Last Sunday we gave a presentation at the local fellowship of the Unitarian-Universalist Association. The congregation there, small but select, is accustomed to honoring the directions at the beginning of each Sunday service. They do it in the traditional way, with Air in the east, Earth in the north, and the rest of it; so we decided to try on them a new way of honoring. We had attendees do the calling, taking turns around the circle (deosil, of course). Instead of the whole congregation singly doing it, we had three in turn, around the circle, honor each direction. Just to give them some ideas to push against, we passed out copies of a crib sheet like the one at the bottom of this posting.
We started with Mother Earth, below; after all, we do stand on the earth. Then we put Water in the east because the largest body of water near Beckley (where we met) is the New River, flowing east of the meeting site. We put Fire in the south because we were in the northern hemisphere. Air went in the west because here in the States that's where our air mostly flows from. (At least that's what the weather channel leads us to believe.) In the north we put Old Age and Ancestors. Overhead we put Father Sky and the Universe. In the center we put Spirit, for seven directions in all.
Two interesting things came out of this.
1. The various directions elicited a stunning range of responses and personal associations. After a hesitant beginning with earth, attendees came up with fascinating and moving thoughts about each direction.
2. The people really liked the approach. Every adult present, without exception, had something personal to say about various directions. Indeed, they asked afterward that we do it again, and even perhaps write it up for the UU national bulletin. We came to realize how involved they had become in this one little part of the presentation.
The question, then, is this :
In general, in our own pagan/Wiccan circles, are we right to follow the old traditional way that was developed in Europe, much of it in times long gone? Or should we seriously think about letting attendees at circle put their own flavor into the ritual?
Give us feedback, please; many aspects of life could do with some updating and/or improvement.
Earth - our mother -- the solid ground from which we all come
east - water, adaptability; takes on the shape of its container
south - fire, passion, not indifference
west - air, mental -- here new ideas come in on the wind
north - remembrance -- good times and old people who have gone before
Sky - our father -- the sky over us all
spirit - spiritual aspect of relationships; without a spiritual match, all is lost.
Church Of Satan High Priest Peter H. Gilmore Defines His Ragnar"ok Rune Symbol:
"My Ragnar"ok Rune Consists Of A Variant On The Rune Of Outward Radiating Power With A Wolf's Cross (sign Of Hel And Unchangeable Fate) At The Center. It Symbolizes The Inevitable Spread Of The Forces Of Darkness Throughout The Universe." It Can Thus Be Employed As Part Of The Rite Of Ragnarok, Available In My Book The Satanic Scriptures", Originally Written And Performed In The Late 1980s. This Is A Purposely Militant Rite, Not For The Timid, And It Is Exaggerated In Its Stylized Cataclysmic Theatrics. One Might Note That Some Of This Mythology Has Been Used By The Third Reich. However, It Should Also Be Observed That While We Satanists Appreciate The Drama Of The Mass Rallies Of The Past, Here We Are Invoking And Embracing The Gods That Were Considered Enemies By Those Who Tried To Create A Neo-pagan Culture For Nazi Germany. They Wanted To Resurrect Valhalla-our Rite Sends It Crashing Down In Flames.
Church Of Satan Members Have Used This Ritual To Purge Emotions Raised By The Terrorist Attacks Of 9/11, As Well As To Release Their Hatred Of The Current Creeping Theocracy Imposed By Right Wing Fundamentalist Christians In Western Nations. You Too May Find It A Powerful Cathartic To Eliminate Feelings Of Repression Induced By Parts Of Society That Are Distinctly Anti-individualistic And Utterly Un-Satanic.
It May Be Used As Well To Cast A Vision Of The Future, A Societal Is-To-Be That Moves The World In Directions Of Greater Freedom, Abundant Secularism, And Utter Elimination Of Fundamentalist Fanaticism."
~ Peter H. Gilmore
