DEDICATION RITUAL Before performing this ritual, you should spend some time meditating on what you want to achieve from it. Dedication is a way of promising your Self and Mother-Father God that you are going to honestly and seriously explore this Path. It is a way of committing your Self to the respect and tolerance of All, including your Self.
It will not make you into a Druid. That is a lifetime process.
In the realm of the Druid there is eternal movement and change, as we adapt and flow harmoniously with the Natural and Supernatural spheres we inhabit. Druids comprehend that it is not within their mortal Power to know everything, but they are willing to explore the Paths of Knowledge that divinity is prepared to divulge to them, in its wisdom. Yet, their respect for the Blessing of that Enlightenment also means that they will not misuse it. Through Dedication, you are committing your Self to a lifetime of Spiritual education; and this will come not only through teachers or reading, but from Life itself, in many and varied ways. In opening your Self to the Path of the Druid, you also open your Self to new ways of experiencing things, and Knowledge may come in surprising ways. Druidry is a Path of constant examination of the inner and outer Worlds to explore what God is trying to teach You. As a Druid, you will come to understand that you are never alone on your Path through Life. Divinity is always beside you and within you; and guides, inspires and protects you: you need only ASK; for Divinity also respects your Will, as an aspect of Itself, to freely do as you wish, and will therefore not intervene until it is invited to do so. Often, though, you may find the Path of the Druid perplexing as, what you ask for, and what is given to you, may differ greatly. The Lessons to be learned in these cases is that you will be given what is rightfully yours to receive, and which will not harm you or others in any way. There is a true Path to your Life, and God will not contribute to your straying from it. When your wishes do not turn out as you had hoped, or are delayed, you will learn that sometimes you must first change yourself before the World around you can change. To do that, you have to become honest and open enough to truly explore who you really are, and accept that knowledge of yourself. And, in accepting yourself, you must recognize the Divine Truth of your Spirit, that you are part and parcel of God as much as any other aspect of Creation. Which means learning to love yourself, freely - not with vain love, but a love with honour and respect; seeing yourself clearly and objectively, faults and all, gifts and all. Recognizing your faults or gifts, you must then not chastize your Self, nor hold your Self back, but give respect to the Divine hand that has shaped your purpose and your Life. Our faults are but the shaping of purpose, leading us in the direction of our Lessons; and our gifts are the Tools we may use to traverse our Path. These may be the hardest Lessons of all. It is not necessary to travel your Path in Initiation. You do not have to dedicate your Self to a Path to be living by the Laws of right action. The animals, birds, trees, etc. most likely do not do so, yet are Blessed by Divinity. You do not even have to believe in God at all. God exists without such acknowledgement. However, on the Path of Enlightenment, which a Druid hopes to follow, you learn to not simply exist but to exist in a wider fashion, connected to all living things and to Spirit itself. And, when this Path is functioning as it should, you may experience the true joy of your existence, and will never take it for granted again. Druidry is not everyone’s right Path. There are many Paths leading to Truth, which the true Druid recognizes.
Druids believe that all Gods are one God; that all the names of God are simply the many names of the one God; that all entities of God are
simply aspects of the one God; and that God is a multi-Faceted, universal, multi-gendered Force of Life and Creation. Finally, it must be said that ritual practices are not necessary to become a Druid, or to follow the Path of Druidry. Nor are any of the Tools and paraphernalia with which Druids tend to practice these Rituals really needed. God is always with us, and listens to us. We have help mates on many levels, natural and supernatural, to guide us through our Lives. Tools, robes, rituals, etc. do not make us Druids. Such things, without proper intention and purpose, merely become role-playing and games. A true Druid does not need to undergo a Ritual to speak with God, or to hear the Words of Divinity; or to learn the Lessons of the Spiritual Path. We are always fully connected with the Divine Spirit, and with Divine Knowledge. It is only our mortal forms, and the Laws of the physical World we live in, that obscure what we already know. A serious thought or vision is just as powerful as any Ritual, (which is why careless people can do sensitive people much damage, often unintentionally…) But Rituals do have a purpose, for all that. Many times, most people do not spend time really examining their Life and purpose. They then get flustered when things don’t seem to go right. Rituals are a Way of focussing energy and thoughts. Most people usually have trouble doing just that. A Ritual is like a moving meditation and, when we focus our energies
this way, God really does listen. You could liken it to a
parent who watches their children playing, but doesn’t really get involved in the action until the child asks for their Presence. Further, Rituals are a Way of connecting ourselves to the Earth,
and to the Earth’s spirit. The Earth is alive with Divine Spirit as
much as we are. Its life exists differently to the way we do, but it exists sentiently, nevertheless. And it exists on a different Time Plane than we do. You could think of the example of an ant and a human being. Human beings live so much longer than ants, and
have different cares and needs. Ants, on the other hand, go about their shorter-lived daily business and, in the process, may run up the leg of a human being without even realizing they are doing just that. Nor
may the human being even be aware that an ant is on their leg unless it tickles, or bites. The two species do not communicate and do not have the means to do so but,
sometimes, it can be a fascinating experience to take the time to watch an ant go about its life. Taking the time to connect ourselves to the Earth, and to Its experiences, can bring to us a similar transcendental revelation. In these moments, we know that the Earth is alive and that It knows we are here, too. And we begin to realize that the Cycles of the Earth’s Life are also reflected in our own. The eight annual Druid Rituals and Festivals are all connected to the
Earth. They use the seasons of the Earth’s life to demonstrate the seasons of our own lives, so that we may learn to cope better. All Rituals are pretty much just that. They are processes we go through so that we may come to terms with our lives, and with what is required of us in the course of those lives. What follows is a basic Dedication Ritual that you can use or change as you want. Remember, it will not make you into a Druid, but if you go through it, it will help you focus your purpose. DEDICATION Find a place where you won’t be Interrupted. Somewhere that is peaceful and quiet. Washing your body, and freshening yourself up, is a way to bring respect to your Ritual. Taking a moment to focus yourself, and to think about what you are about to do, will help you to align with the Divine energies around you and alert them to your intentions. It will also set up the right Harmonics to allow your Ritual to work well. Set up an Altar table in the centre of the space you want to work in. Light three sticks of incense and place them at the East of the Altar. Place the salt to the North of the Altar, and the salted Water to the West, and light a Candle or Oil Lamp and place it to the South. A triskele, or pentacle, may be placed at the centre. And you may decorate the Altar with a circle of crystals or minor gemstones, or even with flowers or leaves, if you wish. Two other Candles may be lit to represent the Presence of the Mother and Father aspects of God. Make sure you have some matches to light everything with, and leave them on the Altar, too. Place a glass of lightly salted Water, a bottle of essential Oil, and a coloured Candle (your choice) on the Altar as well. And, if you have made a Wand or Staff, you can place or lean them here, too. Playing gentle New-Age type Music in the background will also help to set up the right vibrations. CREATING YOUR SACRED SPACE: With your Druid Staff, move through the area to be used, which must be protected from ill-will and cleansed of negative Energies. Recite as you go (with intensity of feeling and power): Mother-Father God, Repeat this until the whole area is covered. Now anoint yourself in the centre of your forehead (the third eye) with an essential Oil (Sandalwood has a Spiritual vibration) and say: This Oil Anoints My Psychic Centre So that I may Then take up your glass of lightly salted Water and say: I drink this Water to Cleanse Myself Of Negative Energies, Now, walk (or visualize the movement of) a circle, to form the shape of your Sacred space, (clockwise or, optionally, anti-clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere – where the Sun’s eastern rising aligns to one’s right side when facing North…), and say as you do so: I now leave the Troubles of the Mortal World and Stand a while and visualize white Light filling up the area your circling has created. See it circling as you have done and moving into the centre of your Circle, into your Altar, and into you - then out again and back into the Universe, constantly cycling. Then say: I stand in this Sacred Space Now, take up the Staff again, or raise your hands in supplication, and walk to the northern edge of your Sacred space, saying: Angels of the North, of Earth, of Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn, of Then walk to the western edge (sunwise) and do the same, saying: Angels of the West, of Water, of Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces, of Then walk to the southern edge and do the same, saying: Angels of the South, of Fire, of Aries, Leo, Sagittarius, of Then walk to the eastern edge and do the same, saying: Angels of the East, of Air, of Gemini, Libra, Aquarius, of Then return to the Altar and say: O Mother/Father God Next, anoint your coloured Candle with essential Oil, (Sandalwood, optional). Light the Candle and say: This Flame is the Representation of My Spirit, Now, take your ritual Druid Staff and bless it, and speak its purpose into it. Pass it through the burning trails of incense (at the East), then over the Candle or Oil Lamp flame (at the South). Dip it into the salted water (at the West), and into the salt (at the North), and then anoint it with essential Oil (Sandalwood, optional) and say: I Bless this Staff and Enjoin It as Now you take the Staff and, raising it, say: I Stand in this Sacred Space so that Sacred Angels of the North, East, South, and West, Stop for a moment now and meditate on the Words you have spoken. Feel the fullness of the intent you bring to them. Then, thank Mother-Father God for witnessing your Rite by saying: Blessed and Ancient Parents, Enjoined as the Sacred One, Then release the Angelic Quarters by saying: I Thank the Sacred Angels of Eternity - Now snuff your Candles or Lamp with wet fingers, and close your Ritual by walking (or visualizing) the circle in the opposite direction to which you worked it. As you do so, visualize the Energy dissipating into Air and Earth and say: I Disperse the Energies of this Circle, Finally, you dismantle your Altar and put away your Sacred Tools. Plant materials may be scattered on a garden, and Water onto the ground. Resting peacefully a while when all is done will settle the Energies within you and allow you to absorb the processes you have just set in motion. |
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