IndoWiccan Ritual: Blending Traditions

This course will introduce the student well-versed in Hindu basics and Wiccan thought and practice to the process of blending the two traditions responsibly and in an energetically logical fashion. Taking each phase of Wiccan ritual step-by-step, the student will be introduced to many important components of Hindu worship that can (and in many cases should and must) be incorporated along the way, creating a ritual that is uniquely IndoWiccan.

Keeping in the forefront the paramount intention of remaining faithful to both traditions being drawn upon, and making creative and editorial descisions based on intelligent and effective syncretism, the student will learn where aspects of both ritual structures can be flexible, and when they cannot.

The student will be presented with many illustrative examples of the methods being introduced, and then be given the task of writing their own IndoWiccan ritual components based on the material provided. Over the course of the class the student will have practical experience with writing two full IndoWiccan rituals, with the benefit of a facilitators watchful and supportive guidance to ensure that the student has a firm grasp on not only the structural concepts, but the cultural contexts which motivate the integration of various Hindu elements into the Wiccan one.

** Non-Wiccan Pagan students who are familiar with Wiccan ritual are openly invited to enrol in the course in order to gain some insight into the methods of blending, so that they may take that knowledge and apply it to their particular ritual structure. **

Pre-requisite: HP101 & HP102 - Introduction to Hinduism, the Hindu Pantheon, and Hindu Ritual Worship (or equivalent personal studies - please contact instructor for more info on opting out of this pre-req)

Enrolment Duration: 3 months (110 days)

Course Level: Advanced

Course Requirements:

• 3-6 hours / lesson (30-60 hours total)
• Students are expected to have AT LEAST a passing familiarity with Hindu thought and practice
• Students will be required to craft one IndoWiccan ritual component per lesson, with the final exam being the creation of a complete and original new IndoWiccan ritual. The creation of these components may require outside research on the part of the student, which will need to be journalled and cited in-class.
• Students will be asked to journal their reactions to the material presented in each lesson.

Optional Reference Text:

Course Outline:

Lesson 1- Approaching the Material & The Ritual Outline

This first lesson presents the student with information about how to work with the course material, and delves into the spirit with which it is offered. A brief history of the Hindu religion is given, along with an overview of how this material was developed. The initial ritual struture that the student will be working with throughout the course is also presented for reference, with explanatory notes on why that particular structure is being used, where it is flexible and where it is not.

Lesson 2- Grounding & Centering, and Opening the Ritual

All rituals must have a beginning, and in keeping with Wiccan tradition Grounding & Centering is part of the starting line-up. Discussions and examples of possible methods that draw from the Hindu tradition but remain within the realm of the common in Wicca are given. Opening the ritual becomes an even more important component when one takes into consideration Hindu traditions edict regarding which deity is to be honored first before all others. This tradition is briefly explored and possible ways of meeting this Hindu energetic requirement are discussed.

Lesson 3- Casting the Circle, and Calling the Quarters

As the exact methods of Casting the Circle are often deeply engrained processes that one has learned from a coven or from years of personal practice, the student is given the freedom to maintain their current practice as-is, but invited to change the methodology if they desire to. However, Quarter (or Directional) Calls can be easily tailored to reflect the blended nature of the IndoWiccan ritual. A great deal of information is presented regarding the various methods and spiritual beings that may be utilized for this purpose, along with a discussion of the traditional Hindu approach to directional gaurdians and how this may (or may not) suit an IndoWiccan practice.

Lesson 4- Ritual Purification and Blessing of Participants

This lesson addresses the common Wiccan practice of purifying and blessing the ritual participants at the beginning stages of a ritual. In Wiccan ritual this often takes the form of asperging those gathered, or marking their brow with a sacred fluid (most often oil) before entering a circle in large group rituals, or within the circle for smaller groups or solitaries, before carrying on with the invocations and such. This lesson discusses the Hindu tradition of decorative and symbolic bindis and tilak, and explores how this element can be easily incorporated into an IndoWiccan ritual creating a component that is both familiar and unique.

Lesson 5- Invoking Deity

This lesson delves into the various forms that invocation takes in Hindu ritual, and how those varying methods can be utilized in an IndoWiccan ritual. Discussions will revolve around creating blended invocations, and the basic Hindu process of establishing, or installing, a deity into a sacred image, when one should and could do so, and ways in which this can be incorporated into a ritual structure. How and under what circumstances an un-installation should be performed is also addressed. Given the several options, the student can then decide which form of invocation is the right one for their rituals.

Lesson 6- Consecration of Offerings (Symbolic Great Rite)

This lesson is one of the most vital, as The Great Rite is one of the defining characteristics of Wiccan ritual and approaching it from a blended perspective presents interesting and unique challenges. The differing interpritations of Male and Female divinity from East to West are discussed, as well as possible ways of reconciling the two for the purposes of the Symbolic Great Rite. This lesson will prove to be intriguing and thought-provoking as it demands a more sophisticated understanding of the two traditions and the central energetic "personalities" of each.

Lesson 7- Puja & Prasad (the Offerings of Worship, and Initial Distribution and Usage of the Divine Blessings)

In many Wiccan rituals the bulk of the offerings are presented to the deity at the conclusion of the Circle, but following a more logical energetic train of thought, it makes the most sense to worship and "feed" the deity before asking the deity to attend and participate in any Work or other activities. In this lesson the flexible Hindu method of ritual worship, puja, is presented with discussions about the various ways to determine which culturally traditional offerings are most appropriate for Western IndoWiccan devotees. Finally, the initial distribution of the offerings which have been partaken of by the deity, prasad (or "divine grace"), is discussed. The symbolism of prasad and why it should be indulged in at this point in ritual (as opposed to the traditionally Wiccan post-ritual feast) in IndoWiccan contexts is also explored.

Lesson 8- Using the Blessing and The Work

Methods of raising energy that resonate with the energies of both traditions are presented, as this activity occurs prior to any formal Work in the circle. This lesson is one of the most brief, as the bulk of the material for the "Work" section of a ritual is dictated by the theme and purpose of the ritual. As the possibilities for this section are nearly limitless it would be impossible to address all of them here, however examples are provided of rough IndoWiccan ritual outlines that can inspire the student with ideas of how to proceed with this section of their own ritual-in-progress.

Lesson 9- Closing the Ritual

This lesson's discussions revolve mostly around the importance of symmetry when creating a ritual. Whatever methods were utilized in the opening sequences, should be re-introduced in a closing format for the most energetically and psychologically effective ritual ending.

Lesson 10- FINAL EXAM : Crafting an Original & Complete IndoWiccan Ritual

Having experience with creating all the various ritual components in an IndoWiccan context throughout the course of the class, the student is asked to revisit their skills by writing a whole new ritual start-to-finish. This challenging final exam will ensure that students' have truely integrated the new knowledge and are able to branch out into the creation of all manner of ritual themes successfully.