Rituals | What to wear/bring | Ritual Structure
Rituals
All of our High Day rituals are open to the public and are also broadcast to Facebook live. The only thing we ask is that anyone attending, either in person or virtually are respectful to our traditions and practices. Facebook Live is a great option if you’re not totally sure but would like to watch while not impacting others, however, it also doesn’t let you ask questions of members and other attendees!
Children under the age of 14 are welcome to attend and participate in person! If you or your child are under 14, we do require that they are under the supervision of their parents and/or guardians while at our events. Anyone aged 14 to 17 may attend in person on their own, as long as we either have a signed letter of informed consent, or a member of our leadership council has met a parent or guardian prior to their first event. We are unable to control virtual attendees via age.
While we understand it is not always feasible due to health or mobility needs, we do appreciate it when guests RSVP before attending our in person events via our facebook event. This lets us accommodate those that will be on site. This includes but is not limited to physical space requirements, and ritual supplies. If you need accessibility accommodations you’re more than welcome to ask in the discussion on the event, or message us via facebook or email prior to the event. Our regular ritual location is accessible and we strive to ensure the safety and inclusion of all.
What to Wear and Bring
FOR IN-PERSON ATTENDEES:
– Indoor shoes (this helps us take care of the floor in the hall that we rent)
– Offerings to any of the spirits (check the event posting for who our beings of the occasion are)
– $5 or what you can (if you can’t that’s ok) donation towards the Dagda’s Cauldron
– item for potluck feast with all ingredients labelled (please take the left overs home with you. If you forget to label your dish we do have the supplies for that to be done on site)
– plate/cup/bowl/cutlery for the potluck (if it’s forgotten please find a member of the grove)
– checking the Facebook event for ritual specific items!
Everyone at our rituals are welcome to bring offerings to any of the spirits (those under 14 included!), though it is not a requirement. An offering is a gift to the spirit in question and could include material goods such as foods, pictures, etc or those intangible things such as prayers, songs, or poetry. We ask that there is no incense brought as we do have multiple scent allergies on site. We do have incense provided that don’t affect our members. We do check about new scent allergies on site with regards to guests.
Most of our rituals are indoors. While we are neopagans and wish to bring honor to the old gods, we also respect that our weather can be extreme and having our rituals indoors allows for safety from the elements. While you are more than welcome to wear ritual garb if you have it, many attendees, and our members included, tend to wear nice but casual clothing.
We share a potluck feast after our rituals. We ask that all dishes are labelled with their ingredients so those that have allergies can safely take part in the feast as well. Please bring your own dishes and cutlery etc for taking part in the feast. If you forget we do have a few extra sets on site, please find a member of the grove as even if they don’t know where they are at the time, we will find them for you!
Dagda’s cauldron is our anonymous pot for donations to the grove. These donations allow us to keep renting halls and buying offerings to host more rituals through the year. We also donate a portion of the Dagda’s cauldron from every ritual to charity. Typically it is Simcoe Hall Settlement House. If you would rather use e-transfer or paypal while on site just know those can’t be as easily anonymous. However, we appreciate them just as much and are more than willing to keep you anonymous outside of the board of directors.
If there is something specific you need to bring for the event itself it will be listed in the Facebook event. While this is a general list there are sometimes specifics too. You can easily check the event listing while you’re letting us know if you’re coming!
FOR VIRTUAL ATTENDEES:
– a bowl of water, soap and a hand towel, and or incense for purification
– a clear-ish drink in a clear-ish vessel
– Offerings to any of the spirits (check the event posting for who our beings of the occasion are)
– A bowl or plate for personal praise offerings to be made into (2 vessels are suggested if you are planning on both liquid and dry goods, one for wet one for dry)
– checking the Facebook event for ritual specific items!
We have kept our hybrid status after the pandemic knowing that many are unable to join us due to distance or health related reasons and we would still love for you to join us. This is also a great option if you’re wanting to see a ritual but be more of an observer versus an active participant to see if it is right for you.
During our rituals we purify those on site with water and smoke from incense. During more sensitive times with regards to germs we may also use an organic hand sanitizer. However those at home can much more easily use soap and water to do so! Purification lets your body and mind be ready for what you’re about to do and we encourage you to do something for this step in the ritual that works for you at home.
During our rituals we take an omen and bless a drink to ensure we take that omen into ourselves. We suggest a clear-ish drink with a clear-ish vessel so that when we bring the flame to the camera, you’re able to actually see that flame sparkling and shining in your drink a lot easier.
Just like our in person rituals, Everyone at our rituals are welcome to bring offerings to any of the spirits (those under 14 included!), though it is not a requirement. An offering is a gift to the spirit in question and could include material goods such as foods, pictures, etc or those intangible things such as prayers, songs, or poetry. While on site we have vessels for this, you’re going to want to make sure you have a spot to put said offerings when you make them. For material goods, a plate and or bowl is a good option. You’ll notice on the live streams we have 2 vessels. That’s where the suggestion comes from. It makes clean up a lot easier and a lot less gross! Many of our members will leave offerings on altars for 24h, however do what is right for your household. Please know any of the offerings made should be discarded.
If there is something specific you need to have ready for the event itself it will be listed in the Facebook event. While this is a general list there are sometimes specifics too. You can easily check the event listing while you’re letting us know if you’re coming! Unfortunately we can’t separate out virtual attendees on the guest list, however we still like to know!
Ritual Structure
Dancing Lights Grove has developed our own standard liturgy that we use in most rites. The rituals are created and led by one or two people, with the other members having roles in creating our sacred space and honouring the Spirits.
At each ritual, we honour the Gods, Ancestors, and Nature Spirits. After they are welcomed to our hearthside, everyone is welcome to make offerings to any spirit that they work with. We then welcome the spirit of the occasion. This is either a deity or set of spirits (like the Ancestors) who we choose to honour at this time of the year. The Spirit(s) of the Occasion is/are accorded a special place in ritual, and the everyone is welcome to make offerings to them also.
After we take an Omen to determine if our offerings have been accepted, we share in the blessings of the spirits together by blessing a shared drink. For those attending in person this is clear water (typically remineralized Reverse Osmosis) to avoid allergies. There is also sometimes a magical working based on the season, world events, or spirit of the occasion.