| I am going to describe on this page the general form that
can be used to worship the God or Goddess of your choice. The
major purpose is not to ask for specific things, although
there is a time for prayer, in which you may ask the
God or Goddess for some specific things. The major purpose
here is to offer your love to God. After all, what
else do you have to offer a being who quite literally has
Everything? |
General Ritual Guidelines
Set up your altar either for a simple Hindu
puja or for a traditional Wiccan ceremony, as per
your preference. Hindu puja is not specifically a
part of the Samkhya sect, but is truly more from the
Mimasa sect of Hinduism. No matter. Samkhya Wicca is
very eclectic. At a minimum, position the statue of the
deity, the candle, the censor, the wand, the essential oil,
a cup of water, and a couple of small, clean cloths. You
may include kum kum or sandalwood paste to apply to
your forehead and for the statue of the deity. If you play
any instrument, put that instrument under the altar. If you
don’t, you may just sing any songs of love or
devotion or celebration. If you, like me, are unable to
carry a tune in a washbasket, don’t worry about it.
It’s what’s in your heart that counts. No one
would criticize someone at a birthday party for singing
“Happy Birthday" for the guest of honor! Likewise,
the Gods do not expect anything more of you than you are
capable. If you do have musical talent, what better
place to use it than in your devotion, either for yourself
or with others you care about?
Before engaging in any ritual, you must clean your body. A
ritual bath, traditionally, is an herbal bath with the
herbs, bath salts, or oils as per your preference. During
this time, wash away your tensions and worries of the day,
and instead focus on the Gods or the purpose of this
ritual. This is very pleasant. However, it takes time, and
a bathtub may not be available for a very hurried or
unplanned ritual, such as you might want to do if you are
hiking and encounter a perfect place that seems to be
sacred to the Gods to you. In any case, take a quick sponge
bath, or at the very least do the Indian ceremonial bath of
sprinkling water on yourself. Nonetheless, before engaging
in a planned, occasional ritual for a Sabbat, Esbat, or
celebrating a specific life event, have a full ritual bath.
[1]
If, for whatever reason, you do not have any of these
items, or they are not available to you, or your
circumstances will not allow you to have any of them or
even all of them, perform the ritual anyway. The tools and
supplies and icons are merely focal points, or direct your
focus in some way. Think it, imagine it, or pantomime the
action although you do not have the tools or supplies. What
you are really offering in any ritual is your heart.
Assemble anyone who is going to do this with you. You MUST
have no animosity between or among anyone. This must always
be done in “perfect love and perfect trust". If you
are in the middle of a quarrel, you would probably be
better off to skip this ritual for one day and to work out
your differences with your loved ones.
When everything and everyone is assembled and in order,
cast your Circle.
1. It is my belief that the
existence of a ritual bath is why there are so many
references in Witch Trials of the 13th-16th centuries to
witches being “alluring”. Bathing was not
commonly done among Christians of the day. Witches had a
ritual bath every couple of weeks. Ask yourself if you
would find someone who has bathed recently to be more
alluring to you than someone who NEVER bathes!
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Every Day Of The Year
This is a ritual for everyday use.
This is for any day that is not a special celebration of
some kind. The special celebrations include the Sabbats, Esbats for Full and Dark of Moons,
Hindu festivals.
This ritual is one that you should try to do every day.
Many people find that this is a great way to start the day
by doing it first thing in the morning. Many other people
find this is a very satisfying thing to do in the evening
after supper. It may be done alone, although it is
preferable to do accompanied by others in the household or
any guests with whom you are close to you emotionally,
through sharing your life, and especially if those people
basically share your spiritual beliefs.
It is deliberately kept very simple. Thoughts and feelings
count a LOT more than words or precise actions. You take
something of a bath or shower to be clean to present
yourself to the Gods. You gather the ritual tools and
supplies. This may include a wand, candle or candles for
your altar, a murti or statue or picture or drawing
representing the deities worshipped, incense, essential
oil, a censor to burn the incense, a cup of water, and an
offering of food of some type. If you play a musical
instrument, you may wish to include that too.
Traditionally, if done as a Hindu puja , or
devotional ritual, there are mantras, or prayers
said in Sanskrit. Mantra is an art and science in itself,
because there are the number of syllables, the sound of the
words, as well as the meaning of the words. Since we are
keeping this simple and understandable, everything said
will be said in English or any language with which the
person doing the ritual is comfortable. None of these
precise words are sacred in themselves. The reason you are
doing it is the most important. In some cases, thoughts are
merely used instead.
Specific instructions for this ritual are as follows. They
are general enough that you can customize them to your own
points of view, to any spiritual or religious tradition
with which you are comfortable, or for any specific events
on any particular day.
- Purify the ritual area, especially the
area where you will sit or stand by sprinkling water
throughout.
- Cast the circle as per your
preference.
- Sip a little water to purify the
inside of your body.
- Take little water in the left palm,
and with the right ring finger, touch the water to your
forehead, mouth, nose, ears, shoulders, and feet. Then,
proceed to sprinkle the remaining water all over your
body. This is to consecrate yourself to the
Gods.
- If performing this ritual with others,
say with them, “Let us pray together, let us grow
together, let us not be jealous of one
another.
- Invoke the God or Goddess of your
choice, or simply ask for your divine parent to be there.
Use any invocation, prayer, or mantra with which you are
most comfortable to do this.
- Offer the deity a seat. This may be
done symbolically using the picture or statue, or may be
done in your mind.
- Welcome Him or Her. You may choose to
wash the feet, offer a bath, offer clean clothing, offer
flowers, plants, or herbs, offer essential oil. You may
offer incense or offer the light of the candle by waving
it around the circle and the statue or picture deocile.
You may offer food of whatever sort, or a beverage of
whatever sort. Any or all of these offerings can be
symbolic. In short, you are treating the deity as a most
welcome guest.
- After you have welcomed the deity,
offer whatever is in your heart. Offer your fears, your
joys, your concerns, your accomplishments. You may bring
something to symbolize any or all of these things. This
is your divine parent. As any child would do, you show
and tell your parents what you have done you are happy
and proud of, and bring your parents what you have that
is “broken” or is not working properly. You
can ask them to “fix it”, make it better, or
to give you suggestions to improve it. You may express
how you would like things to improve in any area of your
life. This time is very personal between you and the
divinity.
- Quietly meditate or pray, and see if
an answer of any sort pops into your mind. You may wish
to write down this thought. You may not get any at any
given time. That’s fine.
- When finished, offer formal prayers
you may wish to offer, or anything that you are asking
for day to day, long term. So Mote it
Be!
- Eat some of the food and drink for
refreshment.
- Sing some songs or mantra to your God
or Goddess. If you have an instrument, it is good to use
it to accompany your song or mantra. Or, you may feel a
closeness to the God or Goddess and play something pure
instrumental if you prefer. Song at this point is an
important element. The exact material, the form or style,
or how good or bad a performer you may be is not
important. Just do the best you can. You may wish to eat
or drink more of the food during these songs.
- Finish the food and drink.
- Bow fully to the east, and thank God
or Goddess for for Their presence, for allowing you to
worship Them, for teaching you about His or Her
existence.
- Take down the circle as appropriate to
how you cast it, and open the circle as is appropriate
for tradition and manner in which you cast
it.
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Alternate specific method
Another, very specific method of such a daily ritual, which I personally perform on most days with my partner is as follows.
This ritual is specifically designed and intended for use with another person in a close personal relationship.
- Get bread-like something, or fruit, and milk, juice or something. Put on plate and chalice. Fill another chalice with water. Salt in separate salt-dish.
- Sweep circle area. “Broom sweep clean. Sweep out evil.”
- Light candles and incense. At least “old flame”, power, and protection candles.
- Sprinkle water around circle area for purification.
- Cast circle. You may use “water and earth”, “fire and air”, and athame, or just athame.
- Call 5 Quarters.
- Purification of yourselves (or to each other).
- With fire (waft incense smoke over person)
- Sip water
- Pinch of salt
- Breathe deeply, or use scourge
- Sanctify each other. Touch the body part with water, and say:
- (Mouth) “May speech inspired by the Lord and Lady come from your mouth.”
- (Nose) May you inhale sweet smells given by the Lord and Lady.
- (Ears) May you hear the words and music of the Lord and Lady – and listen to words offered in love.
- (Shoulders) May your shoulders carry burdens given by the Lord and Lady.
- (Legs and Feet)May your legs and feet carry you in the ways of the Lord and Lady.
- (Entire body) (Throw fingertips of water at other) May your entire body become a temple of the Lord and Lady.
- Invoke Goddess and God.
- Offer prayers, thanks, or appreciation for/to each other. Spellwork is a possibility, if needed and desired. We may choose to use this time to work on personal or relationship issues, in this “place which is not a place and time which is not a time”. Or Craft teaching. Or….
- Offer music, poetry, sweet words, etc, if desired.
- “Cakes and wine”
Standard Segovian, Eat, drink, ground, talk, whatever, for as long as desired.
- Dismiss Quarters, Open Circle.
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Full and Dark
of Moon
Esbats are performed at
every full moon, and often every dark of moon as well.
These may be similar to the everyday ritual, but with the
inclusion of the observation of the full moon being the
height of Goddess’ power or the inclusion of the
observation of the dark of moon being the height of
God’s power.
There are several ways to do that. One is with a Drawing
Down of either the moon or the sun, to invoke God or
Goddess into the body of one of the human celebrants. This
would be done at the time or in between offering things to
the deity and offering prayer or meditation. This site
contains no specific information on doing that.
The simple way is to merely observe the moon being in its
present phase, and to think or say something to the effect
of this being the height of God’s or Goddess’
power. This may be an appropriate time to make a specific
request for something of one of your divine parents.
If you want more, you may either use an invocation or poem
of your own writing or from any Wiccan tradition or any
other Pagan tradition practiced anywhere in the
world.
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Sabbats
The traditional 8 Sabbats of Wicca
are observed within Samkhya Wicca. You may simply observe
the turning of the wheel of the year in a manner of your
own choosing, or you may wish to perform a ritual observing
this event.
- Yule December 20-22 (Winter Solstice)
This celebrates the return of the Sun, when the Mother
gives birth to God.
- Candlmas, Imbolc, or Oimelc February 2
This is the day when we celebrate Goddess' return from
the darkness. We light flames in celebration of this day.
The flames can be anything from candles to bonfires. It
is observed that early plants are beginning to sprout,
grow leaves, or bloom.
- Eostar March 20-22 (Spring Equinox)
This is a festival of spring. This celebrates the Lady's
full return from Her place of rest. More plant growth is
observed, and the birth of young animals has been
noticed.
- Beltane April 30-May 2 This is the
major festival of fertility. Dances and invocations are
performed to ensure bountiful crops and continued
fertility of all nature, including human. In mythology,
God and Goddess meet as lovers, impregnating Her with
Himself for the next year. Governance of the world is
given to Goddess by God at this time.
- Litha June 20-22 (Summer Solstice)
This is the day that is longest of the year. Within Celtic mythology, it is the time of battle between the Holly King and the Oak King. The Oak King
dies at this time, to be reborn on Yule. We dance,
sing, make merry and give thanks for the
growth. See sample ritual for Litha.
- Lammas July 31-August 2 This is the
festival of the Corn King, when the first of the harvest
is coming in, the fields are ripe and not quite yet
harvested. We thank Goddess for Her gifts, and ask that
they be made plentiful.
- Mabon September 20-22 (Fall Equinox)
This is the harvest festival. Most of the crops have been
gathered. Thank the Lady for Her abundance. Observe the
leaves changing color, plants dying, and preparation for
the cold that is to come.
- Samhain (October 31) This is the
festival of the dead. Goddess gives God governance of the
world. The gates between the living and the dead are very
thin. It is time to remember those who have died, and
they may choose to join our celebrations, or make
themselves known to us. We may choose to have a dumb
supper for the departed, and allow them to spend time
with us as individuals again in the friendship of a meal.
The Lord is dead, to be reborn on Yule. The year itself
is dying, and we look forward to its rebirth along with
His.
Each of these sabbots has sacred colors, symbols, plants,
and animals.
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Hindu Festivals
There are a large number of Hindu
festivals which may be celebrated. Personally, I observe
but a few. Maha Shivaratri is one I observe, but usually do
nothing, except to offer Lord Shiva a puja for His
worship. I'll observe Navaratri as well as the pujas to the
9 Goddesses of the Dash Mahavidya. I observe Dewali,
of course, as it is the festival of lights offered at the
beginning of a pretty "dark" time of year, as well as it
being traditional for gift exchanges among my traditional
Hindu friends. The dates for these festivals are based on
the lunar calendar, and thus vary from year to year on
their exact date. See links to the left to read about these
festivals in detail and find their exact dates for this or
next year.
For any Hindu festival, or on any day of the year when you
want to offer yourself, your life, and your love to the One
God, or a particular divine form, or you wish to get some
aid from these entities, a puja is in order.
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