Pneumatised!

MM,

This Friday night I am going through a Rite of Dedication.

The Rite of Dedication is pegged by some to be one of the favourite and most beautiful rituals in our tradition (Odyssean). I have to agree with that. Along with some of the women’s rituals, the Rite of Dedication has special meaning to the Dedicant.

The major theme for this ritual is, of course, dedication. Dedicated to what? To whom? Well, for one thing, contrary to most Christian systems, it is not a dedication to any specific tradition of Wicca, which is why the Rite of Dedication is not really a private ritual. (It’s as private as the Dedicant wants it to be. I have specifically invited certain attendees who may bring guests. I guess it would be considered a semi-private event.) The Rite of Dedication in no way binds me to the Odyssean tradition as there is no making of oaths. (Being oathbound in this tradition occurs at Neophyte level, which still does not preclude one from joining another tradition if one chooses. There are people who are Gardnerian as well as Odyssean.) Rather, the Rite of Dedication is a formalized way for one to say hello to the deities and to acknowledge them and for the Dedicant to make a statement of faith to her peers. Basically, it’s a way to say “Hey, I’m Wiccan/Pagan. This is who I am and this is how dedicated I am to that path.” Ultimately, I think of my Dedication as a formalization of the path I have chosen and a dedication to being who I am.

A minor theme in the Dedication is one of community and support. It lets one know that no matter what may happen, there is always support from the community, the elements, and most of all, the deities.

Now, in preparation for my Dedication, I have opted for a 3-day gradual fast. First, I cut out meats, then all solid food substances and then thick liquids. The day before the ritual, I am only ingesting clear liquids (e.g., broth, herbal teas, water). There is a feast after the ritual, so the Dedicant can have some food shortly after having consumed alcohol. I am now in the vegetarian part of the fast. Not fun. I love seafood and am craving it lots! However, as I stated, I opted for this fast. I didn’t have to do it. At the bare minimum, I only had to do a one day fast of clear liquids. If I had any medical issues, I didn’t even have to do the fast at all. However, I consider myself to be fairly healthy, so a 3-day fast wouldn’t hurt. This is something I feel I need to do. Fasting usually helps clear out toxins from the body and leaves one feeling better overall. We’ll just have to wait and see. As of 7 p.m. tonight, I will be only ingesting liquids. Later tonight, I will be having sage tea and a hot bath to help clear out toxins. Sage needs to be ingested in small quantities, so anyone reading this should be careful if they are considering sage tea! It’s only used to to clear out toxins and not as a casual tea.

Now, I’m getting hungry which is probably good – need to eat what I can before 7 p.m. So, time for some nuts. Be back later (tomorrow) with a quick update.

BB,
Cassandrah
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