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Rituals Shortening Samhain Rite

AvatarAsk Zeus Operator1 min to read

I don't want to do 90 minutes of God rituals then another 40 minutes it takes for the psalm. I would not be able to put my heart into that and do it properly... after the second ritual I would want it to just be over... It's too much for me.

I want to meditate in silence on the holiday night without two hours + of non stop vocalizing required beforehand...

If I curtail the rite could I do only the psalm? How many of the props are necessary? I don't own a mask or lantern, but I have candles.

#1
This is the targeted message.

You can certainly celebrate Samhain individually in whatever way you see fit. Nobody is forcing you to perform the entire Rite, and the Psalm can explicitly be recited on its own. However, I think you should seriously reconsider the attitude you're expressing here.

For generations, people did not have access to anything even resembling the complete religious framework we have today. Our High Priest has dedicated an extraordinary amount of time and effort to restoring the worship of our Gods, recovering our traditions, and composing the Rituals and Sacred Liturgy that we can now freely access. We are witnessing something extraordinary in the history of our Temple and in the history of mankind, and it's disappointing to see such an opportunity reduced to a complaint about having to dedicate a few hours of one's evening to the Gods.

If we approach worship primarily as something we want to finish as quickly as possible, what does that say about the importance we've assigned to it? Spiritual discipline also means learning to exercise patience and commitment, particularly when something demands more of us than we're accustomed to giving.

You're of course free to perform the shorter version and celebrate in silence if that's what you choose. I would simply ask you to consider the immense privilege of having these Rituals available to us, the work that made them possible, and what you personally stand to gain from dedicating that time to the Gods. The attention we devote to Them ultimately benefit mostly our own souls. Even the apparent sacrifice of setting aside a few hours of our personal comfort is an opportunity to strengthen ourselves spiritually and connect ourselves to the Gods. And if we approach that opportunity as something we merely want to get over with, we're the ones depriving ourselves of its benefits.

#2

I think it is important to reconsider the way you are approaching these Rituals. They should never be experienced as school assignments that we are obligated to complete, or as tasks we simply want to get out of the way. We are talking about our own lives, our Souls, and our spiritual advancement. Every moment we dedicate to this is an investment in ourselves and in what we are working to become.

We are incredibly fortunate to have access to this knowledge, these Rituals, and the guidance necessary to develop spiritually. There are countless people in the world who are not even aware that such a path exists. We have been given an opportunity of enormous value, and I believe we should approach it with gratitude, enthusiasm, and a genuine desire to make the most of it. Of course, everyone has their own level of development, and nobody is expected to accomplish everything immediately. This is precisely why there are instructions and alternatives that allow us to participate according to our present abilities. You can begin with what you are capable of doing sincerely and properly, and gradually work toward doing more.

But we should also be careful not to become too comfortable with our limitations. Spiritual advancement requires effort, patience, and the willingness to challenge ourselves a little more each day. Something that feels demanding today may become much more natural as we develop.
Most importantly, try to change the perspective from which you approach these practices. Instead of thinking about how much time a Ritual will take or how soon it will be over, consider what that time represents and what you are receiving through the opportunity to perform it.
We should want to give our best because and understand how important our own spiritual development is.

This is something we have the privilege of pursuing. It deserves to be approached with appreciation and genuine dedication, rather than as a burden.

#3

You are hitting some limit, but the Rituals are not meant to be painful, exhausting, or annoying. You are meant to be relaxed and to key into them. Pay attention and bring your attention back in a way that does not feel forced.

Remember that learning all of this is a skill. Theurgy is a skill. It is not something that just comes to you easily.

If you feel hurt or frustrated due to straining your voice, make your vibrations much shorter and the pauses inbetween much longer. Visualize the Sigil the best way you can every time you complete a set and meditate on the instruction. You don't have to spend 85 of 90 minutes doing prohibitively long vibrations, unless you enjoy this. But the 90 minute instruction does enable you to get more out of it, whichever way you choose.

Remember too: these are not done to appease the Gods as sacrifices or to give them more power, they are done to benefit you to key into divine essence. You are hacking at ground to produce gold. There's no way to 'lose' with these Rituals if you put moderate focus into them.

ΕΠΙΣΤΑΜΑΙΟΡΧΕΙΣΘΑΙ

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#4

In addition to the good points others have made, what else would you be using that time to do? Exercise brutal honesty with this. A lot of people like to watch horror movies on Halloween. These rites will only take you about as long to do as watching a horror movie, for example. Don't think of it as a chore to pass you by, think of it as a spiritual task to enrich your day, to prolong it, to make you go to bed feeling like you had a full day. That's not even mentioning how beneficial this is for your advancement.

Everything has been neatly organized for you on a webpage, whereas for our ancestors, this would've taken the effort of an entire empire to compile even a one-thousandth of this information; that, in of itself, is something to marvel at. If you're struggling with staying engaged, I'd recommend reading some of the web pages about the Gods. At least for me, learning about them feels very joyous and makes me want to be closer to them. I'd also recommend listening to some of the music that Priest Alexandros has shared on YouTube. There are some beautiful soundscapes that can help you with inspiration. I'll also link a sermon by HPZM which details the divine power you gain from participating in things like this.

"Τἀγαθὸν εὔκτητον | The good is easy to acquire." - Epicurus

#5

I understand your frustration for the rite's length. On the other hand, this is Theurgy. If you think about it, it's absolutely amazing that we have this knowledge in our hands! These are things that the ancients did, prayers and ways of connecting with the Gods and Goddesses that were literally gone for eons... and now, we have this knowledge again. I am personally very thankful for this.

If you feel overwhelmed by the length, you can at least do the rituals of the respective Gods. You can do them in 2-3 nights if you can't seperate them by many hours in one night.

Everyone moves at their own pace.

#6

In addition to all the excellent replies already given in this thread, the rituals and psalms are to be spaced out. It isn't 90 minutes straight all in one go. They can be spread out through the entire night.

And if that still sounds like too much, this particular festival is only once a year. You can catch up on sleep the next nights.