Introduction To Rituals
In a sense we are always doing magical rituals because we are putting out emotions. Formal rituals are just more intense and focused.
In a sense we are always doing magical rituals because we are putting out emotions. Formal rituals are just more intense and focused.
(December 1, 2025) To get into a spiritual mood and to set the right mood for the desired ritual, a sacred space should be created. This is a time to forget about normal day to day existence and focus on the spiritual and eternal. This done by darkening the area, cleansing the area, "calling the corners," and lighting a fire or candles. Optionally music and scents are added.
Calling the cardinal direction using some meaningful correspondences begins to focus the mind while simultaneously defining the ritual space. The classical element correspondences work well:
Earth
Air (ancient languages used the same word for air and spirit)
Fire
Water
If in a group then circling a central alter with a chant is a good technique. If solitary then a habitual grounding and centering practice like some simple meditative yoga moves is also good in which feeling awareness starts at your core with breathing and then moves outward to your extremities and beyond.
(July 8, 2022) Rituals can be either for listening (meditations, yoga, tarot) or generating spiritual energy. This is a guide for spiritual energizing rituals.
Effective energy rituals come from generating feelings. Only non-material conscious feelings have any chance of transmission into the spiritual realm. Participants reading from a prepared script do not generate much energy. Rituals must be done from the heart.
Every ritual has a start, middle, and an end. The start is all about getting in the mood by raising generalized spiritual energy. The middle focuses and narrows the energy with props, music, visuals, scents, whatever. The end is a time of quieting-down, reflection, and thankfulness.
Every effective ritual must meet four conditions:
Significantly, the apostle Paul listed three of these ritual conditions in his manifestations of the spirit section of 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 (along with healing, prophecy, and miracles). This whole passage suggests that the earliest Christians were still doing magical rituals in accordance with the teachings of Jesus. Only with the rise of the apocalyptic viewpoint was this magical practice suppressed. Puritanical Paul only left out passion. This is his list which the Holy Spirit could aid in manifesting:
Attunements (logos) of Wisdom (Greek sophia)
Attunements (logos) of Insight (Greek gnosis)
Attunements (logos) of Confidence (Greek pistis)
(December 1, 2025) This ancient ritual closing phrase may be derived from an the Druid Akkadian magical phrase Ma'u-Tu meaning "push with astrology-magic" or more loosely as a ritual ending "May this be pushed with astrology-magic." Astrology magic was used to shift fate.
This phrase defined the Old English word "Mote." (https://www.etymonline.com/word/mote)
Mote - a small particle floating in the air visible in a ray of sunlight: Old English mot of unknown origin; perhaps related to Dutch mot "dust from turf, sawdust, grit," Norwegian mutt "speck, mote, splinter, chip."The word "mote" was the King James Bible word assignment for the Greek noun karphos meaning "withered thing" like a raisin.
(Matthew 7:3-4, KJV) And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?The word "Amen" also seems to come from the Druid Akkadian phrase AMu-ENu meaning "Reed-Boat reassign" or more loosely as a ritual ending "May the Reed-Boat reassign."
The "Reed-Boat" is an epithet for the crescent moon goddess Ayu who edits the life network to direct the flow of life powers to earth. She can reassign the life power flow to other places. That is what this ritual ending is asking.
As a phrase "Amen" could be used either at the start or ending of a statement. One example of its use at the start of a sentence is preserved in one passage in the Hebrew Scriptures.
(1 Kings 1:36 NIV) Benaiah son of Jehoiada answered the king, “Amen! May the Lord (Yahweh), the God of my lord the king, so declare it.In Summary, we have the "So Mote it Be" ending for rituals involving changing the motion powers and the "Amen" ending for rituals involving the life-powers.
(January 14, 2025)
This is a chart found in an early book justifying the Christian date of Easter. The date of Easter is determined in each year through a calculation known as computus paschalis, or simply Computus. Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the March equinox. The first full or new moon after the equinox was an important Pagan marker for planting crops in the spring.
The book is called the "Harmony of the Months and Elements" written by Byrhtferth of Ramsey (c. 970–c. 1020). He was a priest and monk who lived at Ramsey Abbey in Huntingdonshire (now part of Cambridgeshire) in England. The original book is lost, but two independent ‘copies’ made in the early 12th century remain. This diagram aligns different aspects of time (solstice, equinox, months, seasons, ages of man), the zodiac, and the four elements, in order to introduces a number of key concepts relevant to the computus. In the Oxford manuscript, the diagram comes right at the end of a section (ff. 3r-7v) which contains a miscellaneous variety of short texts and visual designs related to the computus, and directly precedes another section (ff. 8r-15v) containing tables and texts on computus.
Notice the use of Ogham text in the center.
These make sense for any European. The texts are in Latin.
East (Latin Oriens) = Earth (terra) as in the landmass of Russia
South (Latin Meridie) = Water (aqua) as in the Mediterranean
West (Latin Occidens) = Air (aer) as in the direction of the prevailing winds and weather
North (Latin Aquilo) = Fire (ignis) as in the direction of the northern lights
East Corner: Anathole a oriens = Anadole a oriens = Anatolia from the east
South Corner: Mesioi brios m meridie = I am at noon
West Corner: Disis o occidens = You are far away, O West
North Corner: Arcton a aquilo = Close to the north
(Connecting earth and water from the south) Terra sicca a frigida = Dry earth from cold
(Connecting earth and fire from the north) Igni calu dus a siccus = The fire is hot and dry
(Connecting air and fire from the north) Ver humidus a calidu = Spring is humid and hot.
(Connecting air and water from the south) heims frigi da a humida = cold and humid
De concordia mensium atque elementorum (Byrhtferth’s diagram). Online at: https://codecs.vanhamel.nl/De_concordia_mensium_atque_elementorum_(Byrhtferth's_diagram)
Book online at: https://codecs.vanhamel.nl/Oxford,_St_John%27s_College,_MS_17