Zelda_of_Arel asked this question on 4/25/2000:

Merry Met!

I would like to get some general info on rituals. Like, can I dance? If yes, how? I'm a lonely witch, so help me.

Merry Part, Zelda

WickerMan gave this response on 5/4/2000:

M*M

Asking if a Wiccan mau dance at a ritual is like asking if birds may fly or, to use a more earthy Goddess symbol, if sows may wallow in mud. :-)

In my opinion, dancing is ritualized spirituality. The Charge of the Goddess says that all acts of pleasure are Her worship. Certainly there are rituals where dancing would not be appropreate; and in the rituals where it is, the time for dancing needs to be considered. When my group does "open rituals," we make sure that the participants know before the ritual starts what is expected of them and when.

You asked about dancing, and then wrote "If yes, how?" Are you asking how to dance, or how to know when to dance?

If the former, I generally fling off my clothing and leap over the campfire and just sort of "keep moving around" once I land on the other side. Listen to what your body is telling you, or cease listening and let your body do what it wants. Some people use alcohol to help them "tune out" and get their body moving as it wants; while I do not drink alcohol, I think anyone who thinks alcohol will help should certainly be "allowed" to consume alcohol as long as that person's resultant behavior is approprate.

If the latter, I suppose it depends on who is facilitating the ritual. If it is just yourself as a solitary practitioner, the time to dance is of course when you feel like dancing. Goddess will certainly not mind, and She may even prod you to dance. If you are participating in a group ritual, knowing when to dance is simplied: ASK.

I've attended many rituals where the participants were not told what was expected of them. Worse, most attendees thought that to ask would be impolite. This is just not so, in my opinion. A ritual is certainly play, but it is also WORK. If you do not know the goal and do not know what to expect from the people who are working with you, you may work at counter intentions or otherwise "trip up" your "co-workers" (to extend the simili).

Dance in ritual is generally used to "raise energy" that the ritual's facilitators may then use to achieve a specified goal. The "Wiccan crack- the- whip" form of "dancing" that I see most often is used to raise that energy, but I see no reason why other forms of dance should not be used as long as there is space in the area for energetic dancing.

Another concern: I've been in rituals with over 400 Wiccans and Pagans, and once they start dancing, it's like "herding cats" to get them to stop, come back, and get back into a serious frame of mind. That's why the dance part "should" come very near the end of a ritual.

B*B

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