EXAMPLE OF A RITUAL FORMAT FOR CLEVELAND AREA PAGAN PRIDE DAY

NOON UNTIL 10PM AUGUST 28, 2010 AT BEDFORD PUBLIC SQUARE

by

Larry Cornett   

 

The work can begin by discussing our ideas in person and on-line; but soon, those interested will need to meet face-to-face. 

 

What we end up doing is up to those who join in organizing the rituals and associated workshops.

 

The concept that we have been discussing for the harvest ritual, based on sucessful magical rituals at other eclectic Pagan gatherings, is to have everyone wishing to participate:

*        Receive an outline of the ritual and instructions on what to do to prepare considerably before the ritual,

*        Have opportunities to attend workshops on portions of the ritual during our Pagan Pride Day in which participants prepare to lead key portions of the ritual.  The workshops should be in a variety of Pagan traditions.

*        Have simple and effective opportunities to simultaneously call upon the powers they work with and to channel their energy throughout the ritual, fully empowering the work (besides organizing the various portions of the ritual so that they work together harmoniously as a flow of group consciousness)

 

To get the ball rolling, below is an example of a large ritual etc. format that I have seen work very well at several Pagan gatherings involving hundreds of people from a wide variety of traditions.  Other formats are possible.  The important thing is that all participants are able to put their magic into the working.

 

*        During Pagan Pride Day periodically announce from the stage, etc. that we are distributing schedules and instructions for participation in the ritual (and perhaps items such as mojo bags that they can fill with herbs etc symbolizing the harvest, and tied with a long enough string to wear as a necklace).  The instructions would:

­          Outline the ritual and its purpose

­          Clearly show opportunities that all participants have to fully empower the magic during the course of the ritual. 

­          Include when and where individuals can participate in a workshop to help lead at least one aspect of the ritual

 

Have a series of 30 minute workshops during the afternoon and early evening of Pagan Pride day for people to learn how to take active roles in key aspects of the ritual, including

1.      Invoking North along with nature spirits (formatted and perhaps lead in a tradition with strong working relationships with the spirits and consciousness of the living earth) 

2.      East

3.      South

4.      West

5.      Goddess

6.      God

7.      Drumming

8.      Distributing cookies and juice (perhaps by children and organized in a family programming workshop)

 

Along with another eight workshop slots introducing various Pagan traditions, and the remaining sixteen workshop slots for other topics (eight of which are available for family programming)

 

A workshop on honoring the ancestors in the main ritual should also take place.  The ancestors could be called in an appropriate direction, or as another 4-minute aspect of the ritual, and led by people with a very strong tradition of working with one’s personal ancestors (examples include many African Spirit and Oriental traditions)

 

Focused ritual activities would begin at 7:30pm.  An outline of key aspects of an example ritual format are shown below

 

Start with a 5 min quiet time for people to center themselves in various locations throughout our venue and focus on the harvest that they will empower (and any associated talisman)

 

A procession with drumming and chanting (perhaps as long as 15 minutes)  through our Pagan Pride Day venue to the ritual area, picking up people and groups of people from various locations

 

 Volunteers smudge and aspirge the people as they come into the main ritual area and form a circle (with work groups for various key aspects of the ritual appropriately positioned), followed by

 

A harvest ritual weaving together harmoniously aspects from many traditions (estimated duration 74 min):

*        3 min Cast circle (with smudging, aspirging, etc. around the circle of people, and/or a rune circle, or perhaps simply holding hands with arms crossed and intoning Aloo, etc)

*        4 min grounding and centering (including further purification aspects)

*        16 min  Each direction is called primarily in a different tradition (3 min max each) while someone lights a torch in the direction, and ending with everyone intoning together for up to a minute something like “Spirits of the (direction) come” (while they call on the powers that they work with personally),

­          East

­          South

­          West

­          North, nature spirits

(Perhaps with ancestors in one of the directions or in the center)

*        4 min call Goddesses, perhaps beginning with a short and simple group intonation (perhaps something like “Come to us now oh Goddess” four times while calling the powers from each direction to build a field of power upon which the Goddesses can manifest), then an invocation, and ending with a hail and welcome

*        4 min call Gods perhaps  formatted similarly to the Goddess portion

*        2 min a brief attunement to the powers invoked and to the harvest that we will empower together

*        10 min drumming, chant and  dance to raise a cone of power that is released into vision of harvest achieved

*        2 min Ground

*        15 min juice and cookies (starting in several directions simultaneously)

*        12 min Thank powers invoked (2 min each) for protecting the event and for their participation in the harvest working

*        2 min Circle ending

 

Then open drumming and dance celebration until 15 min before public part of PPD ends

 

Nothing is finalized on this, and other effective formats are possible.  I am sharing this information at this time to see what people think of the general concepts and to ask you to join us.

 

Blessed be and Never Thirst!

 

Larry Cornett   lcornett@en.com  (216) 583-0007  

 

 

http://www.clevelandpaganpride.org

http://forum.clevelandpaganpride.org 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GrClevePPD

 

PS:

 

Among the broad categories of traditions that it would be desirable have represented during our rituals and workshops at our Pagan Pride Day are:
1. African Spirit (Ifa, Santeria, Voudoun, etc)
2. Asatru
3. Ceremonial Magick (Thelemic, Golden Dawn, Goetia, Hermeticism, etc.)
4. Druid
5. Eclectic
6. Hindu
7. Kemetic (Egyptian Paganism)
8. Native American (Traditional Tribal, etc.)
9. Oriental (Buddhist, Taoist, Shinto, etc.)
10. Pagan Reconstructionist
11. Shamanism
12. Sufi
13. Tibetan Buddhism and Bon
14. Wicca (Traditional and Eclectic)