Herding Cats - Practical ritual writing 
by Blayze

It has often been said that organising any group of people is like herding cats. When dealing with pagans, with all of their various paths, insights, egos and spiritual understandings, this description is even more apt. There are many ways of dealing with this phenomena when it comes to writing and organising group ritual, but it does take a willingness to understand both the big picture of ritual outcomes and the intricate details of staging and performance that allow a ritual to flow. Just because those involved in a ritual are of the same generic path, does not mean that they will be able to work together, or share an understanding, enough to make a ritual a success.

Let me point out at the start that I am violently allergic to cats, so herding them is not a preferred pastime for me. If you, like myself, would rather see those metaphorical felines dancing in perfect spirals whilst attaining a spiritual epiphany, read on.

Most witches and Wiccans are solitary creatures; we have our own intimate communication with deity and our spiritual selves. That said, we also tend to work in groups rather a lot, coming together to worship, to celebrate, to learn and to create magic. However, even in a group ritual, with an almost perfect group mind, we also tend to keep that core of our own solitary natures at the forefront of any ritual practice. This, of course, adds a unique flavour to our rituals, but it can make organising one something of a nightmare.

So how do you deal with this? How do you create a ritual that can be enjoyed by many, that has a strong energy base and can be experienced and understood by all those attending? Well it is probably impossible, but you can get it to be a near thing. You just have to be aware that nothing is ever going to be perfect, (this is not a stage show, it’s a ritual) but that if you take all of the various aspects of practical ritual writing into consideration, you should end up with a result that pleases the majority of participants.

So first off, before you even start on things like form, structure, props, participants, venue, writing, casting, staging and presentation, you need to work out what the ritual is for. Why are you running this ritual in the first place? Is it for a celebration, a rite of passage, an act of magic, or even an ego massage? Defining this point will help you to work out everything else. 

In solitary work, we really don’t need to worry about the final outcome of a ritual, unless it involves spell work, as we have the ability to shape our ritual as it happens, to go with the flow and see where we end up. We only have to take responsibility for ourselves and, for the most part we are in touch with what is going on in our own heads. We don’t really have that luxury when we work with other people. 

By defining the goal of the ritual, we can shape our approach, and that of participants, in how the ritual is experienced and why. We can then work out the flavour of the ritual, as the goal will influence this. Is the ritual a gift of celebration to the group, a means of teaching or of understanding a mystery, is it an act of worship? All of these rituals will have a different form that naturally lends itself to a creative starting point.

Establishing the main idea or central theme gives you a place to work from. You may wish to have the ritual begin with an outline of the main theme, then, during the ritual, explore the many facets of this theme. You may also have the main idea as the end result of the ritual, and the ritual build to enhance the idea.

For example, a ritual that is intended as a celebration may begin with a story or background as to why participants are celebrating it in the first place, the participants may then begin to build up energy through various means and release it together, forming a rush of celebratory energy, wishes and magic.

However, a ritual to understand a mystery may take on the form of a journey; sometimes these rituals can be broken down into sections of individual journey and group journey, each round building an understanding, often with a period of meditation or visualisation thrown in to enhance the effect. Mystery rituals may also have some kind of barrier, whether physical, spiritual or mental, that needs to be broken through to gain the understanding.

The central idea may also have a certain theme to it - like light and happy or dark and mysterious, you may even wish to embrace the darker aspect of a light-hearted theme. This tone is also important to understand when creating ritual, as it can be manipulated to achieve the desired outcome and effect.

Sometimes we also gain inspiration from a song, a story or our environment and we will use this as our starting point and work from there… always trying to avoid ritual for ritual’s sake. Even a low-key teaching ritual has a purpose.

When we know what the ritual is for, we can begin to work on the more practical side. How many people is the ritual for? Does this determine things like venue or ritual space, or does the theme really lend itself to an outdoor or indoor setting as this may determine the number of people who can join in. 

So you can see how the central idea of a ritual may be used to determine the overall form and flavour of the ritual itself, however like the Wheel of the Year, ritual writing has a flow and a cycle - no one aspect stands alone and each issue impacts on the overall outcome of the ritual itself. Or, you can think of it like a mind-map with a central idea and veins or branches radiating out - linking with each other in multiple combinations.

From the overall form we move into structure itself. There are two ways to go from here. You may write all of the words that convey your theme and build a structure around those words, or you can come up with a structure of how you see the ritual being performed and write words to fit it. Both of these systems work well - it is a personal preference thing really.

We will start with structure first… since this is a ritual (usually religious in nature, and a not a stage play), you may wish to begin your ritual with the formation of sacred space by whichever methods you use - you can have the space already prepared and lead people into it - or you can have everyone inside the ritual space and form it around them. Whether you have just a small group creating the space or have all participants involved really is determined by your tradition, if you have one, and by the level and understanding of the participants themselves.

Sometimes it can give a good dramatic twist to start the ritual itself outside the sacred space or circle, something like sending people on an individual journey, having them met by guardians along the way, then if they have passed some kind of test or proof of understanding, they enter the sacred space and the ritual continues in more structured or even wilder form. This way participants are able to feel the difference in the various areas or sections of the ritual.

The sacred space can be formed by your usual circle cast or you may wish to create something unique that fits with the overall theme of the ritual, which may not require a full formal circle cast. Often this can be determined by where the ritual is being held - outside you can use a more earthy or unstructured formation, however an urban environment may require a formal protection and consecration before working in it.

Another factor that can determine structure is the size of the space itself. If the ritual is self-contained - within a small area - then you really don’t need to worry about moving the participants around - unless it is within the circle itself. For a large roaming ritual - outside - you may need to mark pathways or have set gateways to give people visual cues as to where they need to go. Alternatively you may wish to have guides assigned to the group. In very large roaming rituals we often break participants up into small groups and have the rituals structured as a form of round robin, that is, they move to different ritual sites but keep the same guides. We have even had sprites keeping the groups moving and creating mini-rituals along the paths. The sprites may end up harassing the participants in an elemental way if that is required. For example, a Summer elemental ritual of Water may have people dressed as water sprites that herd participants with water pistols to lighten the atmosphere and, if it is really hot, to keep people cool. This is practical, and fun as well. In a night ritual, we have utilised fire sprites who carry flaming torches and lead participants on a merry dance through the bush.

Structure also includes things like giving the ritual a starting point, a middle point or body, and an end point. The ending can be very important as it can determine the final state-of-being of participants. Are they grounded or full of energy? What is needed and what is safe? Are they going to end up at a feast which will ground them, or will they be dancing and fire twirling into the night? Do you want them to be able to go to sleep and maybe dream answers for themselves? This is where the manipulation of energy levels becomes part of the ritual structure.

Not only do you have the structure of the ritual to consider, you also need to take into account the feelings of the participants as well. For example, in a ritual such as a handfasting, you have pre-determined elements such as the binding of the couple and the jumping of the broom. How you incorporate these elements into your ritual is part of the skill of ritual writing. You also need to take into consideration the spiritual paths of the couple, as well as the presence of friends and family who may not be of the same path. These people may even be slightly hostile to the notions of a pagan ceremony - so putting them at ease and making an enjoyable ritual for all is another consideration and task of the writer.

If you know beforehand who your participants are going to be then you have the scope to incorporate their various skills into the ritual, they may be speaking lines, working with inspired utterance, leading group magic, leading a chant or playing music. If everyone is at a similar level or has an established group mind then you can use that to help build the structure of the ritual and keep the energy flowing in a desired way.

With public or open rituals we do not have the luxury of working with a group mind or even known participants. Some sort of bonding ceremony usually helps to make the ritual a little more cohesive. You may wish to have games before the ritual or some kind of offering made by each person, maybe an offering of food to the communal cauldron or a stick to a sacred fire. Each person says their name, gives some information on their path and what they bring to the circle.

To establish a ritual link and understanding it can be useful to also run some kind of pre-ritual workshop that will establish a level of understanding prior to the ritual itself. If this is done, then the ritual has more chance of participants joining in with higher levels of energy and less selfishness.

People will generally not allow themselves to be challenged if they are not within an environment in which they feel comfortable or linked into the ritual enough to rise to the challenge, it is part of human nature and as such, they will not truly participate if they are uncomfortable. This means that finding a balance between safety, common sense and challenge is another consideration in writing the ritual.

A public ritual usually has disparate energies and participants, this means that it can be hard to get people to let go of themselves and just BE in the ritual. This is where ritual tools of energy raising and working can be added to the structure to help participants get into the flow of the ritual.

Ritual tools like vine dancing or spiral dancing can get a ritual moving, especially if you can give people a simple chant to use or have drummers keeping a beat. This serves to energise and relax at the same time.

Appointing guardians whose only role is to observe the mental health of the group and let people in or out of the ritual space is also a good idea. These guardians and their roles are introduced in the ritual preparation, this means that the participants do not feel trapped in an unfamiliar situation and can leave the area discreetly if they become uncomfortable. It also means that they will not disrupt the ritual for everyone else.

Another ritual tool that can be built into the ritual structure to help people actively participate and get into the spirit of the thing, is to have them make an object with a purpose in the ritual. You can build on the pre-ritual theme if, for example, they are outdoors, have them find a stick or a leaf, a stone or a flower to use as an offering in the ritual. This ties the participants into the ritual itself. Or, if they are making something that they can take home with them, it gives participants a feeling of linking in to the ritual and fulfils that slight selfishness which can be a hallmark of public events.

Meditation and guided visualisation is also used as a tool within ritual structure, but the person who is leading this needs to radiate a level of trustworthiness and conduct themselves well in the ritual so that participants will relax into the visualisation. The leader also really needs to know what they are doing. Again, guardians who can watch specific sections of a group are a good idea as one person may have difficulty checking the state of a large group of people. In a large group, people will ‘come back’ from the meditation at different times and having them awaken in a healthy state of mind is extremely important, as is keeping the ritual tight.

Once you have worked out the structure of the ritual and taken the nature of the participants into the equation, you can begin to move into the more specific realms of staging and props.

Now how you go about staging the ritual may be determined by the venue. Do you require a fire pit and is there one available or will a brazier or cauldron of flame be appropriate? Is there a cleared space or will you wind in amongst the trees. Is the room bare or full of furniture that can be moved or incorporated into the ritual? The last thing you want are obstacles that could cause accidents or will disrupt your vision of the ritual outcomes. So be flexible and work with what you have. If you do not have access to a venue before hand, then make your ritual structure, and it’s staging, as flexible as possible and work in any contingencies that you can think of.

Decorations used to enhance the feeling and mood of the ritual can also be very important as they give a sensory connection to the ritual. However, outdoor rituals may only require fresh flowers for the altar or maybe a circle marked out in flour. Circles of natural elemental substances such as barley, salt, feathers, shells, chilis, hazelnuts etc., help to create a pleasing environment as do lanterns or flaming torches at the quarter points.

An indoor ritual may make use of wall hangings or banners, hides on the floor, multiple elemental altars, fresh greenery or seasonal decorations; basically whatever creates the mood and atmosphere you are looking to achieve. Preparing the ritual space with decorations makes people focus on the ritual and leave the mundane world behind. It gives a sense of ‘Other’ which can be very helpful in stimulating the senses in preparation for ritual.

The difference between decoration and props is that props have an actual physical use within the ritual. The props can be anything from altar tools, a maypole, a wicker man, a scrying bowl or mirror, a flaming cauldron, a shroud, extra candles to be lit within ritual or a mortar and pestle for making incense. Props can be very important within large group ritual as they make visual cues available to all participants. Participants can then see what is actually happening. Props should be within the ritual space before the ritual begins unless the fetching or hunting out of the props is built into the ritual. If possible have someone assigned just to look after the props, making sure they are in the right place and everything is handy. Each person who will be using a prop should also double check before they start to make sure they also know where their particular prop is located. If you are using a prop in different parts or sections of the ritual, then make sure that within the structure of the ritual, there is some way to move that prop from one area to another. This plotting is very important and working it out beforehand can save a lot of messing about within the actual ritual. If someone is using a spear as a guardian before the ritual, but then that same spear has a major function within the ritual itself, then either build that into the ritual with a scripted ‘handover’ or make sure that the original carrier places it discreetly in the new location. Basically this is where imagination comes to the fore. You may like to make a drawing or plan of the ritual’s movement to help you to work out the plotting.

If you make up a props list to include with your ritual script, then make sure you include items like matches, water for the chalice, charcoal for the censer etc. It is all too easy to forget the little things when setting up the big picture.

If you have chosen to work on the structure of the ritual, rather than the words first, then now is the time to start the creative process of using words as a tool to bring the structure to life. You may have been making notes of poetry or invocations during the structuring process or maybe you are using the structure itself as the inspiration. Descriptive language that can be used as verbal cues and explanation is a good place to start. 

If you find that within the ritual structure you have a space set aside for a blessing, say of an element, then you can tie the language of that blessing into the overall theme of the ritual. The tone of the language should be consistent, if you are structuring a formal ritual, then you may wish to have formal language all the way through or if the ritual is light in tone then write words that reflect this. You can also use the language to link ideas or bring in recurring themes. Have different participants speak the same phrase at various places in the ritual to highlight a point, for example. If you are using poetic forms, then also try to keep those forms consistent. For example if you have four people representing each of the elements, then you write a speech for each of them, have the poetic form the same. It helps the listeners to tune in to what is being said especially if you keep the last line of each poem the same. These final lines can be said with power and used to either invoke or release energy.

Conversely you may have a story or long poem as your starting point. You can then use descriptive ideas within the piece to plot the physical structure of the ritual - remembering to break up the poem to suit the actions. The last thing participants want to hear in ritual is an overly long, boring speech. If you must have a long speech to convey the nature of the ritual, then break it up between different voices (this will also make memorising the speeches much easier as reading from pieces of paper detracts from both the visual harmony and power that is sent behind the words). Question and answer styles of speech can also work well and make the participants actually think - however it is sometimes a good idea to have a plant in this section as the ritual can come to a grinding halt if no-one knows the answer, just make sure that the plant waits an appropriate length of time before speaking.

One of the only times that long poetic speeches may work well in ritual is when dealing with an invocation or evokation. A stand-out piece of invocation can really enhance the tone and create the spiritual base for the ritual. If everyone can feel the energies building with each stanza and the invoker has the voice for it, then the ritual can really move to another level of experience for all involved. There is nothing worse than someone shuffling to the centre of the circle, mumbling some long bit of inane poetry, read badly from a piece of paper, and basically bringing the ritual crashing down, as well as showing profound disrespect for whomever or whatever is being called. A good invocation with power behind it will generally echo off the walls even if the invoker is mainly soft-spoken. However, there are times when an invocation or evocation is spoken quietly, but still so all can hear it… this form of presentation and spiritual working creates a different atmosphere again, and it is up to you how you use this technique. 

This leads us into casting the ritual. Not everyone is a performer and, in large public ritual, a good performance is necessary, not great acting, just an ability to understand and work with a part and not show nervousness or unwillingness. I believe in giving everyone a chance but sometimes it is wise to give a first time speaker in a large ritual, a small part so they have a chance to show what they can do, but if they stuff up, it will not cause too much grief. Part of the process of casting is to utilise the skills of those involved as well as creating personal and group challenges. Again, finding the balance between these is important.

When you have a good first draft of your ritual, then it is time to start the process of visualising the ritual itself. Check things like the flow of energies and people, look at what sections can be moved around to enhance this. Check that you haven’t made things overly complicated and by all means have someone else read the ritual and get some feedback. Often when we are too close to a subject we don’t convey what we really mean as we write with an assumed level of understanding. I actually prefer writing rituals with at least one other person as they may have ideas on structure or language that I had not thought of. Try to come up with contingencies if something unforseen was to happen and then when you have your final draft, give copies of the ritual to the people who will be taking an active role. Also try to come up with some kind of ritual briefing that can be held before the ritual to let the rest of the participants know what to expect (within reason).

So keep your ritual as simple as possible but still take form, structure, style, decorations, props and casting into consideration. If you enjoy working with other pagans in a public or semi-public space, go for it. Just remember, if you are on an experiential path, then embrace the experiences that you encounter, both the good and the bad and learn from them.