|
What It's All About
I lead weekly Pagan rituals based upon phases of the Sun, Moon, and
Earth. These rituals are open to anyone who is interested in
participating and is respectful of the practice. The rituals are based
upon those contained in my book Sacred
Gatherings: Rituals for the Pagan Family.
When We Meet
We meet Sunday evenings at 9:00 p.m. EST within an online chat room.
Sunday night is chosen because it symbolizes the union of the day of
the sun (Sunday) and the day of the moon (Monday). A complete schedule
of Circle events can be found on the schedule link in the menu.
Pre-Ritual Format
We begin at 9:00 with a short check-in period. Each person should
check-in so that I know who is participating. This is also a time to
ask questions about the ceremony and to offer ways to help each other
as a spiritual community. The actual ritual will begin at 9:15 p.m. EST.
- Introduction and welcome
- Time for questions about the ritual
What We Celebrate
My rituals celebrate the seasons and changes of Earth and of our lives
by honoring the cycles of the sun (called Sabbats), cycles of the moon
(called Esbats), the stars (in a ceremony called an Astor) and the
natural cycles of the human experience. Every month there is at least
one Esbat and one Astor. Sabbats are celebrated near the two solstices,
the two equinoxes, and the four days in between those days which are
called cross-quarter days. Between those events we also celebrate a
Healing Ritual (on the waxing moon) and a Ritual of Changes that honors
life changes, dedications, degree initiations, and other milestones (on
the waning moon).
How To Participate
As long as you are respectful of the ceremony, you are
welcome to participate in as much or as little of the ritual as you
feel comfortable. People are welcome to join the ritual regardless of
previous experience. In order to take part in the rituals you will need
to be on Facebook and join the
group called Shanddy's
Rituals. Once you have joined, click on the link to the left that
says "chat web page." Add that application to your site and then you
will be in the ritual chat room.
Ritual Format
Each ritual will follow a similar order of events. Those events
in are:
- The Introduction
in which the ceremony is briefly explained
- The Opening when we make formal
introductions
- The Statement of
Intent in which the exact purpose of the ritual is declared
- The Purification
in which we make our worship space sacred
- The Grounding and Centering where
we honor Above and Below and do a short meditation.
- The Call of the
Three Forces where we honor the following:
- The Sun and the Force of Light
- The Moon and the Force of Love
- The Stars and the Force of Life
- The Call of
Deities or Principles in which you are welcome to call upon your
own deities or sacred principles
- The Call of the Four
Directions in which we recognize the four cardinal directions and
their related elements
- The Closing of the
Circle in which we announce that circle has been made and that we
are ready to begin
- The Ritual Work
in which we honor the particular event of the week
- The Blessing in
which people bless the work done in the ritual
- The Reflection in which we take a
moment to reflect upon the ritual and its meaning to each of us
- The Completion where we begin the
process of ending the ritual
- The Recognition of
the Four Directions in which we recognize the four cardinal
directions and their elements in the opposite direction of before
- The Recognition of the Three Forces
- The Recognition of Deities or Principles
- The Grounding
in which we do a final meditation
- The Opening of the
Circle in which we recognize that the Ceremony is completed by
releasing the Circle created
top
|