Coventry Earth Spirit's open celebrations are open to all who are genuinely interested in participating, whatever your spiritual or religious background. We do not follow a particular tradition or school of practice. We celebrate the seasonal festivals of the modern pagan calendar and the basic principles we follow will be familiar to those with a pagan background, of whatever kind. For those of you who are completely new to this we present some of the fundamental ideas very briefly in this leaflet, please discuss it further with one of us if you are not sure about anything.
What we mean by pagan is that we regard the Earth as sacred, that the divine energy, whatever name it is given, is in all living things including ourselves. The purpose of our celebrations is to help us reconnect to this energy in ourselves and in the sacred world around us. In modern life we are disconnected from this energy and often suffer a sense of being cut off from our spiritual roots. We practice group ritual to help us open up our blocked channels of relationship with natural energy and with our own roots. We celebrate outdoors in natural special places such as woodland glades or sacred sites like stone circles. We use methods such as chanting, drumming, dancing, to help us relax and let the natural energy move freely. We channel and dedicate this energy for healing and wholeness.
Our open rituals will tend to follow the following stages, although the specific details will vary with each individual event. There is generally a basic structure to the ritual process, but within this there is room for spontaneity and inspiration. We hope that everyone who comes will contribute in their own way, whatever is right for you. The basic structure of each ritual will be planned in advance and will be guided. If there is anything you are uncomfortable with or unsure about please let us know, you will not be asked to do anything you are not happy with. We do however encourage everyone to participate as fully as possible, as a group ritual is a shared experience, not something that is acted out in front of an audience.
Our rituals start with purification. This is very important. It is essential for us to let go of any `baggage` or negative energy we may be carrying that may get in the way of fully connecting to the ritual. We usually have a spoken circle in which each person in turn speaks out loud about what they are putting on one side. We often combine this with visualisation, such as putting the negative energy into a bowl of water and salt which is passed around the circle and then cast away, releasing and dispersing it.
The next stage is to create sacred space. We need to connect with the place where we are and begin to change our energy and our awareness to create a shared special space for the ritual. We may use various methods to do this including pacing the boundaries of the place, guided visualisation, drumming and chanting, dancing etc. We usually join hands in a circle, through which the energy can flow, connecting us and creating shared space. The energy we raise through our making sound and movement is contained in this space and helps us to move into a different awareness.
The heart of the ritual is where we work with the energy we have raised. Within this space we can make prayers to the divine which is within and around us, in the form of the goddess or other forms appropriate to the particular festival being celebrated. We can send the energy for healing and blessing for people, places, campaigns etc which we care deeply about. A celebration may have a particular theme and focus energy for that purpose, but there will always be energy there for personal healing also, if someone close to you is ill, tell us and we can send energy to them too.
Following this we generally have a communion feast in which food and wine are blessed and shared. This is a space to relax and enjoy. It is a space to share music, songs, poems, stories or things you want to share with the circle. We see the energy of the feast as a blessing for ourselves and for the place. At the end of the feast it is important to finish the ritual by grounding and closing. We would usually have a final spoken circle, passing the talking stick, where everyone has a chance to say whatever they wish before the circle closes. We then release and ground the remaining energy, to return to our normal state of awareness.
A good ritual moves energy and you may feel some after effects in your personal life or inner experiences. This should be healing and beneficial, but if there is anything that you are concerned about or feel you could do with some support with then please do speak to Barry or Anne and we will do our best to advise and support you. We hope you will enjoy participating in our open celebrations and we welcome your feedback of whatever kind.
The Earth's Cycle of Celebration, Glennie Kindred, 1991.
The Spiral Dance, A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess, Starhawk, 1989,
The Druid Way, an introduction to Druidry as a living tradition of the land and its people, Phillip Carr-Gomm,1993,
Finding Your Way in the Woods, The Art of Conversation with the Genius Loci, Barry Ye Ex Pedant, 1991.
Article Copyright Anne Barrowcliffe, 20-1-97.
Page updated by Barry Patterson on 6th June 2002.
Please send any additions or amendments to:
Barry