Post No. 190 - Litha and the timing of rituals

Last night we celebrated Litha (that is, the Midsummer Sabbat). It was a nice low-key event - feasting with pagan friends ... no ritual, as my partner and I had done that the night before (we had people coming from a range of pagan paths, so having the ritual for just us meant we didn't have to try and cater for a range of approaches to ritual). During the course of doing some research as part of the preparation for this event, I came across a statement to the effect that the "height of summer" is a three-day period - that is, you don't actually HAVE to celebrate at exactly the right "instant".

I can't say I'm actually surprised by this - I'd found exactly the same when celebrating Full Moons (i.e., a Full Moon Esbat ritual) over the last few decades: the energy is so close to the same for about a three or four day period, that I have no hesitation in shifting the time I have a full moon by a day or two from the official, "exact" time of the 100.00000% full moon.

I do, however, have some restrictions on shifting the timing of a New Moon Esbat ritual. To some extent, this is possibly because the rituals I have been doing are looking at celebrating/facilitating/working with new beginnings, or things I wish to have grow. That means I actually want to celebrate in the period when the Moon is New, not dark, and growing - which means I do the ritual within a day or so AFTER the New Moon becomes visible.

Thinking back, I have not actually performed any Dark Moon Esbats that I can recall ... hmmm. I'll have to tune into the energies at that time, and see what I can work out/learn ...

When I first started doing Full Moon rituals, I was fumbling in the dark, and didn't know that Wicca also could observe Dark/New Moons (as a Cancerian I tend to naturally gravitate towards a Full Moon, and just feel lousy when She isn't shining in her full glory :) - by the way, I'm sorry about the puns ... I think :D ). After I started my formal study and found out that such things were possible, i was probably too much of a fluffy white-light bunny to consider doing anything that had the word "Dark" in it. Now ... I just can't actually think of anything I would. Hmm. That's scary - I sound FAR too innocent and fluffy white-light bunny :)

Love, light, hugs and blessings

Gnwmythr

This post's photo is yet to be posted.

Tags: rituals, timing, Litha, midsummer, Sabbats limitations, Esbats, full moon, dark moon, new moon,

First published: Wodansdagr 22nd December, 2010

Last edited: Wednesday 22nd December, 2010

Post No. 123 - Midwinter (Yule), and the downside of mythologies and other reality maps

One of the things which goes with my various wanderings and questing around what to call myself / what path I will follow/identify with is that there is a shortcoming that goes with having a mythology or some other reality map.

Oh, I should probably explain that, shouldn't I? OK, well, reality map is a term I first came across in Christopher Penczak's "The Temple of High Witchcraft" (Llewellyn, 2007, ISBN-13 978-0-7387-1165-2), where he expalined that the Qabbalah and other mythological systems could be considered as being a map of reality - like a road map, but of non-physical reality, states of mind, astral and etheric powers, and so forth.

To simplify a very great deal, my personal reality map includes:

• various high frequency levels (spirit/soul and higher [causal, Monod, etc])
• a few levels of astral
• etheric (possibly the level of the collective subconscious?)
• physical (with funny things happening at extremes, such as near absolute zero, blakcholes, etc)
• the shamanic underworld (which may actually be an etheric level)

I consider the powers that we personify as Deities exist far above the astral level, but may manifest into, or affect, all levels down to and including the physical.

A Christian's reality map may include:

• heaven
• physical
• hell

A shaman's reality map may include:

• overworld
• physical
• underworld

Got the idea? I hope so, 'cos I'm about to move on :D

There can be very real advantages in having a reality map, particularly if it is agreed and shared with others: it gives a common framework for discussing things that are, essentially, insubstantial. It is much easier to say "I found a groovy new temple on the highe astral" than "I had an experience which seemed very real, but it wasn't actually reality, and I seemed to be in a building which was a bit like a church".

It is much more effective to say "Watch out! Check your etheric around the solar plexus chakra!" than to say "I have a bad feeling, and think you may be about to experience something unpleasant, but possibly not physical in origin".

As a digression, this is part of the drill that I am developing for my planned "Rangers of the Inner Plane" (formerly "Rangers of Gyhldeptis" - mentioned previously here and here, for instance).

The problem with reality maps is that they can restrict your experience of the complexity of reality to what has been described by some of those who have gone before you. This may mean you simply don't see something.

This is a bit like the idiotic delusions that SOME Neo-Christians have of LGBTIQ people: they simply don't see REALITY because they have been blinded by their reality map

Another good example of this (from science fiction) is the "Somebody Else's Problem" field from the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series.

In my case, right now I am preparing for a (Wiccan) Winter Solstice (Yule) ritual, but I would rather be off in the bush, with no-one other than my partner for miles (kilometers) around, sitting, quietly enjoying the solitude, the peace of the bush (which I was able to do for a couple of hours last weekend), the cold, the drizzle, and the energy of this time of year.

I've realised that I rarely get much out of the energy of Solstices (except for MidWinter/Yule and - ALWAYS - Samhain), and feel more from the Esbats. However, I've felt that I should be celebrating the Solstices because that was what was a key part of my Wiccan training, and what is emphasised in some other forms of training (e.g. Druidry). The truth is, though, a lot of that was about social celebrations of milestones - parties, and if there is something I am not into (and haven't been MOST OF MY LIFE, it is parties :)

However, if I take my own advice, I don't need to focus on Solstices ... I can do the Esbats (I mainly feel the full Moon), and the Solstices that I feel something for, and leave the rest to the others ...

Love, light, hugs and blessings

Gnwmythr

PS - I very greatly enjoyed the ritual we had for this year's Yule: a friend joined my partner and I, and we blended some Druid, Wiccan and personal elements, and had something which felt very ... nice, for want of a better word

This post's photo is yet to be posted.

Tags: about me, expectations, group dynamics, rituals, Sabbats, Esbats, limitations, religion, socialisation, reality map, shamanism,

First published: Sunday 20th June, 2010

Last edited: Thursday 5th August, 2010 (added more tags)