3 keys to a successful ritual
We meet again today for a new article dedicated to rituals.
But, what is a ritual?
The term ritual can refer to:
- A rite
- A set of rituals chosen as procedures carried out on a regular basis for a specific purpose
The different types of rites
Each religion or denomination has codified, over the centuries, its own gestures for the celebration of its worship
Through the practice of these rites, the faithful acknowledge their inner adherence to this cult. Ritual occasions relate either to the overall collective life of the community, to family circumstances, or to personal spiritual life.
Periodic Rites:
Daily, weekly, and annual ceremonies (e.g., Eid el kebir for the Muslim religion).
Rites of intercession or request:
They generally correspond to particular intercessions :
- Intercession to obtain rain: practically present in all religions. It is often on this occasion that the most violent rites were invented. We remember the human sacrifices of Carthage to obtain rain during the Roman siege.
- Intercession to obtain victory.
- Intercession to obtain a good harvest.
- Intercession to obtain the safety of a ship, a building, etc.
Many intercession rites in ancient Greece were based on oracles (Delphi, Delos). The ancient Romans waited for the answer of the gods to certain important questions, through the examination of the remains of slain animals, or by watching the direction of the flight of birds.
Rites of passage :
- Birth (baptism, circumcision, circumcision, etc.)
- Puberty (Bar Mitzvah, confirmation, etc.)
- Fertility (engagement, marriage, etc.)
- Death (burial, cremation, funeral celebration, etc.).
Family ritual is the most persistent and resistant to change. The ancestor cult in China has thus survived several decades of anti-religious communist rule.
Individual rites:
- Prayer. The Muslim religion for example, codifies the periodicity, the gestures, the direction turned towards Mecca.
- Some everyday gestures are very often a little and sometimes a lot ritualized: putting the children to bed, having breakfast, make-up, shaving, etc.
What we can remember about rites and rituals :
Rites are not necessarily religious since they very often give rhythm to the daily acts of human life.
The rite is a highly formalized activity: it has its own codes and its actions can be articulated around strongly marked symbols
The rite presents a repetitive aspect where, carefully set up, the ritual actions are standardized and repeated through a generally well established order.
The activities take place around objects to which a symbolic value has been attached.
3 keys to a successful ritual
1) Purify the atmosphere
Purification with incense
This magical act can actually clear a space of negative forces and charges that have accumulated there. It can also bless and heal the beings around you
You can perform it to purify a space that you devote to prayer, meditation, clean a room of the house after a moment of tension, regenerate the energies
You can do it inside, but also outside to bless plants, a garden, flowers, a river..
Get an incense holder, a coal, a box of matches and some grains of frankincense
Place yourself in the atmosphere of meditation. Take a few moments to center yourself in your inner temple
Light your charcoal and place a few grains of frankincense on it
Concentrate only on the gesture that you are going to accomplish
Let your thoughts become clear, free from any other preoccupation than that of purifying the atmosphere, clearing, healing
Hold the incense holder in one hand, at heart level, and with the other hand, in a very slow, soft, concentrated gesture, send the smoke of the incense from the palm of your hand towards the outside, towards the room, the place, the object that you wish to bless or purify
Accomplish these gestures with great gentleness, great purity
You can blow at the same time on the incense which rises and think: "Clarity, purity, blessing"
Then calmly put down the incense holder
You can collect yourself or meditate for a few moments before resuming your activities
Go and bury the ashes of the coal
White Sage Purification
Native American white sage or California white sage (Salvia apiana) is a sacred plant for many Native American peoples in North America. It is mainly used for religious ceremonies, births and deaths
The tradition of purifying the atmosphere with dried herbs, resins and flowers accompanies all cultures.
The fumigation of white sage incense is essentially an act of purification
During the so-called "smoke ceremony", we burn leaves or a stick of white sage incense and impregnate our body, the room we are in and our spirit with its smoke
Its smoke is beneficial to discharge negative energies, to purify people or events, to drive out the "bad spirit" and to attract beneficial energies
Traditionally, this maneuver is accompanied by prayers and helps create an environment conducive to care and healing. It is not surprising when one knows that the name of the sage comes from the Latin "salvare" which means "to heal".
In the alchemical transformation process of fumigation, the four elements are represented: the shell symbolises water, the match that sets the incense alight is fire, the herbs and ashes are earth, and the smoke is the air element.
2) How to light a flame
A ritual without a candle is not a ritual :-)
The simple act of lighting a flame can become magical if you put soul, attention, gentleness, delicacy, pure intention into it
You will then call through the flame the worlds that you really want to invite. It is very important to name things. When you light a flame, if you do not name what you are calling through it, undesirable forces can come and inhabit it without your knowledge
What is important is how you light your flame
The flame must be lit in the subtle before being lit in the real and it is this flame that is important
The way you light the flame determines the spirit that you will call through it
Stand before a candle.
Stand in concentration.
Make precise, dignified, gentle gestures, filled with life, with clear intention.
Approach the candle with respect and devotion to the being or virtue you are going to call. You can place your tealight in a mandala candle holder for example. This will allow you to increase the power of your intention.
You can squat or stand upright.
Remain centered in your heart, fully focused on your gesture, which will call up forces, a spirit, an intelligence, and strike your match
Raise the flame, then lower it again to light your candle
Open your other hand as a sign of respect
Consciously and calmly pronounce a word of consecration to the being you wish to call: the Light, an Angel, a virtue, etc.
Let pure and sincere words of devotion rise within you. Have confidence in your heart
Be in respect
3) The use of symbols in rituals
Since time immemorial, men have celebrated ceremonies, composed of gestures, words, and magical rituals. And they have been accompanied by symbols.
Everything is magic, but there are different kinds of magic. In your life, there are things that you have to work out for yourself without calling in higher worlds to work them out. It's really important to understand that. That is to say, don't give value to what doesn't have value, but give value to what does have value. It goes both ways.
Moon Ritual
We often hear about these famous full moon rituals.
What does it consist of exactly?
Since ancient times, the full moon has been considered a natural phenomenon with a strong influence on our lives. The Chinese, the Egyptians and even the Amerindians considered this star as a divinity and worshipped it. This tradition has endured and there are still many lunar rituals today to make the most of its beneficial effects
Each Full Moon is thus a new chance to get rid of what is no longer useful. At each Full Moon, the energy is at its highest point. Your energy is at its peak too.
This energy-filled time offers you the opportunity to sort out what you want or no longer want in your life. This is often a time for you to do some personal development work
Forgiveness and gratitude are encouraged. Negative emotions are released and positive emotions are cultivated.
It is a moment of reflection and self-reflection. It is also a gift that you give yourself with this ritual because this moment belongs only to you!
The objective is to make you feel good and allow you to focus on yourself and the present moment.
To make the most of this special event, it is important to determine your intentions and put them in place through rituals.
Beforehand, take care to purify the atmosphere of your room, diffuse your favorite essential oils, light a candle in consciousness, surround yourself with your sacred geometry symbols, and if necessary your crystals.
Relax in the calm and comfort of your room. Prepare an herbal tea if you feel the need.
As part of an energy release ritual, take a few minutes to state your intentions verbally or on paper (preferably).
For example:
"I am freeing myself today from everything that is preventing me from growing and moving forward"
"I am breaking the ties that are no longer beneficial to me on a daily basis"
"I free myself from my internal blocks, limiting concepts and false beliefs"
"I open myself to Joy, to Letting Go, and to the beautiful virtues I wish to cultivate..."
Once finished, burn these small papers and visualize all these things going out of your life.
Finish this ritual by thanking yourself for taking the time to dedicate this moment to you. Visualize the positive coming into your life and let the candle burn overnight.
If you are accompanying yourself with crystals, know that with sacred geometry symbols, such as the Flower of Life or the Cube of Metatron (to name a few), you can cleanse and recharge your stones at any time, without worrying about the method of cleansing and recharging.
This is the simplest, most effective, and most economical method.
Using a Crystal Grid
Crystal grids take the energy and power of crystals, sacred geometry and your intentions and create a way to generate, amplify and focus forces.
What is a crystal grid?
Typically, this can be a Flower of Life or a Metatron Cube on which one comes to place his crystals to do a specific work.
Therefore, the energizing tray is the most appropriate object for this. But you can also choose a harmonizing mat because of its larger size.
Choose the support with which you feel most comfortable.
Then write your intentions on a piece of paper.
Place it under your crystal grid.
Purify your crystals, your space and... yourself (with incense, white sage).
As you place your crystals on the grid, say your intentions out loud and visualize them in the present.
With a quartz activate your grid starting with the top crystal to link them together.
Meditate and visualize your grid daily... and let the magic happen!
Crystal grids have been used for thousands of years to vibrate a group of crystals higher so that their metaphysical properties are amplified.
Using crystal grids in your spiritual practice has many benefits, including deepening your meditation practice, cleansing your space, manifesting and raising the vibration of your home.
As you can see, this ritual can be performed perfectly at the time of the full moon since the energy level is higher
The nice thing about rituals, especially those related to the moon, is that they invite you to calm down. They ask you to plant seeds of intention and become one with the energy of your environment.
What is the point of using symbols?
The sacred geometry symbols will increase the effects of the full moon tenfold.
I say it again and again because some symbols are very fashionable, but all the symbols of sacred geometry, from the moment they are structured around the golden ratio and that they are connected to a living world, have this same faculty.
They amplify energy, regenerate and harmonize.
If you have any questions or would like to share with us your favorite rituals for this lunar phase, leave them in the comments below.
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