Skyclad ....

[Saille]

Ok so i am farely new to the pagan path and know few random things. This may sound silly but well i know not everyone does things naked and there is a certain garb you are to make for doing rituals and such. Now is it that big of a deal or can you just waer modern clothes so long as you they are 100% cotton since that a natural fabric or am i lost ? :RuNew:


-saille

[Autumn Sidhe]

Not silly at all, just an honest question. :) And to be 100% honest with you, when I first started out practicing many moons ago, I did 99% of my rituals skyclad (mind you I am a solitaire and wouldn't do it that way otherwise..) but for the past 5 or so years, I just wear whatever I'm comfy in, be it a robe or my everyday clothes. My rituals don't feel any different wether i'm nude or in street clothes. Just wear what's comfy for you.

[Phoenix Blue]

Wear whatever, the Gods don't care about fashion.

[Ben Trismegistus]

Totally up to you. There are no rules.

My coven meets weekly, and we do maybe 4-5 skyclad rituals a year, and the rest are just in street clothes. For me, that makes the skyclad rituals feel more special or unique. I feel that, especially in a group setting, working skyclad brings to a ritual an extra level of trust and intimacy - it's as if we've shed our earthly forms and are communing with the Divine on a different level.

That's just my experience, however. Yours may vary.

[Lunacie]

The rules about wearing only 'natural fabrics' just makes me laugh. After all most of us don't eat only 'natural foods', eh? (As within, so without) And unless you're (generic you) doing your ritual out of doors then you're probably standing on a carpet made of synthetic fibers (in your bare feet). The theory seems to be that natural fibers don't block energies the way synthetic fibers do, as though they are better conductors or something. Does anyone know of any scientific studies on this? Or did someone who hated polyester write a book sometime that has come to be the 'common wisdom'?

[Rain Gnosis]

Scientific studies? No. Pagan studies? Yes. Not using man-made materials in or around ritual isn't a new idea. It has to do with energy, magnetic vibrations, etc. Not to mention the mental idea of moving away from the mundane and man-made and back to the Earth and Divine. Man-made materials feel "dead" to many, whereas natural materials still feel as if they're connected to living beings and to the Divine. Going skyclad puts you in a magical mindset and reinforces the idea that you stand before the Goddess as you are, without masks or adornments.

For most people it doesn't matter, but there is reasoning to it.

[Theres]

The rules about wearing only 'natural fabrics' just makes me laugh. After all most of us don't eat only 'natural foods', eh?

i do.

'skyclad' is a modern term that originated (i believe) with Gerald Gardner, who was a nudist. he claims that this was the 'traditional' way that witches did ritual, but then he made alot of claims like that.
personally, i really doubt that people were running around skyclad while celebrating the Winter Solstice in northern Scotland!

the only real rule i have for ritual wear is that one should not wear the same clothes they wear to work, etc.
dressing and bathing are the first steps i take when preparing myself for ritual, and i like to feel that i'm doing something a little less mundane during this time.
i have ritual robes and cloaks and various other 'special' garments that i wear in circle, but i will also wear loose sweatpants and i loose t-shirt if that's what i feel comfortable doing. however i keep these latter items ONLY for ritual, so that i don't go into circle feeling like i'm ready for work!
and i do prefer natural fibers whenever possible. i prefer to honor the Earth and its gifts, not some manufacturer and its product (yeah yeah, i know... the natural clothes are 'manufactured' too. you know what i mean)

[Theres]

oh Rain, you beat me to it!

[Rain Gnosis]

I just got a really funny image of all those poor skyclad witches running around Scotland at Yule. Poor frostbitten.. err.. lol nevermind.

[Theres]

so maybe that wasn't wode, maybe they were just turning blue!

[Rain Gnosis]

:lol:

[Citana]

I agree with the first post on this one, forgive me for forgetting who it was, but it is pretty much personal preference. For me it is hard to do it in my robe that i made for the purpose, or skyclad, just because i have a roomming family that i don't believe are too hot about my practice in the first place. i tend to try to do my rituals and ceremonies by myself either in my room or in the field (we rent a house on 5 acres of land with lots of fruit trees, fig and blackberry bushes, and wheat field). In my room, i often go skyclad, only because at night or in the morning, i am usually nude anyway, and then when i go outside, i like to wear a long cotton dress only because cotton is more comfy to me. but in years past i have worn street clothes, but when i am indoors in my own room, i tend to go nude. I like nude anyway. it's the most comfy. except in the winter of course.

[Ari]

'skyclad' is a modern term that originated (i believe) with Gerald Gardner, who was a nudist. he claims that this was the 'traditional' way that witches did ritual, but then he made alot of claims like that.

This is a bit off on a tangent, but 'skyclad' as a term originated with the Jains (or rather, it's an English translation of the original Sanskrit). Whether Gardner picked it up himself while travelling/working in Asia or whether he got it from reading/talking to others interested in Eastern philosophy is debatable.

[FeatherGoblinglimmer]

I tend to do what i feel like doing at the time, a lot of the stuff i do is skyclad but now, as it is getting colder i might not do it as much naked as i can't focus when i am cold.http://www.mysticwicks.com/images/smilies2/krank.gif (http://www.mysticwicks.com/misc.php?do=getsmilies#)

[Lunacie]

I understand that wearing special clothing or going skyclad can help one focus and make the time spent doing ritual feel more important. But for those of us who feel that our lives and everything we do helps us to connect with the gods it doesn't matter so much what we wear, it's just whatever we have on at the time. I do most of my meditation and prayer and spell/energy work at bedtime or on first waking up and I tend to wear nylon to sleep in. I think what is in our minds and spirits and how we take care of our bodies is much more important than what we wear on our bodies. But of course I understand that this is only my opinion and it's not the only one.

[Rain Gnosis]

It isn't that those people who only wear natural clothing or go skyclad don't feel they are always connected to the gods or that clothes are more important then minds and spirits, at all. Just like using a circle doesn't mean one thinks magic can't occur outside one.

If you clean a sacred space before doing magic it's not because you have to, it's because you've decided to make the environment as pure and close to the source as possible. It doesn't mean you don't realize the source is always there anyway or that having a clean area is more important then magic. The same goes for clothes.

[Ben Trismegistus]

It isn't that those people who only wear natural clothing or go skyclad don't feel they are always connected to the gods or that clothes are more important then minds and spirits, at all. Just like using a circle doesn't mean one thinks magic can't occur outside one.
Exactly. For me, the purpose of working skyclad, or using a circle, or in fact the purpose of ANY ritual, is establishing a set of circumstances for an event that kicks you into a different mindset. These ritualized aspects remind me that what I'm doing in a ritual/circle setting is special and different from my day-to-day interactions with the Divine in the world around me. That doesn't mean that I'm not aware of divinity at all times - it only means that I choose to make certain workings special.

[Angharad Goldenhand]

While I don't always wear something out of the ordinary, I do make sure that I am clean and presentable, just as I would if I was having friends round. If I'm inviting the Gods to partake in a meal with me, I don't want to let the side down :)

[Calzaer]

Wear whatever, the Gods don't care about fashion.

No, but your subconscious does. Anything you can do to get your subconscious mind more connected to the purpose of your ritual has value, be that incense, props, or clothing. If being naked helps get you "in the mood" for a little magicweaving, well, there ya go. If, on the other hand, it makes you wonder why other peoples' body parts seem bigger/smaller than yours, or it makes you think about playing with the thermostat, then maybe you should pass.

[Koehnae]

I believe that its best to wear (or not wear) what makes you comfortable. If you're focused on how uncomfortable you are naked, then how do you focus on the ritual?

[serenarian]

I go skyclad for Sabbat rituals, but otherwise I wear something loose, clean, and comfortable. Usually it's something like a loose cotton nightdress or something. Simple, uncomplicated, and less risk of it catching fire on my candles. I used to wear a robe with long sleeves but that got on my nerves and it was a fire risk. Hope that helps. :)