Serenity Circle’s Guide to Ritual
What we do, why we do it, and how you can get involved!
Guided Meditations & Raising Energy
The way we practice meditation may be similar to what you’ve encountered before - as a group, we come together and take intentional time to quiet the outside world and look inward. Through guided meditation, led by high priestess Irena Stormcrow, we travel to our inner plane and all meet in the same place. We’re able to synchronize and stabilize our thoughts and feelings so that our energy is centered.
If you’re like many of us, you may find your mind wandering when you try to meditate, and become frustrated and restless trying to follow along with guided meditations. But if you think that you’re just doomed and can’t meditate, you are wonderfully wrong! Consider our group meditation a form of it with training wheels. As long as you can come with an open mind and do your utmost to quiet the outside so you’re able to listen within yourself, there’s something to take away from this.
We go in so that we can go out - while meditation is the yin, subtle and dark in nature, raising energy is the yang, overt and bright.
When we raise energy, or raise power, we’re doing the opposite from meditation. This time, we go out into the outside world to generate and amplify our energy to raise it like a pillar up to the Gods. We want you to feel truly alive when raising energy with us. Shake, shout, stomp, sweat, feel your life force! This is the time to shake off any inhibitions or stiffness and be loud and free with us.
Smudging & Asperging
Smudging and asperging are both forms of cleansing we partake in before every ritual, but why do we cleanse to begin with? As we walk through the world, especially our modern world with all its divorce from nature and balance, we pick up spiritual detritus which can cling to us and negatively affect our energy. When we come to temple, before coming before the Gods, we need to shed as much of that sludge as we can.
In smudging, we follow old European practices and use a traditional blend comprising mainly of mugwort. S. Theresa Dietz, author of The Complete Language of Herbs, notes that mugwort symbolizes awareness of our spiritual path and so we use it to cleanse our spirit.
When we asperge, or lustrate, we use blessed water and a pine branch to cleanse the body and in doing so, help us feel refreshed and charged and ready to meet, listen to, and be present with the Gods. In the moment where we come before them, we have invoked their presence and are allowing our people to partake in that experience, so we want to be as present and cleansed as possible. The pine branch we use is an ancient asperging tool - it is evergreen, representing rebirth, life everlasting, vigor, and all the things that Paganism endeavors to invoke.
Cleansing is a time to let go of that which no longer serves you. Think of anything that you’ve been hanging on to that has been impeding your spiritual or your life path - see it, honor it, and release it so that you may move forward and be anointed to go before the Gods.
Blessings of the Wine and Bread
This one may seem familiar to many; the blessing of the wine and bread is a common practice found in nearly every religious tradition on earth in one form or another, particularly among Western and Abrahamic traditions.
Our particular prayers of wine and bread stem from our group’s history and are a nod to the eclectic nature of our Circle. Overall, these are about uniting polarizing energies and the growth that stems from there; we are a group that emphasizes life and fertility and the blessings that we are given from the bountiful earth.
Be you a newcomer or veteran with us, we ask that you be open to the blessings our (gluten-free) bread and wine (or mead, as the case may be) confer. While the bread is physical food for our physical body, it also possesses spiritual sustenance as it represents the strength and life force of the land, which we try to absorb and ingrain into our being.
The Reason for the Season
This varies as it is particular from sabbat to sabbat, but is rather self-explanatory; high priest Val takes a moment with us to talk about the origins of our holidays, and how that manifests in our blend of ancient and modern-day traditions.
Take this time to ask questions! We welcome open-minded and respectful curiosity and will always try to have you leave knowing more than when you arrived.
Eat, Drink, and Be Merry!
None of this would be possible without the time, effort, dedication, and love the people who make up Serenity Circle put into every ritual. Your energy, your voice, your food, your donation, and your presence are what makes these celebrations truly magical. So, to honor that, we always toast one another - who really shone today, who brought the best BBQ, who took on something big and conquered it - and make sure to take part in one of our most cherished traditions: Sacred Mirth! So fill your horn (or reusable water bottle, or solo cup), cheers to your circle, and feast!
Love,
The Serenity Circle Council
