Differentialism in Actuality

[Akhkharu Asgard]

I was wondering. I've noticed in some ritual books that you can purchase, some authors are very dominant that you would follow their instructions precisely to the key of what they write. But once reading Scott Cunningham, he seems to be more open to changing things aorund to suit whoever is doing that ritual or whathaveyou. What is your take on this? If a certain ritual calls for a red candle with a certain scent to represent a goddess, would it matter to you if you used a completely different kind? Just wondering what everyone else things or stands on this.

[butterflydreams]

IMO it's better to follow your intuition and what feels right with you. After all it is your ritual. I think if something else feels more right to you and you use it, it would be more powerful than using something else all the while thinking "it doesn't feel right but this is the way the book said I should do it.

[Theres]

IMO it's better to follow your intuition and what feels right with you. After all it is your ritual. I think if something else feels more right to you and you use it, it would be more powerful than using something else all the while thinking "it doesn't feel right but this is the way the book said I should do it.
*shrugs*
some authors are traditional, others eclectic.

[blueangel]

IMO it's better to follow your intuition and what feels right with you. After all it is your ritual. I think if something else feels more right to you and you use it, it would be more powerful than using something else all the while thinking "it doesn't feel right but this is the way the book said I should do it.

I agree with this. I think books should be used as a guide.

[Faeawyn]

I'm more eclectic. I tend to go with what feels right for me. Afterall, it's supposed to be enhancing my energy, so if it doesn't feel right, then it won't work. However, when using herbs and crystals, I tend to follow the guidelines, since it's not up to me what vibrational energy they have and what energies they aid in :)

[ShamanFeather]

I'm not a scott cunningham lover, but I agree on do what feels right to you. The original witches and such didn't have books to read out of. I like books but I use them as a guide and pick and choose what works with me. After all it isn't their spirituality its yours.

[Ben Gruagach]

The key is not that it doesn't matter what you use or how you use it, but that it make sense to you and "feel right" as others have pointed out.

Using a system that doesn't make sense to you might work, but using a system that makes sense to you (even if it contradicts other established systems) will likely be more successful for you because it actually has meaning.

[Jenett]

I think it really depends.

Trads (and various other groups) develop systems over time. These systems are designed to work together (so that what you do at the start of the ritual builds the groundwork for the main working, and so that everything fits.) If you change one part of it, it may affect other areas too.

It can be hard to tell *how* though. It's a good idea to look at exactly what change you want to make, how it will affect things, and exactly why you want to make a given change.

If, for example, you see green as a color related to money in a American book, but you live in a country where money isn't green (or mostly green, given some of our new bills) you might pick a different color. But then you'd want to make sure you didn't only change the candle color, but that you made sure it didn't affect any other symbols being used (you wouldn't want to use a dollar sign, either, say, carved into a candle.) You might change words, and so on.

If you do this thoughtfully and consistently, it should still work just fine - but you might be better off looking at the general ideas in someone else's ritual, and building your own from scratch using the basic seed idea. It's easier to get consistency within your own system that way, and it forces you to look at each aspect more closely (where if you're just changing a few things, it's easy to skim over other aspects.)

There is also something to the idea of repetition over time building up energy in a concept. If you really want to change something, make sure it's for a good reason (not "Oh, I don't have a red candle, I can just use orange...") and that whatever you substitute is suitable. Usually, I step back and look at whether there's a specific benefit to making a change, not just whether it's a substituation. Allergies, for example, are a good reason, or specific feelings from a given deity that a specific scent or color is also a good fit.

(I've also come across several deities who are fond of chocolate as an offering, for example, even though modern chocolate is a very recent invention. Doesn't mean I ditch the traditional ones entirely, though.)