The Ritual Practice
For the Full Moon in Taurus on October 25
If you'd like to connect directly with the magick of our community web established during the first session of The Gathering Path, you're invited to perform A Web of Wonder. For those who have already performed A Web of Wonder, you can spend a few moments connecting to our community web before performing the ritual below by simply visualizing and feeling your personal web-line joining with the community web - but feel free to add as little or as much ritual to this (breathwork, chanting, candle lighting, etc.) as you like.
Dowsing the Waters
For our ritual practice we'll be using a dowsing technique to help us connect with the rivers of our land-body. Dowsing appears across cultures and can describe practices ranging from detecting buried metal to water to oil as well as more esoteric practices of detecting the flow of energy in the land (where dowsing intermingles with the practice of geomancy). In modern metaphysical spaces, dowsing has become more of a catch-all term for divination that relies on the detection of energy (including the energy put out by spirits and guides) in order to ascertain an answer (like using a pendulum). While I don't have an argument for how "real" dowsing is, I find that practices that ask us to quiet our inner worlds and tune into the current moment and present land to be interesting and useful way of strengthening our intuitive muscles.
You may already have a pendulum, but they are easy to make from just about anything. A ring tied to the end of a string is a very popular and traditional option. Or a necklace held at one end of the chain with the charm at the other end is another choice. If you have a rock from your local land that can be tied up with string, this can be a beautiful option, as well as small bundles of herbs that have a bit of weight to them (you can even choose the herbs based on your need or ones that are your plant allies). I typically like a shorter pendulum where the string is no more than 9 inches (23 cm), but that is absolutely up to personal preference, and I frequently break my own rules depending on what I have at hand.
My own favorite pendulums are rough, handmade little things of string and crystal either given to be already made by a friend or where I took a gifted crystal and knotted it up with thread. I find that a stone or piece of jewelry given in kindness is particularly well-suited for making a pendulum from - they carry the energy of kinship and connection already interwoven into their magick. If you don't have such a stone or items, no worries, though if you're intrigued by the energy of gifted magick, perhaps cast a little spell for some to come your way.
If you have not already established what the different movements of your pendulum means, do that before proceeding with the ritual. The three basic answers from your pendulum are: yes, no, and maybe (or uncertain/unclear). Personally I like clockwise for yes, counterclockwise for no, and a slow back and forth for uncertain (which for my personal practice often indicates that a question needs to be refined, the direction of the questioning needs to change or it's not time to be dowsing). Another option, in relation to your body if you are holding the pendulum in front of you, is back-and-forth for yes, side-to-side for no, and circles for maybe or uncertain.
Creating Your Ritual
Once you have your pendulum chosen and established the meaning of its movement, it's time to create your ritual. I've purposely relied on a framework rather than a full detailed ritual for this path since we are dealing with the energy of our personal rivers. It would feel too stuffy to try and get everyone to flow in the same ritual way for our community this time round. Also, some of you have been participating in three years worth of Gathering Paths and it might feel like a sweet opportunity to stretch your ritual-crafting skills. Here are my suggestions:
🌀 Create an altar dedicated to the rivers within and around you. Bowls of water, water-colored stones, pictures of waterways or images of water deities, blue cloth draped across a table - dress your altar in a way that speaks to your watery nature or the sort of river energy you are drawing towards yourself.
🌀 If you think you might want to support your dowsing practice with tarot or oracle cards, choose a deck and have those at hand.
🌀 Start your ritual with an element of water. A ritual shower or bath with an herbal rinse or infusion would be a great idea. Have the ability to actually visit a river or go wild swimming? That might be an option for you, too. If none of those options are available, anointing your brow with water is a beautiful option.
🌀 Add movement. It could be dancing, gentle swaying or even self-massage. We are wanting to honor the perpetual movement of our land-body waterways through movement that supports our sense of flow.
🌀 If you have a connection with a local riverway, call to their spirit as an honored guest and to help you connect with your own land-body riverways.
🌀 Once ready, begin your dowsing practice.
The Dowsing Practice
To dowse the rivers of your body begin by letting the pendulum move through your energy field. I like to start by holding the pendulum to my heart. Then I let it swing gently around my body from my head down to my feet. Once complete, I like to bring my pendulum back to my heart.
Then I will whisper to my pendulum what it is I seek to know. Examples of inquiries include:
Where is my river flow (energy) blocked in my body?
Where does my river need more care and attention?
Where is my energy strong and robust?
Where is there a wound that needs tending?
Where is there a strength that needs nurturing?
Where does the pain of {experience} live in my body?
Where does the love of {experience} live in my body?
I would recommend choosing one to three questions to focus on. Then ask your first question and let the pendulum travel around your body until it begins to answer you. When you receive an answer - such as stopping at your hip and indicating "this is a place where energy is blocked" - you have a few options of how to proceed:
You can meditate on the spot, starting with a focus like "help me understand my blocked energy and what it is drawing my attention to."
You can pull a tarot card or two for clarification. If it feels like something that really needs exploring, the Riverways spread might be appropriate.
You can call on your plant allies and/or guides (including your deep intuitive self) for guidance with a question like "What plant ally can help unblock this energy?" I particularly love flower essences when working with the energetic flow of the body.
The purpose of dowsing the rivers of your body is to help you tune in and draw out the stories that reside within you. You might gain new insight into a frustrating pattern you've been experiencing in your day-to-day life by connecting with a part of your flow that feels blocked. Or develop a deeper compassion for yourself by spotting something in your riverways that is so beautiful, but you haven't yet given it the love it deserves. Like observing any waterway, interesting things are often seen if we're still and quiet enough for them to be noticed or emerge.
If you like, once you are done with your dowsing, you might offer some sort of blessing to our community web. Lately, I've been speaking a blessing of discernment to our community web whenever something becomes clearer in my life - I want that energy to grow and create deep roots, so what better way than to wish clarity for others, too, in those moments.
After the rituals like this where we can drift into different states of consciousness, it's always good to do something good and grounding, whether grounding food, grounding movement, journaling, and/or a very nice cup of tea.
Blessed be, everyone, may your rivers flow sweet.
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