5 Protocols Of Ceremony: For More Affective Rituals

If you're new to the ancient art of hosting a ceremony, or even if you've been doing it for years, there are a few things you can do to enhance your practice.

1. The intention is everything.

You know that, right?

It's the most important part of any activity or experience. It's why you're here, doing what you're doing. It's what drives your actions and motivates your choices. It’s what keeps you present!

And when it comes to rituals? The intention is everything. The intention is what sets your intention apart from every other ritual you've ever done—and makes it uniquely yours. You must focus your mind so you don’t bring to fruition some weird-ass suppressed subconscious memory.

Believing in the power of your thoughts is what will make your ceremony effective vs. simply a series of random actions that amount to some incense burned and a better-smelling room.

2. Honour the four directions.

The four directions represent the 4 elements (earth, water, air, and fire). Many ancient teachings say that we are made up of four elements. Honoring and acknowledging these elements outside of ourselves helps us connect and access the power of the elements such as the wind, the sun, the ocean, and mountains.

Lighting incense and offering them gifts of water and food. This will connect you to your surroundings and open up your awareness

South: Light a candle to represent fire, which is associated with willpower, energy, courage, and creativity

West: fill a bowl of water to represent water, which is associated with intuition, imagination, and dreams

East: place a feather or dream catcher to represent air, which is associated with communication and thought processes

North: a rock or crystal to represent earth, which is associated with grounding yourself in reality

3. Work with Astrology.

Use the full and new moon as your template for which type of ceremony to host. A full moon means it’s time to purge and let go. A new moon represents a time to call in and manifest.

Using the lunar cycles is an easy way to stay consistent with your ceremonies. As you become more familiar with the monthly, weekly, and daily astrology you can become more specific with the type of ceremony you are hosting.

4. Open and close the space appropriately

To open and clear a space for the ceremony is almost more important than the actual ceremony.

-You can use sage to clear the energy in the room, run the smoke along every corner of the room, and then bring it to an open window or door.

-Set an altar with the representative pieces you have chosen to honor the four directions, any poems, plants, art, or jewelry pieces you feel are necessary. Just follow your intuition and take your time placing each object intentionally on the altar.

-Play high-vibration music and chant a mantra as you perform these tasks to make sure the space is protected from any intrusive thoughts. (chanting Om Namah Shivah is a simple mantra that can help assist in this practice, or even just chanting Om.

5. Finally, ask for support from your spirit guides.

This can be done in any number of ways: calling out their names before starting the ceremony; asking them for help in performing specific tasks during the ceremony; leaving offerings outside when they have passed on (for example, placing flowers on graves or burning candles).

Just call upon them and wait for their presence to be felt. We mean, sometimes they are busy, but they will always take a message.

Practice with us in person at our Annual SACRED Feminine Arts retreat that takes place every February in The Sacred Valley of Peru.