What about eclectic or unique rituals?

[LittlePerson]

Ok, so I already asked about altars. Are there any of you who do rituals who created them on your own? Non traditional, individual ritual. If so, what are they like if you don't mind my asking? Do you borrow from other pagan paths or other religions? Do you pray or not? Do you do things in the same order each time? Thanks.

[Ben Gruagach]

Ok, so I already asked about altars. Are there any of you who do rituals who created them on your own? Non traditional, individual ritual. If so, what are they like if you don't mind my asking? Do you borrow from other pagan paths or other religions? Do you pray or not? Do you do things in the same order each time? Thanks.

I think you'll find a majority of Pagans have done at least one ritual they created themselves. There are lots of rituals printed in books and available on the internet, but it's quite common to at least modify them a bit to suit the people who do them.

By the way, you might want to check out the wonderful free documents available at http://www.sacred-texts.com/bos/index.htm Lots and lots and lots of stuff from a variety of Pagan perspectives! Theory, ritual, practical advice -- it's all there.

The whole http://www.sacred-texts.com/ site is excellent and well worth investigating.

[LittlePerson]

Thanks ben. I'll check out the site. I know that one can create one's own spells but my question is more centered toward the actual ritual itself. I guess it gets back to one's path maybe or what they believe is necessary or what they like to use/do for ritual. Or maybe non wiccan ritual.

[*Cerridwen*]

Hi LittlePerson

I only recently started to write my own rituals, I've done 3 now, before I would always use ones I found in books and follow them making slight changes.

:)

[Æon Flux]

I use a somewhat traditional base to most rituals, even though I might go wild sometimes.
But all the rituals I do are written by myself.
I usually feel more relaxed when I have written the ritual myself.

[Garden of Eden]

Same here, I write all my own rituals :D

[Theres]

yep, i write all my own. most are quite different, although i usually use the same basic outline.

we had a Full Moon ritual at the garden last year which was done almost entirely with musical instruments. our drummers created it, and while the potential for disaster was definitely there, it came off quite well. each quarter had it's elemental instrument (as best as we could determine anyway)... drum, didge, bells and rainstick. there were also various instruments laying about for people to pick up and join in during the energy raising part of the ritual.
it was very unique, and a lot of fun!

[LittlePerson]

What sorts of things do you put into your rituals? Do you always do circles? Who do you call on? Ect. Remember I'm thinking ritual is different than spell.

[Garden of Eden]

I usually cast a circle before a ritual for reasons that lead me to your next question ;). I wouldn't feel right inviting my gods and goddesses (celtic pantheon) to join me unless I had prepared a space for them to enter. Sacred space and atmosphere are essential to a sucessful ritual, in my opinion.

But I also think it's bad to get caught up in details when preforming rituals (or even spells). Intuition is an invaluable tool. If it feels right, then it probably is... (well that's my motto anyway ;))

[fay]

i sometimes follow rituals in books, sometimes write my own beforehand and sometimes do spontaneous rituals. they can be incredibly fun! you don't have a plan, you just do whatever feels right.
me and two of my wiccan friends celebrated beltane in that way. we decided vaguely what we would do, but normally we write the ritual together beforehand. this time, we just stood in a circle and said whatever we felt like saying. it was incredible!
of course you can write your own rituals. the easiest thing to do is usually to adapt a ritual you have already seen and make it your own.
blessed be

[FairyMoon]

I've adapted the rituals of others and I have written a very few of my own and done numerous spontaneous rituals. I try to be creative when I plan a ritual, but I feel a lot better when I have guidence from another source as sometimes I am unsure of things.( Not good for ritual ;) )

[Mab]

all of my rituals are individual. I might use bits & pieces, like a guided meditation, that are from somewhere else, but the general ritual (which I rarely actually do--maybe only on the Sabbats) are pretty much mine & based on how I feel at the time.

[argento_occhi]

i use a combination of intuition, other rituals i find or just write what i need to do, seeing as though i don't follow wiccan ritual practices, i'm kinda free to do what i want/need to do, rather than follow a set order of steps. not that wiccan ritual's bad, we just don't gel. i have adapted spells i've ound to suit my purpose as well. sometimes i just light a candle, kneel before my altar and pray. I do what needs to be done. I've written a couple of rituals/spells of my own. That way, i can make them exactly how i want them to be.

bright blessings,
argent

[equinox2]

Hi Littleperson!

My wife and I usually make up our own rituals. This is mostly because we are both Naturalistic, and as such prefer to invoke something like “the spirit of the North, spirit of sleep, darkness, and gestation” instead of a personified name of a deity. Our rituals are simple and usually not terribly long. We often have parts included where we just “wing it”.

An example – our imbolc ritual was simple. We lit candles and sunk them into the snow, making a wheel of the year in the snow (with north pointing north, etc.). For each one, we said a little invocation for the ideas symbolized by the direction. Then we each said a little paragraph about the growing sunlight and the coldness of the winter. Afterwards we left the candles burning to let them each go out one by one. It was pretty to see the glowing patches in the snow from inside the house as the night continued.

We usually incorporate the days celebrations into the ceremony. For instance, candle making is a good family activity for Imbolc, and so we did a ceremony with lots of candles. For Lammas, which just went by, we took the family blueberry picking (early harvest), walked around in a cornfield, and then baked bread at home. We incorporated eating some bread into our ceremony. The next Sabbat is Mabon, and we’ll probably go to a cider mill, decorate with gourds and such, and have a “harvest party” (just a regular party with a harvest theme). We have the party every year and invite everyone – most don’t know or care that it is a Pagan thing. :huddle:

I’ve written some of the different themes for each holiday at this link (click on the little colored circles).
http://www-personal.engin.umich.edu/~leta/TREATISE/TJPSUM/wyear/wyearhome.htm

May the sun warm your face-

[LittlePerson]

Thanks equinox I'll check out your link. I know I can always count on you.

[equinox2]

Thanks!

Now I’m a little concerned about how threadbare the information on my site is. I’ve been meaning to put in more details for each holiday, but haven’t gotten around to it. You might also want to select “elements” from the left menu for more ideas for each holiday, and check out other sites. Sorry it was so meager!

Love and light-

[LittlePerson]

That's understandable equinox.