Creating ritual is an intuitive art, not an exact science, and while many Pagans incorporate ritual as a part of a specific spiritual path, you don’t have to identify as such to benefit from engaging with it. Ritual helps us mark important times in our lives and often accompanies significant rites of passage. For example, most weddings involve ritual of some kind, from reciting vows to exchanging rings. Another common form of ritual is used to help alleviate grief. Whether we are grieving the loss of a loved one or the end of a relationship, it can be therapeutic to create ritual to say goodbye and gain closure. Ritual can be simple or elaborate. You can personalize and create your own rituals, making them more meaningful to you and tailored to your specific needs. And while there are many time-honored elements of ritual that derive from various Pagan traditions that are beneficial (e.g., casting a circle), the most important thing is your intent.
All the chapters in this book conclude with a pathworking and ritual specific to each astrological archetype and associated goddess. Essentially, a ritual usually contains a set of actions, words, and visualizations that help us focus our energy to connect with our personal subconscious, as well as the collective unconscious, the universe, or deity. Some rituals enable us to direct our energy toward attaining a specific goal, while others facilitate a deeper experience of the specific energies we choose to work with. For example, many of the rituals in this book help us align with the archetypal energies of a particular goddess because we want to bring the qualities she embodies into our lives.
For the rituals in this book, you may want to take the time to prepare yourself and your space or to gather certain items to help you focus your intentions. See the following sections for some basic elements that you may want to incorporate for beginning and concluding your ritual. For a simple ritual, you may feel that clearing your space and grounding and centering are sufficient. In fact, I suggest clearing, grounding, and centering for any ritual or ceremony. Please use your intuition as a guideline and feel free to experiment. What works for one person doesn’t always work for another.
A Note on Pathworkings in This Book
Although the term pathworking originates from working with the pathways of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, it has more recently become cognate with guided meditation that is designed to take you on a spiritual journey or visualization. This is how I intend the use of the term in this book.
For the pathworkings in this book, it is to your benefit to be in a safe and quiet space where you know you won’t be interrupted for at least fifteen to twenty minutes. Remember to turn off your phone. Wear loose, unrestrictive clothing, and sit comfortably or lie down. If you need extra physical support, use cushions or bolsters. Clear your space with sage or incense or by burning essential oils before you begin. (Some chapters include a particular incense or oil blend for a pathworking that aligns with a certain goddess, which will deepen your connection to her attributes. However, if you do not have that specific incense or oil, you can still do the pathworking, but do use sage to clear your space instead.) Several Savitri breaths will help to calm any mind chatter and prepare you to relax into a receptive state. Savitri Pranayama is a simple rhythmic breathing technique that is useful for calming, concentration, and focus. You can engage with this yogic breathing technique in sequences of four-two-four-two, six-three-six-three, or eight-four-eight-four. For example, breathe in to the count of four. Hold for the count of two. Breathe out to the count of four. Hold for the count of two. If you are interested in learning more about this or other beneficial breathing techniques, consult a local yoga teacher. My sister Vaysha taught me this very useful technique when she was going through yoga teacher training and I was cramming for exams in my first year of college.
There are several ways you can engage with a pathworking: you can read it aloud, you can record yourself reading it and then play the recording, or you can memorize it. If you are working with a friend, one of you can read the pathworking aloud while the other journeys. When you finish your pathworking, take your time to get up, stretch, and come back into waking consciousness. Because you will likely be in a fully relaxed state, it’s a good time to write down anything that came up for you during your pathworking, including thoughts, feelings, sensations, images, and impressions. You may wish to get a special journal that you use for this purpose. You may also choose to draw what came up for you. Realizations, answers, and new insights often arise from pathworking.
Clearing Space and Grounding and Centering
Some of you may already have your own way of preparing for ritual or magickal work, and there are as many different ways as there are practitioners. The following are some helpful basic techniques drawn from various practices. There are many great resources available if you wish to learn about any of the following in more detail.
Clearing Space
Before grounding and centering, it is wise to clear the space you’ll be working in. This can be as simple as just burning some incense or essential oil or lighting some sage to smudge the area. Not only does clearing the space you’re about to work in reset and banish negative energy, but it also gives your subconscious a cue that something special or out of the ordinary is about to take place. Sage, cedar, and palo santo are all excellent smudges that you can purchase in most natural-food or metaphysical stores.
Light your smudge wand and walk counterclockwise around the circumference of the space where you’ll be performing your ritual. Visualize the smoke carrying away any unwanted energy. If you are working indoors, open a window so the smoke can escape. You might want to say a few words to affirm your intention, such as “This space is now clear and clean of any and all unwanted energies. I am protected and safe.” I also like ringing a bell three times or once at each corner of the room after I smudge. Ringing a bell is an ancient practice used by many cultures to clear the air. Additionally, I find that physically tidying up the area first helps me concentrate better, so the laundry in the corner or the pile of dishes that need to be washed doesn’t distract me.
Grounding and Centering
Grounding and centering before ritual helps focus our intent, subtly shifting our awareness toward the work we’re about to do. After grounding and centering, you will likely feel a sense of deep calm and focused awareness as you begin your ritual. When the ritual is finished, it is helpful to repeat your grounding and centering process, as you always want to come back to center. Think of energy as just that—energy. For example, electricity is a form of energy that helps us do all kinds of things when channeled and focused for specific purposes, but you wouldn’t want too much of it coursing through the air or through your body! Likewise, excess energy that isn’t properly grounded after a ritual can make you feel scattered, irritated, amped up like you’ve had too much coffee, or worse. Drinking water or eating something after ritual work can help you ground. Avoid sugar and stimulants like caffeine, and opt for protein instead, such as cheese, tofu, nut butter, or eggs. Going for a walk or a bike ride or doing some yoga can also bring you back into your body. Another great way to ground yourself after a ritual is to take a bath in Epsom or sea salts. You want to leave your ritual feeling relaxed yet invigorated, confident that you directed the energy toward your goal.
Music, Drumming, and Movement
Once you have cleared your space and grounded and centered, you may wish to further shift your awareness by listening to meditative drumming music or playing a drum (if you have one) to achieve a light trance state in which you are still alert but operating from a slightly different level of consciousness. Movement and ecstatic dance are other useful ways to shift awareness and raise energy. Ecstatic dance is essentially a moving meditation that can help shift your awareness. It is also known as trance dance and is a freeform body-mind practice with no structured steps and no need for prior experience. While there are ecstatic dance centers in virtually every city and town, it is something that you can easily do in your own living room. Ecstatic dance brings you into a place where you can access the essential wisdom of the body, leaving you feeling a sense of release, peace, and heightened awareness. Do an internet search for trance dance or ecstatic dance music to find a playlist that works for you. One of the best-known teachers in this field is the late Gabrielle Roth, who founded the 5Rythms movement system in the late seventies.
Casting a Circle
Most magickal traditions include the casting of a protective circle before doing ritual work. The purpose of the circle is twofold: the first part is to concentrate and contain your energy while letting your subconscious know this is liminal and sacred space “between the worlds,” and the second part is protection. Working with energy is very real. The energy you raise is dynamic and immensely attractive, not only for aligning yourself with your chosen deities and purposes but also to other energies that you might not want joining in the festivities.
Different traditions have various methods for circle casting, but the most important thing is to define your area and firmly declare that your space is sacred and contained. You can do this by walking clockwise around your space while using your pointing finger or the intention of your gaze to delineate the circle. I sprinkle salt around the circumference of my circle, salt being a time-honored substance used for protection and purification. However, sometimes it’s just not feasible to do all of this. Sometimes you need to do a quick ritual or cast a circle of protection around yourself on the fly in a public place. In this case, visualize yourself surrounded by a circle or sphere of glowing white light. Affirm silently that you are protected and safe.
Creating an Altar
An altar is an intentional space, a place to connect with aspects of your deeper self and also with deity. An altar can be as simple—a treasured raven feather found at the beach, some handmade incense, and a special stone—or as elaborate as you wish. There are many different kinds of altars and no right or wrong way to do them. You can have one altar or many throughout your home or property. Some altars are seasonal, changing to reflect points on the Wheel of the Year. Others are permanent, and dedicated to a certain deity. There are altars devoted to the ancestors and altars created to invoke a particular element. Whatever you choose to place upon your altar aligns you with deeper meaning and specific energy. You can dedicate an altar to one or all of the guiding goddess archetypes you will find throughout this book, as you feel drawn. For help designing your altar, look in the tables of correspondences at the end of each chapter for everything from crystals to colors associated with each sign.
I have several altars, both indoor and outdoor. The one in the studio where I see clients is seasonal, but there are some things on it that hold pride of place throughout the year. This particular altar also has something to represent each element: a barnacle-encrusted abalone shell found on the west coast of Vancouver Island represents water, a feather found on a kayaking trip summons air, a very special black moonstone sphere stands for earth, and a handmade candle infused with cedar and vanilla calls in fire.
I also have altar boxes where I store beautiful remnants of cloth in different colors for draping my altars, as well as objects, photographs, pieces of driftwood, crystals, statues, and special mementos discovered while traveling. As the seasons change, or as I feel inspired, I can go to my altar boxes and choose from a treasure trove of shimmering silks and sumptuous velvets in a myriad of colors to create a new feeling and channel a particular energy. Near Samhain, for instance, I might use a burgundy velvet shawl as a base and layer it with a length of antique black lace. On top of this I might add some acorns, autumn leaves, and a bell on a piece of aged ribbon brought from the old country by my grandmother.
An altar can be a secret corner in a bookshelf or a grand display in your foyer that greets each person who visits your home. A dresser top, an old table, an interesting piece of driftwood dragged home from the beach, or a flat-topped rock all work well as bases. Be creative! Here are some tips to create a visually striking altar:
• Place the tallest objects at the back or on each side of a center piece.
• Employ the design rule of three or five main objects.
• Use a riser to elevate small objects or little statues. Purchase plexiglass risers in any size from a retail-supply shop or get creative and use another object instead (for instance, I currently have a bronze statue of the goddess Danu perched on top of a small cauldron on my altar).
• If you can’t find an appropriate object to use as a riser, cover the makeshift riser with a small square of silk fabric.
• Make an interesting backdrop by placing a book with an evocative cover against the wall behind your altar.
A Note on Recipes in This Book
Many of the chapters include recipes for handcrafting incense and essential oil blends related to the Sun signs and corresponding guiding goddess archetypes. Here you’ll find some guidelines and instructions that will assist you in preparing the recipes.
Aromatherapy uses the properties of certain scents from the essential oils of trees, barks, resins, herbs, and flowers to heal, promote well-being, and create a desired physiological effect. Scent molecules can be inhaled from a single oil or combined to create a synergistic blend that is more than the sum of its parts. The scent infuses the air you breathe and connects with the olfactory system, the brain, and the limbic system, which can produce therapeutic and psychological effects, such as stress relief, focus and clarity, balancing hormones, and soothing anxiety. Scents can also be used to attune with magickal correspondences and for meditation, ritual and ceremony, healing, and spiritual cleansing.
Mixing Essential Oils
Glass blending bottles: ½- to ¼-ounce containers with lids
Other types of containers, depending on what you’re making: e.g., spritz bottle for face or room spray
Glass dropper or toothpicks for transferring oil
Cotton balls for testing blend
Gloves
Basic Ratio Guide for Various Purposes
Face spritzer: 4-ounce bottle, 20 to 24 drops with purified water (1%)
Room spray, body spray, or anointment: 4-ounce bottle, 40 to 48 drops in purified water (2%)
Oil burner, diffuser, or vaporizer: can be used neat
You can play with the ratios to get a scent exactly where you want it. Sense of smell is subjective, and everyone will have different preferences.
You can burn the oil in an essential oil burner or vaporizer, put it in a tub, or add purified water to turn it into a spritzer.
You may wish to use a carrier oil if using as anointing oil; sweet almond, jojoba, grapeseed, and olive oil are good choices. Let the newly created oil rest for a day or two in a dark place so the oils can harmonize and deepen.
Making Incense
Charcoal tablets
Tweezers
Measuring spoons
Metal or glass bowl for mixing
Mortar and pestle
Large seashell or incense burner
Incense sand if using a shell (easily obtained in most metaphysical supply shops or online)
Small glass jar with lid, or small sealable plastic bags
Mix your ingredients together in a metal or glass bowl or directly into your mortar and pestle. Grind until the larger pieces of resin have broken down into tiny bits. You can grind them to a powder or create a coarser blend if you prefer. Many ingredients are available already ground. If you wish, you may consecrate your incense to the goddess of your choice by stating your intention in your own words: for example, “I hereby consecrate this incense to Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth.” You can state this before you begin or when you are finished. It also helps to focus your intent by having iconography of the goddess you wish to work with nearby, on an altar, or on the counter beside your workspace.
You may wish to start with a very small batch to test, using a quarter teaspoon for each part. This way you can test the incense and adjust it to your preference.
Most incense is ready to use immediately. Put the remainder into your jar or bag. Label the container and store it in a dark, cool place.
To burn, place the charcoal tablet on the incense burner; if using a shell or other heatproof dish, fill the dish with sand and then place charcoal tablet on the sand. Light the charcoal and allow it to burn for a few minutes, until it begins to turn whitish-gray. Use the tweezers if you need to handle or reposition the charcoal tablet, as it gets very hot. Place a pinch of incense on top of the charcoal.
A Bath to Ground and Center
after a Ritual or Divination
After a particularly busy day of counseling and astrological consultations, I find this bath just the cure for energy overload. I highly recommend it after a ritual, divination, or just a long day of inadvertently absorbing other people’s energy. The salt is both purifying and protective, drawing out and cleansing. It’s also helpful for soothing aching muscles, which can be a side effect of carrying stuff that doesn’t belong to you. The essential oils work on a subtle level, adding their therapeutic benefits to calm and reset. Make sure you use good-quality, therapeutic-grade oils. Above all, you don’t want to use synthetic oils, as they don’t have any real benefits. Add one or two cups of bath salt to running water. Make a batch ahead of time and store it in labeled jars for any time you need an extra boost to ground or cleanse your energy.
Grounding and Purifying Bath
5 cups Epsom salts
Approximately 60 drops essential oils
For grounding: sandalwood, patchouli, cedar, clary sage
For purifying: cypress, juniper berry, rosemary, ginger
1 cup baking soda
Choose at least one oil from each category (e.g., cedar and rosemary). Use your judgment in terms of how much scent you want. Start with a small amount like 4 to 5 drops per 1 cup of salt and add more according to your preference. I usually go with at least 10 drops total for each cup, for a more aromatic experience.
Mix oils into Epsom salts thoroughly in a large metal or glass mixing bowl. Stir in baking soda. Scoop into mason jars and cover. The oils keep best if stored in a dark place. Feel free to mix and match the scents using your nose and your intuition. You might even want to make a few different blends to have on hand. Remember to label each jar so you know which essential oils are in each batch. Makes 6 cups.