Spirited (20 page)

When I am feeling depleted, deflated, or generally bored, I will go for a walk and expose my body to the natural world. I visit my favourite spots and sit for a while to simply think and reflect. There is such pleasure and peace in that solitude, and in that moment of calm I am often inspired to perform a devotion—to call upon my gods and talk, laugh, and cry with them. This is the spontaneity of ritual.

Spontaneous ritual gives release when structured ritual cannot. It helps us to key into the primal impulse to imbue every moment of our lives with the sacred. Ours is not a Sunday religion; every moment of the journey is something to be remembered and embraced. Whether it happens to coincide with an auspicious date or not, spontaneous ritual allows us to revel in the brilliance of life.

Spontaneity also opens us up to the eternal spiral of the human spirit. Spontaneous ritual opens the door to such vibrant power that it can often become overwhelming. Your intent becomes the sharp precision of an arrow as it is fired at your goal.

The effects and atmosphere of a spontaneous working are something that can only be experienced. This chapter may have inspired you to drop this book and head for your sacred space. It is not always the desire to obtain or destroy something, but also the spiritual need to connect with the divine that invokes spontaneity. Often, that moment may not have been free for ritual. That hour may have been designated to studying or visiting a friend. However, when you feel that sudden urge to be spontaneous and ritualise, do not ignore it simply because you will feel guilty. It's never wrong to do something for oneself as long as it harms no one.

To fully immerse oneself in the spontaneity of a ritual is to abolish the mediator—the gestures, words, costumes, and tools. This is the core of spontaneous ritual.

Spontaneity is your ability to take hold of your life and work alongside the potential of life to achieve what you wish. With that in mind, promise yourself that when spontaneity kicks in, you will heed its call.

Rites of Passage

As youths, we encounter and cross many thresholds of growth and transformation. At times, these changes frighten us and shake our foundations. Exploring sexuality, graduation, relationships, and leaving home are the most common experiences and challenges faced by the youth of today. Below you will find rituals addressing each of these passages.

Free to Be Me!

This ritual focuses on sexuality and the link between sexual experimentation and youth. You are at your prime, and your curiosity is at its peak. Gay, straight, bi, or whatever, we are all sexual beings with the opportunity to love and be loved.

This ritual is designed to concentrate on and celebrate your sexuality. If you have reached the stage of acceptance concerning your sexuality, then this ritual will celebrate that passage into understanding and freedom. Ideally, this ritual should be performed on a full moon.

You will need:

Patchouli incense (stick variety)

Incense holder

Five red taper candles

Five candleholders or jars

A sheet of paper and a red pen

Cauldron or fireproof container

Before you begin the ritual, bathe, and allow yourself to explore the totality of your physical being. You shouldn't feel shame as your fingers trail across your skin. Clean yourself seductively, feeling the spread of orgasmic fire exhilarate your body. Concentrate on your root and sacral chakras. See them glow and spin brightly, energising your being and moving you into a sexual state of freedom and ecstasy. However, at the same time, you are in complete control of your body and your sexuality.

After bathing, tenderly dry yourself and go to your sacred space. You will need to be inside and in a private area where you will not be disturbed, as you will be performing this ritual skyclad.

Set the five red candles around you, ensuring that there is enough room for you to lie down and spread out. Light the candles, and stand in the centre of the circle, facing the direction of fire, and visualise a red orb growing around you, holding you tightly and warming your body. Feel the magnetic pull of wild sexual energy as it swirls around you and your own energy begins to dance.

Now light the patchouli incense and walk deosil, fanning the smoke with your free hand, drawing deeper into your trance state. Kneel when you have walked around the circle once, and place the stick of incense in the incense holder. Now take the sheet of paper and red pen, and draw the sexual symbol you identify with. For a gay male, it could be the interlinked Mars symbols; for a gay female, the interlinked Venus symbols; and for a straight person, the interlinked Mars and Venus symbols.

As you draw your symbol, understand that this is not an imposition but a unique expression of your freedom and pride. When the image is completed, write the following underneath:

Free to be me

By the power of three

Free to be me

So that I may see

What it is to be

Free to be me.

As you write the affirmation, reflect on your sexuality and how it shapes who you are and vice versa. Draw on your past experiences of sexual liberty and channel those emotions into the words.

Now lie back as if you were making a snow angel, with your arms and legs spread out. Visualise the spinning and pulsating orange and red light at your respective chakras and feel the energy sweep over your body, infusing you with sexual sparks. Allow the energy to take hold of your physical being and respond to it. When the energy reaches its peak, chant or shout the following:

Sexual freedom is mine to behold

For I am earth's son/daughter and thus I am told

That all acts of pleasure are sacred and bold

Sexual freedom is mine to behold!

As you recite the above, draw the power to a point and focus on channelling your desire and sexuality. Become completely involved in this release and allow the energy to affect your body. You may find that your abdomen will lift off the ground and that your body will arch slightly. On the last “behold,” release the energy and collapse. Give yourself some time to recuperate before you stand up. When you are ready, take the sheet of paper, offer it to the flame of the fire candle, and drop it into the cauldron while chanting the “free to be me” affirmation. The ritual is done.

School's Out!

School's out, and you've reached the end of your senior schooling; the prospect of further study or employment lies ahead. It's time to take on the world and make use of the skills you picked up at school. Graduation is not just a rash of parties; it also means leaving your comfort zone. The reality of the world hits home, and it's time to take charge.

This ritual aims to celebrate your passage from high school into the workforce, further study, travel, or whatever. It is a reflection on your friendships and experiences while at school and the endless possibilities of life. This ritual can be performed either before your graduation ceremony or afterwards.

You will need:

Dried rosemary

Yellow ribbon

Sandalwood essential oil

A sheet of paper and blue pen

One blue candle

Cast a circle, and light the blue candle. Reflect on the past five years or so and what you have learnt, life experiences included. Take the dried rosemary and tie the pieces together with the yellow ribbon. Light the end of the bundle using the candle's flame, and fan the smoke around you. Draw deeper into your memories, and allow images and scenarios to be invoked. Chant the following while channelling the energy of your overall experience:

The past is the past

And my eyes are on the future

For change is its gift and growth is its seed

Now is my path and now is my hour

This is my charge and this is my power.

Now, with pen in hand, write down the aspects, or qualities, of your personality that you would like to enhance. For instance, if you are heading off to university, you could write “patience” or “curiosity.” If you are planning on travelling the world, you could write “common sense” or “wit.” Concentrate on what it means to have the qualities you list, and then roll up the paper lengthwise and seal it with sandalwood oil and blue wax. Set the scroll in front of the blue candle, and stand to invoke the divine. Then pick up the scroll and hold it in both hands in a gesture of offering. See your gods bless the scroll. Then chant the following as you envision your own energy surrounding the scroll:

My future path is bound and blessed

By the gods and goddesses

And by the oil of sandalwood

May I know the things I should

Sealed by wax of azure blue skies

This scroll is imbued as my old year dies

For the path ahead is mine to create

This spell is cast by our Magick great.

The ritual is complete. Take the scroll with you wherever you go as a talisman for luck and success.

First-Time Lovers

This ritual is a celebration of your first relationship and of your commitment to your partner. This ritual is designed to be performed with your partner; however, you can adapt it for solitary use.

Before the day of the ritual, you will need to inform your partner of what you are planning on doing and go through the ritual with them. You also need to ask them to think about how they would like your relationship to grow and to bring a gift for you that embodies those ideas. You also need to bring a gift for your partner. This ritual is best done on a new moon.

You will need:

Two gifts

Rose essential oil

Five pink candles

Lavender incense (stick variety)

Before you cast the circle, set up your sacred space by arranging the five pink candles in a circle and lighting them around you deosil, giving yourself enough room for comfort. Turn to the east and recite the following while envisioning a pink mist gliding over you:

Place of the dawn, sacred Spirit

I call to thee to settle here

Loving tides of moist, sweet earth

Do I invoke to travel near.

Hold out your power hand and walk once around the circle deosil, envisioning the pink mist expanding to encapsulate the sphere of your circle. Say:

Bound and blessed by circle's run

By Mother Earth and Father Sun

And love shall twine as they do meet

And so do we; our love is sweet.

Return to the centre of the circle and kneel before your partner, interlinking fingers. Reflect on how the two of you met and the blossoming of your relationship thus far. Concentrate on love and how it makes you feel. Chant the following after a few minutes of quiet reflection:

Love is love and by it blessed

Are we whose hearts have courted fair

Between the God and sweet Goddess

We know, keep silent, and will, and dare.

Retrieve your gifts and turn to your partner. Pour a few drops of oil onto the index finger of your power hand and draw a love heart on the gift. As you hand your gift to your partner, say:

With love, from me to you.

Once both of you have exchanged your gifts, light the lavender incense and weave the smoke between you in an infinity pattern. Affirm the blessings of the divine upon you both as you intone:

So mote it be!

Understand that your words have given life to your intent. Be fully aware that a relationship will not always work out, and if so, vow to part peacefully.

To end the ritual, you can kiss. Open the circle by walking widdershins, imagining the pink mist dissipating into the air. Go out for dinner or a movie, and enjoy the rest of the night.

If you decide to perform this ritual alone, then you can adapt the ritual to specify that the next time you see your partner, you will give them the gift. To strengthen the intent, you may also like to visualise your partner in front of you during the ritual.

Home and Away: Setting Sail

There comes a time when the idea of independence urges one to leave home. This will initiate a new journey. This ritual helps to make that transition easier and helps to bring resolve. It's time to say goodbye to family and friends, and go out into the world to make a life for yourself.

You will need:

A river, stream, or creek

Sage incense

One green oak leaf

There is no need to cast a circle during this ritual, as the focus is on the flow of the river or stream you have chosen. Find yourself a place beside the river or, if you can, a stone or bridge across the river.

Before you begin, cleanse yourself by empowering your aura, visualising it as a white mist enshrouding your body. It grows in density and brightness as you focus on it. Feel it glide freely through your skin, renewing you.

Once you feel centred and cleansed, light the sage incense and smudge yourself. Now look to the river. Watch how the water moves, spiralling and undulating; it is a peaceful flow. As your meditation deepens, you may begin to see shapes and shadows playing in the water—the nymphs and undines. Their curling fins and scales reflect the effervescent light of the sun as it shines through the water. Become a part of that movement; be absorbed into the essence of the river. You are a free spirit on a journey of evolution and learning. You are on the verge of new and exciting experiences. It's time to let go, and trust in the divine. You will have enough money, you will have a safe and secure home, and you will gain new friendships. Change is inevitable, and you are the path on which it walks.