Daily Rituals

Ritual is a wonderful way to connect with the elements, the Gods, and all who have ever worshipped them, and all who ever will. But there is no need to wait until the Full Moon or the next Sabbat to make this connection. Opportunities abound in our everyday lives. As magickal beings, every intentional action we take is a magickal act.

While there are no hard and fast rules, generally Pagan rituals consist of the following steps: creating sacred space, inviting the four elements into the sacred space, inviting the God and Goddess, a statement of purpose for the ritual, the body of the ritual, cakes and ale, thanking the elements and deities for joining, and then closing the circle.

The following are suggestions, based on the outline of a Pagan ritual, for creating (or rather noticing) magick at work in your daily life.

Creating Sacred Space: Every night before going to bed, tidy up your room and make sure there are pleasant things to look at as you go to sleep: a piece of art, photographs of loved ones, spiritual objects, etc. Say goodnight to the God and Goddess, thank them for what you have learned that day, and ask that solutions to problems you are working on come to you while you sleep. Center and ground as you lie in bed, releasing all tension and worry. Feel the peace spread outward filling the whole room, creating the sacred space to enjoy as you sleep.

Calling the Quarters: Get out of bed and walk outside or open a window. Face east. Raise your arms and stand with your legs apart so that you form a star. Stretch and take a deep breath, following that breath as it goes deep into your lungs and hold it. Really experience the Air. Let the breath out, and as you continue to breathe, think of those things which you associate with Air (freedom, youth, beginnings, intelligence, etc). Feel the air cleanse you and become part of you. Light some incense if you like. Thank the Spirits of Air.

Depending on the time of day and the weather either light a candle or feel the sun shining down on you. Feel the warmth. Draw the warmth into your body. Feel its healing power, feel it energize you and burn away negativity.

As you take a shower or wash your face consciously feel the Water as it flows over you and through your fingers. Let it fill you with a deep sense of calm and security. Feel the Goddess' love and nurturance.

Stand outside and feel the Earth beneath your feet, if possible feel it with your hands as well. If you can't go outdoors hold a large stone or crystal in your hands. You could also place your hands on the Earth in a large potted plant. Ground yourself, feeling your roots growing down into the Earth. Feel the solidity and silence of the Earth. Let it fill you with strength and confidence and the wisdom of the ages.

Welcoming the God and Goddess: Practice a morning devotional ritual daily and you will begin to see things in a new light. There are many different forms a morning devotional ritual can take. At the least it consists of a self-blessing, a connection with the elements or the Gods. A simple self-blessing can be done by anointing each major body area with your finger. You can anoint yourself with oil or Holy water. Here is a common self-blessing, which I believe is based on the Five-fold Kiss:

Top of head - Bless me Lord and Lady (God and Goddess, or specific names) for I am your child. Third eye - Bless my mind that I may know of your truth and wisdom. Throat - Bless my voice that I may speak with kindness. Heart - Bless my heart that I may feel your love and allow your light to shine forth. Genitals - Bless my womb (or phallus) that I may be creative and productive. Knees - Bless my knees that kneel at the sacred altar. Feet - Bless my feet that they lead me always on the path of right and reverence. Hands - Bless my hands that they be instruments of creation and healing. Top of head again - Bless me with your presence this day Lord and Lady for I am your child.

This blessing can be modified to fit particular circumstances of your daily life. If you need to make a speech one day you could say something like "Bless my voice that I may speak with eloquence and surety". If you have a test coming up you could say, "Bless my mind that I may think clearly and remember well."

Body of the Ritual: Find the magick in the "mundane". Magick is change. Take notice of changes that occur throughout the day and let them fill you with wonder.

Think of the elements while going about your normal everyday business. Consciously connect with the elements wherever and whenever you encounter them. Experience the Air as you watch the trees sway and the clouds and birds move across the sky. Even as you feel Air blowing from a fan or heating or cooling duct know that the Spirits of Air are with you. As you drive your car, think about the magick of Fire keeping the engine running. When you eat a hot meal or drink a hot beverage the Spirit of Fire touches you and you are energized. Experience the element of Water as you put a load of laundry in the washing machine, drive through the rain, pour a glass of water or fix a cup of tea. Throughout the day whenever you walk on the Earth or even on pavement feel the Earth beneath your feet. Consciously connect with Her and feel that solid strength.

Releasing tension and anger: Take a swim, let the soothing waters of Mother Earth's womb wash your troubles and anger away. Take a ritual bath - do some research into aromatherapy and use appropriate oils in the bath.

If a ritual bath or swim are not convenient, hold your hands under running water for a minute or put a bit of water in the basin and feel the tension and negativity drain from you hands into the water. Adding a pinch of salt to the water helps. Focus your anger into a spot in the air in front of you, encase it in a bubble and envision it floating away. Take time for yourself and don't feel guilty about it.

Do a grounding exercise. Touch, sit, or lie on the Earth and send your anger down into the fiery core of the Earth where it will be burned away.

Healing energies are all around us - in the Earth, the Moon, the Sun, plants and trees, rocks - everywhere. When you are feeling weak, draw these energies into yourself.

Cakes and Ale: Every meal is an opportunity to reconnect with the Gods and the elements. Before you eat, pause a moment and either think or say the following:

For the seeds that grew them, For the cows that gave the milk, for the chickens, that laid the eggs, For the lives of the animals whose bodies will nourish ours, For those who planted and tended, For the Wind, the Sun, the Rain, and the Earth that nourished them, For those who harvested, milked, gathered and slaughtered, For those who carried, prepared and delivered, I thank you Lord and Lady (or God and Goddess, or specific names)

The food blessing should be modified according to the type of food you will eat. The idea is to acknowledge all the hard work and sacrifice that went into your meal. It is thanking the seeds, animals, plants, etc. themselves as well as the Gods for all that we have. As you say the blessing aloud or in your head, envision someone sowing seeds, milking the cow, kneading the bread.

You may chose to make a libation to the Gods occasionally or even for each meal. When choosing your offering remember you are making a libation to the Gods to thank them for providing your meal and to show them you trust them to provide you with food in the future. Therefore, a libation should include the nicest pieces of each type of food. These should be carefully placed on a plate, not just heaped into a bowl. The entire plate can be set outside under a tree or in some bushes, or carefully slide the food from the plate onto the Earth. Liquid libations are poured directly onto the ground. Some people reserve a special place in their yards for leaving libations, or you could leave them in various places till you find one that feels right.

Closing the Circle: A ritual bath can be a way to prepare for ritual, a ritual by itself, or a wonderful way to unwind at the end of the day. Here is one way to prepare a ritual bath. Feel free to modify it and/or add oils of your choice.

You will need incense, a dish of salt, a white candle, and a pitcher of water (if possible, rain, ocean, stream or spring water is best). Fill the tub. Light the candle. Turn out the lights.

Wave the incense in a deosil motion above the bath while saying, "Spirits of Air, bless this Water. Help me breathe away any thoughts that cloud my mind. Blessed be."

Move the candle deosil above the bath while saying, "Spirits of Fire, bless this Water. Your inspiration is felt in all acts of creativity. Let me feel my creative energies renewed. Blessed be."

Again, moving deosil, pour the pitcher of water into the bath and say, "Spirits of Water, bless this bath. As you are the tears of the sorrow and the joy of the Mother, flowing from Her as the tides and the rain, let me feel the love of the Mother in these Waters. Blessed be."

Sprinkle the salt into the bath with a deosil motion (three pinches is good), "Spirits of Earth, bless this Water. Cleanse away fears and stress as I enter. Let me feel the warm embrace of the Mother Earth. Blessed be."

Stay as long as you like and feel the stress drain away. The ritual bath can also be a good place to meditate.

Meditation: Meditation should be part of a daily magickal practice. Set aside minimum 15 minutes a day for meditation. It is a major component to magickal and spiritual growth. As with all magickal practices, the key is consistency, doing it on a regular basis. The more you meditate, the deeper you will become acquainted with yourself, the Gods, and the powers of the Universe which are available to you.

Journaling: Just before bed is a good time to write in your journal. Include any messages or revelations which came as a result of meditation. Also include any changes in your perception of the world. Try to write in your journal every day so that it becomes a habit, even if it is only a line or two.

Dreams: If you want to remember your dreams better, say so aloud before you go to sleep: "I will dream tonight and I will remember my dreams in detail." To increase your chance for meaningful dreams that you can remember, get enough sleep, and avoid alcohol, caffeine, and sleeping aids.

Write your dreams down in a separate dream journal as soon as you wake up. Keep a pen and light handy so you can record dreams when you wake up in the middle of the night without waking yourself or anyone else up too much.

Honesty: In 'The Spiral Dance', Starhawk wrote, "Those who would practice magic must be scrupulously honest in their personal lives. In one sense, magic works on the principle that 'it is so because I say it is so.' A bag of herbs acquires the power to heal because I say it does. For words to take on such force, I must be deeply and completely convinced that it is identified with truth as I know it. If I habitually lie to my lovers, steal from my boss, pilfer from supermarkets, or simply renege on my promises, I cannot have that conviction...To a person who practices honesty and keeps commitments, 'As I will, so mote it be' is not just a pretty phrase; it is a statement of fact."

Magickal Vows: All of us could use some improvement. Whether it is developing a good habit (meditating, exercising, eating better, smiling more, reading) or getting rid of a bad one (smoking, passing rumors, complaining), we do not always need an elaborate ritual to accomplish our goals.

As part of your regular Esbat ritual, start a new habit of making "Lunar Vows". A Lunar Vow is something you promise the Gods you will do for a month. Such as, "I vow, before the Gods this lunar cycle, to finish reading Drawing Down the Moon" or "I vow, before the Gods this lunar cycle, to say something nice to someone at least once a day".

Write the vow in your journal and keep track of your progress.