Methodology of Ritual

As we enter the Realm of Land we not only make our subconscious conscious, materialise our thoughts and desires and take action to bring forth change, we also consciously create ritual. Which means we lift it out of the blurry waters of feeling, undefined-ness and speculative guesses and into a tangible and approachable method which we can practice and repeat to our liking – to not only fit our personal situation and life but also our magical workings.

• Define objectives

What is your purpose for this ritual? Set your goal.
E.g: If I desire clarity in my work, my purpose for the ritual is to come into presence, sort my thoughts, connect to my heart and trust in my inner compass. My goal would be to come out of the ritual with a plan and a structure to move forward with my work with clarity and steps to do.

• Identify tools

What are your references, teachers, guides, deities, herbs, crystals…?
E.g: For clarity I would gather my ritual knife as swords and blades are symbols for clarity and deciciveness. Candles to illuminate the dark and incense to see images in the smoke. Or a glass of water to represent clarity, music that helps with focus etc. My guide of course would be the Lady of the Lake as adviser such as Nimue who bestowed Arthur with the sword of sovereignty.

• Write a list of steps and procedures

If you have identified one specifically important object note down 3-5 verbs for it – You can use the tarot pull from previous chapter as inspiration!
E.g: for my knife I wrote: (sove)reigning, moving, enchanting, directing/pointing
For a candle you might find verbs such as: dance, meditate, illuminate and for smoke: look, cleansing, transforming

Use these verbs to inspire your procedure, such as: Lighting a candle, meditate for 5 minutes and offer specific incense for this purpose to the Lady of the Lake. Greet her and thank her for her presence. Move the knife in a circle around you. Recite or chant (enchant) a prayer for clarity and sovereignty and to free the path ahead of obstacles. Cut any obstacles away with knife or direct with it forward, stand still in this position and allow for any insight to come through. Record messages or ideas and write down a plan for the work you need to do. Blow out the candle and give incense ashes back to the earth. Follow through with the plan.

It can be much simpler though such as: Light a candle, look into the flame, put on music and dance. Write how you feel afterwards and how it contribute to the purpose of your ritual

Be as specific as possible and above all stick to your timing or number of repetitions of words or gestures. As soon as you change the ritual, you create a new methodology, which should be “tested” again. But the most important thing is to have fun with it! Enjoy the process and enjoy the ritual!

• Set a timeline

When and how long do you wish to perform this ritual repeatedly?
E.g: daily between the lunar and solar eclipse. Or every Sunday in April. From New Moon to Full Moon etc.

• Establish evaluation criteria

What does success look like? How do you know the ritual worked in some way?
E.g: I have created a plan and started to implement steps or found more clarity/structure in my work. Or: through more clarity and actionable steps I reached a new audience or have more sign ups.

• Test your process

• Refine your process

• Document your process

• Practice your process