Peg Aloi
Music can inflame the mind, empower the spirit, and heal the heart. Many practitioners use music to enhance magical workings and ritual work. This article will explore the many uses of music for magical work and suggest some specific artists, recordings, and genres to help enrich your practice.
Music as a component of ritual has a number of different functions. It can be used to set the mood before the rite begins and during the rite itself as energy shifts and different events take place. It can help inspire and accompany movement. It can add drama to a particular piece of performance, such as an enactment of a mystery play or a harvest rite. It can help raise the energy to a more heightened pitch, or calm the energy for more meditative moments. Choosing the appropriate music for use in ritual can greatly enhance the experience for all practitioners.
Pagans are often very sensitive to the emotional associations of music, so the use of music in ritual can not only create powerful memories but also elevate our spiritual practice and imbue it with richness.
Think of moments in your life when you remember music playing, whether live or recorded. Chances are those memories include a social ritual of some kind, such as a wedding ceremony, a funeral, or an event honoring an achievement. Music is frequently also a way to mark occasions of victory or celebration, like the parties and receptions that follow more solemn ceremonies, and some songs become well-known theme music for clubs, sports teams, or other groups. Maybe you feel wistful when the radio plays a song that was special to you and a lover, or one that accompanied a deeply emotional time, such as the beginning or ending of a romance. Pagans are often very sensitive to the emotional associations of music, so the use of music in ritual can not only create powerful memories but also elevate our spiritual practice and imbue it with richness.
When working in a group setting, it is a good idea to have one person responsible for the music, making sure the volume level is appropriate and the music is cued to begin at the right time, and any other technical considerations. The speakers should be placed where they won’t be in the way or too loud for anyone standing or sitting near them. MP3 players or iPod docking stations have built-in speakers, but you can also get small separate speakers that can be placed discreetly on a shelf or table or in a corner. These are very convenient to use because you can create a custom playlist on them beforehand. Sad to say, most people do not use “mix tapes” anymore, but there are some die-hards out there who are still using this ancient technology! CDs can also be used, and a custom playlist can be recorded or burned beforehand.
Those of us who have been in the Pagan community a long time remember the days before the iPod when people collected music on CDs, and before that, cassette tapes, and before that, vinyl records! Cassettes allowed us to mix and match album tracks and record from the radio, giving us the freedom to put anything in a particular order. The mix-tape approach is particularly useful for ritual because we can control the timing of when the music plays to accompany specific moments. Nowadays, burning a CD or creating a playlist on iTunes takes the place of creating a cassette tape. Newer technologies make collecting and recording music much faster and easier.
But let’s return to the “good old days” for a moment. In the 1980s, when the Pagan movement was really starting to gain popularity, many covens and individuals used an eclectic assortment of music for their rituals, but the same music would turn up frequently among people in the community. Some music came from the 1970s. The soundtrack to the 1973 film The Wicker Man was popular (it contained both songs with lyrics and great instrumental pieces), although it was hard to obtain unless one recorded it from a TV broadcast. Another film soundtrack that many liked to use in ritual, odd as it sounds, was Mike Oldfield’s “Tubular Bells,” which was used in the 1973 film The Exorcist. Some people used Gregorian chant, which can be very atmospheric. One contemporary group with all women performing a cappella is Anonymous 4; their Christmas album On Yoolis Night is wonderful and provides some excellent choices to be used in Yuletide rituals.
English folk music, with musicians like Steeleye Span, Pentangle, and Donovan (“Season of the Witch,” anyone?), was popular with many Pagans in the 1980s. Traditional music from the other Celtic countries was also a popular choice, and this popularity grew as the Irish music revival swelled through the 1990s with shows like Riverdance and bands like Solas and Altan becoming popular in the United States. The instrumental music of John Renbourn (a founding member of Pentangle) is still used by my coven, particularly tracks from his excellent album The Lady and the Unicorn. Guitar, mandolin, flute, and other traditional instruments combined through Renbourn’s unique arranging style create a sound that is somehow both old and new. Celtic harp music is also very appropriate for ritual use; Alan Stivell is another artist whose work is on some of my coven’s ritual tapes.
As Paganism merged with the New Age movement, a lot of music arose that was very suitable for ritual (and was widely imitated).
Some of this music was very meditative, but some of it was more upbeat, incorporating various types of drums and percussion instruments. Gabrielle Roth was one artist whose work was widely used in ritual and still is by many. The appealing sounds from this kind of music later merged with other genres (such as Celtic and African, like the group Afro-Celt Sound System performs) and created whole new hybrid sounds, and these are now popularly used in ritual settings. The harp music of Andreas Vollenweider became popular in the mainstream culture of the 1980s, and some of it was heard in ritual use; the rhythmic string sounds accompanied by flute provided an upbeat but sometimes mysterious accompaniment to magical workings.
So far I’ve mainly mentioned music that is not necessarily intended to have any kind of Pagan association and yet can prove useful for ritual and magical use, but there is also a great deal of music that incorporates Pagan imagery, lyrics, and themes. Some artists even wrote songs ideal for use as ritual invocations, like Julie Felix’s songs from the late 1960s and early 1970s; my coven uses her songs “Clotho’s Web” and “Fire, Water, Earth & Air” (from a 1972 album) to this day for every circle casting. There can be no doubt that these songs were intended to accompany Wiccan rites back in the day! Some albums inspire love and devotion due to their Pagan sensibilities, such as Jethro Tull’s Songs from the Wood. More contemporary music by artists such as Loreena McKennitt are also well loved; songs like “All Souls Night” from her album The Visit make fans curious as to the artist’s own spiritual leanings.
How to Create an Effective Ritual Playlist
Most rituals begin with creating a sacred space. So when crafting your playlist, you should consider the order in which events occur and the relative timing of those events. It may be that the timing of your working could organically evolve to fit the chosen music as well.
Instrumental music is perhaps best for a ritual circle casting if words are spoken to cast the circle. If music with lyrics is used, it should be played softly enough that the words do not distract from the spoken-word elements. An exception to this is when the participants wish to sing along with the lyrics (as my coven does with Julie Felix’s songs); this can be a powerful magical working and can also take the place of other invocations. Contemporary rock artist Ginger Doss (formerly of the bands Velvet Hammer and Dream Trybe) has an upbeat song on her From Love to Love album called “Urban Elements” that goes through the elements in order, beginning with fire. I’ve always thought this would make a perfect invocation accompaniment. A song with an instrumental opening followed by lyrics could work too, such as Loreena McKennitt’s “The Mystic’s Dream.”
The energy of the songs you choose may be related to their tempo and instrumentation. Faster songs tend to create more energy; songs with percussion and complex arrangements are also higher-energy than those with fewer instruments. One reason I enjoy John Renbourn’s The Lady and the Unicorn is that the instruments used on this album’s arrangements (guitar, flute, fiddle) seem to blend seamlessly together to create a sound that is very evocative and also not too distracting. Some instruments have a unique sound that may be appealing for various reasons; many Pagans enjoy drumming of different cultures (like African or Middle Eastern) and unusual instruments like the didgeridoo, which originated in Australia.
One good way to determine the order of songs you choose for your playlist is to chart out the general structure and timing of your ritual, and choose music that will create a natural beginning, middle, and end, following the action of the ritual content.
One good way to determine the order of songs you choose for your playlist is to chart out the general structure and timing of your ritual, and choose music that will create a natural beginning, middle, and end, following the action of the ritual content. If there is a portion of your rite similar to a mystery play (like a harvest rite, for example), you should probably use instrumental music, unless you choose something with words particular to the ritual action. In that case, the music can actually stand in for any spoken-word activity.
The ending portion of a ritual is usually celebratory, as cakes and wine are shared. During this portion, my coven often has John Renbourn’s instrumental version of “My Johnny Was a Shoemaker” playing, which has a beautiful melody and slightly upbeat feel. Loreena McKennitt’s “Bonny Swans” is also upbeat and beautiful. Some ritual moments are more about the feeling the music can convey than what the lyrics are describing, but lyrics can convey a great deal of potent magical material as well.
Songs for Pagan Festivals
Unexpected musical choices can be very effective for ritual use. Creativity is the key here. Using harvest rituals again as an example, many English folk songs refer to the harvest, to fields of barley, and even to Pagan festivals. Jethro Tull’s Songs from the Wood album contains many beautiful lyrics celebrating the natural beauty of the English countryside. For example, “Ring Out Solstice Bells” is a nice one for Yuletide. “Cup of Wonder” specifically refers to May Day, as well as ley lines, which are geographic paths of energy in the ancient landscape that connect stone circles and other sacred landmarks.
There are a surprising number of songs that are specific to Pagan festival days or seasons. English singer Steve Ashley sings a lovely song called the “Candlemas Carol” and one called “Fire and Wine”; both are appropriate to the winter season, as is the lilting, lyrical song “Midwinter” by the English folk band Magna Carta. For Samhain, the aforementioned “All Souls Night” by Loreena McKennitt is a great choice, as is her song from an earlier album called “Samhain Night.” McKennitt is a perennial favorite with Pagans. Some of her instrumental work is just as evocative as the songs with lyrics, like the “Huron ‘Beltane’ Fire Dance.” For other holidays, such as Litha (summer solstice) or Mabon (autumn equinox), songs that describe the beauty of the natural world are appropriate. Robert Burns’s “Westlin Winds” describes the autumn landscape and has been recorded by a number of great artists including Dick Gaughan. Jethro Tull’s “Summerday Sands” might be nice for Litha, and it has a pleasing waltz tempo. And don’t neglect the rock and roll classics! “Hot Fun in the Summertime” by Sly and the Family Stone is a great choice for Litha, too.
Playlist
Albums
Jethro Tull: Songs from the Wood, Heavy Horses, Christmas Album
Loreena McKennitt: The Visit, Elemental, To Drive the Cold Winter Away
John Renbourn: The Lady and the Unicorn, A Maid in Bedlam
Dead Can Dance: Into the Labyrinth, Spiritchaser
British Folk
Donovan, Lal Waterson, The Incredible String Band, Owen Hand
Celtic Artists
Altan, Solas, Karan Casey, Cran, Capercaillie
Drums
Gabrielle Roth
Film Soundtracks
The Wicker Man, The Last Temptation of Christ, Excalibur
Pagan Artists
Kellianna, Incubus Succubus, Ginger Doss, Julie Felix
Psychedelic Rock
The Moody Blues, Jefferson Airplane, Spirogyra, Trees
Scandinavian
Värttinä (iki), Garmarna (Vengeance, God’s Musicians)
Seasonal Songs
“Midwinter” by Magna Carta, “Candlemas Carol” by Steve Ashley, “Forever Autumn” by Justin Hayward
Peg Aloi is a media studies scholar, writer, singer, and professional gardener. She was the Media Coordinator for The Witches’ Voice from 1997 through 2008. Her blog, The Witching Hour ( www.patheos.com/blogs/themediawitches), focuses on Paganism and media. With her writing partner, Hannah Johnston, Peg co-organized two academic conferences at Harvard University on Paganism and the media.
Illustrator: Tim Foley