The ultimate form of prayer in motion is dance. Each position of the dance is intended to communicate something, individual motions working together to form a complete message in the same way you combine words to make a sentence. Dances can be simple, they can be elaborate, but if you’ve ever seen prayer through dance- I don’t have words to describe it. Not properly.
When I first started to learn my way as a Priest I was invited to a small ceremony with my teacher. I was still young for an elf- in my thirties- and I was eager to see what a group of stuffy humans could do. We accepted the invite and came to an area with standing stones, well tended grass and flowers. I do not remember the words or their speeches but I do remember standing to the side and watching as they put on ceremonial robes, calling the Light down as they danced. It felt like minutes but in truth they danced for hours. It was a beautiful and wondrous sight to behold and I’ve yet to see any other man or woman of the Light dance so.
Dance is meant to express emotion. It does not require words to express emotion- joy, grief, awe, and ecstasy. The emotion you feel will tell you the right way to move if you wish to participate or listen.
It can also express an attribute of the divine invoked, or be a way of calling such down itself. For instance, when I watched the ceremony The Light radiated from the priests as they danced. And as they changed their danced the light seemed to shift and adjust. From forgiveness and mercy to retribution and conflagration to protection and honor.
I was told dance was also used to invoke blessings as well but I’ve never seen such before. They also told me they considered dancing an offering- it expended time and energy, and was a form of art. The honor and recognition they recieved when me and my teacher watched was dedicated to the Light. When they danced to the point of exhaustion, it served not only as a offering, but also opened themselves up to the Light.
Through dancing, they gave all of themselves, creating a space for the Light to fill.
Lightwielders, ancient and modern, have always been fond of ritual. From our chants to worship services and how we go about out day. This reflects a major characteristic of the worship of the Light- that what we do in these rituals, is equally, if not as important as what we believe.
The Priest I learned the Light from was so very fond of his rituals- he wanted to perform the best rituals he could and these rituals were so complex that the average man neither understood them nor could he afford such a ritual. An emphasis on performance, ritual materials, and doing the ritual just right, lead to me view complicated rituals as empty & formal, lacking in emotional appeal so that those we are supposed to lead will look elsewhere to fulfill their spiritual desires.
The Light allows for more tolerance than some religions I have encountered- the Light does not need to be worshiped for you to wield it. Belief and devotion with the basic skills can be more powerful than complex rituals, both at using the Light and helping those we ( or at least I) protect. Everyone can speak until they run out of breathe but their actions will speak the loudest. Actions change beliefs better than beliefs change actions.
So how do we define ritual? Is it the few minutes of prayer, the vigil you take, or the thirteen steps you walk, the incense you burn or the study to the Light? The dictionary defines it as thus:
A religious or solemn ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order.the prescribed order of performing a ceremony, especially one characteristic of a particular religion
series of actions or type of behavior regularly and invariably followed by someone.
The former is what comes to mind when one thinks of complex or group rituals, however, i use the latter as the better definition.
A ritual is a structured sequence of symbolic, events, actions , objects and words that, from your perspective at the time of doing them, believes it real and not symbolic. Belief has great effect on your magic and prayers. Remember to perform them with confidence, speaking or willing your intent into existence. Weave the Light into your ritual to create reality. If you don’t create that in a ritual how do you expect it to manifest when the time comes for you to forgo such a ritual?
We all, at one point or another, have learned rituals from our fellows and teachers when we started our path. Whether you are a person of the cloth, plate, mail or something else entirely The prayer you would utter to the Light to heal a wound, for example, after enough time has passed is no longer needed. You no longer need that ritual to use that same spell because you believe and know what will happen. But in a group the ritual would still be used so that everyone may follow along and the ritual proceed as planned.
Just as basic rituals help you learn, group rituals keep everyone on the same track at the same time to accomplish the desired goal.
Tyleril Silversword 