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Creating a Simple Ritual - A Guide.

Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2014 3:28 pm
by YanaKhan
I have been thinking about creating such a thread for a while as many people who are new to the craft seem to rely on rituals from internet that someone else wrote and may not really be working for them. In my experience, it's always better to create the ritual yourself, to work on every detail, to think about the elements you are including and to have time to think about the intention. When I started, I read a lot of crap and badly translated good things that didn't work for me. Once I started creating my own rituals, I saw better results and everything just became a lot easier. I would love everyone to add to the thread, because I can only speak from the eclectic prospective.
So here we go:

When you want to create a ritual, there are few things you need to think about before starting doing anything.
1. Clarify the intention. I mean, think about what is your exact intention/wish. Most spells people cast are for granting wishes/getting something they want. Think about what will happen when/if you do get what you wish for. Think about it from every prospective. Do that for a day or two. Don't rush. It's always better to have a time to consider every aspect of your desire and you prove yourself patient enough to get the best result. With me, this is where I call off some of the spells I am considering. The question "do I really need this, or is it just a caprice?" is always telling me the truth. If the spell is not for a wish or anything material, think about the impact it will have on other people. Like if you want someone to change their mind on a certain subject, think about what it will do to them. Or how it will affect other people. What's good for you is not always good in general. Don't be selfish. Basically, think about every aspect of what's going to happen.

2. Think about the paraphernalia you are going to need. Sometimes a ritual works better if it's kept simple. Sometimes not. I like simple rituals better, but sometimes I need a long ritual that takes a lot of things, so I can focus my energy on the subject better. It's mostly just my thing, but I have discussed this with other practitioners who are the same way. So if you are to perform a youth ritual that calls for fresh camomile, you obviously can't perform it in December. At first, it's good to keep it simple. What matters most is the intention. So few candles, maybe some herbs and a chant will do fine. Don't go for the complicated stuff.

3. Consider the Moon phase. I am not one of the people who are affected by the Moon like they can't sleep during full moon (I can't sleep at all lately, but that's another issue :D ). Still, once I started paying attention to the phases, everything became easier. Like it's a lot easier to focus when you know the time is right. There are many many sources where you can check the current phase and even consider the star sign the Moon is in (which can also improve the final result).

4. Create a chant. It doesn't really matter if it rhymes. Just say what you need the spell for. Try and use nice words. Especially if you are going to ask a deity for help. Still, don't ask, demand. It's always better to state your desire or intention, than beg. For example "I would like this to happen", isn't really the best way to go. "My will is for this to happen" is a lot better, without being rude. "Do this, now, I'm telling you!" is definitely NOT the way, though. :lol:

5. Do your research. Doing things by instinct is a good thing. But being prepared is better. For example if you are working with a God/Goddess, you might want to give Him/Her some offerings. It's a good thing to research their preferences first.

6. Start with things that you want, but won't regret if they don't happen. In the beginning most people get overexcited about magick and rituals and everything and start casting spells on their deepest desires. And when/if something doesn't work, they feel disappointed and sometimes even quit. Start with things you don't really care about. Or with small rituals to cleanse your house from negative energies, something positive, but not too important. Sometimes rituals just don't work. It's not the end of the world and you shouldn't give up. Sometimes there is this little inner voice that tells you you are not supposed to do that. Then rituals tend to fail. Or you don't focus your energy right. Or maybe you cast a spell on someone, but they have a good defense or about a million other things.

7. Do not share your practices with others. By this I mean don't go around telling people you made this fantastic ritual and now you are the best mage in the neighborhood. If you are in a coven, you can share your rituals, of course. If you would like help with your ritual, you can share it here for example. But don't tell everyone what you did or what you are about to do. People are skeptic about magick. They can unintentionally ruin your ritual by thinking "yeah, right, whatever". Others may even try to ruin it. Just keep to yourself.

8. Finally, don't expect everything to happen as planned. This is a lesson I learned the hard way. You may have considered everything before casting, or at lest think you have. But something unexpected may always happen. Or you may have wished for one thing, while actually needing another and get what you needed. Magick isn't exact science. The Universe sends us exactly what we need. No matter if we know we need it.


So, this is it for now. Please, feel free to add info or ask questions. :)

Re: Creating a simple ritual - a guide.

Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2014 3:54 pm
by TwilightDancer
I love this! Very well put together YanaKhan. I'm surprised we didn't have one of these before. I always come up with my own rituals. I feel if I can't come up with a way to cast a spell, It's not a spell I should do. I know this is going to be very helpful for people new to the craft.

P.s. Can we make this a sticky?


Blessed Be :flyingwitch:

Re: Creating a simple ritual - a guide.

Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2014 4:11 pm
by Shub Niggurath
Nice guide, every ritual newbie should read this before doing anything!

There are a few things you didn't mention though and I'm curious what are your thoughts about it?
1. Preparing yourself for the ritual: performing some kind of cleansing on both your body (i.e. ritual bath) and mind (i.e. meditation) etc.
2. Wearing consecrated ritual robes during the ritual (as one of the magickal tools).
3. Structure of the ritual itself and taking necessary precautions, especially when working with a deity: opening/closing the ritual, making sure everything's safe and you're not letting any "things" free etc.

Re: Creating a simple ritual - a guide.

Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2014 4:27 pm
by YanaKhan
Thank you, Levitating Cat. You make some good points, so I'll try and answer all of them.
Levitating Cat wrote:Nice guide, every ritual newbie should read this before doing anything!

There are a few things you didn't mention though and I'm curious what are your thoughts about it?
1. Preparing yourself for the ritual: performing some kind of cleansing on both your body (i.e. ritual bath) and mind (i.e. meditation) etc.

Preparing for a ritual means different things within the different paths. That's why I didn't go there. Ritual baths for me are sometimes included in the ritual or if I don't have the time for a ritual bath, a shower sometimes works just fine. Meditations are also included in the ritual. My meditation, however, doesn't include any casting and sometimes my rituals don't include meditation. Depends on the situation. But yes, it's always good to attune to the intent, the workings and the deities.
Levitating Cat wrote:2. Wearing consecrated ritual robes during the ritual (as one of the magickal tools).

This is something that also depends on the path. I don't wear any robes or specific clothes. I have performed rituals where new clothes were needed (a new start ritual for example), but other than that, I just don't feel like this is a necessity. Of course, that's a personal choice and if the clothes help with focusing energy or are consecrated, by all means, wearing them is a great thing.
Levitating Cat wrote: 3. Structure of the ritual itself and taking necessary precautions, especially when working with a deity: opening/closing the ritual, making sure everything's safe and you're not letting any "things" free etc.
This is why I said I will be happy if people can add info to the thread, because I don't follow any particular path and opening and closing rituals is not my thing. I don't cast circles and when I work with a deity, it's usually to ask for help, not invoke or evoke them. I don't work with ghosts and spirits either. It will be really interesting to read other points of view on structuring the rituals.

Re: Creating a simple ritual - a guide.

Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2014 4:30 pm
by Xiao Rong
Great post, YanaKhan! Adding this to The Witchcraft and Wicca 101 Table of Contents as essential reading!

Re: Creating a Simple Ritual - A Guide.

Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2014 4:41 pm
by YanaKhan
Thank you, Twilight Dancer and Xiao. I really hope this will be useful to members.

Re: Creating a Simple Ritual - A Guide.

Posted: Thu Aug 07, 2014 8:54 pm
by Mythasaurus_Rex
This was really helpful. Since I'm semi solitary I tend to write most of my own rituals and have always wondered if there was a structure to follow or a different way to do it than the way I was doing it. It's also really cool seeing how other people perform rituals differently than I do.

Re: Creating a Simple Ritual - A Guide.

Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2015 9:52 am
by theharmoniouscrow
I just wanted to say that I was linked here from another thread, and it has been most helpful, thank you.
I've been too terrified of consequences to actually _do_ any rituals/spells. I'm still reading, but this has quietened down some of my worries.
I'm still "in the broom cupboard" in all this, and slowly exploring all my options before I "come out" to my husband and other family.
I am thinking of ways to focus my intent... my thoughts... as I have wild ones that sometimes just slide into my head sideways and I struggle to shut them up. Even if I don't feel I summoned/called them myself!

I had a bad horse riding accident (11 years ago, at the end of September) and had a massive head injury. It's taken me a long time to get my new mind paths mapped, so to speak, and sometimes I have no control over what I am thinking/sending out - I'm working on that. I was hoping that a ritual, or some sort of focused intent would help me with this. I'm a lot better than I was even 5 years ago, but I'm a work in progress still!

I'm pretty much terrified of my thoughts sometimes. I've seen too many of my thoughts become manifest and I'm scared of the bad ones. But that's another story. :)

Re: Creating a Simple Ritual - A Guide.

Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2015 3:29 pm
by Argante
Not only this is incredibly useful, but also it really helps someone like me to to keep things simple and possible!

Thank you :)

Re: Creating a Simple Ritual - A Guide.

Posted: Sun Jul 23, 2017 9:14 am
by Alfazon
Thanks for this information, I have been trying to fine tune my rituals in order to maximise the effects of them. You break things down into a very simple way.

Thanks

Re: Creating a Simple Ritual - A Guide.

Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2018 10:17 am
by nightshroud
Thanks for the info, I really do appreciate it.

Re: Creating a Simple Ritual - A Guide.

Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2018 10:51 am
by HarmonyWay
Thank you....just getting started exploring my path.....it's sometimes overwhelming because of so much information. In life I keep things simple so why shouldn't that KISS plan work for me here in my path? Some things I've read are very complicated and I don't want to inadvertently perform a ritual and cause harm. This fear has stopped me in my tracks. I'm struggling to focus my intent. This really helped. Thanks again!!!!![SMILING FACE WITH SMILING EYES]

Blessings To All,
HarmonyWay