magic and ritual and stuff

[saffronhare]

It's been over a year since I did a magical ritual as immersive as yesterday's. How wonderful it was to begin holding up my end of the bargain in our alliance with Arianrhod for the year.

** (see footnote)

On a selfish level, I got to start working with magical herbs again and indulge in over two hours of making the incense we offered along with our hymn to Kybele. We were playing the same music we used in ritual, rehearsing our hymns and everything.

I got to make it through the longest fast I've ever managed. (I know, 2 days isn't all that impressive in the grand scheme of things. And I had milk and tea. But, still. My system endures tests of strength and pain much better than lack of food or sleep, so it was a real triumph for me.)

I got to sew 47 million teeny-tiny muslin bags -- which included teaching Princess Boredom to sew a [straight] line on the machine, and a couple of helpful hemp-stringing elves. Good thing, because we had just over 46 million people show up for ritual.

And -- I <3 my ritual team! We were all nervous on some level, but lots of prep and care-taking of each other lead to a pretty tightly managed experience overall...which is really important if one wants the participants to feel safe enough to achieve the appropriate level of frenzy/ecstasy. Sort of a paradox, but there you go. We had a pretty full range of expected events...from a couple of interventions, to a couple of folks who simply watched quietly. Hard, hard work. I don't think I even want to light a candle for a few days, but the end product was well worth the price I (and we) paid for it.

I want to thank chaosdruid for her question to our ritualist's list -- I will plan to answer it in more detail there -- about whether there was a shield in place around the room. After I got over being horribly offended (which I admit was a ridiculous response!) it really got me thinking. Many of our ritualists may not know of any other method than a formal circle. And if their own experience doesn't involve a lot of magical work, how can we best facilitate the safe incorporation of more magical work over the year? I say it often...this shit is real. Do we cross-train people in magical systems? (Because this is a different level even than being proficient in putting together a ritual across pagan traditions.) Do we offer to loan ourselves out across ritual teams as necessary? How do we judge competence versus enthusiastic respect and still avoid being dilettantes?

Need to think more about that. Thanks again, babe. :)

** One of the costs of this immersive prep was that I flaked out on the wedding shower I'd promised triadruid and kittenpants I would attend for them. I thought I was going to die on Sunday morning when I realized the event had actually passed. I don't know what planet I was on, but apparently Saturday, August 21st does not exist there. It's gotta be a special sort of sin for an officiant to flake out on a wedding shower. Again -- I'm very sorry...and relieved that there are so many people who love you that my absence was not a defining characteristic of the evening. After all, the universe only revolves around me every other Tuesday.

Comments

[capriciouslass.livejournal.com]

Yes I rather hoped to not offend, but as a newer member of the ritual teams, it was something I hadn't heard discussed yet. From what I've seen of your work so far, the details are always addressed. However, since both girls mentioned that they felt what we were doing, it seemed prudent to ask.

[saffronhare.livejournal.com]

I don't blame you for asking. No, shielding is not skill or concept that GC ritualist training specifically addresses. The GC-style ritual is not geared toward the kind of magical work that would require a tightly built circle, let alone any supplementary shielding (even though I sound unbelievably Mercedes Lackey when I hear myself talking like that!). For the most part, we leave it to the individual to really know what they're doing and pay the price of making it happen [mostly] without bloodshed.

I'm not at all suprised the girls would feel it. I bet they were trying to spy on us anyway -- and they wouldn't have been the only "eavesdroppers" yesterday. :)

I'm shocked!

[capriciouslass.livejournal.com]

2 teenage girls trying to eavesdrop on the adults??? Never!!!!!

But seriously, I was wondering if what they felt could've been the shielding? Both described it as rather ticklish-tingling.

Just a(nother) thought...