Читать книгу The Real Witches’ Craft: Magical Techniques and Guidance for a Full Year of Practising the Craft - Kate West - Страница 15

Do not be put off by the term Ritual. A Ritual is simply a series of Rites, or actions, brought together to make a whole. The central part of a Craft Ritual is usually a spell or spells. Rituals are not necessarily performed by groups of people; they are often performed by Solitary Witches. The usual complete format of a Ritual is as follows:

Prepare the area – that is clearing a space large enough for what you intend to do. If you are on your own and do not need a lot of equipment you will only need enough space to stand, kneel or sit, without falling over things!

Set the Altar – which simply means gathering together in one place everything you will need. Again, if you are on your own you may only need space for a candle, or some incense. Of course, occasionally you may need space for more. At times, an ‘Altar’ may even be a designated area on the ground or the floor. It is simply a question of having somewhere where everything is together, making it easier to avoid losing, or tripping over things.

Invoke the Elements – which, as you have practised above, becomes quicker and easier the more experience you have.

Invite the Goddess and the God – we will work on this later in the book, but for now I will introduce a very simple form of this.

Cast the Circle – if the purpose of the Ritual involves raising energy and directing it to make a spell work, then a proper Circle is needed, but as this Ritual is intended for personal development you do not yet need a formal Circle.

Raising the energy for a spell – which I will go into in more detail later.

Performing the spell or other purpose.

Grounding or earthing – which is sometimes performed by the Rite of Wine and Cakes and at others is simply having something to eat and drink after tidying up.

Dismissing the Quarters – as you have read above.

Thanking the Goddess and the God.

Taking down the Circle – only if it was required.

Tidying up – which is simply putting things away.

This may all seem quite complex, but is in fact very straightforward. Whilst in a Coven the process may be quite formal, a person on their own can do most of this in their mind using the skills developed in this book. As this is the first Ritual in this book I am going to use the slightly more formal way of calling the Elements, but if you are practised you can do this in your mind.