CUUPs Rituals
(Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans) 

Recognizing that our words and actions influence how reality unfolds, a “ritual” is simply a set of words and actions that help us focus our consciousness, individually or as a group, toward some desired result, to protect ourselves, or to show our gratitude toward those in spirit realms for their past and ongoing help and guidance. Thus, a ritual can be something fixed and repetitious, or something different every time. (Eugene CUUPS rituals are never the same twice!) A ritual can be anything from a single word, phrase, or thought (“amen” and “so may it be” are examples) or action (say, lighting a candle) up to something as ornate and elaborate as anything presented at St. Peter’s Basilica. (We don’t attempt the latter!)

While the style of a Pagan ritual may have a formal or informal flavor, most Pagan rituals are far more informal than those encountered, for example, in more concrete religious traditions. Our rituals tend to be ad-libbed, sometimes laced with humorous remarks and laughter. This reflects not only our modern more casual preferences but also the simple roots of Paganism as the spiritual practices of ordinary rural folk celebrating their place in the environment, unencumbered by layers of priestly hierarchy or fossilized scriptures.

Certain rituals are common in Pagan groups of various traditional backgrounds. One of these is to begin each meeting or event with “closing the circle”. One person will invoke the deities or spirits associated with each of the four main compass points or “quarters” (inviting these spirits to attend and participate), starting with north and moving clockwise; or four people may do this, one at each compass point. Sometimes two more points are added for above and below. At the end of the event, the circle is “opened” in reverse order, starting with below and above if these points were invoked, then moving from west counterclockwise (“widdershins” in Pagan jargon) around to north, thanking the gods, goddesses, and spirits of each point for attending and helping.

The closed circle is a shield of energetic protection for those participating in the event, since they may be personally more open, and hence vulnerable, in physical and nonphysical planes than at other times.

Other rituals have specific purposes, such as celebrating a holiday or a phase of the moon, healing, seeking the help of benevolent spirits or blocking malevolent ones, among other purposes.

If you are unfamiliar with typical Pagan-style rituals, the best way to become acquainted with them is, of course, to observe how others do them. You will quickly feel comfortable participating (such as calling one of the quarters in closing and opening the circle).