A Practical Example
Aug. 18th, 2013 11:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fuzzyjayling posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
plural_magicI've been speaking of a lot of abstractions, so I thought I'd give a concrete example of how other-folk can participate in a ritual, and what it feels like. This is a description of one in which we participated tonight.
I'm just going to be kind of stream of consciousness here. I'm not going to give out a lot of details, either, in respect of the privacy of the group and the celebrant.
People are entering a circle; each person is being smudged. Dove and Sparrow are "nearby", which is my way of saying "closer to this world than theirs". If either of them pushed a little more forward, they'd be in borrowing mode. Therefore, they are also holding their arms out and turning around for the smudge stick as I do it. To me, they feel so present that I'm unsure why no one else perceives them, at least as an energy oddness. But if they do, they don't say anything to me about it.
We're standing in the circle, waiting patiently. There's a sense of expectation in the air, for all three of us. There always is, in rituals. I'm always curious what people have written and how it will play out.
The celebrant talks about this time of the year (it's a full moon esbat) and what it has meant in days past, and what it might mean to us now. At this point in a ritual, I typically stop paying attention to Dove and Sparrow so that I can focus on it. They're there, like you can feel someone standing next to you, but I'm letting them do their own listening and thinking about it. Every so often, though, I'm reminded when one of them is particularly interested or happy about something that's being said. Sometimes, we have brief conversations about thoughts about the ritual, sometimes in words, sometimes in thoughts. I can feel their general feelings about it, though, and they can feel mine.
We face north, and some words are spoken about this celebrant's elemental associations of north (based on common Wiccan ones, I think). It is ended with a phrase... I can't remember exactly, but it's something like "we invite your presence". And of course, all three of us are saying it, Dove and Sparrow inside, and I am speaking for all three. We face east, south, west, then there are god and goddess candles in the centre.
There is a symbolic "magic art project", I like to call them. :) In this case, it involves braiding, knotting, twisting, whatever you like, of pieces of yarn, representing happy memories. Of course we take three, and work our own symbolism into it, since it will stand for all three of us. A knot tied at the top to represent our association beginning. Then, as it's braided, we are all thinking of fond memories... Dove's earlier memories rise to the surface, thinking about a place called the Dawn Temple, ivory coloured walls in a beautiful natural setting, and golden sunlight. Sparrow's memories rise up, thinking about living with a simple rural village of people who study cultures and mysteries. I think of my memories, the positive ones, living in this world.
Dove is marvelling at the beauty of a chant that the celebrant started and which morphed into a song with harmonies at the prompting of a few participates. Sparrow is mostly pleased about seeing people here doing this kind of ritual/magic/etc, close to the land, but she's also thinking how it'd be nice to dance to the song.
A decision is made to stop braiding early, both for symbolic reasons (our association isn't done... we have many shared experiences to come), and for practical reasons (hand pain ^^;). Each piece of yarn is tied in a knot at the end of the braid, to represent the current day. The remaining strands will be left totally untouched, no end knots or anything. (This will be added to my alter at home.) Perhaps we will braid it more later.
"Cakes and ale" are passed around at this point. As people drink and eat, I drink three times and eat three times. We have a way of "borrowing" only taste buds, kinda. So Dove and Sparrow get their turn with them.
Some closing words are spoken, and the quarters are "let go" in reverse order. Some final "the circle is open" words follow, and the ritual is all done!
(Definitions)
I'm just going to be kind of stream of consciousness here. I'm not going to give out a lot of details, either, in respect of the privacy of the group and the celebrant.
People are entering a circle; each person is being smudged. Dove and Sparrow are "nearby", which is my way of saying "closer to this world than theirs". If either of them pushed a little more forward, they'd be in borrowing mode. Therefore, they are also holding their arms out and turning around for the smudge stick as I do it. To me, they feel so present that I'm unsure why no one else perceives them, at least as an energy oddness. But if they do, they don't say anything to me about it.
We're standing in the circle, waiting patiently. There's a sense of expectation in the air, for all three of us. There always is, in rituals. I'm always curious what people have written and how it will play out.
The celebrant talks about this time of the year (it's a full moon esbat) and what it has meant in days past, and what it might mean to us now. At this point in a ritual, I typically stop paying attention to Dove and Sparrow so that I can focus on it. They're there, like you can feel someone standing next to you, but I'm letting them do their own listening and thinking about it. Every so often, though, I'm reminded when one of them is particularly interested or happy about something that's being said. Sometimes, we have brief conversations about thoughts about the ritual, sometimes in words, sometimes in thoughts. I can feel their general feelings about it, though, and they can feel mine.
We face north, and some words are spoken about this celebrant's elemental associations of north (based on common Wiccan ones, I think). It is ended with a phrase... I can't remember exactly, but it's something like "we invite your presence". And of course, all three of us are saying it, Dove and Sparrow inside, and I am speaking for all three. We face east, south, west, then there are god and goddess candles in the centre.
There is a symbolic "magic art project", I like to call them. :) In this case, it involves braiding, knotting, twisting, whatever you like, of pieces of yarn, representing happy memories. Of course we take three, and work our own symbolism into it, since it will stand for all three of us. A knot tied at the top to represent our association beginning. Then, as it's braided, we are all thinking of fond memories... Dove's earlier memories rise to the surface, thinking about a place called the Dawn Temple, ivory coloured walls in a beautiful natural setting, and golden sunlight. Sparrow's memories rise up, thinking about living with a simple rural village of people who study cultures and mysteries. I think of my memories, the positive ones, living in this world.
Dove is marvelling at the beauty of a chant that the celebrant started and which morphed into a song with harmonies at the prompting of a few participates. Sparrow is mostly pleased about seeing people here doing this kind of ritual/magic/etc, close to the land, but she's also thinking how it'd be nice to dance to the song.
A decision is made to stop braiding early, both for symbolic reasons (our association isn't done... we have many shared experiences to come), and for practical reasons (hand pain ^^;). Each piece of yarn is tied in a knot at the end of the braid, to represent the current day. The remaining strands will be left totally untouched, no end knots or anything. (This will be added to my alter at home.) Perhaps we will braid it more later.
"Cakes and ale" are passed around at this point. As people drink and eat, I drink three times and eat three times. We have a way of "borrowing" only taste buds, kinda. So Dove and Sparrow get their turn with them.
Some closing words are spoken, and the quarters are "let go" in reverse order. Some final "the circle is open" words follow, and the ritual is all done!
(Definitions)