How to Hold a Good Group Ritual

If you come into contact with other Northern religionists or even other Pagans whose company you enjoy, the chances are good you will be participating in a group ritual at least once.  While we already went over ritual etiquette in another article on this site, now we come to what makes a good group ritual in the first place.

I am a member of a Kindred (Iron Wood Kindred), that being said its membership is scattered and the bulk of my religious practice is done at home with my partner.  I don't really participate in the Pagan "scene" out here very often, for reasons I won't get into publicly.  I have experienced enough group ritual to know when it's good and when it's made of FAIL, so to speak, and I will be attending group rituals in the future at Etin-Moot and perhaps other places.

When you're working with a group that you are a member of, whether a Kindred or coven or something else, the ritual dynamic is different than an open circle where anyone can participate and the crowd will vary in size (as in Pagan Pride Days, Pantheacon, etc).  If it is just you or your hearth (as in, immediate family or closest companions), the dynamic of your ritual is also going to be that much different than a group.  I was a Gydhia of a tiny Kindred in Connecticut for 2 years and the duty of writing a ritual outline and doing the main warding and invocations fell on me.  (I have seen more egalitarian groups where Godhar duties are traded off depending on what Deity is being honored and who is closer to that Deity, and I cannot say which type of Kindred is the norm.)  Generally for my deepest religious experiences I prefer them to be private, but ritual in a group setting can be good for strengthening the community's bond to the Gods, as well as to each other.

My experience as a Gydhia taught me something valuable about how to hold a good ritual -- and how to not hold a good ritual.

First of all, if you are "leading" the ritual, think of yourself as a "conductor".  I mean that both in the sense of electricity and orchestras.  You are "conducting" a flow of energy between Midgard and the realms of the Gods and wights, "rending the veil" so to speak and truly making the phrase "as above, so below" a reality.  You bring the Gods to the people, and the people to the Gods.  In my not-so-humble opinion someone leading a ritual in this capacity needs to be competent at invoking the Gods, as well as sensitive to the presences of the Gods and wights, including whether or not the offerings are acceptable/accepted.  Also, the priest should not be "hogging" all of the religious duties.  I am not going to say which to do yourself and which to give out, as this will vary depending on the group's size and so on, but generally in a group ritual I would say there should be at least two other people doing primary duties and there should be a way for the group to actively participate.

In my own rituals I like to have as my two people someone competent at hallowing/warding, and someone competent at serving a horn.  The first person who should hallow and ward the stead at the beginning of the ritual and then consciously maintain the frithful energy bounds of the stead, with the intent of peace and good will.  The second person should be able to load and charge the horn with intent, and serve it to each person with a blessing, by which I mean actual energetical intent, not just empty words spoken.  There is a big difference in being served by a Valkyrie who is proud to be there and cares for your well-being, and a Valkyrie who just wants to look fabulous at the ritual and doesn't give a shit.

I feel that the group participation should be something more than everyone giving a simple hail and chugging the horn.  I don't necessarily think it should get into each person having a 2-hour speech of "I'd like to thank the Aesir for this award..." but when a Deity is hailed it should be done mindfully.  You are not just hailing a Deity to parrot what every other person is doing in the ritual, you are giving worth to Their name.  Think of the word "hail" as being cognate to "hale", as in "health" and "wholeness".  You are giving some of your power to Them, and taking some of Their power into you.  It is an exchange -- a gift for a gift.

I personally feel that the group should feel connected to the reason why they have gathered, so if you are there for a Wheel of the Year type ritual there should be some kind of group activity corresponding with the season.  The most obvious one would be decorating a tree and/or gifting each other and the Gods and/or wassailing at Yuletide, the next obvious one would be dancing around the Maypole.  No matter what the holytide is, there is some way to bring the seasonal element to the people and give a tangible way to understand what is happening, and why.  The blessing of these types of rituals stays within the person a lot longer, and in any event keeps them more mindful of the holy in their lives.

The ritual itself can be as complex or simple as you like, although certainly you'd want to get a feel for the needs of those who are attending.  The ritual should not just be a "watch the Godhar show off" event.  On the other hand, it should be worth the time and trouble involved in traveling to the event.  Before leading any ritual, I like to have an outline of what is going to happen at specific points within the ritual, if not necessarily a script.  I agree that there can be many beautiful ecstatic experiences from a spontaneous, go-with-the-flow sort of ritual, but that's not my style, and I own that it's not my style while it may be the preference of others.  I allow enough room in the outline for some kind of "ad-lib" invocations that come from the heart of the moment, and if a "happy accident" happens, it happens and it's not the Ragnarok (the Ragnarofl, maybe).

Ultimately what makes a good ritual are the principles of Mindfulness and Connection.  You don't need to be psychic to hold a good ritual but you should at least be of the understanding that you are dealing with very real Entities and it is not an occasion for casual familiarity unless They have specifically requested this of the ritual.  I feel that the texts are accurate in the account of the Germanic peoples kneeling before their Gods and having an awe of the holy, and this is something we seem to have lost in modern Northern Tradition.  While I am not afraid of my Gods, I know that They are Gods, beautiful and terrible.  To gift Them is a privilege, to call Them friend and receive Their blessings is a privilege.  So, I would want to make Their experience of my gift a worthy thing.

(C) 2008 Sigrun Freyskona.