Vampiric Shamanism ritual styles
From Circle Of The Crone
Contents |
Performing rituals as a vampire shaman
This is only a suggested style for your rituals, and is not canon or official in any way
Vampire shamans sometimes use a variation of the traditional medicine wheel, and variations of its meanings. Notably, the sun is replaced with the moon, and some of the meanings of the directions/colors are changed. The rituals involve the use of a pipe, although a cigarette, cigar, or cigarillo can be used in a pinch. My character will be using Black and Milds, hardly a traditional ritual element. The danger of fire and the use of the sacred tobacco are the important factors, not necessarily their delivery method. Below are listed suggested directions and colors, which are arranged around the wheel as illustrated
Suggested ritual circle sectors, colors, and meanings
change as desired
North - Blue - Winter, peace, unhindered rest, and self reflection
South - Orange/Yellow - Summer, cosanguinous family, blood, happy childer and easy hunting
East - Red - Spring, Dawn, Rebirth, New beginnings
West - Black - Autumn, Death, The shadow life of the spirit, understanding the unseen
Moon - Grey - Crone, Dark Mother, female power may be indicated by a white circle, or a drawing or picture of the moon
Earth - Brown - Earth, and all its bounty may be indicated by a brown circle, a pile of dirt, a drawing of the earth, or a picture of the earth
Self - Green - To dedicate the heart to loyalty and strength
Setting up the circle
Draw on the ground a circle divided into 4 sections, with a circle inside in the middle large enough for one person to sit in. Ideally, and for especially potent and important rituals, blood should be used to draw the circle. Chalk is an acceptable subsitute. Light the pipe (or substitute), offer to each direction, and pray aloud, chanting:
He/She offers the smoke to the North! Hey! The smoke is given to the North!
She/He offers the smoke to the South! Hey! The south takes the gift of the smoke!
He/She offers the smoke to the East! Hey! The smoke is the gift for the east!
She/He offers the smoke to the West! Hey! The west recieves the smoke!
Take a puff from the pipe (or substitute). Blow the smoke up to the sky. Point the pipe to the sky, and say:
He/She offers the smoke to the Moon! Hey! The smoke drifts up to the moon!
Take a puff from the pipe. Blow the smoke down towards the ground. Point the pipe down to the ground and say:
She/He offers the smoke to the Earth! Hey! The smoke coils down to the Earth!
The ritual is now ready to begin. Depending on the ritual, the pipe and the sacrifice required for the ritual will be offered to the appropriate sector.
He/She offers the pipe and the sacrifice to the ______! Hey! The gift is accepted and a gift is given in return!
As an observance of a given date, the ritual goes as follows:
He/She celebrates this night with the pipe and the _______! Hey! The night is known as holy!
Matching sectors of the ritual circle to rituals/holidays
Here are the sectors to fill in the blank with, depending on the ritual being performed or the holiday being celebrated.
North: Heliolater's Warning, Bleeding the Tarantula, Barrier of Blood
South: Pangs of Proserpina, Blood Price, Song of the Blood, to celebrate Latha Lunasdal
East: For ritualistic Embraces on Walpurgis Night (2/21), to welcome new arrivals, for promotions within the covenant, Flowers of Demeter
West: In preparation for Samhain celebrations, Rigor Mortis, Cheval, Curse of Ahasverus
Moon: Feeding the Crone, Hyrda's Vitae, Blood Blight, in preparation for celebrating the Pyanepsion Noumenia
Earth: Deflection of Wooden Doom, Balancing the Four Humors
Self: Willful Vitae, Touch of the Morrigan, Blood Witness
Embellishments upon these basic themes may be done as desired. Shamanism is very personal and there will be a great degree of customization. You can scrap these basic themes entirely if you want to, I just figure that if I was going to go through all the work of inventing it and writing it out for my own reference, other people might want to save themselves the trouble and use it for their own rituals also, or as a basic framework to start from. Of course, you might not want to go through all this if you're just doing the Rigor Mortis ritual, and you may want to go through more for a more significant ritual. Individual mileage may vary.
