sophiaserpentia | (no subject)

Last night I led a short discussion about "banishings" for CUUPS. While a banishing could be anything as simple as knocking wood, lighting incense, ringing a bell, or strewing flower pedals around, the main focus was on use of banishings as a ritual tool.

This was good for me, though I have not been a ritualist for several years, to re-examine the basic format of ritual. As part of the class I had everyone design a banishing rooted in their own thoughts, ideas, beliefs, and tradition. Here is the one I composed, inspired somewhat by the Odes of Solomon.

Assume a comfortable stance with your spine straight but not rigid. Muscles should be relaxed but not loose.

Slow your breathing, until you enter this rhythm:
Breathe in 8
Hold 4
Breathe out 8
Hold 4

Continue this breathing pattern throughout the entire exercise.

Repeat until you feel "grounded."

Visualize yourself as tree, with your roots digging deeper into the ground, and your branches reaching up to the sky.

Eventually you feel the sunlight shining upon the "leaves," but particularly on the crown of your head.

Feel the sunlight enrich your whole being, ridding your being of disharmonious vibrations.

Then shift your focus, and begin to feel the turning of the Earth, the spinning of the Cosmic wheels.

Note how the rhythms of your body are matching the rhythms of the Cosmos; how the music of your soul is matching the harmony of the spheres.

Continue to feel this until the glow of sunlight begins to fade on its own.

Gradually your awareness begins to shift back into the bounds of your body.

Ode I
The Lord is on my head like a crown
and I shall not be without him.

The Crown of truth was woven for me,
and caused your branches to blossom in me.

The Crown is not dry and sterile.

You live
and blossom on my head.

Your fruits are full and perfect
and filled with salvation.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

This is beautiful! Thank you for sharing this ritual as poetry with us. Thank you, too, for the link to the rest of the Odes, they are wonderful to read.

That is beautiful. Don't know if I would ever use it. But then again I tend to either piss off or amuse the hell out of ritualists (and I am talking more than just the hardcore ritual magickians)-- especially the ones who are really attached to the this tool works for X situations mentality. I can't really plan any work or ritual outside of the direct context. I just "sniff" around until I know what needs to be done, what tools feel appropraiate, and then I do it. Even if all the proscribed wisdoms or even general common sense says that it is NOT an appropriate tool/chant/action for the situation. I dunno. That is probably the largest reason that I stay away from groups for everything other than the very occassional purely celebratory ritual.

That is beautiful. Don't know if I would ever use it. But then again I tend to either piss off or amuse the hell out of ritualists (and I am talking more than just the hardcore ritual magickians)-- especially the ones who are really attached to the this tool works for X situations mentality. I can't really plan any work or ritual outside of the direct context. I just "sniff" around until I know what needs to be done, what tools feel appropraiate, and then I do it. Even if all the proscribed wisdoms or even general common sense says that it is NOT an appropiate tool/chant/action for the situation. I dunno. That is probably the largest reason that I stay away from groups for everything other than the very occasional purely celebratory ritual.

Actually, I think I would almost prefer if people *didn't* use any rituals I'd written. Not because it would offend me -- it certainly wouldn't, I have always been flattered when people thought well enough of my rituals to use them -- but because I think that the whole idea is to develop your *own* style of doing things.

Mainly I present them for illustrative purposes.

Perhaps when one is just embarking on the esoteric enterprise, it is fine to utilize the rituals written by other people. But after a while it tends to stunt one's growth. Spirit should eventually step in to show how it should best be reflected -- and that means not just ritually (because the answer for me ultimately didn't involve ritual at all) but in every aspect of life.