Jan 30 2009
Why Do We “Banish” During Ritual?
Anyone who’s worked ritual in a neo-pagan context (especially Wicca) is familiar with the concept of banishing at the end of ritual. We all have different names for it–”closing the circle”, “the license to depart”, etc. No matter what we call it though, the standard formula is pretty similar. Typically, the banishing pentagrams are drawn at the four quarters and some type of license to depart is spoken. But why do we do that and even more importantly, should we?
Modern Wicca’s ritual format is largely derived from the rituals of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. In the Golden Dawn system, the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram is used extensively particularly after operations involving magickal evocation. Wicca has long made a distinction between “invocation” and “evocation” so I wonder a bit why we still need to banish.
Additionally, most neo-pagan philosophy holds that the four elements make up the basis of our entire world. Joined with a fifth element of spirit in a balanced fashion, they are the divine substance of the cosmos. Wouldn’t it reason then that they’re part of us? Why would we need to banish something that is inherent in our own nature? It seems counter-intuitive.
“Well, hang on”, you might say, “What about dark or evil energies that need to be banished?” This, in my opinion, is a hold back to what we commonly refer to as “white ligher” or “fluffy bunny paganism”. After all, we recognize that the Goddess is both a creator and a destroyer and we claim that evil doesn’t really exist outside of her. There’s light and dark but they’re not really good or evil. So again, why banish the darkness if it’s just another aspect of Goddess and of ourselves?
Isn’t this, in some ways, what the straight world has tried to do with the GLBT community? We represent impulses that they recognize within themselves so they try to banish us by outlawing us, by stripping us of our equality or claiming that its some kind of evil or sinful choice. In many ways, GLBT people represent the shadow side of our straight brothers and sisters. We refuse to be banished. Should we not at the same time, recognize our own shadow–our destructive urges, our dark desires?
Incidentally, I do think that this is one area where the GLBT community is more in step with the nature of the universe. In many ways, we recognize our darker sides and express them–through BDSM, leather, the stereotype of the bitchy queen. I think perhaps in making our spirituality our own, it might be time to release this idea of banishing the “dark” or the “elements” and embrace these energies as our own. Perhaps in developing a genuine gay spirituality we need to rethink how we do ritual and what energies are really there and what purpose they serve. I think its time for gay pagans to devise a new ritual format that is more instep with our consciousness.
I have my own magickal philosophies.
I don’t know if the elemental forces are real or not. And I’m not sure if I care. I don’t know if the god and goddess are real or not. And I’m not sure if I care. For me, magick is all about altering my own psyche. I think the elemental idiology provides a very useful way of breaking down the universe. So I use it. The idea of the goddess and god (in all their forms) provides me with comfort and strength. And so I use them.
(And, in the spirit of full disclosure, I’m not sure if magick is real or not. But I use it. It provides comfort, a sense of control, and helps me to harness my own psychological reserves.)
So, when I invoke the elements. . . (though, don’t get me wrong, I AM SINCERE) I may be drawing in actual elemental forces — but I KNOW that I am psychologically preparing myself for being in a special time and place. And when I banish the elements. . . (and again, I’m not play-acting-I’m being sincere) I may be sending away unwanted energies — but I know that I am allowing my psyche to return to normal time and space.
As for evil? The best definition of evil that I’ve found in my reading: “Evil is unnecessary life experience.” It may sometimes be necessary to cut off a puppy’s tail. But it is evil to do it one inch at a time. It may be necessary to take a life in defence, but it is evil to do it to someone not posing a threat. It may be necessary to steal a loaf of bread to feed your family, but it is evil to steal a diamond ring just cause it’s pretty.
Okay.. so I may or may not be in the right ballpark but please bear with me, lol.
Though I never try to banish much in my rituals at all (and I tend to use Wicca principles as my belief base), I always thought that the ‘banishing’ elements in a ritual were there to function as sort of ‘energy push-brooms’ in an effort to remove energies before and after creating circle or working magick, not because the energies present before the ritual or the energies present after we are done are bad/dark/evil/dirty, but because it makes things easier(?).
Take this thought: would a painting look the same if an artist used an used canvas as opposed to a blank one? If his painting was a sunflower, wouldn’t it be harder to get it right if the canvas was already painted with a moonlit night in blues and blacks?
And after a working of any ritual? Didn’t your mom ever yell at you to pick up your toys after you were done playing with them in the livingroom? Why…? Because you shouldn’t want anyone else’s mess in your way later, so why would you leave yours for them? Most magick philosophies believe in the concept of ‘imbuing’. Most temples and cathedrals, and even little country churches, are imbued with the energy and emotions of their worshippers — and it can be felt months or centuries after its no longer used. A magick circle can leave the same intense links in the place where it is cast, with or without intentional effort.
The elements and the Gods/Creator are part of us, yes. Light and dark, benevolent and malevolent. Good and evil are both relative terms anyways; I try not to use them much except in exaggeration or in the blaise context. But banishing implements really have little to do with the literal definition of banishing, which isn’t the exact way I’d put the LGBT analogy either… that’s more like cosmetic surgery for straight society, trying to Proactive away the gay; destruction/death rather that banishing. But banishing actions are, to me, more like Windexing the windows — make them spotless so there’s no dirt streak across your finger-smudge smiley faces that you’ll draw there, then Windex clean again before you nephew tries his hand at it.
*yawns* I’ll read this tomorrow and see if it makes sense in the morning, so I hope it does already. @_@