You have already participated in many rituals. Even brushing your teeth is a simple daily ritual. With the completion of lesson II you should be able to participate in a daily meditation. That too is a ritual.
Now we are going to teach you about group rituals. Why? Because you can already see what all you can affect by doing a ritual by yourself. Now imagine just what a group of people can accomplish. Here we will discuss the rituals used for the celebration of the times and seasons of the Year.
The Major celebrations of festivals of the year occur and are centered around the agricultural year. Remember our ancestors were all farming type people so harvest and planting was a big part of their life just as herding/tending animals was. These ceremonies are keyed to the moons movements.
There are four major celebrations or/Sabbats. They are :
1.) Samhain: an air/spirit festival which occurs around Oct 31 eve.
2.) Imbolc: the spring/water festival that used to be keyed to the lactation of the ewes.Occurs in February
3.) Beltane: the great fire festival when the male aspect of the season give way to the female and the heards are lead out between the fires to open pastures.Occurs April 30 eve
4.) Lugnasad: the earth/ mothers festival when her new fruits and partaken. Occurs August
There are several different names for these festivals in many cultures. I have used to most widely recognized names for the purposes of this lecture. Please feel free to research the proper name for what ever tradition you follow.
The Minor Sabbats are celbrated at the times of the Equinox.These are keyed to the suns movements.They are:
Winter Solstice: occurs around Dec 21/22, fire oriented designed to encourage the suns rebirth and return.
Spring Equinox : Mar 21/22, water oriented time when the sun is welcomed back to the north
Summer Solstice : June 21/22, fire festival celebrating the Gods power.
Autumn Equinox: August 21/22 Earth festival celebrating the bounty of the harvest.
Ritual preperation: Whether you do this alone or with a group there are just a few things to consider when holding ritual.
Decor: you will want to decorate for the ritual accourdingly. For example the next festival coming up here is Summer Solstice. You may want to decorate with a yellow altar cloth and some sunflowers since this a a god/sun festival.
Location: always keep in mind whether indoors/outdoors the weather. If outside you will want to consider privacy, and the elements which love to intrude. For example if it is outdoors will you have shelter in case of rain or extreme heat will you have shade. If indoors will you have enough room to move freely about the circle, and will there be any problem with candles catching any loose material on fire.
Always remember there are certain things you want to keep your ritual space free of is at all possible or at least a minimum of: electrical fixtures and nails, flammable materials.Keep in mind the creature comforts we have all grown accustomed to with the age of technology i.e, running water/sanitation facilites( toilets!), air in the summer heat in the winter.
Necessary Supplies: Where ever you do a ritual you will want to consider the following things: 1.)Is there an altar access and if so where will it be located, is it decorated. 2.) Will there be cross quarter candles and if so is there room to move about them, do they need to be placed in candle holders so the wax wont melt or ruin anything, do they need protection for the wind,animals,children?3.) Salt.................will I be sprinkling it about the circle and if so will it be easy to clean up or sweep away? 4.) Music, wil it be artificially produced or will there be live music. 5.) Permits/Licenses , do I have the necessary permission required from either the local gov of the owner of the home if it is held indoors etc. 5.Refreshments, will there be food and if so who is preparing it/bringing it, will it be ritual appropriate?
There are a lot of things to remember but keep in mind one thing. Whether you go all out and cast a circle and celebrate with a group of like minded people or do it alone in the comfort of your home in pajamas the intent is still the same and the godess/god you honor will be most happy indeed.
For the purposes of these lessons I will include a basic ritual format. I shall not refer to any particular deity/patron in keeping with these basic lessons. The basic ritual is only an outline. You should feel free to adapt/edit/alter any part in accourdance with your own personal tastes. the basic format is in accourdance with the most widely accepted version of holding a ritual. Any deity/patron has been left out on purpose. The only reason that quarters are mentioned at all is because most pagans/wiccans/witches/ feel that it is appropriate to honor mother earth above all else.
