Rev Thom Potter, 2001
For someone to suggest that there is only one way to write a rite, would be to claim the same hubris as the one who said they had performed the best interpretation of Shakespear. No sooner would I say this, than someone would show me just how little I know. It is a given among Magi, especially among Pagans, that we each contribute our own thread of creation to the cord of traditions that make up our great faiths.
A ritual is simply an act that gives meaning to an event. Ritual is not necessary to invoke Magic, unless the Magus believes it to be. It can, however, help focus one’s mind upon the purpose what the Magic is being directed toward.
We relate a ceremony and a rite. We perform rituals to effect change, while we employ ceremonies to sustain. We write that ceremony recognizes and remember events. A rite may do this, but is meant to go on to make something new, or add to what already exists. Often, the distinction between the two is unclear, and a rite may also be a ceremony. One might say that a rite “is where we specifically invite the gods,” and a ceremony is not.
Someone has said that a ritual is a “decompression chamber.” As a rite progresses, the affairs of the world are left at the doorstep … not to worry, as we may retrieve them later. The affairs of the world can distract us. Directing the forces of Nature to our will requires discipline. By discipline, I mean focus of mind and purpose. A loss of focus can lead to misdirected energies, or at worst, the wrong energies misapplied. Without focus, a compassion rite may become a destruction rite, and a list rite may find the wrong target. (One need only see A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream to realize how this last may become a problem.)
When building a rite, the best advice is to:
An old Pipe Keeper† shared a story with me. He told me that after many years of practice he has yet to finish a pipe ceremony without making one mistake. Each ceremony gets its own mistake, rarely ever repeated in another ceremony. He also told me that no shaman has done better, that experience only improves success. It is all right to strive for perfection. Just don’t be disappointed at the mistakes. Pay attention to them, as they may shed some new light upon the ceremony, and add new meaning to it all.
[† A shamanic position among the Native Americans. ]
The rite is a path, a way of going. The Magus must focus on the goal of the rite. Yet if the sage focuses only on the goal, he or she may stumble, trip, and fall. It is good to enjoy the journey, for there is so much to learn. It is also good to divide the journey into smaller, easier to digest goals. Ending world hunger is a grand goal. Can we feed the neighborhood first? Then the neighborhood might feed the next one over, and so that story may grow to the whole world, and the next, too.
When making a guest list, remember the Honored Ancestors and your personal gods. Don’t be concerned if they don’t seem to be there. The invitation is really what is important. Sometimes I wonder how a child must feel when taking that first, unsupported step. The child is juggling the emotions of exhilaration at success, and the fear of being abandoned by Mother. Oh, she is right there, only inches away. This may be little comfort when taking that first risk. I have come to accept that, though the gods or the Eternal feel very far away, they are still near enough to help in I need it.
Examples of Rituals, not to be copied, just learned from
