There are really no rules when it comes to making your own worship rituals.  What you choose will center around what your beliefs are.  Do you believe in a supreme being, like a God or Goddess?  Do you believe that deity exists as nature in all it's forms? Do you believe there is divine energy running through every rock and tree?  Do you believe that the stars and planets are important to our spirituality?  Do you believe that people should worship inside a church, or outside in nature?  You see, you have to decide what you believe in order to form rituals that are meaningful to you. 

However, if you are still deciding about all of that, you can start out by asking yourself, "When are the times that I most strongly feel some kind of connection to a power greater than myself?"  Perhaps it's when you are outside in the moonlight.  Maybe it's when you are doing something kind for someone else.  You might feel it when participating in some kind of group ritual.  Or perhaps it's when you are alone and you hear that little voice that speaks to you in your head.  You might feel strongly that your worship should be a private thing, or that it is best shared with others in a group setting.

If you like group rituals, you could seek out a church where rituals are already taking place.  Or, you could ask a family member or friend to share your personal worship time.  Some people even include their pets in their worship time if it seems appropriate.  Or you could join a Wiccan circle if you would like to participate in some nIt ature-based rituals.  A Native American group would be another idea.

If you prefer your worship to be a private thing, there are many avenues you can take.  But one thing most people do is make an altar for their private worship.  You can set it up in your room, and it can be as large or as small as you desire.  It can be on top of a dresser, a box, a bedside table, or anywhere that is convenient to you. It could even be outside, on a rock or under a tree. 

Most people choose things to put on their altars that they feel represents the Divine to them.  Some people might put a figurine or statue that represents God or Goddess to them.  Some people collect things from nature that they find beautiful, such as rocks, pieces of wood, feathers, shells,  or leaves.  Some people might have an animal totem as a guide, so they might put a picture or figurine of an animal.  Some people feel drawn to certain colors or gemstones, and almost everyone has some kind of candle or incense on their altars.  It will depend upon what is meaningful to you.

One way to honor the divine in nature is to honor the five elements:  wind, water, earth, fire, and spirit.   You can put something on your altar to represent each of those five elements.  Some of the things you could use are:

WIND -  Something that wafts through the air, like burning incense, a wind chime hanging over the altar that can be rung, a hand fan you could flutter or a small electric fan you could turn on during rituals.

WATER -  get some water and bless it so it is sacred water.  Keep it in a special container, then you can sprinkle some of it during your rituals.  You could also have a tabletop fountain to turn on during rituals, something that makes a nice bubbling, splashing sound.  I have also seen altars which included a small fish bowl or aquarium with fish in it.

EARTH - a small bowl of salt, an earthenware bowl or container with some dirt in it, some rocks, some gemstones, or a piece of terra cotta, etc.

FIRE - Candles are most often used for this purpose.

SPIRIT -  It's hard to find something to represent an invisible, intangible object.  You could have a statue or figurine of an angel, or anything that represents the spirit to you.  I used to have a purple scarf with glittering gold suns, moons and stars on it that worked for me.

To purify and bless the water, salt, earth, rocks, gemstones, or whatever you are using in your rituals, place each thing in a jar with a lid.  Place the jars in the sun for at least two hours, preferably all day.  Bring them inside.   Get some sage or other herb or incense, and light it.  As it smolders and smokes, pass each thing to be purified through the smoke.  Say out loud, "I purify this water for ritual use.  I bless it in the name of the Goddess" or whatever you want to say.  It will depend upon what your beliefs are.  You could also say, "I call upon the powerful forces of the universe, who love me and are for my greatest good, to purify and bless this now."  You will then want to imprint your energy upon each substance.  Take the jar of water, hold it between your palms, close your eyes, and visualize energy coming from each of your hands and passing through the glass and the water.  Feel the warmth of your hands as you do this.  When you feel you have passed sufficient energy to this item, go to the next item.

After your items have been purified and blessed, no one should touch them except you.  They are blessed by you and imprinted with your energy.  You can use them for rituals, for healing, and for many uses, but they should become special to you and for your purposes.  Over time they will have a lot of energy attached to them.  This makes them especially useful in helping you focus your mental and  emotional energy and power.  

Why do we need objects to help us focus our energy and power?  Because most people find it difficult to focus their energy without something to focus it ON.  Eventually you may learn to focus your energy well without assistance from any objects, by just using thoughts and emotions.  But there is nothing wrong with using an object as a focal point if you need to.

Now that you have some objects for your rituals, what do you do?  The answer is, whatever seems appropriate to you.

Here is an example of how I use ritual.  Please understand,  I am not suggessting that this is the ideal way to use ritual, it's just an example of what I personally find meaningful. 

When I wake up in the morning, I like to show gratitude for another day of life.  If I have time, I like to do the Yoga Sun Salutation.  If I don't have that kind of time, then I just sit on the edge of the bed when I get up, or sit in front of the altar for a few moments of silence.  If I have more time, I like to sit in a quiet place where I will be undisturbed, get my journal out, meditate until my mind is calm and peaceful, and then try to get some message from the universe that will be helpful to me for that day.  Sometimes I will hold a gemstone in one hand while I write with the other one, or I will place a drop of the sacred water on my forehead, sprinkle a little of the purified salt over my head, light some incense and fan it into my face and inhale it, and hold a stone in my hand and feel the energy of it.  In this way, I am connecting with all the forces of nature.  I also like to sit in the moonlight and write in my journal.  I feel I get special inspiration and insight when I am sitting in the moonlight.

This is just one way of using ritual.  Please feel free to honor the divine within yourself, as well as within nature, in whatever way you like.

I also try to find ways to honor the divine throughout my whole day.

For instance, if I have a particularly challenging project to complete at my job, I might stop what I am doing, and take a minute to invite the powers that be to participate in the project.  One good way is to wear a piece of quartz crystal around your neck, and this can help focus your energy.  So I would hold the crystal while closing my eyes and inviting the creative powers within me to speak and give me answers to help me solve the problem.  I always keep a candle on my desk and light it when I am inviting inspired or creative energy.  It's a trigger to my subconscious that I am now willing to accept answers from within or outside myself.  I then close my eyes, clear my mind, and wait to see what images or ideas appear there.  Often the solution to the problem presents itself easily.

Often if I have been dealing with a difficult person, I will excuse myself from the room, go to the restroom, and ask the universe to help me honor the divine in that person.  I have a gemstone I wear for that purpose.  It is on a chain, and I take it out of my pocket and wear it when I go back into the room with the person.  I can finger the necklace while I talk to them, and it reminds me to be kind and gentle with someone whom I don't agree. 

When I eat a meal, I like to infuse the food with positive energya, and speak words of gratitutde over the food.  I use Reiki to deliver the energy to the food by placing my hands a few inches over the food, and visulizing the universal life force energy entering through the crown of my head and exiting through my hands, into the food.  I may then speak a blessing, such as "I honor the divine purpose of the trees that grew these apples," and thank a particular goddess.  Goddesses function as archetypes in the lives of contemporary women.  They remind us of the many parts of ourselves so we can honor them.  So in this case, I might thank the goddess Demeter, goddess of the bountiful harvest, for the wonderful apple pie I just made and am about to eat.

You can bring more meaning to your daily life by making your rituals a part of overything you do, if you choose to. 

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Copyright 2009   Judie C. Snelson and The Center for Unhindered Living