Whatever the outward form or cultural tradition, the purpose of each ritual is to enhance the potential of the individual. We must keep this principle in mind when we design or create a new ritual.
The goal is not to facilitate the bending of nature to our will, or the tearing of the outside world into a new shape. Nor is our primary goal to be maximally attractive to the entity or deity we invoke. If we were to play a tape recording of a ritual on the altar of an empty room, even if it were spectacularly elaborate, stunningly beautiful, and painstakingly dutiful in its details, there would be no magical or spiritual effect.
The mental side of nature
The purpose of a ritual is to raise the consciousness of the participants, and only in this raising of consciousness does a ritual find its power. Our goal in creating a ritual is the specialized consciousness raising of the individuals involved.
The rules that determine the design of a ritual are therefore also the rules that govern the maintenance of attention. A ritual works by appealing to instinct and the unconscious, on the one hand by evoking a certain emotional state, and on the other hand, by keeping attention steadily on a focal point. This increases the potency of the individual and elevates consciousness to higher states.
When an individual’s ability is enhanced in a specific and specialized way, it is possible to come into contact with a correspondingly specialized aspect of nature, with which one can do very remarkable things.
For example, if our goal is to invoke planetary energy such as Mars, we seek to raise consciousness in the specialized direction of Mars so that we can then connect with this celestial energy flow. Once we have established this point of contact, we can direct this energy to work on our behalf in achieving our desires.
The purpose of a ritual is not a plea to Mars to please the planetary deity and win his favor; It is also not intended to gain control over the martial energy so that we can harness and direct it. The function of ritual is to work on the Yourself, aligning yourself with the Martial flow of energy that is always and always present. There is nothing in the outside world that we are trying to change or manipulate; it is ourselves that we sculpt through ritual.
This applies regardless of the culture, religion, tradition or ritual school in which one works. Ritual forms are not intended as a discipline to train the soul, nor even as a means to please God. They are designed to bring the light of spiritual forces into consciousness. The purpose of a ritual is to tap into the little-understood powers of the realms of the spirit, and thereby access the “spiritual side” of nature.
The psychology of rituals
Understanding the psychology of ritual in this way is the antidote to empty superstition and charlatanism, as well as to excessive cynicism or skepticism. We can judge the legitimacy of any ritual not by its elaborate paraphernalia or impressive displays, but by the effect it has on our hearts and minds.
Any form or symbol used in a ritual is a channel for focus. The outward and visible sign, whether it be a cup or cross, a staff or wand, crystal ball or feather, is but a focal point which enables the worshiper to come into psychic contact with the spiritual force which is the animating life of that sign is. symbol.
In other words, it is not only the material substance of a sacrament that is the physical channel for a force, but also the vivid, subjective image created in the worshiper’s imagination by its ritual use.
This explanation of the psychological aspect of supernatural power in no way detracts from its divine aspect. We do not claim that spiritual reality does not exist independently of our minds or our beliefs in it; we simply recognize the way the spiritual forces work
operate at the level of the mind.
Divine powers are ineffable and incomprehensible to human consciousness. To work with them at all, this power must be embodied in concrete forms or ideas. Sacraments, ritual implements, symbols, and even clothing embody primordial spiritual forces and truths that are too abstract to comprehend, but with which we can somehow communicate emotionally or ethereally. Pictorial symbolism allows the mind to reflect on what it could never express or comprehend.
Through this contemplation we become connected to a spiritual faculty that does the work on our behalf. Connected through thoughts, this spiritual force can flow into the soul and accomplish its divine work. Every physical ceremonial action we undertake is but the dancing shadow of the force working on ethereal planes.
Ignite the heart with prayer
It is well documented that medical treatment actually works better when the patient believes in the doctor and the doctor believes in his approach. The same principle applies to ritual: empty, unfelt prayers do nothing, yet the humblest offering of a sincere heart inflamed with spirit can move mountains.
This is not to say that we can simply make up our own rules for rituals based on how we feel. Laws of natural correspondence dictate the proper materials to be used in any ritual, and ignoring these laws only deprives one of force that could otherwise be used.
Each deity or celestial energy is associated with colors, plants, incense, sounds, symbols and other ethereal properties. These vibratory tones are not merely ‘pleasing’ to the archetypal force being invoked, but are indeed manifestations or expressions of it.
Our goal in ritual is to flood the consciousness with manifestations of one energy, so that the totality of the psyche becomes focused on this archetype at one point. Everywhere you look you should see only symbolic expressions of this archetype in color, imagery, clothing, and texture. The scent associated with this energy wafts in through the nose, while rhythmic music keeps our heartbeat in sync with his mind.
The various stimuli in a ritual serve the purpose of bringing consciousness to a single-point focus in a heightened emotional state, and in this we access the etheric matrix and bring our will to bear on the causal factors of creation.
