Devotions and Ritual

I am the type of person who needs to have some kind of tangible, concrete way of connecting with the Gods and wights on a regular basis to keep my head screwed on properly.  Devotional work and formal ritual are a way of doing just that, keeping Their blessings with me after the devotions and rituals for extended periods of time.

I do make a distinction between devotional practice and ritual --

Devotional practice is usually a non-formal, non-ceremonial way of directly gifting or addressing a Deity or wight, such as pouring a Deity or wight a libation as an offering and/or burning a candle or incense, and working with prayer beads.

A ritual usually involves an outline and can be simple or very complex, but is often done with props and serves to be a formal way of connecting with the Divine, bringing Them into our space just as we bring ourselves into Theirs.  There is an exchange of respect, and of love.  The world, and Their worlds, are made a holier place for it.

It could be said that the biggest differentiation between a devotion and a ritual is that the ritual serves more as a "conductor" for opening the veil between worlds, whereas devotional practice is more like saying "hi".

Furthermore, the purpose of a ritual is usually to honor the importance of a particular time, often fixed, whereas the purpose of devotion is to grow closer to the Deity and to feel Them at your side and within you.  A ritual pushes a large amount of energy that can be useful for various purposes, whereas devotion sets a continual flow back and forth.  Devotional practice is the foundation that makes or breaks the "show" of ritual.  Both are necessary, although your mileage can and will vary depending on how often you personally need to do it.

In terms of doing formal ritual, I have an easier and better time going by the eight-holyday Wheel of the Year for the full ceremonial experience, and in addition to the eight holidays of the Wheel, I do periodic fainings/húsel to specific Deities, most often my patrons, Frey and Gerda.  With both formal rituals and private húsel, I am still very much on the "low tech" end of things.  I don't need a lot of tools and arcane symbolism to raise power and commune with the Gods, and my fainings in particular have a very "cozy" feeling to them that may not be appreciated by more "High Church" types.  For example, I know of some Pagans who like to have a large bonfire or have sparklers and fireworks at their Midsummer rites.  While I think this is fine, practicality and my desire not to burn my home down dictate having a less "showy" ritual, and even with more space than I used to have, I still keep to a smaller format.  It's easier for me to "work between worlds" with less steps to remember and things to put together, anyway.

Some people are very devotionally and ritually oriented, and need this to stay grounded.  Others can do with the bare-bones minimum while still feeling the Gods with them.  Neither of these ways are wrong, just different.  However, the problem with the former is often not having enough time for mundane existence or to lose sight of the sacred in the mundane.  The problem with the latter is the danger of feeling the Gods are not interested in us, and so being casual and even flippant when it comes time to pay respects.  The important thing overall is that if you feel the need for more rituals, they should be implemented in a practical way, and whether or not it is "doing it wrong" by historical standards, we will never know, because most of our knowledge of what they did was completely gone.  I obviously do not think anything can be pulled out of one's rear and be called a spiritual practice, but if you are thoughtful about the components of your spirituality and it makes sense, and the Deities are being honored respectfully... it's not a bad thing.

How to Hold a Good Group Ritual

On Making Offerings: What to Offer

Blot, Faining, Sumble, Húsel: A Guide to Ritual Terminology

An Outline for Faining and Húsel

On Performing Sumble



THE WHEEL OF THE YEAR

An Overview of My Personal Wheel of the Year

Feasting on the Holytides: Recipes and Stuff


Feast of the Dead
October 31st thru Nov 2nd

An Outline for Yule Celebration
December 21st thru Jan 2nd

Charming of the Plough
February 2nd

Eostre
March 21st or Spring Equinox

Walpurga's Night and May Day
April 30th and May 1st

Litha (Midsummer)
June 21st or Summer Solstice

Lammas (Loaf-Fest)
August 1st

Harvest
September 21st or Fall Equinox



DEVOTIONAL PRACTICE

The Importance of Devotion

Altars: A Home for the Gods

Daily Devotionals to Frey

Pocket Prayer Beads for On-the-Go

Poems and Prayers for Other Deities

Music for Creating Sacred Headspace