Players:SrR Ritual Intro

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Sir Roger’s Guide to the Ritual Circle

Introduction

Welcome newest initiate to the wonderful role of Ritualist. Whether you be novice, or returning to work after a break, I hope that you will find this pamphlet of use, and its contents instructive. I plan to cover the basics of the ritual circle, but no introductory guide can be exhaustive. I will, however, aim to keep you, dear reader, as safe as possible. As such, I include herein rules that, if followed, will keep you safe. Know, however, that all such rules may be bent, or broken with experience, but experience will not save you from the consequences.

About the Ritual Circle.

Ritual circles can be found throughout Orin RaKatha. They are usually constructed on places of natural power, and are connected together. This connection, known as the ‘Circle Network’, or occasionally (and wrongly) as the ‘portal network’. This connection allows for communication through circles, both magically and, for example, by the sending of letters. DO NOT attempt to send living things through the network. They will not be the same, if they survive at all.

All the circles are connected to the primary, or great circle. Known simply as The Ritual Circle. This grand circle is the nexus of all the power. The other circles are all connected to it, and their power may wax and wane. This connection, however, does not make all circles the same. Some circles attuned to different elements, or areas, or, many of the hundreds of different sections of the world. There are circles attuned to fire, some to water, some to the storm, and some to wind, some to death, and some to life. The list is nearly endless. This gives each circle its own ‘personality’. While the circle is not alive as you may normally understand it, it has a sentience. It understands, it learns. It reacts to those that have known it and shaped it, often in a stronger way than others. They each have a name. They each have their own secrets. To truly call oneself a High Incanter, you should have been privy to at least 3 circle secrets, and perhaps even, the name of a circle.

All circles have an ‘affinity’, or, as some call it a ‘leaning’, though I find affinity to be more accurate. Much of this comes from the powers and magics most regularly used within them, which in turn often comes from their location and the visual natural affinity. Circles in forests are often seen to have an affinity with nature, those on cliff-tops with air or sea. Some circles have connections with magical elements, of fire and air and water. It is helpful to find circles that match your own affinities, and the affinities of the rituals that you do most often. It can ease the learning, and be of help in your early rituals.

You cannot enter a Ritual Circle without permission from the Ritual Mistress/Master. They have a special connection to the ritual circle, and it is they that are able to raise and lower the wards around the circle from the outside. These wards keep the circle safe from stray magical effects that are often seen around the world. They are powerful – they have been known to keep gods at bay. Touching these wards leads to instantaneous death. While it may look instantaneous on the outside, that instant seems like aeons of pain to the unfortunate soul who touched it.

A ritual itself is made up of several smaller sections, herein called ‘rites’. These rites are distinct sections of the ritual as a whole. Many of these rites are ones that a ritualist will practise until they are able to do them without much thought or much preparation. It is important to note that the skill of the ritualist is in weaving these individual rites into a single unified whole.

1. The Basics

Cleansing a Ritual Circle

A circle can often accrue magical detritus. This can be from previous rituals, or the very web and weave of the circle network itself. The circle needs to be prepared before you do any ritual work inside it.

Each cleansing is as unique as the mutualist, and this is the first part of your journey. Every ritualist has a connection to a power beyond themselves. Be it the sphere they have aligned themselves with (Death, Life, Nature, Flame, Water etc.), or perhaps something that comes from their faction itself – like the tree of life, or the dark of the crypt. Each of these are things that can be called upon to aid in the cleansing of the circle. At its most basic, the cleansing of the circle is an action of action and chant.

It is always best to begin with a thorough cleansing, imagine that this is taking a metaphorical broom and sweeping away the detritus. In its simplest form, this is a slow circular walk around the edges of the circle. Imagine that you have created a ball of energy around yourself, and it is this power that is sweeping the circle. Some hold their arms wide, as though gathering, or pushing all the unwanted energy from the circle.

It should be remembered that you can enter the circle with ritualist props. If you need a broom, take a broom. If you feel it works better for you with a stick, or fire, or candles or whatever, take those with you. They may seem like props to the outsider, but if they allow you to connect you with the actions of the ritual, then take them. Of course, take caution, do not take too much in, it can get in the way. As a guide, take no more than one item in each hand.

As for the chant itself, this is often ritualist-specific, and inspired by their faction. A call for cleansing from the elements, say, water or fire, or perhaps from powers can often be heard. Be careful here not to channel these magical elements too powerfully in the cleansing. Remembering it is YOU, the ritualist who does the cleansing. “I cleanse this circle from all negative effects”, or again “I cleanse this circle from all residual magics and return all unused power to the circle”. You may be as imaginative or as flowery as you like.

A novice might be tempted to try and use this untempered energy in a ritual. Do not. Drive that thought from your mind. That energy is wild, unknown. It could have been used in a ritual of death, or resurrection, and the energy could attach itself to you. It could cause untold harm to you. Do not think this, cleanse the circle.

Raising the wards

Once you have been granted access to the circle, your first act is to raise the wards. The wards around the circle come with the circle itself, and are best raised by loudly, and firmly saying ‘I raise the wards on the circle’. These wards will be enough for the most basic of rituals.

However, it is often best to raise the wards with a bit more effort, and here beings your personal journey into understanding yourself as a ritualist. Some will face each of the cardinal directions, and open their arms wide and proclaim “I raise these circle wards”. Some may add the power of a deity or magical sphere “I raise these words and strengthen them with the power of life”, though it is often best to remember that it is the circle that raises the words, and that the circle wards are raised by the power of the ritualist in the circle.

These wards are there to protect whatever ritual action you are about to perform from interference from the outside. A stray magical spell through an unprotected ritual circle can have dire effects on the ritual itself, and of course, on the ritualist if the spell is directed at them.

The wards also contain your ritual. Rituals are often about gathering together, and harnessing vast amounts of magic. These vast amounts of magic, without the wards, will leak beyond the circle, and can cause damage to people beyond, the circle itself, and to allies. This can cause you to lose control of the ritual. Many a ritualist has been lost to their own ritual by forgetting this simple, but necessary step.

When raising the wards, remember that you are raising the wards for a circle. For many ritualists, this involves a small walk around the circle, activating the wards with words, and actions. Often more than one walk around the circle, empowering each ward as they pass.

It should be noted that a novice ritualist may not be able to see the arcane writing that guards the ritual circle, but they should trust that it is there. Imagine yourself pushing power into these wards, and imagine, in the eye of your mind, that they are glowing with power. Imagine how it would be to push that power from yourself, feel it flow through you. Imagine the words that it would take to do it. For some it is easier with actions, some with words, some with song or dance.

The Ritualist and the Circle.

Once the circle is cleansed, a ritual may now partake of the most important rite. That is, to commune with the circle. One of the gifts of being a ritualist is the communing. DO NOT ask any great questions of knowledge; DO NOT ask questions of ritual help. Simply be. Seek to get to know the circle, to feel how they are. This requires a question, but wording is one of the first challenges. A simple question like “How fares this circle” will suffice. This rite is as individual as the ritualist – from expressive dance, to deep drumming, to an eastern tea ceremony. The circle’s answer may be nothing, may be just a sense of a feeling, or you may be gifted an insight shared by the circle. It will no doubt take many blinding headaches until you perfect the power of this simple ritual. This simple ritual, however, is what will allow you to take the first steps towards attuning yourself to a circle.

A Warning on STUPID QUESTIONS

Every ritualist in their time will ask something stupid of the circle. It is as inevitable as the rising sun. However, I seek to aid you with the benefit of experience, so that you may learn from my hard-earned experience.

DO NOT ask the circle its ‘name’. The Name of a circle is considered a secret, and must be earned. Generally, a circle often takes its common name from its location. It would be stupid to ask a circle its name as this is something that the circle will share once you are deserving. To become deserving is beyond this pamflet. If you are unsure how to address the circle, you can ask the ritual Master/Mistress. You can oftn address the circle simply as ‘ritual circle’ or ‘circle.

NOT NOT use words like ‘great’ when describing the circle unless you stand in THE ritual circle.

USE YOUR KNOWLEDGE. If a circle is obviously corrupted or on fire or screaming, do not ask it how it is.

DO NOT OFFER the circle things that you don’t mind losing. I have seen many a ritualist disappear into the circle for ‘offering’ their life to the circle instead of ‘dedicating’ their life to the circle.

DO NOT expect the circle to understand your implied ‘sense’. The context of the question may be obvious to you, but it may not be to the circle.

DO NOT ask the circle for things easily obtained in other ways. The circle should not be used as a replacement almanack.

Thank the Circle

Once your communing is done, remember to thank the circle. Use words. If your communing involves food or liquid, leave a portion on the ground at the base of the offering stand. For liquids, you can often pour these into the ground.

DO NOT put food offerings or liquid offerings in the offering bowl.

At the end of this communing, you may wish to cleanse the circle. It can be possible for events happening later to affect you if you have a strong connection to the circle.

As you leave, thank the ritual Master/Mistress for their time. Be sure to check with them for any further clarification, or even pointers on your recently finished ritual.

2. Intermediaries – Towards your first practical ritual.

You have now seen the basics of the very first ritual. You know a ritual is made up of smaller sections, called herein ‘rites’, and we are aware of some of the basics in being safe. Those who are still reading are those most likely to make it as a ritualist. One of the primary things a ritualist needs is patience. The first section will have, in most cases, been harmless enough for even the most hot-headed, but they may have found themselves with a few negative effects from outside influences. These influences could have been anything from a passing spell, or even bad actors. Even the sudden arrival of wildlife can throw off a ritual. It is the reason why many sensible ritualists raise the wards. In the first section we spoke briefly about this practice, but let us now spend a bit more time with this most important first step.

Raising The Wards

DO NOT cross raised wards. It is always painful, and often fatal.

DO NOT leave the ritual circle until every ritualist who has raised the wards lowers them.

Raising the words is a rite that follows the same basics as the rite of cleansing. It uses movement and somatics (Somatics being ‘sound’ or ‘voice’). The raising of the wards ask that the ritual circle protect both those within and without from harmful effects crossing the barrier. It ensures that the rites that follow are contained so that their magics can be used for its intended purpose. It also ensures that entities, being, magic and influence from outside cannot enter. The power of the wards can be directly linked to the power and experience of the ritualist. That said, it is unlikely a new ritualist would be able to raise enough power to overwhelm their own wards accidentally. It is therefore advisable for ritualists to be aware of the amount of power they seek to manage, and whether or not they might need to pay more than cursory attention to the wards they have raised. The process of the rite is as the rite of cleansing (above), but it imagines, instead, a dome over the ritual circle and uses words similar to “I raise the wards of this ritual circle”. It does not here do harm to signal the kind of power you imagine to be flowing through those wards, the power of flame, or fire. Perhaps that of the mighty oak, or the everlasting night. For example, “I raise the words of this ritual circle, that they may stand tall and strong like the mighty oaks. That no wind or storm mundane or magical may stand against them”.

This rite will often see a practised ritualist moving. It is wise at this stage of learning to use your whole body in movement. The raising of your arms, perhaps a dramatic version of a strong tree. These movements will at first seem odd, and in their exaggerated form, you will gain strange looks from those unfamiliar with the ritual circle. However, you will feel the power of the circle course through you as you use them. You will touch on depths of power that will connect you in a very real and tangible way with the circle. If you find that your circle is ‘silent’ and unresponsive, try more movement.

I have found that it is often better to try these movements outside of the circle. There are a number of different forms that people use, and you can occasionally see a ritualist performing them as part of their morning acts. Each ritualist develops their own, and each ritual master/mistress will have yet more ways of adding movement. My advice on this topic will be to practise what feels natural, and to watch others, if you are able. Certainly as you seek to move past the more cursory ritual actions it is best to find yourself someone that you may shadow. Many ritualists are happy to aid in someone exploring the ritual circle, especially if it is one they themselves use – even if it is to stop you exploding in the ritual circle and forcing them to clean it up.

A word about Commodities

Every ritual requires commodities. This simple rule will keep a new ritualist safe, and ensure that their rituals have a better chance of success. The commodities are placed into the offering bowl upon a stand, or an altar inside the circle.

It can be a good idea for the ritualist to separate the offerings to be connected to the request (if making multiple requests), but be careful to not suggest that the offerings are bribes or payments. The offerings are part of the powering of the rituals. As such offerings should be made with an eye to their role and affinity.

Fay hair, for example, is connected to strong natural magical power. Gold would be good for sphere-based power magics. A rite should have multiple different commodities all seeking to inform and support each other. Be aware, though, that commodities have different, but overlapping natures. Do not look at them through the eyes of others. Tin is near worthless outside of the ritual circle, but properly used is as powerful an ingredient as any other.

Commodities harmonise together, and work best in groups, or sets. 2 at a push, but 3 of the same is ideal.

It should be said here that commodities and rituals are a part of a whole. Powerful commodities can make up for a lack-lustre ritual and, by extension, a powerful ritual can make up for lack of required commodities. While theoretically this extends to both extremes, DO NOT run a ritual without commodities. In extremis, Fey Hair can stand in for most commodities – yet even then it would be best to include other commodities for variety, even if their connection is dubious or non-existent. It can, in these cases, be best to ‘over-offer’ commodities.

The Role of the Ritualist

By now, I hope, I have impressed upon you the importance of the ritualist. I would like to take this moment to help you examine what kind of ritualist you will be. This is a decision as unique and as varied as grains of sand. You must get to know yourself and how the rituals will flow through you. How will you control that power, what in you speaks to the circle, and what in you listens when the circle speaks. Broadly speaking, there are two ‘types’ of ritualists. There are those that lead, and those that direct.

A ritual is most often done with others. Often, the ritual will be acting on behalf of others, empowering, disempowering, resurrecting, faction ritual and the like. This means that the ritualist must know how they plan to act in that situation. It is here that the type of ritualist becomes important, and helps in how you, dear reader, will plan and conduct the ritual.

DO NOT attempt to plan your ritual in the ritual circle. This ebbs the power away, and can often cause the ritual to fail, or backfire before you’ve even begun.

DO NOT plan your ritual outside the ritual circle. Your time-slot is when the ritual begins, not when the planning begins. Not only does this run the danger that you may miss your slot entirely, but it also angers and irritates the ritual master/mistress. The ritual circle is very attuned to their ritual master/mistress and can, and will, refuse to help those who do not treat their ritual master/mistress with respect.

The Ritualist As Leader

These ritualists are often gregarious, willing to encourage other participants. They bring their own personal energy and personality force. By their encouragement they entice, cajole and inspire other participants to raise their voices or offer their actions to the ritual or rite. They will dance, cheer, shout, wave their arms, call on these within and without – all seemingly in acts of madness. Yet in this they are responding to the feel of the rite. Does it need more movement? Does the circle need more direction around this element? Balancing a rite is a delicate business and changes with the ebb and flow of power. For those that lead, they are the ones often seen in the centre of the ritual, loud and aware of the attention. They are the ones who are happy to take speaking roles, and to move around the circle picking up the slack given to others.

The Ritualist as Director.

Some ritualists find that they are better able to follow the flow of the rite by maintaining their own inner peace. Often stoic and softly spoken, they become one with the rite. They direct others in the circle with command and well prepared scripts. Confident of their ability they are able to direct the ritual from that still small space inside them. It is from this place of quiet peace that they encourage others to move around the circle, that they direct others to become elements of the rite – becoming a living set-piece under the watchful eye of the ritualist. For those that direct, the visible ring-master style role is something that they find uncomfortable. For them they need to ensure that others are able to step forward. While some speaking is inevitable- only they can raise the words, only they can hold the power, and only they can direct the magics within the circle – it is possible to make much of the speaking work something done by others.

The Person of the Ritualist

Between these two examples are there shades of grey, and these two are used here as straw-people so that you are able to see that all can be valid ritualists. Each has its own benefits and pitfalls, and both kinds of ritualist can do well to learn from the other.

This should, for those that are beginning to think like a ritualist, show that planning of a ritual is important in whatever role you take. Everyone entering the ritual circle should have a role in the ritual. It can be as simple as placing commodities in the altar, or saying a short phrase – or it can be as elaborate as having them form a band and sing sea shanties. It is here that props can be of great help. Giving people props that they can place as symbols of things (a twig as a symbol of a tree, or a candle as a symbol of fire) can give them a meaningful role in the ritual circle. Ritual circles respond better to those that it knows, so the offerings of props here can become two fold, for example “My name is Reginald Goodman, and I bring the offering of light”. With such a simple line, they cover both their reason for being there, and introduce themselves. Of course, with this line it would be the ritualist (you) that would need to explain why the offering of light is necessary. “Ritual circle, we seek to banish the darkness, and to empower hope and light. We offer to you this offering of light” - Reginald would here step forward, and say their line. The ritualist might continue “as this candle banishes the darkness around it so too may this ritual banish the darkness”.

The ritual is planned by the ritualist, and it is important to remember this important fact. A ritualist can find themselves acting on behalf of other factions, or standing in when their usual ritualist is absent. It is important that you take the time to understand each section of the ritual.

First, let me be clear, whatever experience you have with rituals, if you are the only ritualist present, YOU ARE IN CHARGE. They may be wealthy, or a faction leader, but they must, for their own safety, listen to you. While it is tempting to just let them reap the rewards for their folly, only do so if you have protected yourself first. The worst, in my experience, are old faction leaders who have seen ‘A thousand rituals’, and wish to insist that it goes the same way. Rituals, and the collection of rites that make them up, are often tailored by the ritualist that does them often. If it is not you, do not be tempted away from your ritual style. Your focus is a successful ritual. Listen to what has gone before, yes, but to it your own way. By now you should be aware of how much won’t be shared by those who do not know of the deep magic of the circle – simply because they don’t have the time, the skill, or the inclination to learn.

3. Planning Your Ritual

We have now covered much of the basics. The next step lays in the practical – and the most common ritual will be that of a faction ritual. We will therefore finish out this small pamphlet by taking a practical look at building your own faction ritual. This will cover the basics of rituals in general. By the end you will have a functioning and planned faction ritual.

Preparation

Before we begin, you must know the faction. What is it that they are known for? What elements leap out at you? These elements are those that will be essential for the ritual. For example, do they spend time in the trees? Then take some leaves. Are they people of mud? Then take some mud. These are the elements most often overlooked as part of a ritual by new ritualists. Offerings are not just commodities. These elements help the ritual circle get a feeling for the faction, and to understand the sense, nature and flow of their faction powers. Do they have chants? Or phrases, songs, or dances? Are they known for particular weapons or clothes? Those need to be seen, and brought to the ritual circle. It is important that the faction be present for the ritual – not just the ritualist. It is understanding these sympathies that is important for any ritual. These sympathies give space and direction. They help build and summon the power needed to link a faction to their powers. It is best to assume that the ritual circle has never met your faction, and that you need to introduce its spiritual essence to the circle. How would you describe the feel of your faction? Or the emotional bond between faction members? You will find that these are ephemeral ideas, things that are very difficult to put into words and so it is to the ritualist to find symbols and elements that convey this idea.

Commodities

As a rule of thumb you will need 5 commodities per faction power. As a new ritualist you may not (yet!) be able to do more than a single faction power in a single ritual. It is a good idea to ensure that the faction is aware of this, as it will help manage their expectations. It is a good idea to try and harmonise your commodities. Remember that it is always best that at least one of these is fay hair. For the others, look at the faction affinities and find, if you can, a harmonious link. Perhaps silver for those connected to the moon, or fay hair for those connected to nature. Again, perhaps gold for those seeking healing from the sun, or tin for those looking to empower base emotions. Gather these together. They can be a helpful meditation on the ritual you are planning.

Commodities harmonise around meanings and associations, and they also harmonise together. It is better to have two or three commodities the same. Thus think in terms of twos and threes to build your five commodities. Remember, here, the fay hair. It can be beneficial to offer more for the sake of including the right commodities.

First Steps

When planning any ritual, it helps to know what it is that you are asking. This step is often left to assumption, especially with faction rituals. Do not assume that the circle is able to divine from your words and actions what it is that you want the circle to do with the power.

It helps for the ritualist to fully understand the faction power that they are looking to enable upon the festival lands. Let us consider the following (fictional) faction power.

“I ask the circle to grant to our faction the power of Sun Hammer”

This phrase may be self-explanatory to the faction, but in and of itself makes no sense to you or I. What exactly is that the ritualist seeks to achieve with this? If the ritualist seeks to empower a magical weapon that is able to conjure the sun, the ritualist will need to know why this weapon does this. Is it to banish the darkness? Or is it a bane against undead? Is the weapon used for violence, or protection? Is the weapon a symbol of leadership, or is it a symbol of divinity? Consider these questions, and seek to answer them as you build your central theme for the ritual. This is the heart of your ritual, the central rite about which all other rites and actions will hang. Be clear in your intention.

Building this rite will require explaining precisely what this faction power does.

“Ritual Circle, we the faction of the Sun Warriors, come to you seeking to empower our Sun Hammer. The Sun Hammer is a beacon of hope to the festival lands. It brings the sun into a dark and lightless world. It can drive away even the most powerful darkness, it drives away those without souls, without life. It turns the undead to ash. I ask the ritual circle to grant our faction power of Sun Hammer”

This phrase seeks to explain what the Sun Hammer does, and explains specifically what it is, and its importance. You should already see that this central section begs many questions. Who are the ‘Sun Warriors’, Why is darkness something that they are against? Why do they need a weapon to do this?

These questions then offer you simple examples of what minor rites you need to be preparing. Something simple to answer what the Sun Warriors are, what they stand for, and why they need a weapon.

Here we run into our first tension. We are seeking to explain yes, and we are seeking to do so in a way that is able to build the power of the circle, yes. However, we are limited here by the amount of power that a new ritualist can hold in one go – and to the rule of brevity. More words do not make a better ritual. Longer rituals are not necessarily better. We will then need to look again at these other sections to see how they fit into our overall plan.

Let us now turn to the elements that we know we need in our ritual at this point.

A brief Ritual outline.

• 1. Everyone in the circle
• 2. Cleanse Ritual Circle – Rite
• 3. Raise the Wards – Rite
• 4. Outline what you intend to do – Minor Rite
• 5. Introduce the faction/scope – Minor Rite
• 6. Empower the faction power – Rite
• 7. Offer commodities – Minor Rite
• 8. Give thanks – Minor Rite
• 9 Lower the wards – Rite
• 10. Cleanse the Ritual Circle – Rite

A Note On The List

A Minor Rite here is something that has a clear and definite purpose, but may not stand as a complete rite in and of itself. They point to a section that cannot be missed, but they are often areas that can be covered in a few sentences, or a simple action.

A Rite is something that is complete in and of itself. Something that has a clearly defined start and end, and the task(s) inside of it are all complete and connected to fulfilling that end.

Planning Outline

When planning the ritual in this way, you can see at a glance which bits, and in what order you need to proceed to achieve your goal. You may find as you write it out that you have two minor rites that could be placed together to create a rite in and of themselves. This is always the more preferred way of dealing with the ritual, as it ensures that you don’t forget something.

Record Keeping

It is at this point that I suggest something that should now be very obvious. Invest in a good notebook. Rituals have many steps, and in the heat of the moment, especially under pressure, it can be very easy to miss an important and vital step. It can then be very difficult to go backwards. A notebook can help you keep the ritual in order, and help you know which step is next.

Ritualists should also keep a note of the rituals that succeed, and the rituals that don’t. Knowing what mistakes you made the last time is one of the best teachers. You may also find rituals written out by those ritualists that have gone before.

A written ritual should include the following: Goal: Required payment: Power/Colours to be called upon: A list of rites contained within the ritual: Key points you Must say or achieve in the ritual:

Optional extras - Number of ritualists required: Depictions of any symbols or runes to be drawn/called on: Nature/affinity that a circle has to make it easier: Minimum power/action a circle requires:

From this common form, you can see that there is much more to a ritual than what we have yet covered. These things will be covered in a later pamphlet, but they are things that you should bear in mind when you write your own summary of a successful ritual.

Towards a Planned Ritual: Notes on the order

I will not cover the rites that we have covered earlier in this pamphlet, suffice to say that they are likely to become part of every ritual that you ever do. They are often so common that those writing rituals do not include them in the list of rites required for a ritual. That said, we will pick up on the other points in order.

4. Outline What You Intend To do

This outline is NOT a ‘telling those present how the ritual is going to do’. That should have already been done. This is perhaps a few short sentences announcing your intention to the ritual circle. “We come to you today to perform our faction ritual”. It is important because it informs the circle what it is that it needs to get itself ready for. It need not be more than a few lines, but it is vitally important that this is said clearly, and loudly.

5. Introduce the Faction/scope

As your faction ritual’s tone is set by your faction, your introduction will be heavily based on your faction. It is here that you outline your faction’s strengths, which should naturally lead into the faction power that you request. You are a faction of healers, who believe that all life is sacred, and you work ceaselessly to drive away death and disease. You could then offer the circle a bandage, to show your healing, perhaps some medicine to show your fight against disease. You do not need, at this point, to offer to the circle anything of magical, or intrinsic value beyond their value as symbols of your nation. This is the point where you are giving the scope, the feel of the ritual to the circle. In non-faction rituals, this would be where you might explain why you need the ritual to take place, what are the drivers for that ritual. In more complex rituals, this could become a rite, and may very well be linked with 4 (above).

7. Offer Commodities

We have spoken of the danger of this section, be careful with your wording. Again, some place this in the section before, and place them when powering the rite for the faction power. However, I suggest that you always have this as a minor rite in every ritual you do. It is incredibly easy, even for a trained ritualist, to simply forget to place the commodities in the bowl – even more so when this job is given to someone else. Write out the minor rite in your list, even if you intend it to be part of the earlier rite. This will ensure that the commodities are, in fact, paid, and you don’t all suffer dire consequences for missing this small but vital step.

8. Give Thanks

It is very possible that your ritual will have no visible effect, or even no sense that your ritual has been successful. You must still offer your thanks. While there are many theories as to why this is, many rituals succeed as you leave the circle, and you cannot, then, re-enter the circle to give thanks. You would not want a ritual that had, until this point, been successful to fail on a point of rudeness.

Conclusion

You now have the basics of the most oft-used ritual. I would suggest you study this pamphlet, and become familiar with it. Take your own notes, and you will no-doubt have questions. Direct these to your Ritual Master/Mistress, or seek out other ritualists who have tread this well-worn path before you. Remember, that each ritualist is as individual as waves on the ocean, but there is always knowledge to be had.