It is my personal feeling that the most effective rituals are those
that come from the heart of the individual Cybeline while getting in
touch
with the part of herself that is the Goddess. It is helpful
however
to have some guidelines. This page will contain ideas and
blueprints
to be added as time permits but the essence of your or your group's
rituals
are and should be, personal. Rituals should have a healing
element
for ourselves, our society, any friends in need, the earth and our
sisters
at minimum. There should be joy. Our traditional rites used
cymbals, tambourines, sistrums and drums with ecstatic dance and
singing.
Our Maetreum in the Catskills is a natural grove at the junction of three paths with three gateways and a huge pine tree on the north where the altar is located. The temple is basically a natural womb shape. Also present is the essential element of a "bridge" of some sort on the main approach to the temple. The classic, historic "crossroads" was the meeting of three paths, not four as widely misunderstood today.
One of the primary dangers in any religious path is ritual becoming
dogma. When this happens the meaning behind the ritual becomes
lost
and merely a "rote" set of "the way things are done". The
underlying
meaning of various rituals is what gives them the power to transform,
not
the performance of them. With that in mind, we have reclaimed an
outline of "standard" ritual practice that is the basis of our
practice.
Part one is here:
Processional, Invocation Ablution and Casting off of the Outside World
The four basic elements of basic Cybeline practice are the Cybeline "chakra", estatic drumming, dance and the Cybeline Communion
The Cybeline chakras should be used as part of the daily dedications
of initates as well as part of more formal ritual.
Cybelines see Mother as the sum of All, the ultimate goal in our worship is a connection with Mother and thus the entire universe. This concept is given widespread lipservice in neo-paganism but in our case, all ritual, teaching and myths are towards this end. This state can be acheived, at least for a time, without the death of the physical body. One reached, it changes one's entire outlook.
Rev. Cathryn Platine, Battakes
2 October 2004, C.E.
Dies Saturni XIII Kal. Oct. MMDCCLVII A.U.C
Promise of the Goddess
Listen to the words of the Great Mother, who of old was called
Cybele,
Isis, Bahuchara Mata, Inanna, and many other names:
"Those who are like you, My gallae and ashinnu and hijras, shall be
strangers in their own homes. Your families will hide you in
shadows
and leave you nothing. The drunken will smite you, and the mighty
will
imprison you. But if you remember Me, and how you were born from
the
light of the stars to save Me, and through Me the earth, then I shall
harbour you and your kind.
"You will be My favourite children, and I shall make you My
priestesses.
I shall grant you the gift of prophecy, and the wisdom of the earth
and
the moon and all that they rule, and you will heal all My children,
even
as you have saved Me from darkness. For you are Those Who Have
Come to
Renew the Light."
["And when the earthen jug is brought from Irkalla, you shall again
walk
among the stars, and none shall resist you."]
Hear the words of the Star Goddess, the dust of whose feet are the
hosts
of heaven, whose body encircles the universe:
"I am the beauty of the green earth and the white moon among the
stars
and the mysteries of the waters. I call upon your soul to arise
and
come to Me. I am the soul of nature that gives life to the
universe.
From Me all things proceed, and to Me all things must return.
"Let My worship be in the heart that rejoices, for all acts of love
and
pleasure are My rituals, and my law is love unto all beings -- love
under Will.
"If you seek to know Me, you must find what you seek within
yourself,
or
you will never find it without. For I have been with you from
the
beginning, and I am that which is attained at the end of desire."
[credits: Valiente, Starhawk, Lansberry, Davis]
To understand why this is so, you must first understand something very basic about the Gallae. By our very nature and being, we already walk between the worlds so a circle, rather than being needed for that connection, temporarily breaks it. The energy focusing function of a magick circle is easily and almost effortlessly done simply by having a threshold number of us present without needing a focusing agent. Rather than casting a circle, seek out a space of natural beauty and power for major rituals, save circle casting for protection use only, as a Cybeline you don't need it for the reasons others do. When joining non-Cybeline Pagans in their circles, their connection will rebridge yours, so don't worry much if you are part of a non-Cybeline group that uses ritual circles, go with the flow, just be aware that for yourself, a circle breaks rather than connects you to the Divine.
Many modern Pagan groups rely on male-female energy workings and
pairing
as a major component of ritual and initiation. Just as there was
much confusion in the recent past about the place of gays and lesbians
in such groups, most of them are totally confused as to what to do with
a transsexual member. If you are transitioned transsexual, for
all
rituals other than initiation in these groups do not allow your
identity
to be compromised. If you have not had surgery, don't ask to be
initiated
until you have, it's not fair to you or them unless they are willing to
do so on their own respecting your identity.
Celebration and committment to the Great Mother are integral to
the lives of the Cybeline family, either in community or at home
if they live away from the Phrygianum. We joyously honour the Mother's
love for us and ours for Her. Certain events are sure to be an
occasion
for special worship or praise. Here is a very incomplete list of
moments
in life where a Daughter or Son of the Goddess will make special
devotion,
seriously or lightheartedly depending upon the moment:
Blessed Be,
Cathy Platine and Caillean McMahon