The Art of Ritual takes you through every step of ritual format from the basics to the more unusual. What ritual is, how to create it, work with it and all the different aspects and stages of putting a ritual together and how to get the best out of it whether you are a solitary or within a group. From set up through the entire process including the cake...this book covers just about all you should need to know to give you the best ritual experience. Drawn from the author's own teachings and experiences this book also shares a variety or different ritual scripts and suggestions along with those from members of her coven. Rachel Patterson is High Priestess of the Kitchen Witch Coven and an Elder of the Kitchen Witch School of Natural Witchcraft. A Green/Kitchen Witch with an added dash of hedgewitch and folk magic. She lives in Portsmouth, UK. The Art of Ritual By Rachel Patterson John Hunt Publishing Ltd. Copyright © 2015 Rachel Patterson All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-78279-776-0 Contents Who am I?, Ritual – What is It?, Part 1: Ritual Basics, Tools of the Trade, Ritual Preparation and Techniques, Let's Look at the Elements ..., Invite Deity, Water, Incense, Oil, Wine and Kisses, Raising Energy, The Working, The Feast, Endings, Ritual Planning, Part 2: May We Present To You a Host of Rituals ..., Rites of Passage, Wheel of the Year, Celtic Tree Rituals, Other Ritual Examples, Summary and Random Thoughts, CHAPTER 1 Tools of the Trade I just want to emphasise here ... you don't need any fancy tools to hold a ritual, in fact you don't need any tools at all. However, I will give a list of the items commonly used in case you want to try the ceremonial route, it is a very personal choice. Sometimes it is nice to go the whole hog and put on a big ceremony with all the bells and whistles, but it is also good to just have an impromptu ritual in the middle of a field with nothing but some pebbles and sticks. You are the power; the magic is within you so tools aren't necessary. Having said that tools can carry their own power; each tool has an element that it corresponds with and they can be consecrated and charged with energy as well and they can give us a focus to work with, it really is your call. If you haven't worked with tools before my suggestion would be experiment, see what works for you. I have often found that handmade tools work better than machine/mass-produced ones, especially if you make them yourself, because you add your own energy into them. The power and energy you receive from a tool will also depend on what material it is made from along with any specific designs or symbols it has on it. A copper wand will react differently to one made from oak for instance, add a quartz crystal to the end and the energy will take on another dimension again. Part of this journey when working with tools of any sort is to fathom out which ones work in harmony with each other and for what specific intent or magical purpose. Again, this is personal, what works for one person may not work well for another. Altar A lot of pagans will have an altar (or in my case and much to my husband's dismay, several altars) set up at home. If you hold your ritual in the room you have your usual altar set up in then you are part way there already. Your altar is many things, not just a place to hold your magical tools, but also somewhere you can sit and meditate in front of, use as a focal point for spell work and also as a place to honour the seasons and deity. It is a mini sacred space and a place that over time will soak up the magical energies when you work with the tools on it and when you spellcast around it. It is a place for you to 'touch base' with deity, the divine and your inner magical self on a daily basis. For instance, I have a working altar, this one I decorate for the energies of each month, but I also have another altar dedicated to my matron and patron deities; then I have a kitchen altar, one in the garden for the Fae and also one in my office for things I am currently working with. Each one is different and has its own very individual style and energy. When we hold our coven rituals we have a very practical altar; it has to be transported through the woods so it starts out in the car as a large plastic box which holds all the bits for the ritual. When we get to our grove of trees we empty it and turn it upside down, then it is covered with a pretty, silk altar cloth. Our portable altar is then ready to hold the items we need for the ritual, which usually consists of a cauldron for the incense, chalice for the drink, flower petals to cast the circle, our script books and occasionally a seasonal decoration. We are in the middle of a forest having had to walk some way from the cars carrying not only the altar, but also flasks of drink, cups, ritual items and of course plenty of cake boxes, so we keep the altar simple. However, for a ritual altar at home it is much