by Vered (Tanmayo) Neta
As evening falls, a child stands at her
bedroom window searching the sky for the first star to wish upon. Thousands of miles away, a Shaman doctor blesses herbs thrown into the
fire in a ceremony to attract spirit. What do these seemingly unconnected individuals have in common? They are
both practicing magic and rituals.
Magic and rituals have long been connected.
There is magic in any ceremony that we do, whether it of a routine nature,
such as making a wish on our birthday, or whether it is a sophisticated
ritual involving all kinds of movements, lights and music. In both cases we are using the power of the ritual in order to create
magic in our life.
An actual definition of magic is difficult.
However, as Scott Cunningham states: "Magic is the projection of
natural energies to produce needed effects." In other words, every time that we
consciously connect to the universal
energy in order to direct it to a specific result that we wish to manifest
in our life, we are utilizing magic.
In the same way, a child, focused on the
light of the candle whilst making a wish, then blows it, thus releasing
that energy into the universe. From that point it is manifested later as a physical object.
Magic, therefore, is not an unnatural
incidence; it is actually utilizing and therefore harnessing the power of
nature. Rituals are the tools by which we do so.
The purpose of rituals is to demonstrate
this connection between nature and its laws. Rituals are a reminder to us that we are an intricate part of this vast
universe. Ritual is the form and structure that enables our spirit to fly free.
It is the safe space that allows us to open to the deepest part of ourselves.
Ritual is the magic that you do for
yourself. Ritual is transformational. You commence a ritual in one state of being
and end in another. The result is major or minor shift of consciousness.
Ritual contributes to your wholeness by
allowing enough safety and freedom for all the parts of yourself to be
expressed. Rituals are important in our daily life,
because they allow us:
1. to be as creative as we wish;
2. to enjoy ourselves and have fun;
3. to experience beauty and pleasure in our life.
As rituals are connected to nature, they
are also connected to the changing of seasons, and the wheel of the year.
The 31st of October is the day that has been
marked for thousands of years as the beginning of winter. It was called
"Samhain". Winter was interpreted as a "small death", when the land is so
visibly barren, the trees naked, and the animals in hibernation. Therefore it is associated with death and dying.
However from that "death" life will re-emerge in the spring. This period was worshiped as a time of
"going within" and
contemplation, as in preparation for a new birth.
In many of the ancient traditions, Samhain
was also a day in which the veil between this physical world and the world
of the dead is the thinnest, and therefore a time associated with insights
and ancient wisdom, a time to honor our ancestors and our loved ones that
passed away.
Today's Practice offers you a ritual to
celebrate this date, this Sabbath called Samhain. This ritual is only a suggestion; you can use it as a framework and put in
it all your creativity and joy, put your pleasure and fun, so it will
become your magical ritual.
Have Fun with it.
Samhain Ritual
-
Prepare the
Room.
Clean and purify your room with incense or sage. Decorate the room in
the colors of autumn - red, orange, brown.
Create an altar and put on it four red candles in the different
directions of the wind (east, south, west and north). Include the four
elements - a center candle for fire, a chalice with water for the
water element, a crystal for the earth element and wind chimes for the
air element. Decorate it with falling leaves and fruits such as
apples, pomegranates, and any fruits of this season.
-
Start with
silent meditation - focus on the year that has passed and your
achievements in it.
-
Say a prayer
or chant the following words to your own creative melody:
Come with me.
As daylight ends,
the sun sinks low.
Black night descends,
into a world of sleep and dream.
Moon and star shine
and lamplight steam.
Enter now and join the dance,
of creeping shadow
and midnight trance.
This is the dark kingdom,
where colors change,
streets grow longer,
and mystery reigns.
Enter now and join the dance.
-
Tell a story
about one of your ancestors.
After everybody has told a story, go out with a plate and a piece of
cake and a candle to be left out in memory of the dead.
-
Go through
the house and find something physical that you do not need anymore.
Then sit and write those emotional and mental things that you do not
need anymore in your life. Then go out and throw the physical to the
garbage outside. To let go of the emotional and mental garbage, tear
the paper and throw it to the wind, and as you do it, visualize those
issues leaving your life.
-
Write down
your fears that you wish to transform into strength. After you have
written them down, burn the paper, and as you watch the paper being
burned, see those fears transforming into the new qualities of
strength.
-
Cut an apple
or a pomegranate and for each part say out loud new things that you
invite into your life.
-
End with a
silent meditation.
- Have a feast made of pumpkins, apples,
cauliflower, yams and carrots.
