How to Plan a Ritual

There are dozens of rituals available here at About Paganism & Wicca, and thousands more available across the vast expanse of the Internet. There are hundreds to be found in books on the subject of Wicca, NeoWicca, Paganism, and witchcraft in general. These rituals make a great template -- and certainly, if you've never held a ritual on your own, it's nice to have one already written for you. For many people, an important aspect of the spiritual growth process lies in planning one's own ritual.

You may find that in planning your own rituals, it helps to follow the same format each time. After all, part of ritual is the concept of repetition. That doesn’t mean you have to speak the same words each time, but if you follow the same general order of things, it will help you become more in tune with the ritual process. Something else to keep in mind is that ritual should be celebratory. That means that it should celebrate something -- a Sabbat holiday, a phase of the moon, the change of the seasons, a phase in one's life. Know what you're celebrating, and then you'll know what your focus should be for the rite.

Answer the questions below before you begin your planning process. This will help you determine what it is you hope to achieve with the ritual, and how to go about doing so.

• Why are you having the ritual? In other words, what is the point? What are you celebrating? You can have one purpose or multiple ones. Just know ahead of time what they are.
• Who is to be involved? Is this a group of loose friends who get together once in a while, or is it an organized coven? Will one person lead the rite while others watch, or will all members be actively participating? Will it be a public ritual held where anyone can see you, or a private one?
• Does your tradition require the creation of sacred space before a ritual? Will you need to cast a circle, or simply purify the area with smudging or asperging?
• Does your tradition require you to call upon deity during ritual, or is this not necessary?

In many traditions, the concept of grounding and centering are used, as well as the raising of group energy, and meditation work. It is up to you how your group will perform, based upon the needs of the group. Here is a sample of how a ritual might be run:

1. All members are welcomed one at a time to the altar area, and ritually blessed
2. Cast a circle/call the quarters
3. Meditation exercise
4. Calling upon the deities of the tradition, offerings made
5. Rite to celebrate a Sabbat or Esbat
6. Additional healing or energy work as required
7. Dismissal of the circle
8. Cakes and ale, or other refreshments

Another group, following a less formal, not-as-structured format, might do something like this instead:

1. Everyone hangs out in altar area until ready to start
2. Cast a circle
3. Rite to celebrate Sabbat or Esbat
4. Dismissal of circle
5. Cakes and ale, or other refreshments

If you're going to ask other people to participate in the ritual, you'll need to make sure everyone knows their part in advance. The further ahead you can plan, the better off you'll be, and the more powerful your ritual experience will become.