Elements of Wiccan Ritual

We've covered what Wiccan ritual is (here) and what it does for you. We've discovered that in Wicca, a ritual is really a physical magick spell.

Now let's look at the steps, or parts, that create a magick ritual. First, the big picture...

The Fundamentals of Wiccan Ritual

The essentials of any magick ritual are three-fold...

Creating Sacred Space

Working Magick

Tidying up the energy and returning

That's really what ritual is all about. It's a work of magick, or in other words, a bridge between human and Divine.

Those are the basics.

So how do we create a ritual? Well, these 3 goals break down into 13 elements, or steps.

Creating A Wiccan Ritual

Below is the process by which a magick ritual evolves.

All these elements are generally present in a magick ritual, but there is some flexibility in the order. For instance, sometimes people want to create sacred space before cleansing or grounding.

Also, while shifting consciousness is listed in a step of its own, it actually continues to build from the initial grounding to the release of excess energy at the end.

But otherwise, following these steps in order will make sure that everything is done properly.

The 13 Elements of a Magick Ritual

Setting a clear intention

Cleansing yourself and the space (eg, by smudging)

Grounding and opening to Energy

Shifting consciousness

Creating a protective container (Casting a Circle)

Invoking the Divine (eg, deities, allies, elements/directions)

Symbolic action (magick through visualisation, trance, spell, song, dance, etc.)

Raising energy and charging the intention (music, singing, dancing, chanting, channeling, etc)

Releasing the intention / spell for the Universe to fulfill

Grounding out any excess energy

Gratitude and devoking

Opening the Circle

Grounding back into the world (feasting, greeting, etc.)

Ritual Power

If you follow these 13 steps, you will have a complete ritual. All the elements will be covered, in an order that is most effective.

What you won't necessarily have is a powerful ritual!

Let's face it. There is more to magick and ritual than step-by-step procedure. Just as one person can faithfully follow a recipe and come up with something non-edible, and another person can fly by the seat of her pants and create something exquisite.

The rules of ritual aren't enough. There's also the energy that we bring to it. But that's a lot harder to explain, or quantify.

Let's give it a shot...