Preparing for a ritual is extremely important. Especially when you are leading the ritual. Rituals do not just fall into place. Like at churches, the preacher goes through thick and thin in order to make sure his sermon is done well enough and coincides with what is currently going on in life. Well, we have to make sure everything from beginning to end coincides with the meaning of the sabbat.
Here is some key things you should remember when going to a ritual.
1.Potluck means there will be plenty of people there. You should ask what you need to bring, and stick to it. Don't change your mind at the last minute.
2.Usually it is bring your own drinks. That means have a cooler, and bring drinks for you and your family. Don't expect others to provide for you, even if you are friends. It's not fair to their pocketbook to have to provide drinks for everyone.
3. A group Coven/Grove meeting is not a place to try to pick up on people. It is not a Pagan Swingers Dating Club. It's a nice place to get together with people of similar beliefs and celebrate the sabbat or moon or whatever is being celebrated at the time. Flirting or sexual inuindos will not be tolerated. If you cannot help yourself, then you really should not be in a group worshipping setting. And not everybody in the coven and out of the coven needs to know your sexual preference.
4. I cannot stress this enough DO NOT TALK DURING THE RITUALS!!!! It is rude and disrespectful. Overall things should be quiet. Kids will make a little noise, but that can be taken care of by parents. If a certain kid seems to be causing trouble then they should be put by themselves at a distance in a time out to scream their heads off or whatever provided they are old enough to know better. (Over 3yo.) If there is a certain child who says everyone is doing stuff to them it's usually because they are being a pest to other people, and they should be separated from other children. There are many ways to deal with children. Other then that adults DO NOT TALK unless it is part of the ritual. It is disrespectful and may result in being thrown out of the circle if it cannot be controlled.
Overall be respectful is the biggest thing. Don't expect one person to bring almost everything. The leaders really do have alot on their plate as it is. And keep your hormones in check. And be respectful during the rituals. It's not so hard, please try, for the sake of worship. If you are not there to worship you do not need to be there.
Wow. In almost 40 years in Pagan environments I've never been to a gathering where this list of warnings would apply. I've known at least a dozen couples, for example, that met after a certain amount of time flirting at our gatherings...and sometimes we got to welcome babies that resulted from that. It's swell. :)
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you've been up against some seriously out-of-touch people. I'm sorry to hear that. We all deserve safe space to practice our Craft.
Believe it or not, these things really do happen tho. I understand meeting someone and falling in love over some time and becoming a couple. But flirting around during a ritual gathering is a bit much. Especially when it happens on a consistent basis. The kind that could make others feel uncomfortable, especially with guests who are new and checking things out.
ReplyDeleteThis was put up mainly because I had to deal with this type of thing being the leader of a Pagan group. We tried the direct route, direct but nice, and that didn't seem to work, so now it's posted here in hopes that some will understand what not to do.
The rituals are a time of worship and a time of honoring those God/Goddesses that have given us so much. I am not against people getting to know each other before/after the ritual, and if the fates allow falling in love. But I do mind when there is sexual inuindoes being announced loudly.
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