ground. There are a number of reasons that we

may seek to do

this; for instance a rite which connects our sick body to healing energy.

But normally we

seek to let go of one type of energy, so we can begin to embrace another.

This process is

as important in a magickal ceremony as it is finding closure when ending

a job or a

relationship.

Grounding is simple and there are countless ways to do it. After a

magickal rite, I often

stomp my feet or eat a bit of food. Both shift the subconscious back to

the realm of the

physical. If neither method is appropriate, I will often say something

simple, such as, "I let

go of the moment, freeing myself from all but the wisdom and memories it

contains."

Exercise Three: Understanding Daily Rituals

Choose three things in your life you would consider to be rituals.

Your

choice can be something simple like making and drinking your morning

coffee or preparing for bed. Or, if you are used to working ritual

in your

own magickal practice, choose a ritual that you do on a daily basis,

such as

welcoming the sun.. See if you can break all three rituals into the

eight

steps involved in ritual work. If not all eight steps are present,

ask yourself

if you've combined steps together or if you simply don't incorporate

all

eight. If you don't incorporate all eight steps, ask yourself, "Why

not?" It

may be completely appropriate for you to omit a step, or you may be

leaving something out that you could easily add to enhance your

rituals.

Write down your responses in detail. You'll want to look back on

them at a

later date.

Breaking a ritual into eight stages may not seem important. But this is a

useful concept for

us to use for two reasons.

First of all, it helps us break the event down into understandable

portions. We can't begin

to fully embrace something until we can understand it. That's one of the

probable reasons

why our spiritual ancestors sought out the solstices and equinoxes; they

divided the solar

year into portions that they could understand. It is much simpler to

grasp the change of

energy from the summer solstice to autumnal equinox, than it is when we

have no point of

reference.

Our lives are a lot like that. If you find yourself growing tired at a

certain time of day, your

mood regularly changing for reasons you don't understand, or another

shift in

consciousness taking place at regular intervals, stop and take a look at

your world.

Consider what is happening before, during, and after each step. It's

likely you will find

transitions there that can be embraced ritualistically. By doing so, you

can begin to

understand why you respond in certain ways. And anything that you

understand, you

can fully embrace or change as you see fit.

The second reason is that, by understanding the components of ritual, we

can create new

rituals as we require them.

The First Cycle course is written by Graelan Wintertide

and is © 1999 All Rights Reserved