Durham N.C. Rituals Page
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The Durham, North Carolina, Circle of
who pursue a deep understanding and practice of Paganism
for the betterment of one and all.
This page is the rituals page for the Durham Circle of The Sacred Order of Living Paganism - a Pagan spiritual order. Some rituals are also available for download as pdf files.
Introduction
CENTER: Tonight, we will perform a rite of ______ to the Sacred Order of Living
Paganism.
If you wish to take part in this ceremony, please gather around the altar
in a circle and come close enough to take hands. Please introduce yourself
by offering a blessing to all, stating your title (if you have one,) your
public or ritual name, and your place of origin. After each introduction,
we will welcome and honor you. For example, I would say: “Bright Blessings
to you all. I am [ritual title and name] of [location].”
And you would respond: “Greetings [title and name]. We welcome and honor
you.”
(Begin introductions, deosil. When done:)
Welcome one and all to this ritual of dedication. Please now take a large
step backwards as I prepare our ritual circle.
State
Intention
CENTER: I will now state our intention and then light the working candle:
We gather here to _____ This is our intent. (light working candle)
Banish
and Purify
CENTER: I will now banish and purify this space.
If any ill intent here be, by these sounds I banish thee
(Banish old energy, ring bell at altar quarters, widdershins)
EAST: By Air, we sanctify (raise working candle)
SOUTH: By Fire,
we sanctify (Touch athame to fire, draw pentagram)
WEST: By Water, we sanctify (Pour water in chalice)
NORTH: By Earth, we purify (put dipping stone in water and draw circle, deosil)
GOD AND GODDESS: Through the blessings of the Goddess and the God, we claim
this space sacred.
(Place tip of athame into chalice)
Cast
the Circle
ACOLYTE: I will now go around the circle and ask if each of you wish to be
part of this rite. If you do not wish to be part of the circle, feel free
to watch from just outside. You are welcome either way. When asked, how do
you come to this circle, the traditional response is, in perfect love and
in perfect trust, but you may respond however your heart desires. After the
blessing, please step forward into the circle.
(Go around the circle of people clockwise and ask:)
Do you wish to be part of this circle?
How do you come to this circle?
Welcome to this circle of love and trust. Blessed Be
When done, say:
In this circle now we spin, let the magick rite begin.
May we feel safe and sure for the work we shall procure. So Mote It Be.
I invite you to take this wand and offer your energies and blessings to the
circle.
(pass wand around circle)
Ground
and Center
CENTER: We will now ground and center. If you wish to participate, please
close your eyes. Take a moment to ground yourself with Mother Earth and Father
Sky. Center yourself. Clear your mind and focus your thoughts and energies
on this circle. Put away all mundane concerns and allow this time to be a
gift to yourself. If you wish, you may take this time to connect with your
personal deities. We will use a soft humming sound to center. Begin now and
continue until you hear the ringing of the bell.
Set
The Four Quadrants
CENTER: We will now create a sacred space within a magickal circle by calling
on the four directions and the three deities. Then, we will fill this space
with our energy. (May sing chant “Welcome Spirits”)(ACOLYTE lights
candles)
EAST: Guardians
of the East, element of Air, realm of the mind, direction of the rising sun
and new beginnings, come to us. We look to you to _____
Hail and welcome.
Blessed Be!
SOUTH: Guardians
of the South, element of Fire, realm of the heart, direction of the noonday
sun and fortitude, come to us. We look to you to_____
Hail and welcome. Blessed Be!
WEST: Guardians
of the West, element of Water, realm of the soul, direction of the setting
sun and endings, come to us. We look to you to _____
Hail and welcome. Blessed Be!
NORTH: Guardians
of the North, element of Earth, realm of the physical, direction of the dark
of night and renewal, come to us. We look to you to_____
Hail and welcome. Blessed Be!
Call
the Deities
CENTER: We will now honor the deities through the following litanies. If you
wish to join in , please respond by saying “come to us” after
each line:
GOD: O great
Goddess, {come to us.}
Mother of us all, {come to us.}
Blessed Mother of the Earth, {come to us.}
She, whose face shines in the silver moon, {come to us.}
She, who wraps us in her arms of love, {come to us.}
Bless these new seekers of your ways, {come to us.}
Bless their souls that they may know experience greater love, {come to us.}
Bless their bodies that they may experience true joy, and happiness, {come
to us.}
Join us now, O sweet Lady, {come to us.}
O Goddess of the Moon, great feminine one,
bless this circle of dedication and all work within it done. [light candle]
GODDESS:
O Great God, {come to us.}
Father of us all, {come to us.}
Blessed Father of the sky, {come to us.}
He, whose face shines in the golden sun, {come to us.}
He, who fills us with sacred light, {come to us.}
Bless these new seekers of your ways, {come to us.}
Bless their minds that they may know greater wisdom and understanding, {come
to us.}
Bless their hearts that they may know a greater love, {come to us.}
Join us now, O great Lord, {come to us.}
O God of the Sun, great masculine one,
bless this circle of dedication and all work within it done. [light candle]
CENTER: For the next litany, please respond with the words “Let us be present.”
ACOLYTE:
O sacred Child, {let us be present.}
Mystery of all, {let us be present.}
Great miracle of creation, {let us be present.}
You, whose face shines in the starlit heavens, {let us be present.}
You, who gives us the strength of life, {let us be present.}
Bless these new seekers of your ways, {let us be present.}
Bless them deep within that their true selves, {let us be present.}
Bless them in all ways so that they may experience deep mysteries, {let us
be present.}
O Child of the Stars, great mysterious one,bless
this sacred circle and all work within it done. [light candle.]
Raise
Energy
CENTER: We will now fill this circle with our energies of love and sharing.
To raise energy, I will ask that you take hands and begin chanting together.
Allow this sound to stir the energy deep within you. Bring that loving energy
to the circle. Let your inner self be free and open for you are safe here.
We will end at the sound of the bell. Let us begin.
(May sing “Within This Ring Of Power”)
Close
the Circle
CENTER: And now we all this circle enclose. Within its bonds let no troubles
dispose.
With love and trust shall we hold fast. For now, at last, the circle is cast.”
[ring bell]
(May sing “We Are A Circle”)
Ritual
[insert specific ritual led by RITUAL LEADER]
Sharing
CENTER: Before we close this ritual, we will take a few moments to let you
share your thoughts and feelings about this ritual or about anything you wish
to express.
[allow participants to openly speak and share their experiences or other concerns.]
Completion
CENTER: Now we will end this ritual:
Now this circle we undo, for the magick rite is through
Let this sacred work befall for the good of one and all. So Mote It Be.
Release
Deities
ACOLYTE: O Child of the Stars, great mysterious one, with you our work here
has now been done.
If you have come to bless this rite, we thank you now for your bright light.
GODDESS:
O God of the Sun, great masculine one, with you our work here has now been
done.
If you have come to bless this rite, we thank you now for your bright light.
GOD: O Goddess of the Moon, great feminine one, with you our work here has
now been done.
If you have come to bless this rite, we thank you now for your bright light.
Release Quadrants
WEST: Guardians of the West depart, to your watery realm impart.
Bless all here gathered in true mind and heart. Hail and Farewell. Blessed
Be!
SOUTH: Guardians
of the South depart, to your fiery realm impart.
Bless all here gathered in true mind and heart. Hail and Farewell. Blessed
Be!
EAST: Guardians
of the East depart, to your airy realm impart.
Bless all here gathered in true mind and heart. Hail and Farewell. Blessed
Be!
NORTH: Guardians
of the North depart, to your earthly realm impart.
Bless all here gathered in true mind and heart. Hail and Farewell. Blessed
Be!
Ground
CENTER: Before we bring this ritual to a close, I invite each of you to take
a moment to ground your energy. You may do this by silently concentrating
on returning your energy to the earth. One of the best ways to do this, however,
is to give warm hugs to all who have participated here after the circle is
open. (Ground.)
Open
the Circle
CENTER: Let these blessings we bestow like a seed, take root and grow.
For the circle now is open but let these bonds remain unbroken.
So Mote It Be. [ring bell]
Bow [place hands together]
CENTER: From Mind [touch forehead] and Heart [touch center of chest]
and Body [cross hands across chest] and Soul [drop hands open in front of
you],
let is now in love and peace grow.
And from the Spirit from which we all came, [bow]
Merry Meet, Merry Part and Merry Meet again! Blessed Be!
Cakes and Ale
Ritual
Will those who wish to dedicate please come before us?
(initiates come into circle before altar)
You have professed that you are spiritually and emotionally prepared to begin
a deeper practice of our ancient art. Is this so? (initiates respond)
As such, then we will prepare you to continue your journey but before doing
so we must know. Will you respect the 13 Principles of the Order? [response]
Will you respect and follow the 5 Precepts of the Order:
To live as you will to your full potential - without causing harm to yourself,
to
others, or to the earth.
To respect and promote all others who seek no harm to live as they will.
To live not by the rule of others but by the right intent of self.
To live and act always with honor.
To live in joy believing that what is sent is returned. [response]
Will you accept the responsibilities inherent in seeking a higher level of
study by helping others both within and beyond this circle and by seeking
help when it is needed?
[response]
I now ask the others here who are with us in this circle: will you seek to
help and support these dedicants on his/her/their journey for greater knowledge
and understanding continues? (circle responds)
and finally, I ask the spirits that are here with us to bless [this dedicant]
as the journey to understand is continued (silence) Before recognizing you
as Seekers, we offer this final challenge:
As a Seeker of the Order, we challenge you to honor this and all spiritual
teachings, to respect and honor all practitioners of this and all sacred paths
and to respect and honor yourselves as unique and sacred beings as you follow
this path. Do you accept this challenge? (response)
All those here gathered in physical and spirit form join me in honoring you
as new Seekers in the Sacred Order of Living Paganism. As a token of your
dedication to this path, you have been asked to take on a pendant that is
meaningful to you. The color of the degree of seeker is white. We offer you
this white cord for your pendant to constantly remind you of your journey
to come. If you wish to accept this gift, I will offer a blessing and then
place the cord upon you. Let this cord be a daily reminder of this blessing
and of your committment to this work you have chosen to take upon yourself.
(put pendant on white cord. Place it in the hands of the dedicant and say
this blessing:)
With this white cord and pendant,
May your mind come to know wisdom.
For the good of one and all, Blessed Be!
(When done:) Let us now welcome these new Seekers and offer them our congratulations.
Each seeker will go around the circle. If you wish, please congratulate them
and offer them any words of advice or encouragement you wish.
Will those
who wish to be initiated into the first degree of the Durham Circle of the
Sacred Order of Living Paganismplease come before us?
(initiates come into circle before altar)
You have professed that you are spiritually and emotionally prepared to continue
onto a deeper practice of our ancient art. Is this so? (initiates respond)
As such, then we will prepare you to continue your journey but before doing
so we must know: will you continue to respect and observe the 13 Principles
and the 5 Precepts of the Order and will you accept the responsibilities inherent
in seeking a higher level of study by helping others both within and beyond
this Circle and by seeking help when it is needed?
(initiates respond)
I now ask the others here who are with us in this Circle: will you seek to
help and support this person on his/her journey for greater spiritual awakening
continues? (circle responds) and finally, I ask the spirits that are here
with us to bless this seeker as the journey to experience is continued (silence)
Before recognizing you as new practitioners, we offer this final challenge:
As a Practitioner of the Sacred Order of the Living Paganism, we challenge
you to honor this and all spiritual teachings and to respect and honor all
practitioners of this and all sacred paths. Do you accept this challenge?
As the first degree represents the spiritual journey from the element of Earth
east to the element of Air, I will now initiate you by the tool of that element.
Please take the form of the sacred pentagram so that you may be so initiated.
By the element of Air, I initiate you to the first degree of this path. (Initiates
stand with arms out and feet apart. Center touches the tip of the athame at
forehead, right foot, left hand, right hand, left foot, and forehead.)
All those here gathered in physical and spirit form join me in honoring you
as new Practitioners in the Sacred Order of Living Paganism. As a token of
your dedication to this path, you are given a pendant. The color of the degree
of practitioner is yellow. We offer you this yellow cord for your pendant
to constantly remind you of your continuing dedication to this journey. If
you wish to accept this gift, I will offer a blessing and then place the cord
upon you. Let this cord be a daily reminder of this blessing and of your commitment
to this work you have chosen to take upon yourself. (put pendant on yellow
cord. Place it in the hands of the initiant and say this blessing:)
With this yellow cord and pendant,
May your mind continue to know wisdom
and may your heart come to find greater love.
For the good of one and all, Blessed Be!
(When done:) Let us now welcome these new practitioners and offer them our
congratulations. Each one will go around the circle. If you wish, please congratulate
them and offer them any words of advice or encouragement you wish.
NEEDS:
yellow pendants
Will those
who wish to be initiated into the second degree please come before us?
(initiates come into circle before altar)
You have professed that you are spiritually and emotionally prepared to continue
onto a deeper practice of our ancient art. Is this so? (initiates respond)
As such, then we will prepare you to continue your journey but before doing
so we must know: will you contiune to respect and observe the 13 Principles
and the 5 Precepts of the Order and will you accept the responsibilities inherent
in seeking a higher level of study by helping others both within and beyond
this circle and by seeking help when it is needed?
(initiates respond)
I now ask the others here who are with us in this circle: will you seek to
help and support this person on his/her journey for greater spiritual awakening
? (circle responds) and finally, I ask the spirits that are here with us to
bless this seeker as the journey to experience is continued (silence)
You have already been initiated to the First degree by the element of Air
As the second degree represents the spiritual journey from the element of
Air south to the element of Fire, I will now initiate you by the tool of that
element. Please assume the form of the sacred pentagram so that you may be
so initiated. By the element of Fire, I initiate you to the second degree
of this path. (Initiates stand with arms out and feet apart. Center touches
the tip of the wand at forehead, right foot, left hand, right hand, left foot,
and forehead.)
All those here gathered in physical and spirit form join me in honoring you
as new priests and priestesses in the Sacred Order of Living Paganism. As
a token of your dedication to this path, you have been asked to take bring
your pendant. The color of the degree of priest and priestess is red. We offer
you this red cord for your pendant to constantly remind you of your continuing
dedication to this journey. If you wish to accept this gift, I will offer
a blessing and then place the cord upon you. Let this cord be a daily reminder
of this blessing and of your committment to this work you have chosen to take
upon yourself. (put pendant on yellow cord. Place it in the hands of the initiant
and say this blessing:)
With this red cord and pendant,
May your mind continue to know wisdom,
may your heart continue to find love
and may your soul and those who may know it come to embrace a greaterpeace
.
For the good of one and all, Blessed Be!
(When done:) Let us now welcome these new priests and priestesses and offer
them our congratulations. Each one will go around the circle. If you wish,
please congratulate them and offer them any words of advice or encouragement
you wish.
Will those
who wish to be initiated into the third degree please come before us?
(initiates come into circle before altar)
You have professed that you are spiritually and emotionally prepared to continue
onto a deeper practice of our ancient art. Is this so? (initiates respond)
As such, then we will prepare you to continue your journey but before doing
so we must know: will you contiune to respect and observe the 13 Principles
and the 5 Precepts of the Order and will you accept the responsibilities inherent
in seeking a higher level of study by helping others both within and beyond
this circle and by seeking help when it is needed?
(initiates respond)
I now ask the others here who are with us in this circle: will you seek to
help and support this person on his/her journey for greater spiritual awakening
? (circle responds) and finally, I ask the spirits that are here with us to
bless this seeker as the journey to experience is continued (silence)
You have already been initiated to the Second degree by the elements of Air
and Fire. As the third degree represents the spiritual journey from the element
of Fire west to the element of Water, I will now initiate you by the tool
of that element. Please assume the form of the sacred pentagram so that you
may be so initiated. By the element of Water, I initiate you to the third
degree of this path. (Initiates stand with arms out and feet apart. Center
touches with water at forehead, right foot, left hand, right hand, left foot,
and forehead.)
All those here gathered in physical and spirit form join me in honoring you
as new High Priests and Priestesses in the Sacred Order of Living Paganism.
As a token of your dedication to this path, you have been asked to take bring
your pendant. The color of the degree of High Priest and Priestess is blue.
We offer you this blue cord for your pendant to constantly remind you of your
continuing dedication to this journey. If you wish to accept this gift, I
will offer a blessing and then place the cord upon you. Let this cord be a
daily reminder of this blessing and of your committment to this work you have
chosen to take upon yourself. (put pendant on blue cord. Place it in the hands
of the initiate and say this blessing:)
With this blue cord and pendant,
May your mind continue to know wisdom,
may your heart continue to find love,
may your soul continue to embrace a greaterpeace ,
and may the work of your hands bless others always.
For the good of one and all, Blessed Be!
(When done:) Let us now welcome these new High Priests and Priestesses and
offer them our congratulations. Each one will go around the circle. If you
wish, please congratulate them and offer them any words of advice or encouragement
you wish.
RITUAL LEADER: With
the return of light that will begin with the this coming dawn, the strength
of the sun will begin to return and grow. This is a time to concentrate on
our dreams for the future and to add the growing strength of the sun to our
own hopes. I will pass around a yellow candle inscribed with the symbol of
the sun and other markings. I will pass the candle around the circle. If you
wish, please state a hope you have for the future. You may state a global
dream and /or a personal dream. You may make these statements aloud or in
silence to yourself and your deities. When you are through, pass on the candle
and close your eyes. Focus on the darkness that will be soon filled with light.
(Pass around the candle. When done:) Now, very slowly open your eyes to the
light of the yellow candle. Just like the sun will do at dawn, let the darkness
be slowly filled with light. Offer your thanks
RITUAL LEADER:
To celebrate Imbolc, I will invite each of you to do three things. The first
is to take on a Spring cleaning - not of your physical house (something you
can do later) but of your inner house. I will pass around some incense in
a seashell. This will symbolize each of the four elements, the smoke of the
incense represents air, the burning incense stick represents fire, the sea
shell represents water, and the incense cone made of natural herbs represents
earth. As the incense is passed around, feel free to allow it to cleanse you
inside. Think of something that might need to be cleaned out and removed.
If you wish, you can take a moment to speak your thoughts. Let the burning
incense burn out this old concept. Secondly, I will pass around some seeds.
Take a few of these seeds. Then, Take a moment to personally bless these seeds
and in putting positive energy into them so that they may grow strong in the
Spring. Take them home with you after the ritual and plant them in a location
where you can watch them grow. The strength of its growth will indicate the
strength of your upcoming Spring and Summer. When everyone has received their
seeds, we will sing a small chant to help direct our energy.
Thirdly, we will take a moment to ask a blessing for these candles to be used
in our upcoming rituals.
Light incense and pass around.
Pass around seeds.
Speak a blessing for the candles.